railstaff may 2016
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RailStaff May 2016TRANSCRIPT
Staff
MAY 2016 | ISSUE 222
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Interfleet to SNC-Lavalin
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SENIOR PERSON IN CHARGE OF POSSESSION (SPICOP) | SAFE SYSTEM OF WORK PLANNER (SSOWP) PROTECTION CONTROLLER (PC) | AUXILIARY OPERATION DUTIES POINT OPERATOR (AOD PO) AUXILIARY OPERATION DUTIES HAND SIGNALLER (AOD HS) | POSSESSION SUPPORT (PS) INDUSTRY COMMON INDUCTION (ICI) | PERSONNEL TRACK SAFETY (PTS AC/DCCR) CONTROLLER OF SITE SAFETY / INDIVIDUAL WORKING ALONE (COSS/IWA/OLP/CRP/LLT) TRACK INDUCTION (TRK) | LOOKOUT / SITE WARDEN PEE-WEE/KANGO (LKT PK) ENGINEERING SUPERVISOR (ES) | PERSON IN CHARGE OF POSSESSION (PICOP) AUXILIARY OPERATION DUTIES LEVEL CROSSING ATTENDANT (AOD LXA) | FIRST AIDFIRE AWARENESS | SMALL TOOLS (SMALL PLANT) | HAND TROLLEY CONTROLLER
ON REQUESTMACHINE CONTROLLER | CRANE CONTROLLER | OLEC 1 – 3
SAFETY SUMMIT | 7The Rail Safety Summit returned to the
Royal College of Physicians on the 5th May.
THINK SAFETY, ACT SAFELY | 20The story behind Stobart Rail’s
new safety vision.
RAILSTAFF AWARDS | 29We continue our build-up
to RailStaff Awards 2016.
FROM INTERFLEET TO SNC-LAVALIN | 42
Richard George, group managing director of
SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit, talks about
what the future holds for the
engineering consultancy.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING | 54Paul Darlington explores the opportunities
available to engineers through the IET.
NINJAS OF THE YELLOW TRAINS | 58What does it take to be a
Mobile Maintenance Train Manager?
42
7 20
58
54
SPOTLIGHTPINKY PROMISE | 50
The pink boots coming to a worksite near you.
29
CONTENTS MAY 2016 | ISSUE 222
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Staff
Celebration is an essential part of personal, family and professional life. Too often we fail to pause and rejoice at our achievements.
Oliver Bales down in the south-west lost
25 stone by a combination of hard work,
commitment and determination. Mr Bales
has much to celebrate. Martin McManus,
a ScotRail driver, is self effacing about his
rescue of a tearful toddler on the Edinburgh
Glasgow main line. What an achievement.
The example of both men and the hundreds
of other success stories we run, inspire the
actions and aspirations of us all.
The wider railway industry has much to
celebrate. More people ride trains now
than at any point since 1948. The railway
accommodates them - or tries to - on half
the amount of track we had back then.
Mainstream media might focus on what
goes wrong, but the railway is a modern
fable for what can go right. Put together new
ideas, inspired investment and the personal
conviction of a swathe of people that this is
the best industry in the world and the result
is a lean, brave and fortuitous dynamic. The
railway is part of the economic catalyst of a
new and confident Britain. Its achievement
serves our wider community.
The United Kingdom was once derided as
a lack-lustre imperial state, an economy of
losers, a tired and cowardly culture unsure of
itself. This is subjective nonsense.
Modern Britain is a success story, the fifth
strongest economy in the world. The place
people look to for fairness, justice, democracy
and freedom of expression. The London
Olympics saw British athletes coming third
in the tally of gold medals won. Best of all
was the success of the Paralympic Games
- illustrating British values of fair play and
compassion.
Immigrants taking British nationality queue
up to have their picture taken alongside a life-
size portrait of our longest-serving monarch.
Together their contribution sustains a vibrant
and healthy culture.
The future belongs to those who have the
confidence and daring to grasp opportunity.
This summer celebrate. Raise a glass to Her
Majesty on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
Take that job, buy that house, start a family,
begin a training course. There is a tide in the
affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads
on to fortune. Take that step, cast off. Fortune
favours the bold.
The future belongs to
those who have the
confidence and daring
to grasp opportunity.
More people ride trains
now than at any point
since 1948 - on half the
amount of track we had
back then.
High Achievers
© RailAlliance/Eli Rees-King
© Shutterstock.com
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RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 NEWS 5
An onboard catering host has managed to lose 25 stone and become slimmer of the year.
Oliver Bales, 24, tipped the
scales at 39 stone when he
decided to seek help through a
scheme run by Slimming World
magazine.
Oliver who has a degree
in international business from
Portsmouth University, suffered
a growing obesity problem as a
student. Teased by other students
and unable to attend some
lectures because he could not sit
in the chairs, Oliver decided to
lose weight after being inspired
by a friend’s weight loss on social
media.
Oliver has almost halved his
waist size - down from 64 inches
to 34. Even his feet are two shoe
sizes smaller. A diet and exercise
plan helped. As the weight came
off he needed new clothes.
Oliver joined the rail industry last
February in Portsmouth and works
for Rail Gourmet on SWT services.
‘Being overweight has affected
my entire life – until now. I finally
know what it’s like not to feel like
an outcast, to be able to walk
down the street without people
laughing, pointing or calling you
names, to not take up two seats
on a train, to not be in constant
pain,’ said Oliver. He thanked the
magazine and friends who had
given him support. ‘My only regret
is that I didn’t do this sooner. I
hope my story will inspire other
people to know that it’s never
too late to get support and even
if they don’t know it, there is help
just around the corner.’
Over 11,000 members of Network Rail’s orange army turned out over the long weekend, 30 April - 2 May, pushing ahead with Britain’s £40 billion Railway Upgrade Plan.
In London, Crossrail
electrification work went ahead
on the Great Eastern Main
Line around Gidea Park and
also at Paddington. East Kent
resignalling progressed between
Faversham and Sheerness.
There was also major resignalling
work on the northern part of
the Midland Main Line around
Sheffield. Work on the West
Coast Main Line focused on
Stafford and the line north of
Lancaster.
May day magic for Orange Army
Network Rail has beefed up its property business by creating a new company: Network Rail Property.
Under its managing director,
David Biggs, NRP will generate
income from property assets and
develop land for housing and
business.
The new board will be chaired
by Chris Gibb, a non-executive
director of Network Rail since
2013, who has worked in the rail
industry for more than 35 years.
Says David Biggs, ‘Our new
property company will have
greater powers to unlock land for
homes, drive economic growth
in towns and cities and reinvest
money into the rail network to
help fund the Railway Upgrade
Plan. It will mean that investment
or asset disposal decisions can
be made at the right level within
the organisation in a timely
way while ensuring appropriate
oversight is in place.’
The move marks a personal
triumph for David Biggs, a
chemist - he read chemistry at
City University London. Biggs
joined Network Rail and became
finance director, property, in
2002. Before that, he spent six
years with Touche Ross. The new
team will bring a certain alchemy
to what has been described as
one of Britain’s largest property
portfolios.
Property box
Oliver wins slim chance
© Twitter/@Slimmingworld
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6 NEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
The dramatic growth in rail passenger numbers in the UK is presenting a fundamental challenge to the industry’s safety performance, says Network Rail safety director Graham Hopkins.
Speaking at the Rail Safety Summit on 5
May, Hopkins said that the need to operate
more services was shortening the window
for Network Rail to carry out maintenance
and renewal works to a point that there was
a risk projects could be ‘rushed’.
Graham was appointed group director
for safety, technical and engineering,
in June 2015. Previously, he had been
executive vice-president of engineering
and technology, aerospace component
engineering at Rolls-Royce. He said, ‘That
is the environment that we’re living in… that
happens everywhere on the network and it’s
only going to get worse.’
Currently, 1.7 billion passenger journeys
are made on the British rail network every
year - 34 per cent more than five years ago.
That number is expected to double over the
next seven years. ‘How do we live with that
increase safely?’ he challenged.
‘Although there have been no workforce
fatalities on the railway so far this year, the
number of people being injured on the railway
remains a concern. On average, every month
50 employees are involved in an incident which
prevents them from being able to return to
work the following day,’ said Graham.
Graham was, however, upbeat about
Network Rail’s performance as a whole,
confirming that the organisation was meeting
its safety objectives and was on course to
achieve its CP5 target on level crossing
closures. Network Rail is currently in the
process of closing its 1,000th crossing. ‘We
can never give up on achieving that zero
number,’ he added.
The Rail Safety Summit was held at the
Royal College of Physicians, London, on
5 May. The morning session focussed on
fatigue. Speakers included Mark Young from
RAIB, Jill Collis from Transport for London
(TfL) and Johnny Schute OBE, a former chief
environmental and safety officer in the British
Army, from ORR.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF,
and Atkins’ David Nancarrow spoke about
how their respective organisations are
addressing health and wellbeing issues
within the industry. Finally the afternoon
sessions, which included speakers from
AECOM, Colas Rail, TRL, ABC Electrification,
HS2 and Bridgeway, dealt with the topics
of road risk and highlighted the innovative
approaches that are being used to address
workforce safety issues.
Look out for Colin Wheeler’s full
conference review in next month’s issue.
Essential focus on safety
Voice-over artist Phil Sayer, 62, known to millions of passengers as the ‘we’re sorry to announce…’ or ‘mind the gap’ man, has died after a sudden illness.
Phil had a career as continuity
presenter for the BBC in the North West.
However, he will be remembered as the
voice of the railway gently consoling
commuters with information and advice -
much of it pre-recorded.
Elinor Hamilton, his wife and business
partner, issued a statement. ‘Phil Sayer
- voice of reason, radio, and railways. A
dearly loved husband, father, grandfather,
brother, uncle and friend. We are sorry
to announce that this service terminates
here. 18.5.53 - 14.4.16.’
Mind the gap man stands clear
All photos© High Viz Media
Graham Hopkins.
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RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 NEWS 7
Borders Railway has been named Scottish infrastructure project of the year by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Says Stewart MacPherson, Network Rail
Infrastructure Projects route delivery director for
Scotland, ‘With passenger figures exceeding
expectations, the investment in the railway is
really paying dividends, and it’s great to see
the positive impact it’s having socially and
economically for the local communities along the
route.’
The rail industry is continuing its backing for Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI).
Network Rail purchases over 100 signs a
week made by ex-servicemen and is keen to
support RBLI’s new social enterprise, Britain’s
Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC).
Launched on 20 April 2016, BBMC
provides signs, wooden pallets, print, mail
and other services to Network Rail and
other infrastructure companies. The work
offers injured veterans a chance to put to
use skills learned in the Armed Forces.
Importantly it provides independence.
‘We are proud to purchase signs from
Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company,’
says Nick Elliott MBE, managing director of
Network Rail’s National Supply Chain.
‘By doing so, we know that we are not
only investing in high-quality, competitively
priced products for our network, but that
we are also investing in the continued
employment of ex-Forces personnel. We
are delighted that, as a business, we can
give back to those who have given so much
for their country.’
Borders award Rail backing for Britain's bravest
Staff at Midland Metro are getting ready to run trams to New Street station in Birmingham city centre from 22 May.
Trams will begin operating a full passenger
service on the extension between Snow Hill
station and New Street station via Bull Street
and Corporation Street.
The development comes following
electrical safety checks and test runs in the
early hours of Sunday morning, 24 April.
On-street driver training looks set to go
ahead. Trams returned to the streets of central
Birmingham for the first time in more than 60
years last December when Midland Metro
started running to the new stop in Bull Street.
The extension is part of a £128 million
project which has seen the introduction of a
new fleet of 21 Urbos 3 trams, a refurbished
depot at Wednesbury and a new stop at
Snow Hill station.
May debut for New Street trams
The Metro tram makes its
first run down Corporation
Street as engineers
monitor its progress.
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8 NEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
Protecting our members’ interests is our priorityJoin us todaywww.rmt.org.uk FREEPHONE 0800 376 3706
Britain’s Largest Specialist Transport Union
6 KEY REASONS for LEAVING THE EU
RMT is proud to stand up for the tradition of progressive and socialist opposition to
the European Union, an organisation wedded to
privatisation, austerity and attacking democracy.
CPC Systems, which delivers technical advice to London Underground, DLR and Network Rail, has appointed Malcolm Dobell as non-executive director.
Malcolm brings more than 45
years of rail industry expertise
to the team. He was formerly
head of train systems for London
Underground. As part of the
CPC Systems team, Malcolm will
provide strategic support as the
team moves towards becoming
the ‘go-to’ technical consultancy
provider for capacity and
performance solutions.
Malcolm Dobell is a
chartered engineer, a Fellow
of the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers and writes for Rail
Engineer magazine. He is a
past chairman of the Institution’s
Railway Division. In his spare
time, he is the chairman of
the governing body of a large
secondary academy in Milton
Keynes.
Says Joe Little, CPC systems
director, ‘Malcolm’s vast industry
knowledge and experience will
further add to the extensive rail
systems engineering capability of
CPC Systems. This will allow us to
continue to assist our customers
in discovering efficient solutions
to unlock their capacity and
performance potential.’
A former Heathrow Express driver, Tara Deller-Hoy, has joined South West Trains as head of drivers - looking after almost 2,000 drivers across 13 depots.
She joins from London
Overground (LOROL) where
she was also head of drivers,
covering 500 drivers over five
depots.
Tara has had a long career in
driver management, starting out
as a train driver with Heathrow
Express in 1997. After 12 years
with Heathrow Express, she
joined LOROL as a training
manager. Quick promotion to
train crew management followed
and she rose to the driver
manager position in 2012.
‘With the new fleet of Class
707 trains coming in during 2017,
it’s important that our team of
drivers are ready and prepared,’
says Tara. ‘I started out as a
driver in 1997 and have also got
experience of developing the
designs for a new fleet of trains
at Crossrail, which I think will be a
great help as we prepare for the
future.’
Tara lives in Chesham with
her husband. In her spare time,
she enjoys swimming and has
recently joined a triathlon club.
High role for triathlete Tara Deller-Hoy
Dobell prize for CPCDavid Brookes has joined Elite KL as business development manager - expanding the Tamworth-based company’s growing rail portfolio.
Historically the company has
an automotive background,
specialising in heating, ventilation
and air conditioning systems.
Now bringing transferable
technologies to the rail industry,
Elite KL Ltd supplies systems
for refurbishment programmes -
including the much appreciated
driver’s cab air-con.
Brookes joins from Dellner -
the Swedish train couplings firm
- where he was responsible for
repairs, overhauls and spares
for rolling stock in Britain and
Ireland. The six-year stint was
preceded by two years at Axiom
Rail - the rail vehicle maintenance
company which is now part of DB
Schenker. He has also worked
for Sabre Rail.
David Brookes studied at
the Noel Baker School - motto:
‘Excellence in all things’ - in
Alvaston, Derby. He joined
the railway from school as an
apprentice at BREL in Derby
and spent 11 years at Litchurch
Lane - now part of Bombardier
Transportation.
Brookes has a degree from
Derby University. In his spare
time, David, a keen soccer player,
is chairman and manager of
Mickleover 95 Football Club -
which provides opportunities for
boys and girls aged five to 18 to
learn how to play the Beautiful
Game and to compete against
other local teams.
Elite move for Brookes
FirstGroup has appointed Jim Harbidge as group head of environment.
Jim Harbidge joins FirstGroup
from Virgin Trains where he was
environment and sustainability
manager.
Jim will lead the formulation
of FirstGroup’s new long-term
environmental strategy. The job
covers all FirstGroup’s UK and
North American businesses.
Before joining Virgin in 2011,
he was sustainability manager
at Carillion. Harbidge has
also worked in similar roles
as sustainability business
development manager at
Grontmij, an environmental
and engineering consultancy,
and Leeds City Council where
he was head of environmental
management.
Jim Harbidge read
geography and environmental
science at the University of
Leeds. Away from work, he
enjoys drumming, running and
snow sports.
Green drumbeat for FirstGroup
I started out as a driver in 1997...
10 PEOPLE RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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Mark Wild, former leader of the public transport network in the Australian state of Victoria, has been named as the new managing director of London Underground.
Mark Wild will join Transport
for London in June, leaving his
current role as special adviser to
the government of Victoria. Until
recently, he was chief executive
of Public Transport Victoria, the
integrated transport authority
based in Melbourne serving a
population of six million.
An MBA graduate of the
University of Leeds, he initially
read for a degree in electrical
and electronic engineering
at Newcastle Polytechnic. His
near 30-year career in transport
has included running tram
networks, suburban railways and
bus services. He also formerly
worked on a number of major
projects in London, including the
introduction of modern signalling
on the Jubilee and Victoria lines.
Says London’s Transport
Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO,
‘We look forward to welcoming
Mark Wild, who will help us
continue the vital modernisation
of London’s transport network.
With our city’s population rising
sharply, we need to continue
to drive forward change
and deliver new and better
services so that we can support
London’s new homes, jobs
and economic growth. I would
also like to pay tribute to Nick
Brown, our departing interim
managing director. He has made
a remarkable contribution to
London Underground at a crucial
time.’
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The Transport Benevolent Fund (known as TBF) is a registered charity in England and Wales (1058032) and in Scotland (SC040013)
Colin Dobson is Abellio Greater Anglia’s new engineering director, heading a team of 500.
He joins the railway after a
successful career in aviation
working for British Airways and
as a consultant for Virgin Atlantic,
BAE systems and the Canadian
Helicopter Corporation.
Colin is married, lives in
Bedfordshire and enjoys walking,
travel and music. He is a member
of the Royal Aeronautical Society
and the Institute of Directors.
John MacArthur has been appointed to Story Contracting’s board of directors.
John joined the company in
February last year from Balfour
Beatty with over 26 years’
experience in civil engineering.
As rail director for Scotland,
John will set, lead and manage
the strategic direction and
delivery of a safe, profitable
and sustainable rail business
in Scotland. John will also be
accountable for creating and
embedding a culture of high
performance, client satisfaction
and continual improvement.
Announcing the appointment,
Story said, ‘This is a great
opportunity and well deserved
recognition based on the
performance and growth of
Story Contracting’s Scotland Rail
business over the last 12 months.’
Story Contracting is a
family-owned, award winning,
infrastructure company based
in the North of England. The
business provides construction,
plant and rail solutions.
Directorship for John MacArthur
Call of the wild
Aviation man for Greater Anglia
Sally Buttifant and Michael Willmot have been appointed to the board of ACoRP. They replace Chris Austin OBE and Paul Salveson MBE, who both laid the foundations of the community rail movement as we now know it.
Sally Buttifant is Mid Cheshire
CRP rail officer and a long-term
supporter of community rail. She
plays a key role in Women in
Community Rail. She is publicity
officer for her local branch of
Samaritans.
Michael Willmot is chair of the
North Staffordshire CRP which
covers the Derby to Crewe line.
He has a particular interest in
stations as community hubs and
has put this into practice through
the Helmsdale station project on
the Far North Line in Scotland.
Directors for ACoRP
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 PEOPLE 11
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12 NEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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Network Rail engineers have begun work on a bridge that will replace the level crossing at Ufton Nervet, Berkshire.
The bridge will completely
separate road and rail traffic at
the site, which has experienced
several incidents of deliberate
misuse. These followed a
collision between a train and a
car on the crossing in 2004 in
which seven people died and 71
people were injured.
A ceremony to mark the
start of work was attended by
members of the Ufton Nervet
support group - set up after the
2004 collision. They were joined
by members of the construction
team and Mark Langman,
Network Rail’s managing director
for the Western route.
‘This is an emotional day
for everyone affected by the
2004 collision and marks an
important step towards our
goal of improving the safety
of passengers and the public
at Ufton Nervet,’ said Mark.
‘By building this bridge and
replacing the level crossing, we
can significantly reduce the risk
of a tragedy like this happening
again, helping to ensure that
everyone gets home safe, every
day.’
Construction of the new bridge
is likely to be completed by the
end of the year.
Engineers are removing the track through Glasgow Queen Street tunnel as work on the £60 million electrification project gathers pace.
Since the high level station
closed to trains on 20 March,
engineers have been working
around-the-clock to renew track
and key junctions to the north of
the tunnel near Cowlairs and to
begin lengthening and rebuilding
platforms and track layouts within
the station.
Trackbed will be lowered to
allow the installation of equipment
to carry the overhead conductor
bar system to electrify the railway
through the tunnel ahead of the
introduction of faster, greener
trains from December 2016 as
part of the Edinburgh Glasgow
Improvement Programme (EGIP).
Summer tunnel job gathers pace
Bridgework starts at Ufton Nervet
To find out more about our work at Blackfriars visit railsignage.com
Olympic champion Audley Harrison has helped launch a new plan in support of the Samaritans ‘We Listen’ campaign.
The rail industry has offered
to feature Samaritans contact
details on the back of train
tickets for free. The reverse
side of paper tickets will feature
the Samaritans logo and free-
phone number, 116 123, plus the
campaign strapline line, ‘We don’t
just hear you, we listen.’
The aim is to encourage
anyone going through a tough
time to contact Samaritans.
Former Olympic champion
boxer Audley Harrison MBE,
who is fronting the campaign,
was given the very first ticket - a
giant-sized version to match his
heavyweight status.
Says Audley, ‘It’s a strength,
not a weakness, to reach out
for help. Let’s all get behind
this campaign and let people
know that they don’t have to go
it alone with their problems. If
you don’t want to talk to friends
or family, or feel you have
nowhere to turn, Samaritans will
listen. They’re free to call and
it won’t even show up on your
phone bill.’
The sports star was presented
with the oversized ticket at his
old boxing club, the historic
Repton Boys Club in Bethnal
Green in London’s East End. Paul
Plummer, chief executive of the
Rail Delivery Group, said, ‘Millions
of rail tickets are sold every day,
so we’re only too pleased to
support Samaritans’ We Listen
campaign and help make sure
people know where to turn when
they’re finding life tough.”
You can call Samaritans for
free any time from any phone on
116 123.
ANDY RIDOUTMANAGING DIRECTOR,
ADVANCE-TRS
Three senior staff from rail recruitment consultancy Advance Training & Recruitment Services (advance-TRS), successfully completed the London Marathon last month, together raising just under £10,000 for children’s charities Railway Children and Action for Children.
Operations director Paul Merton, managing director Andy Ridout and signalling division manager Sam Jennings each completed the 26.2-mile run following months of intensive training and preparation.
The guys joined around 38,000 other runners including Dame Kelly Holmes MBE and Top Gear’s Chris Evans at the marathon’s starting point on 24 April. The famous route sends runners up to Woolwich and along the River Thames before circling the Isle of Dogs, looping back towards Westminster where the final stretch culminates at St James Park.
Andy Ridout ran in aid of Railway Children, the international children’s charity that aims to change the lives of children living on the streets of the UK, India and East Africa. Raising more than £6,400, Andy adds to an already impressive fundraising total, having raised money for the charity since 2011.
Paul and Sam both ran in aid of Action for Children, a UK-based charity that operates a number of different services for children and their families, ranging from intensive family support, to fostering and adoption. Combined, the two raised more than £3,000 for Action for Children, an outstanding achievement.
Signalling recruiter Sam completed the marathon with the fastest time, clocking in at just under four hours. His incredible journey started last year when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a game of Sunday football. After months of tireless recovery, Sam began training again and set a target to enter and complete the London Marathon in 2016.
Says Sam, ‘Entering the race was the easy part. The reality quickly came crashing down once I began training five days a week at 6 am in freezing weather. I was also struggling with constant niggling injuries that hampered my rehabilitation. It’s been a tough road to recovery to get to where I am now but it’s all been well worth it to raise money for a worthwhile cause.’
You can find out more about their journey to the London Marathon by visiting www.advance-trs.com/news
Marathon triumph for Advance-TRS
Harrison punches ticket for Samaritans
PAUL MERTONOPERATIONSDIRECTOR
SAM JENNINGSSIGNALLING DIVISION
MANAGER
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 NEWS 13
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A train driver from Plymouth has battled and beat the odds to complete a tough IT qualification.
David Parr’s efforts have been recognised
by colleagues as he was declared ASLEF’s
Learner of the Year for 2016.
David has proved that barriers to learning
can be overcome if you have the motivation
and desire to achieve your goals. He
completed a Level 2 IT Application Specialist
Diploma (ITQ Apprenticeship) despite having to
travel extensively to course sessions and the
trauma of a family bereavement.
Stephenson College The IT course that David attended was
set up by ASLEF Education in partnership
with Stephenson College. IT courses are on
offer to rail workers across various venues in
Birmingham, Derby, Leeds and London.
To achieve his Level 2 computer qualification,
David had to complete modules in IT security,
word processing, e-publications, e-mail and
internet, PowerPoint presentations, Excel
spreadsheets as well as functional skills
assessments in maths and English.
David travelled regularly from Plymouth
to attend the IT sessions at Birmingham
with Stephenson College tutor, Cheryl
Duncan-Ratcliffe, over 12 months. As well as
Birmingham, David attended assessments in
London on his rest days to ensure that he could
complete the course.
David Parr has been a member of the train
drivers union for 30 years and started as a
trainee driver in April 1986. He started his
career in Ashford, before moving to Dover,
Eurostar at Waterloo and then Plymouth.
David’s father was a railway worker before
him and spent 41 years on the railways, 26 of
those as a driver. Sadly, David’s father passed
away suddenly in November 2015 whilst David
was nearing the end of his course. This was
inevitably an emotional and difficult time for
David and his family. David wrote a personal
and moving tribute to his dad, which was
included in the ASLEF Journal in January 2016.
Iron Man TriathlonWhilst doing his course, David managed
to find some time to complete a charity cycle
ride from Lands’ End to John O’Groats during
the summer of 2015. David planned out the
journey and completed this on his own over
11 days, averaging approximately 90 miles
per day. He raised funds for the British Heart
Foundation. He had previously raised funds for
cancer charities, taking on unusual challenges
like rowing around the Eddystone Lighthouse,
which is 12 miles off the coast of Plymouth. He
has also completed triathlon events including
his first Iron Man Triathlon in 2009.
Durham miners
David was presented with his ASLEF Learner
of the Year Award by Mick Whelan, ASLEF
General Secretary, at the ASLEF Union Learning
Conference in March. The Conference took
place in the magnificent historic conference
hall at the Durham Miners Association building
in Durham with 60 ASLEF Union Learning Reps
in attendance. When presenting the award,
Mick praised David for his hard work and
commitment to complete his IT qualification
and stated how important the role of ULRs have
been in setting up courses for ASLEF members,
‘Education leads to choice, and belief comes
from education, education leads to liberation,’
Whelan said.
Positive role modelDavid’s tutor, Cheryl Duncan-Ratcliffe,
said, ‘David has worked very conscientiously
throughout the course and I have seen his IT
skills, as well as his confidence in his IT abilities,
improve with each unit he has completed. He
is a positive role model for a mature student,
successfully balancing the course around
his work, home and other commitments,
including his charity bike ride.’
Says David, ‘More than ever before members
are expected to have a certain knowledge of IT
skills in the modern working environment, with
new digital technologies being introduced. It is
a worthy 12-month course and it has given me a
deeper knowledge of everyday computing use.
‘The only commitment is having the
self-discipline to manage yourself, with the
completion of each module and tests in the
allocated timeframe. In addition to this, I really
enjoyed the course and would encourage
others to take advantage of the courses offered
by ASLEF Education.’
Above Parr
Network Rail has completed work to protect the railway on the Cumbrian Coast line at Parton with the installation of a 15,000-tonne rock armour sea defence.
Contending with the dramatic tidal patterns
of the Irish Sea, a small team from the Orange
Army has been delivering emergency repairs
to the sea wall since storms battered sea
defences last Christmas.
It’s lonely dangerous work, but the team
quickly repaired the breaches in the wall using
cement as a temporary measure. What followed
was a daring mission to cheat the tides and get
onto the beach to install a permanent layer of
‘rock armour.’ These huge boulders now sit
at the base of the sea wall and absorb much
of the energy from the waves. Moving them
into position meant nifty in-out working to take
advantage of low tides.
‘In total, we’ve put around 15,000 tonnes
of the rock armour into place which will help
protect the railway for several decades to
come,’ says John Owen, works delivery
manager for Network Rail. ‘The main challenges
have been the weather and access, and we
had to carefully plan our work around low tides
so we could safely and effectively install these
defences,’ adds John.
‘The logistics were also challenging as we
had to move the rock in from quarries, into a
compound and then, during low tide, onto the
beach. The result is a safer and more reliable
railway for the people of Cumbria.’
Engineers also took advantage of the job to
clean up the beach in an added bonus for the
local community.
Orange Army dons rock armourA team from a rail-connected shipping and logistics depot on Teesside has raised £4,500 for the fight against Alzheimer’s disease by cycling coast-to-coast.
The team from AV Dawson was led by
managing director Gary Dawson.
Steve Hill, who works at Tata Steel’s
Skinningrove plant, also joined the team
which wore ‘Save Our Steel’ logos on their
arms throughout the trip.
After dipping their wheels in the sea at
Whitehaven in Cumbria, the team cycled
back across country before finally reaching
the sea closer to home at Saltburn, where
they were greeted by family, friends and
colleagues. The trip of 150 miles took three
days. The money will go to the Teesside
Philanthropic Foundation who will forward
it to local Alzheimer’s-related community
groups.
Sea to sea philanthropy
REPORT BY GRAHAM CHESTERS, ASLEF EDUCATION
14 NEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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Rail has overtaken bus and coach as the preferred method of travel to and from London Stansted Airport, figures for the last quarter of 2015 show.
Data released by the Civil
Aviation Authority shows that
modal share for rail travel to the
airport at 28.59 per cent - up 3.6
per cent - neatly overtaking the
bus lane at 26.26 per cent.
Stansted Airport now attracts
around 23 million visitors annually
with Stansted Express passenger
numbers up 20 per cent in 2015
- exceeding the rate of growth at
the airport.
Stansted Express, run by
Abellio Greater Anglia, makes
the journey between London
Liverpool Street and the Airport
in just 47 minutes. Tottenham
Hale in north London is just 36
minutes.
The railway station is directly
under the airport terminal, a two-
minute walk to check-in. Trains
run every 15 minutes. Cross
Country also operates services
between Birmingham and
Stansted Airport.
Rail preferred choice for Stansted Airport
Sheffield-based manufacturer, Mechan, has secured a contract worth more than £1 million to supply depot maintenance equipment to Crossrail.
Mechan will create a range of
heavy lifting equipment for the
new Old Oak Common depot in
north west London, which will be
servicing trains on the Elizabeth
Line.
A set of 30 lifting jacks with
a 15-tonne capacity, five bogie
turntables and a three-road bogie
drop have been commissioned
by Bombardier, which is building
the depot, supplying the trains and
maintaining them once the project
is complete.
Mechan will be fulfilling the
order in two stages, with an initial
batch of equipment scheduled for
installation before the end of this
year. The remaining products will
be delivered early in 2017, before
the first trains arrive in May.
Says Richard Carr, Mechan’s
chief executive, ‘We are really
pleased to secure a contract of
such value with Bombardier for
the Crossrail project, one of the
most significant investments in
London’s transport infrastructure
for many years. It proves small
UK businesses have what it takes
to compete against much larger
international organisations, thanks
to our focus on innovation and
build quality.’
Old Oak Common is an
eight-road depot, capable of
accommodating 33 of the 66 new
trains. Mechan recently triumphed
at the Made in Sheffield awards
where it was named as the
region’s top Investor in People.
Mechan bags Crossrail
© Shutterstock.com
Burdett House, 15-16 Buckingham Street, London, WC2N 6DU Tel: 0207 434 0300 Email us on: [email protected]
Deploy UK Rail are a specialist blue and white collar supplier to the Rail Industry and LUL in Power, Signalling, Electrification, Telecoms and Civils.
We have in-depth knowledge of supplying and planning Rail Safety Critical, Civils, Cabling, Troughing, Trades and Electrical resources to the industry specialising in 3rd Rail environments.
Deploy UK Rail hold the following qualifi cations:
• RISQS Approved via Audit 5*
• RCC (Rail Contractor’s Certifi cate) to supply SWL (Safe Work Leaders)
• RIPS (Railway Interface Planning Scheme) 5*
• ISO 9001, 18001, 14001
• ROSPA Bronze
We are part of the DE Group of companies which all hold individual RISQS Certification as a contractor which complements the services we offer in Rail by providing expertise in Demolition, Asbestos Surveying and Removal and H&S consultancy specialising in Principle Design Services to clients for CDM.
We work closely with our clients to help them achieve their project goals by delivering a professional reliable service which is flexible and adaptable to the ever changing Rail and LUL environment.
The core of our business is built up of professionals who have serviced both the recruitment and site requirements for over 10+ years each. We have strong client relationships built on trust and delivery.
As a business we are able to supply a turnkey solution P.S.D.S (Plan – Supply – Deliver – Safely).
Deploy UK Rail was created with the vision that we can provide a one stop solution to delivering client needs by going above and beyond expectation.
Due to expansion we have opened offices in Plymouth and the North West to be able to extend our services to our clients.
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 NEWS 15
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Eurostar is celebrating the first anniversary of its popular direct service from London to Lyon and the South of France.
Heightened interest in the
vineyards of Beaujolais, the
Rhône Valley and Burgundy
close to Lyon and those of
Provence near Avignon is driving
the success of the Wine Line.
Says Nick Mercer, commercial
director, Eurostar, ‘We have seen
unprecedented demand for the
direct service to the South of
France as Brits’ love affair with
the scenery and gastronomy of
the region prevails. Our route
brings the wine tasting regions of
France closer to the UK.’
Another year in Provence
Despite witchcraft and weather the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester has reopened after Network Rail completed vital restoration work to protect Reddish viaduct.
A nine-day closure of the
Hope Valley line allowed rail
workers to remove track and
ballast and install a special
waterproof system with new
drainage along the viaduct.
Engineers worked day and
night conducting strengthening
work and stabilising the main
supporting columns on each of
the four corners of the viaduct.
Says Mark Ashton, Network
Rail’s scheme project manager,
‘The Reddish viaduct is stunning
and the work we completed
over the past nine days means
that it will remain that way for
another century.’
The 16-span Reddish viaduct
was built in 1875 and carries the
rail line over the River Tame. A
local legend states that during
construction a local witch
cursed the viaduct and anyone
who attempted to count the
number of arches. We are not
showing all of them.
Orange win for Reddish Viaduct
Northern Rail has presented a cheque for more than £12,000 to the Railway Benefit Fund (RBF).
Phil Jones of Northern Rail
and Branch Line Society’s Kevin
Adlam presented the cheque to
Fay Jaques, RBF’s fundraising
manager, at Manchester Victoria
station.
The £12,048.85 was raised by
rail enthusiasts who supported
an exclusive charter train. Over
200 people rode the exclusive
Northern Tracker train on 6
March, organised by both
Northern Rail and the Branch Line
Society (BLS).
The Northern Tracker was so
popular that tickets for the event
sold out within two weeks.
Fay Jaques praised staff. ‘We
are overwhelmed by the support
we have received from both
Northern Rail and BLS. We spent
the day on-board the Northern
Tracker, and the efforts everyone
went to to raise funds for us was
incredible,’ she said.
Northern Tracker fund
The award winning dramatisation of the Railway Children, featuring a live steam engine, at King’s Cross Theatre in London is to host what it calls a relaxed performance in June.
Relaxed performances aim
to help audience members
with autism, sensory and
communication disorders or
learning disabilities. Lighting and
sound levels will be altered.
The Railway Children is
directed by Damian Cruden
and is timetabled to run
until January 2017 with no
unscheduled stops.
Relaxing drama
16 NEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 NEWS 17
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Ninety British Transport Police (BTP) officers and staff have completed a mammoth bike ride around Britain in aid of charity.
The Three Days on the Edge (3DotE) challenge saw the team pedal for up to 300 miles each around Britain’s coastline over the Bank Holiday Weekend in support of the force's three nominated charities: Victim Support, Mind and The Railway Benefit Fund.
Says Assistant Chief Constable Mark Newton, who himself took part, ‘A big thank you to everyone involved in this event. It’s been a very tough but enjoyable weekend. BTP3DotE is a fantastic example of how
this kind of challenge brings out the best in our people. Not only did they show real grit and determination, but also a great willingness to work as a team, with new friendships being formed along the way.
‘Well done to all the cyclists who took part this weekend and a massive thanks to all those who supported the team through sponsorship and fundraising. Special thanks goes to the crew of volunteers who kept the teams going with their excellent organisation, motivation and roadside support.’
The challenge has raised more than £25,000 so far. As well as the three chosen organisations, some of the money will be donated to charities put forward by individual riders.
A ScotRail driver has been praised for rescuing a three-year-old child he saw running along the railway.
Martin McManus brought his
train to a controlled stop in a text
book manoeuvre and collected
the child who had alighted from
a train travelling in the opposite
direction at Wester Hailes station
near Edinburgh.
Says Mr McManus, ‘I saw the
wee lad running along the track
crying, so I stopped my train and
made sure it was safe. I went out
and picked him up and brought
him back in.
‘He was looking for his mummy
and was just asking if his mummy
was on the train.’ An off duty police
officer on the train took charge
of master Nicholson who was
reunited with his parents at a local
police station. The child’s mother,
Bonnie Nicholson of Glasgow,
praised the actions of the driver.
Mr McManus said, ‘I’m quite
surprised by the reaction, I was
only doing my job. Passengers
were getting off and thanking me
for saving the wee boy. It could
have been really tragic, so I was
lucky I spotted him but it’s all just
part of my job.’
Mr McManus joined the railway
four years ago after a successful
career as an aircraft engineer in
the Royal Navy.
Fife driver hailed a hero Coastal cycle challenge for BTP
Rail staff surveyHave your say and win!
To complete the survey visit www.brtr.pl/railstaff
of vouchers for a store of your choice or one of five £50 vouchers
£250you could win
At the Institution of Railway Signal Engineer’s AGM on 22 April, Andrew Simmons of Network Rail handed over the presidency of the Institution to Charles Page.
Each president is elected for
one year. Charles is the business
development director of Siemens
Rail Automation Australia and
prior to that worked with its
predecessors Invensys and
Westinghouse.
Before presenting his
presidential address, Charles
paid tribute to Andrew’s
dedication over the past year in
leading the IRSE, during which
time the Institution’s new Strategy
2015-2020 has been developed
and adopted.
In his address, Charles spoke
on the theme of ‘Inform, Discuss,
Develop’ – an acknowledgement
of the role of the IRSE - and
other engineering institutions -
in supporting the professional
development of engineers.
Thorrowgood ScholarshipTom Corker was announced as
the winner of the Thorrowgood
Scholarship 2015 and presented
with his award. The award is
made annually to a candidate
who has excelled in the IRSE’s
Professional Examination. The
scholarship is awarded on the
basis that it should assist the
development of young engineers
employed in the field of train
control and communications.
The award must be used to
fund a study tour by the winner,
usually outside their country of
residence.
Tom Corker has been a
graduate engineer with Balfour
Beatty Rail in Derby since 2013,
during which time he has worked
on condition monitoring systems
as well as gaining practical
experience of signalling systems.
He previously studied at
the University of Cambridge,
where his major project was to
work on avionics for prototype
hybrid aircraft. Tom delivered an
outstanding performance in the
2015 IRSE Examinations, taking
four modules and obtaining a
distinction in one of them, a credit
in two others and a pass in the
fourth.
Dell AwardJane Power was presented
with the Dell Award for 2016.
This award is made annually
to a member of the Institution
employed by London
Underground for achievement
of a high standard in the science
and application of railway
signalling. The award consists
of a plaque with a uniquely
designed shield, engraved with
the recipient’s name.
Jane joined London
Underground’s signalling
and electrical engineering
department as a graduate
trainee in January 1989. After
successfully completing the two-
year scheme, her first substantive
post was with the Central Line
Project Team, then in the early
stages of resignalling Britain’s
busiest railway line.
Subsequently, she spent years
as part of the Hong Kong Mass
Transit Railway Corporation
Signalling Engineering team
responsible for approving designs,
later returning to work in the UK
on the Jubilee Line Extension
Project. Most recently, she has
been appointed to the role of
system design authority for LUL’s
Four Lines Modernisation (4LM)
Programme.
IRSE appoints next president
CHARLES PAGEIRSE PRESIDENT
Tom Corker with the
outgoing President,
Andrew Simmons.
Jane Power with the
outgoing President,
Andrew Simmons.
18 NEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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THE STORY BEHIND STOBART RAIL'S NEW SAFETY VISION
THINK SAFETY,
Is there a secret to creating an effective, impactful health and safety
campaign? More often than not, such posters and videos use
shock tactics to make their point, but a new campaign by Stobart
Rail is using a softer approach to spread the company’s safety
message: Think Safety, Act Safely.
‘That was the biggest challenge in designing the posters
because it’s a serious subject and doesn’t want to be taken lightly,’
said Steve Ferrington, safety and compliance manager at Stobart
Rail.
The campaign, which has been in development for the last two
years, is centred around three animated characters. A series of posters
show Billy, Gus and Jim, who were designed by Carlisle-based Cloudscape
Studios, demonstrating a host of typical health and safety hazards
encountered by Stobart Rail workers. These include working at height,
using mobile phones whilst driving, recognising exclusion zones around
heavy plant and wearing the correct safety equipment.
What began life as a small-scale poster campaign quickly snowballed
as the team identified more and more topics to cover. ‘ 10 became 20, that
became 30,’ said Steve.
ANALYSISThe initiative has been shaped by
Network Rail’s Lifesaving Rules. Stobart
also identified common risks by analysing
incident statistics from the past five years.
‘People are usually aware of the
outcome when things go wrong,’ said
Steve, who thinks the comedic tone of
the posters will relate to staff in a way that
other campaigns have not. ‘The posters
portray a serious message in a comically
visual way’.
Steve and the rest of Stobart Rail’s SHE
team are now carrying out site visits to
implement the campaign throughout the
business. The initial feedback has been
encouraging.
‘Nothing but positive comments about
how they look, how professionally they’ve
been designed and it’s a great idea,’ said
Steve. ‘And people keep coming to me
saying ‘what about doing one for this,
doing one for that.’
BIGGER PICTUREBut the posters are just the start. ‘I don’t
believe that we could actually measure
improvement by just the posters alone.
It’s all part of the bigger picture. These
posters are just a reminder of what we’re
trying to achieve.’
Stobart Rail launched the campaign
during a visit to Lochardil Primary School
in Inverness. The contractor is currently
working with Network Rail Scotland to
deliver the Far North CP5 Plain Line
Workbank contract. The visit was an
opportunity to talk to the children about
how dangerous the railway can be when
safety rules aren’t followed.
Says Steve, ‘We want to ensure that
they know why we’re there… We wanted
to give them an understanding of what
we’re doing and the dangers that are out
there. It’s not a playground.’
ACT SAFELY
20 HEALTH+SAFETY RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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COMMITMENT TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Network Rail project manager
Douglas Craig was pleased
Stobart had chosen his project
to launch its new safety vision. ‘I
have been encouraged by
Stobart Rail’s attitude to health
and safety since tendering for
the far north plain line track
refurbishment contract.
‘Stobart Rail and Network Rail
presented to over 400 pupils
about the importance of PPE and
safety and the children got the
chance to meet the Stobart Rail
safety characters called Billy, Gus
and Jim.
‘Upon contract award, Stobart
Rail introduced their new
health and safety campaign
and explained they would like
to launch it on our project. I
was keen to help and assisted
at Lochardil primary school,
where we encouraged the local
school children to name the
characters and discuss railway
safety matters. The day was truly
engaging and a great success.
‘This demonstrates Stobart
Rail’s commitment to local
communities and a desire to raise
awareness and improve safety.’
EYE-CATCHINGStobart Rail managing director
Kirk Taylor said, ‘The campaign
has been introduced because
we didn’t want to get complacent
even though we have had a
great safety record over the last
few years.
‘We needed something visually
eye-catching, powerful with a
real message that the audience
would relate to, take on board
and react to unconsciously and
automatically without being
forced and instructed to do so.
‘The idea of taking it into
schools, especially targeting
primary ages, was to reach
young children, introduce them
to the rail industry, educate them
on the importance of safety, not
just for themselves but everyone
around them that they can make
an impact on, and hopefully sell
it in such a way we perhaps help
create an enthusiasm in them to
become the next generation of
railway staff.
‘The characters were named
by the children from Lochardil
School. Although currently three
characters, we have more on
the way. The characters were
designed in such a way that
we hope the staff relate to or
personally identify with. It could
be you or one of your work
mates.
‘The campaign also covers
staff welfare. ‘Free Fruity Friday’.
With the idea being we provide
fruit free on site and in the offices
to encourage healthy eating. ‘A
problem shared is a problem
halved’, where we encourage
the staff to speak with line
management or HR if they have
any work or home-related issues,
so we can help directly, or, if they
wish, we can put them in touch
with professional bodies that will
provide assistance and advice.
‘We also wanted to get
across the importance of being
responsible drivers, as we are a
business with national coverage,
with lots of vans, cars and lorries
tramping all over the country.
Poor and aggressive driving is
liable to affect and upset other
road users and will also give the
company a bad name. Good
community relations is always
a key to successful contract
delivery. We endeavour always
to be a good neighbour and a
considerate contractor.’
The campaign is now being
extended to other Stobart Rail
schemes, including the Gospel
Oak to Barking line electrification
and the Highland Enhancement
Programme (HEP). Stobart is also
looking at rolling Billy, Gus and Jim
out across its other divisions.
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 HEALTH+SAFETY 21
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This year’s key themes at the annual Rail Safety
Summit in London on May 5th were fatigue,
health and wellbeing, road risks and workforce
safety. The introductory session involved
speakers from both Network Rail and the Rail
Safety and Standards Board. A workforce safety
comment that impressed me came from the High
Speed 2 speaker who addressed the need to
empower staff to take ownership of their own
safety.
Arguably when supervisors and managers fall short in
giving people the confidence to continually look to their own
safety they contribute to the accidents that then have to be
investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
Eight cows killedRAIB’s recently published report into an accident that
occurred on July 26th last year at Godmersham between
Wye and Chilham Stations (750 volt DC third rail electrified
track) is just such a case. A cow had been reported on the
line resulting in an examination of the area at 20 mph for two
miles by the driver of the next train.
He reported nothing found to
the signaller who advised the
Kent Integrated Control Centre
and returned to normal working at
2059 hours. A Mobile Operations
Manager had also been asked to
inspect the tracks and he arrived
at the Pope Street access at 2115
hours but found nothing amiss.
The report refers to some
confusion due to the use of local
names which were not precisely
understood by all involved.
However a train (consisting of
two Class 375 EMU units each
of four coaches), travelling in the
opposite direction to the examining
train then ran into 8 cows at 69
mph and was derailed. The train
was carrying 67 passengers and 3
crew, but there were no injuries.
The damageThe train stopped 365 metres
on from the point of impact, with
the leading carriage completely
derailed and leaning over at some
20 degrees on the embankment
ridge. (See picture).
Its leading wheelset had derailed
when it hit the first two cows and
the remaining wheels had derailed
when it hit the other six. During the
derailment the train struck the bridge
parapet wall of Trimsworth Bridge
on the Down side destroying its
railing, demolishing the parapet and
damaging the abutment.
This the reports suggests helped
keep the derailed train upright.
There was also damage to the
underframe of the train and the cab.
Obstruction deflectors Having found that his train radio
was no longer working the driver
ran three quarters of a mile towards
an oncoming train to use its radio
to report the accident. He left his
cab at 2145, and applied a short
circuiting clip across the third rail
and a running rail to de-energise
the track as he left.
The cows had got onto
the track through a broken
concrete post and ten strand
wire fence. Unsurprisingly the
report recommendations cover
fencing inspections and existing
rules covering actions when
large animals are found on the
railway, the criteria for the fitting
of obstruction deflectors on light
weight trains and the reliability of
REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
TOO MUCH WORKFOR THE RAIB?
22 TRACK SAFETY RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
train radio equipment.
Inevitably the report refers
back to the accident at Polmont
back in July 1984 when a train
struck a cow and derailed
a passenger train travelling
at 85 mph and resulted in
three fatalities and 17 people
being seriously injured. The
requirements for deflectors were
made as a result of the Polmont
accident.
“No work required”On October 11th 2015 eight
sheep were reported to be
on the line near Godmersham
Substation having gained access
following criminal damage to
temporary fencing and the theft
of equipment.
The repairs to fencing were
completed last November. RAIB’s
report includes a standard risk
rating matrix in a four by four
format that plots likelihood
against consequence. “Very
poor” and a high score may
result in a renewal proposal but
the report expresses concerns
that there is no prescripted
timescale in the standard.
Three types of boundary
barrier are also specified. An
inspection just 24 days before
the accident rated the fencing
as likelihood 3, consequence 4
and condition 2 giving a 14 out of
20 score but with the recorded
comment “no work required”.
35 injured at PlymouthLast month on Sunday April
3rd a train consisting of two Class
150 DMU’s (four vehicles in all)
entered Platform 6 at Plymouth
Station and collided with a
stationary train that was already
in the platform.
Thirty five people including
one of the train drivers were
injured, some of them seriously.
The stationary train had arrived
some 34 minutes earlier needing
fresh catering supplies, but
platform 7 (which it usually used)
was not available because its lifts
were closed for maintenance.
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The 1339 Penzance to
Exeter service collided
with the stationary 1542
Plymouth to Paddington
train at Plymouth station.
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 TRACK SAFETY 23
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It was due to depart at 1541.
The arriving train (two Class
150 DMU’s coupled together,
four vehicles in all) had 60
passengers on board and was
due to go into platform 8.
But the signaller decided to
send it into platform 6 behind the
stationary train to make things
easier for passengers transferring
onto the Paddington train since
the lifts were not working on
platform 8 either.
Permissive working is allowed
in platform 6 and he believed
there was enough room for both
trains. The approaching train
was travelling at 21 mph when
its driver first saw the stationary
train.
He realised a collision was
imminent and applied the
emergency brake about three
seconds before the collision. It
struck the other train at around 15
mph but many passengers were
standing ready to leave the train
and were thrown over.
The RAIB investigation is
continuing and is focussing
on the actions of staff,
signalling/platform working,
the performance of the train
in the collision and underlying
management factors.
Tractor driver seriously injured
Just one week later on Sunday
April 10th at 1230 a Norwich to
Cambridge passenger train (with
135 passengers and two crew
on board) collided with a tractor
and trailer on Hockham Level
Crossing.
The crossing near Thetford, is
on a private road with a public
footpath. Users operate the gates
themselves and at the time of the
accident had to telephone the
signaller at Cambridge before
using the crossing. Although
the crossing was equipped
with red and green lights in
2012 they were “intentionally
decommissioned at the time of
the accident”.
The train did not derail but
came to a halt 410 metres
beyond the crossing. The tractor
driver was seriously injured and
both the train driver and several
passengers suffered minor
injuries.
Network Rail’s Safety Central
website describes the crossing
as a hybrid on the 90 mph route.
It adds that the miniature stop
lights system was temporarily
decommissioned in October
2015 but “Network Rail is working
with the supplier to address
design concerns by August
2016”.
The RAIB and both British
Transport Police and the Office
of Rail and Road (ORR) are
investigating.
Contractor pressurisedNetwork Rail’s Safety Central
website also has a bulletin dated
April 2016 featuring an incident
that occurred back on November
12th last year! A cable strike that
could have resulted in injury
as well as causing rail traffic
disruption is described.
A contractor was cutting back
disused cables to a cable trough
“to prevent the likelihood of
cable theft”. The work was being
undertaken at Bridge 96, Red
Doles Road Huddersfield.
The work package plan did not
cover any cable management
work and the report refers to the
contractor feeling “pressurised
to complete the work”. He was
told that there were no live
cables but one that was cut was
a 560 volt live signalling cable.
Severe traffic disruption resulted
according to the website report
but there were no injuries.
Personal responsibility and accountability
The Rail Safety Standards
Board (RSSB) and what is now
the ORR came out of the Cullen
report as did the RAIB. They
are all working well, but I have
reservations.
Providing standards,
procedures and rules for
everything is all but impossible as
well as undesirable. The danger
of having too much prescription
is that the feeling of responsibility
and accountability can diminish
leading to a conviction that
there is little room for individual
decision making.
That can prevent an individual
taking the initiative and making
things happen. Would you or I
have waited for more information
about those cows on the line at
Godmersham whilst knowing
of the rail traffic disruption that
extended speed restricted
running would cause?
Did the fencing inspector
feel he was responsible for the
security of that lineside fencing or
had he or she followed the form
filling process and produced the
paperwork whilst believing that
there was no chance of repairs or
renewal being done?
Were local staff who knew that
the miniature lights at that level
crossing had not been working
since last October concerned
that there were additional risks?
Just two questionsOf course standards, rules and
procedures have their place.
But to my mind freeing up and
motivating skilled people to use
their personal knowledge and
judgement is even more crucial.
I recall moving to new
jobs, meeting managers and
supervisors whose actions would
affect the safety of the railway
for which I carried personal
responsibility.
My two questions were always
similar. Show me the best railway
on your patch and then all the
areas that keep you awake at
night because they are not yet as
you want them to be.
Accountability, responsibility
and knowledge were my
concerns. Such questions should
always be asked face to face and
the answers heeded.
24 TRACK SAFETY RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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RailSmartEDS
Tel: 0333 121 3333Email: [email protected]
Call now for more info, a demonstration or free trial.
3squared.co/edsFor more information go to:
Features:• Training and Assessment Planning
• Route and Traction Knowledge Management
• Candidate Profiling
• Auditing and Verifying
• European Drivers License
• Incident Management
Reduce the administrative burden and cost of compliance.An Employee Development System that enables Train Operating Companies to deliver targeted
training and support. Helping to lower business risk and reduce incidents.
Benefits: • Improved visibility of competence data
• Proactive employee competency management
• Better business risk and incident management
• Reduces the cost of compliance
• Improved staff retention
• Better resource management
A product of
WINNING YOUNG HEARTS AND MINDS JAMES FOX, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR OF3SQUARED, EXPLAINS WHY HE BELIEVESTECHNOLOGY WILL HELP TO FURTHERENHANCE RAIL SAFETY IN THE FUTURE.
Since the Ladbroke Grove train crash, operators have
been focused on reducing their level of SPaDs (Signal
passed at danger) and introducing systems to ensure
consistently high levels of competency. Reduction or
elimination of SPaDs is obviously a clear sign of driver
competency, but for many rail operators, the question
is how to achieve this.
There are many factors which can lead to SPaDs,
but this is usually down to poor judgement or a dip
in competency level and understanding, leading to
human error. SPaDs most often occur at low speeds where the driver
has applied the brakes too late, again which could be an ongoing
competency development or judgement issue.
Rail assessors have very busy roles. Often they are required to
assess many different drivers and carry out these assessments at
frequent intervals as part of meeting ROGS. Traditional paper-based
competency management systems are still widely used to generate
a Safety Critical Portfolio that could be hundreds of pages long, per
driver. This valuable information often sits on a shelf and gets added to,
but assessors often do not have the time to sift through all this data to
plan future assessments. With paper-based systems, it can be difficult
to identify areas of concern where future training is required, leading to
gaps in knowledge and a reduction in driver competency.
DIGITALISATIONRail operators are therefore looking for digitisation to provide
them with a much safer solution to the issue of competency
management and compliance. The latest software introduced to
address competency in the rail industry, such as RailSmart, helps to
improve operational efficiency and reduce SPaD risks by providing
an accurate, easily accessible and mobile picture of an individual’s
overall competency, which is
fundamental to enhancing the
safety of the rail network.
This software is usually
provided through web-based
apps, which give real-time
reporting of compliance against
standards and removes the
administration burden associated
with paper-based competency
management systems.
A major advantage is that an
assessor’s time is therefore freed
up to better support, develop
and manage safety-critical
employees. Managers can then
increase the amount of time they
spend on in-line management,
which can be targeted towards
lower competency individuals
and so lowers the risk of any
further operational incidents.
This gives them the time and
ability to understand the driver
on a personal level and what
the human factors and other
influences there are on them.
It also allows them to focus
on how they can be properly
supported to help manage
operational risk.
REPORT BY JAMES FOX
COMPETENCY MANAGEMENT WINNING YOUNG HEARTS AND MIN
SAFETY SHOULD START WITH
26 HEALTH+SAFETY RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
Having all the
detail about
the candidate
I need with me
on the iPad is
great when I’m
out doing an
assessment.
A SAFER RAILWAY
The formal grading process and consistent feedback that apps
provide helps to raise the bar of competency. It is a well known fact
that the more competent a driver, the less likely they are to have
an operating incident. As well as the obvious safety benefits, it also
means better train performance and better Public Performance
Measure (PPM).
As these apps are fully integrated, they involve everyone within the
business and as a result, it improves employee understanding of their
role in delivering a safer railway.
Some train operators are already experiencing the benefits of our
RailSmart software, which helps to reduce assessment planning time
and lowers the amount of time spent on completion and mapping
of competency against FDA paperwork. For some operators, this
can result in time savings of several thousand hours per year. When
assessments can be digitally recorded through the use of iPads, it
means benchmarks can be set and areas for development can be
identified. This is driving up the standards of competency for rail
operators, which could result in a reduction of operational incidents
and a lowering of associated performance delays. Using apps of this
type means assessors can include a greater number of competencies
within a system and manage them consistently across the business.
It also means that live assessments can be carried out, which are
not only time saving but also give real-time feedback to employees
whilst the activity is being undertaken. In the past, paper-based
systems meant it could take days, if not weeks, before a member of
staff received feedback on their performance. These apps speed up
the whole process and enable easier identification of performance
issues which can be addressed immediately, with the end result
being a reduction of risks and improvement in performance.
POSITIVE STEP FORWARDAs one assessor described it, ‘Having all the detail about the
candidate I need with me on the iPad is great when I’m out doing an
assessment, as it has stopped me missing areas that need support.’
Software apps like RailSmart also remove the risk of administration
errors, by providing real-time reporting of compliance against
standards and the quality of the assessments, giving powerful
reporting outputs. These are crucial for rail management to
understand in more detail how assessors are grading their teams,
which is a powerful tool to drive improvement within a business.
So, as we have seen, apps allow rail assessment teams to spend
more time with their drivers and less time on administration, which is
being recognised as a really positive step forward. They also provide
reassurance to the rail operator that it is truly actively managing its
operational risks. The ultimate aim is that rail operators can properly
assess their risk in a holistic way and provide practical support and
training for their employees. The added visibility and reporting
that the new generation of rail software systems provide clearly
demonstrates how they can add value and drive a business forward.
Responsible train operators are therefore recognising how their
risks can be reduced and their safety enhanced by investing in
software systems, such as RailSmart. This is continuing to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of its managers, the competence and
motivation of its front-line people and ultimately will ensure the safer
performance of the railways.”
For more information about the RailSmart suite of products, contact
[email protected] or telephone: 0333 121 3333 or visit the website
www.3squared.com.
SAFETY SHOULD START WITH
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 HEALTH+SAFETY 27
FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK
Don’t forget to book your exhibition space and be one of over 300 exhibitors at Rail Live this year! We are taking bookings until May 20. The interest has been exceptional and we are selling plots quickly. Don’t miss out on the biggest outdoor rail show in the UK – the only show set in a rail environment where you will see demonstrations of all shapes and sizes taking place over two days: 22 & 23 June.
We have all sorts of activities taking place
– including for the first time a Business Zone,
where you can find information on the Rail
Supply Group, Young Rail Professionals,
NSAR, Test Voucher Scheme (RSSB), a
packed conference programme and much
more! There is also the recent exciting
announcement of the Network Rail Awards
presentation that will take place on the
evening of Wednesday, 22 June, as well as
an evening get-together which will be ticket
only. We will announce the location and
details very soon.
We are really looking forward to seeing
the Rail Supply Chain coming together once
again to be part of this industry highlight
event of the year!
Please go to www.raillive.com for all the
information on how to book. Visitor tickets
are free.
Follow us on twitter: @rail_live / #raillive2016
Rail Alliance networking events and workshops
We continue to run a jam-packed
networking schedule and in this month’s
column, we take a look at recent and
upcoming events.
Innovation in franchisingMost recently we had the honour of being
hosted by Dr. Nick Maillinson and the team
at Warwick University Manufacturing Group,
where delegates had the opportunity to hear
presentations from the Go-Ahead Group,
The Hack Partners, IBM and RSSB on their
respective approaches to and application of
innovation in the franchise market.
COUNTDOWN TO RAIL LIVE 2016!
NEW MEMBERS
The RSSB used the session to alert the
audience to the upcoming competition TOC
16, ‘a £4 million programme focusing on
increasing collaboration between TOCs and the
supply chain in order to innovate and improve
performance or service, increase reliability and
safety, increase rail capacity, reduce journey
times and ultimately be of benefit to the
customer,’ says RSSB. For more information,
or to register for the competition launch event
on 16 May, please contact us or check out
@RSSB_rail on Twitter.
Upcoming events:• 12 May ‘Opportunities for Composites in
Rail – a Sector Showcase’, University of
Manchester. In collaboration with Composites
UK, we will be chairing a day-long
programme highlighting case studies where
composites have been successfully specified
– both in rail infrastructure and rolling stock.
• 19 May ‘Lean Manufacturing’, NEC,
Birmingham. The third in the current series
of best practice workshops, this session will
explore lean principles and how they can be
adopted in the rail industry. Run by the Rail
Alliance on behalf of the Rail Supply Group.
For booking information, please see www.
rsgbestpractice.org
• 26 May ‘Traction and Rolling Stock
Maintenance and Refurbishment’, The
Turbine Centre, Worksop. This event will
feature speakers from T1 to SME including
sponsors Crowle Wharf Engineering.
• 14 July ‘Product Approval’, Manchester. Full
details will be released following the May
session, but this session will be a great
source of information and advice within the
approvals realm.
Information on all our events can be found on
the events page of www.railalliance.co.uk or keep
abreast of updates on Twitter @therailalliance
BRIDGEWAY CONSULTING LTDwww.bridgeway-consulting.co.uk
JMD RAILTECH LTDwww.jmdr.com
MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITYwww.mmu.ac.uk
NUMILL LTDwww.numill.co.uk
PLASTIC COATINGS LTDwww.plasticcoatings.co.uk
SPEEDY SERVICESwww.speedyservices.com
ABG CONSTRUCTION & MINERAL TOOLS LTDwww.abgtools.com
ETS CABLE COMPONENTSwww.etscablecomponents.com
UNILATHE LTDwww.unilathe.co.uk
PACE NETWORKSwww.pace-networks.co.uk
BAKERAIL SERVICES LTDwww.bakerailservices.co.uk
CLEVELAND CABLE COMPANYwww.clevelandcable.com
PSSwww.pss.co.uk
SRL TECHNICAL SERVICES LTDwww.srltsl.com
EXPRESS CATERINGwww.mobilecatering.biz
THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH www.port.ac.uk
CLEARVIEW INTELLIGENCE LTDwww.clearview-intelligence.com
MORRIS LINE ENGINEERINGwww.morrisline.co.uk
FUGRO RAILDATA B.V.www.fugro.com/raildata
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
28 RAIL ALLIANCE RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
10 YEARS OF REWARDING HARD
WORKING MEN AND WOMEN OF
THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY…
PROUD SPONSORS OF THE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2016
Service, skills and safety
The professional training and assessment experts
www.railstaffawards.com
The RailStaff Awards programme has been
amended and added to over the years to
reflect the diversity of roles that exist in the rail
industry. In this issue, the focus is on three areas
covered by the Awards which are central to good
performance: customer service, skills and safety.
The industry has addressed these three tenets with
varying success.
Many operators around London and the South East
hold up the Olympics as an example of customer
service done well. The same operators are now
seeing those levels of quality persist, even improve.
New franchise agreements also put more emphasis
on customer service than ever before.
Skills, or the lack of, is an ongoing challenge but
one the industry is addressing with urgency.
Safety is an open-ended concern, but the risks are
well known and managed diligently by experienced
SHE professionals.
What’s important to remember is that good
customer service, a healthy skills outlook and a safe
working environment don’t just happen.
Passengers would describe exceptional customer
service as a helpful, affable member of station staff
or train crew. It will be the role models attracting
people to a career in the railway and the trainers
and educators who give them the expertise who
address the skills gap. And projects are delivered
safely because there are attentive, vigilant Safe Work
Leaders and COSS’s on site to make sure of it.
Companies are quick to take credit for good news
stories - is it any surprise in an industry that is often
painted as failing and antiquated in its approach. But
there must also be recognition for the people behind
the positive case studies and statistics. More than
just the collective slap on the back you read in PR
quotes from management.
The RailStaff Awards is an opportunity to single out
individual achievement. To shine a light on those that
have never sought out thanks and who often don’t
understand the fuss. ‘I was just doing my job,’ is a
phrase we hear a lot.
Nominations for RailStaff Awards 2016, which will
be held at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on 8 October, are
open. Why not make an extraordinary contribution of
your own and nominate someone today.
To submit a nomination, go to:
www.railstaffawards.com/nominate
This year will be the second time telent, which itself has a popular
graduate scheme, has sponsored the category. It’s an area in which the
company invests a lot of time and resource.
‘What we’re finding at the moment is year on year it’s increasing,’
said Steve, describing the growth of telent’s graduate scheme, which in
September will welcome 20 new recruits.
The two-year scheme offers graduates the choice of pursuing
a career either as an engineer or as a project manager within the
business, which has been designing, delivering and maintaining railway
telecommunications networks for more than 30 years.
Mel Gibson, one of telent’s project managers, who herself completed
the scheme, was featured in the March issue of RailStaff. She worked
as a junior bid manager on the bid for the RETB telecoms renewal
in the Scottish Highlands and eventually went on to project manage
the scheme. She said it was clear that the number of staff within the
business who were 30 or younger was increasing.
Grasp your opportunity
Proud sponsors of Graduate of the Year
Supporting tomorrow’s
rail stars……today
0800 783 7761telent.com@telent_UKcompany/telent
WWW.RAILSTAFFAWARDS.COM @RAILSTAFFAWARDS FACEBOOK.COM/THERAILSTAFFAWARDS
RAILSTAFF AWARDS 201630
It will be someone who grasps the opportunities put in front of them that will win the RailStaff
Awards 2016 Graduate of the Year category, says Steve Pears, telent's managing director, rail.
Taking on responsibility
But the industry as a whole
is failing to bring in as many
young rail professionals as it
needs to fulfill the industry’s
future workload. It’s forcing
graduates to mature more
quickly than in the past - a
challenge for graduates, but
also an opportunity.
Last year, Graduate of
the Year was won by Great
Western Railway’s Tyler
Corbishley. Although he had
only been with the company
for a short time, he set about
making sweeping changes
to the way the business
operated, including digitalising
the existing paper-based
rostering system.
‘At the moment if you’re a
graduate and there’s a great
demand for engineers it gives
you a chance to take on more
responsibility, more quickly,’
said Steve.
Grow and developAlthough he felt that
graduates were
receiving recognition
for their contribution,
the awards serves as
a good opportunity
for newcomers
to the industry
to see where
they fit into
the grand
scheme
of things.
‘It’s an
opportunity
for them to
understand the
part that they can play,’
said Steve.
‘It’s very important that
graduates feel they’ve
got a good career and an
opportunity to grow and
develop in the business.’
Steve, who judged the
Awards last year, also spoke
about the ‘significant stories’
which are highlighted by the
event, particularly where
someone’s intervention
has saved a life. ‘I think the
business has a part to play
but I think the individual has a
bigger part to play,’ he said.
To nominate an outstanding
graduate in your team, visit
www.railstaffawards.com/
nominate
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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2016 31
CPMS stands for Collaborative Project Management Services. Its not just a name, it’s our project delivery philosophy.
We deliver project solutions by providing strategic planning on multi-disciplinary rail projects from conception to completion
We supply expertise both on and off-site to enhance the capability of existing teams
We provide a wide range of consultancy services from full project reviews to health checks
Proud Sponsors of
Delivering over £500m of works for our clients
simplifying the complex
To find out more call 020 3009 3120or visit www.cpmsrail.co.uk.
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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 201632
The company has sponsored the Safety Person of the Year category
since the very first RailStaff Awards in 2007 and Pino is a regular
speaker at the Rail Safety Summit.
‘It’s the one thing that has the biggest life-changing impact if it goes
wrong,’ said Pino, speaking shortly after awarding the 2015 trophy.
Last year, the category was won by Network Rail’s Adrian Fricker who
had played a key role in establishing and promoting the work of the Track
Safety Alliance (TSA), an industry-wide group which focuses on improving
the health, safety and wellbeing of track workers. In 2014, the award was
won by Network Rail’s Keith Gibbs for his work around fatigue. The year
before that the title was given to Chris Roberts, who helped save the life
of a pedestrian who was struck by a train at a level crossing.
Far-reachingEstablished by three British Rail underwater inspection unit divers
in 1995, the company is now a Network Rail Principal Contractor and
employs around 700 people. Pino, one of the three founders, was only
27 at the time.
Safety at the forefront'Safety is at the forefront of any work we do,' says Bridgeway Consulting's
managing director Pino De Rosa. There are examples of this everywhere.
Bridgeway’s involvement
in the rail industry is far-
reaching. The company
provides expertise on site
and ground investigations,
isolations, geomatics, Business
Information Modelling
(BIM), utilities, structures
examinations - including
diving and rope access, AC/
DC isolations, possession
management, worksite
management, permanent way
engineering and signalling and
telecommunications.
An important dateThe company’s motto is
‘Exceeding, Expectations
Everywhere, Safely’. Says
Pino, ‘There’s
an underlying
focus on safety with any work
Bridgeway carries out and we
pride ourselves on our safety
record.’
He went on, ‘It’s been brilliant
to see the awards go from
strength to strength each year.
‘It marks an important date in
the railway calendar each year,
giving us a chance to look back
at those who have gone out of
their way to make a difference.
The Safety Person of the Year
Award is a great award to
sponsor for Bridgeway, as safety
is at the forefront of any work
we do.’
If you know someone
who deserves to be the
2016 RailStaff Awards Safety
Person of the Year, visit www.
railstaffawards.com/nominateProud sponsor ofRail Safety Person of the Year 2016
A wealth of rail services in one place Site and Ground Investigations
Geomatics
BIM
Structural Inspections and Examinations
P’Way Inspection and Maintenance
S&T Inspection and Maintenance
Track Access Services
HSQE Consultancy
Learning and Development
Proud sponsor ofRail Safety Person of the Year 2016
Call 0115 919 1111 or visit www.bridgeway-consulting.co.uk
FACEBOOK.COM/THERAILSTAFFAWARDS @RAILSTAFFAWARDS WWW.RAILSTAFFAWARDS.COM
RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2016 33
Supported by
A registered charity
Samaritans is proud to sponsor the Lifesaver award at this years’ RailStaff Awards
TALKING SAVES LIVES
For more info and to nominate a colleague www.railstaffawards.com
10,000 rail industry personnel and British Transport Police officers have been trained with the skills to help a person in need. These skills can encourage people to talk about their problems and help save lives.
130x90mm_RailStaffMag_ad_2016.indd 1 30/03/2016 09:05:38
Helping to make a difference
TBF is proud to sponsor the 2016 Station Staff
of the Year AwardWith the help of the TOCs, Network Rail and other employers throughout the public transport industry
we now have over 47,000 members.For just £1 a week, a variety of financial, health and welfarebenefits are available to you, your partner and dependent
children if you work in the public transport industry......people just like you
Transport Benevolent Fund CIO, known as TBF, is a registered charity in England and Wales, 1160901
& 0300 333 2000 etd 00 [email protected] 8www.tbf.org.uk
RailAwards_Advert_190x30mm.indd 1 17/03/2016 08:30
There’s one thing that the RailStaff Awards
continually teaches us: You don’t need to have
worked in the industry for a lifetime to be a big
noise in rail.
Last month, we caught up with Ben Cox - winner
of the Apprentice of the Year category in 2015.
For this issue, we spoke to Gail Satchell, who was
recognised at last year’s event for her outstanding
customer service contribution.
Gail, who works for Siemens Rail Automation, had
only been in the industry for seven months when she
won the Outstanding Customer Service category.
The award now takes pride of place in the office.
‘I was very shocked,’ said Gail, who manages
the technical training programme that supports
Siemens Rail Automation’s 1,650 staff, ensuring
that course places are booked, competencies
are recorded and that everyone has the correct
certification.
‘But I was very grateful and flattered by the votes
that it would have taken to win… and it was nice to
know that when I’d come in, I’d made an impact
and I changed a few things, so it was quite nice to
know that what I was doing was valued.’
Graduates and apprenticesBefore joining Siemens, Gail had been in
telesales. Part of her role then was to oversee the
sales training teams. ‘I wanted to step away from
the more sales side of things and be in a position
where you still had a lot to do, but you weren’t so
target driven.’
Gail’s current role involves looking after Siemens’
apprentices and graduates. Last year, Siemens Rail
Automation hired 18 graduates and 20 apprentices.
She helped with their induction and ensured they
were meeting their targets.
Her job overall is to maintain a certain level of
expertise and competence across the business. It
is also important, however, that staff personally get
something from the training.
‘You can do the training that they require, but
also it means that if they’re happy and feel that
they’re progressing, with the different training
that they’re doing. They’re happier in themselves,
as well… I think if you can just try and make the
experience of organising it and making it stress
free for them, and as easy as possible, that helps
the mentality of making the training course seem
like something they would enjoy to go on.’
Military2Rail
Since the awards, Gail has been heavily involved
in Siemens’ Military2Rail programme - an intensive
six-week course delivered in partnership with
Wiltshire College to prepare a group of former
soldiers for a career in rail.
‘I really enjoyed working on that programme. I
felt like it was giving something back to the
Armed Forces,’ said Gail.
Gail sought out a role in training and
development because she felt it would
provide a newfound appreciation for
her efforts. Recognition is important,
she believes.
‘I think it’s nice to be recognised…
and it’s nice to know that the work
you’ve done is appreciated, and it
is nice to be able to go to an awards
night with your work colleagues. Even
if you don’t win, you’re still there and
you’ve been nominated to get that
award.’
She added, ‘People aren’t
afraid to vote for people
who are new either, as
opposed to someone
that’s been there for a
while.
‘I think, especially
at Siemens, everyone
sees work as work
and it doesn’t matter
if you’ve been here
a long time or if
you’ve not been
here a long
time, there’s still
something you
can bring to it that
is accounted.’
Nominations are
open for this year’s
event. Visit www.
railstaffawards.
com/nominate
to recognise a
colleague who
has demonstrated
outstanding
customer service.
Where are they now?Gail Satchell, winner of Outstanding Customer Service Award last year, speaks about her surprise at scooping the 2015 prize.
WWW.RAILSTAFFAWARDS.COM @RAILSTAFFAWARDS FACEBOOK.COM/THERAILSTAFFAWARDS
RAILSTAFF AWARDS 201634
How can you help?If you are a supplier to the industry and you would like to support this weekend of national celebration, please contact:
Vicky Binley at Nimble Media Ltd E: [email protected]
T: 0845 1 700 300
LET’
S CELEBRATE TOGETH
ER
The rail industry and community organisations will join together to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday, with the Station to Station Queens Celebration.
Coming to a station near you!
We are actively calling all rail industry suppliers to join in and help promote the broad spectrum of career
opportunities the industry has to offer
To find out how you can join in this wonderful event please visit our websitewww.queenscelebration.com
11/12 JUNE 2016
EVENTS
GUIDE TO UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE RAIL INDUSTRYTHE NEXT FEW MONTHS, AT A GLANCE
Terry Morgan
Chairman
of Crossrail
speaking at
the Rail Exec
Luncheon in
March 2016.
RAIL POWER
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th - 27th May, London
terrapinn.com/events
ASIA RAIL SUMMIT
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th - 27th May, Bangkok,
Thailand
ourpolaris.com/2016/ars
RAILTEL 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th - 27th May, London
terrapinn.com/events
LIGHT RAIL 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th - 27th May, London
terrapinn.com/events
RAILPOWER
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th - 27th May, London
terrapinn.com/events
METRO RAIL
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
27th May , London
terrapinn.com/events
11TH WORLD CONGRESS ON RAILWAY RESEARCH
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
29th May - 2nd June,
Milan, Italy
wcrr2016.org
MAY
CORE 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
16th - 18th May, Melbourne, AUS
core2016.org
GLASGOW SUBWAY DEPOT
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
19th May, Glasgow
imeche.org
RAIL FRANCHISE SUMMIT
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
19th May, Leeds
railsummits.com
RAIL EXEC HS2 NETWORK LUNCHEON
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
19th May, Leicester
railexec.com
SCANDINAVIAN RAIL DEVELOPMENT 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
24th May, Stockholm, Sweden
scandinavianraildevelopment.com
WORLD METRO RAIL CONGRESS (TERRAPIN)
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th & 27th May, London
terrapinn.com/events
EVENTS KEY CONFERENCE
EXHIBITION
TECHNICAL VISIT
PRESS CONFERENCE
NETWORK
AWARDS
DINNER
FREE TO ATTEND
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
FranchiseSummit
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
www.railsummits.com
NEW FRANCHISINGDelivering a Sustainable Railway for the Future
Rail_franchise_roller_banner_April16-v2.indd 1 19/04/2016 10:16
FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 EVENTS 37
URBAN TRANSPORT 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
21st - 23rd June, Crete, Greece
wessex.ac.uk/
conferences/2016
GLOBAL RAIL FREIGHT CONFERENCE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
22nd -24th June, Rotterdam
grfc2016.com
AFRICA RAIL
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
28th - 29th June, Johannesburg
terrapinn.com/events
RSSI CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
28th - 30th June, Texas, USA
rssi.org/2016-portal
JULY
COMPRAIL 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
19th - 21st July, Madrid, Spain
wessex.ac.uk/
conferences/2016
ANNUAL UK LIGHT RAIL CONFERENCE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
27th - 28th July, Birmingham
riagb.org.uk/events-diary
Thursday 19th May 2016Addleshaw Goddard Offi ces, LEEDS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
The event will offer an insight into how the DfT’s new approach to franchising, which focuses on service quality, and capacity growth will improve rail services across England and Wales. Taking the recently awarded Northern Franchise, as an example, this conference aims to show how this investment has wider implications for the development of the Northern Powerhouse through new and innovative developments.
It will also highlight how through engaging with key community stakeholders sustainable business growth can be delivered.
FranchiseSummitNEW FRANCHISING
Delivering a Sustainable Railway for the Future www.railsummits.com
JUNE
TRAIN COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
8th-9th June, London
traincomms2016.com
NRM NATIONAL BLACK TIE DINNER
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free9th June, York
nrm.org.uk
STATION TO STATION
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
11th-12th June
nrm.org.uk
RAIL LIVE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
22nd -23rd June, Long Marston
railalliance.co.uk
ASSET INFORMATION & DATA MANAGEMENT FOR SMART RAIL
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
14th - 15th June, London
infrastructureassetinformation.com
RAIL & METRO
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
14th - 16th June, Shanghai, China
10times.com/metro-china-expo
APTA RAIL CONFERENCE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
19th - 22nd June, Phoenix, USA
apta.com
AUGUST
MICHIGAN RAIL CONFERENCE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
17th - 18th August, Michigan, USA
rail.mtu.edu
AREMA CONFERENCE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
28th - 31st August, Orlando, USA
arema.org
SEPTEMBER
APTA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
11th - 14th September, LA, USA
apta.com
RAIL EXEC NETWORKING LUNCHEON
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free15th September, London
railexec.com
INNOTRANS
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
20th - 23rd September, Berlin
innotrans.de/en
OCTOBER
RVE 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
6th October, Derby
onyxrail.co.uk
RAILSTAFF AWARDS
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free8th October, Coventry
railstaffawards.com
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT CONGRESS & EXHIBITION
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
19th Oct, Singapore
sitce.org
EXPORAIL 2016
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
26th - 28th October ,Russia
exporail.mx/en
NOVEMBER
18TH INTERNATIONAL WHEELSET CONGRESS
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
7th - 10th November, Chengdu,
China
iwc2016.com
RAIL REVENUE WORLD CONGRESS
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
16th - 17th November, Belgium
terrapinn.com/events
DECEMBER
RAIL EXEC GALA DINNER
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free
press conference
network
conference
exhibition
tech
awaards
dinner
free1st Dec, Derby
railexecgala.com
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
38 EVENTS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
For the fifth year in a row, yellow rail plant and equipment
will take over Long Marston for the largest wholly outdoor
rail show in Europe, Rail Live.
From its humble beginnings as a dedicated rail
plant show, Rail Live has now become a key date in
the calendar for the wider supply chain. Around 6,500
visitors are expected to attend over the course of the
two-day event, which will be held between 22-23 June at
the Quinton Rail Technology Centre in Warwickshire.
Rail Live gives exhibitors the rare opportunity to
demonstrate their products in a realistic railway environment. This
year, there will be live rail welding from Thermit, concrete sleeper
crushing from Husqvarna and Robel will be bringing its 70-metre long
maintenance train. There will be a live demo of an Overhead Line
Equipment (OLE) installation, a UAV demonstration from Resource
Group, visitors will have the opportunity to test drive the Aquarius 4x4
RRV and Railcare will be demonstrating its RailVac excavators.
BUSINESS ZONEThis year, the site will have designated zones for track, electrification,
signalling & telecommunications, plus there will be the Rail Alliance
members’ marquee, several networking hubs and, new for 2016, the
Business Zone.
The Business Zone will be an area dedicated to helping visitors and
exhibitors to grow and develop their businesses. It will offer information
and assistance on the Rail Supply Group, the Future Railway Test
Voucher Scheme - which is authorised by RSSB and delivered by Rail
Alliance to help the development of products, goods and services,
Young Railway Professionals and the upcoming Rail Week, NSAR and
UKTI, among others.
Throughout the two days, there will also be a busy conference
schedule, which is being organised by Rail Media - details of which can
be found on the show’s website.
RAIL LIVE 2016RAIL PLANT AWARDS
The show is once again being
supported by Network Rail.
Guests will include Network
Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy
and track programme director
Steve Featherstone, who will be
presenting the Rail Plant Awards
on Wednesday 22 June.
Rail Live 2016 is being
sponsored by Rail Media, DWG
Timber Components, ISS Labour,
Link2, Rail Alliance, Shannon
Rail, TXM Plant and VP Plc. The
event is free to attend for visitors.
Everyone on site will be required
to wear a hi-vis jacket or waist
coat and sensible footwear.
To find out about exhibiting
or attending Rail Live 2016, visit
www.raillive.com or telephone
01789 720026.
For updates, follow the event
on Twitter at @rail_live
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
40 EVENTS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
@rail_live
2016
2016The largest UK outdoor rail showas endorsed by Network Rail
The railway is always evolving and, as an organisation measured by
performance, we need to embrace innovation and best practice in the rail sector.
We are looking forward to Rail Live 2016, a well-established event that really does set out to address and meet industry challenges now and for the future.
Steve Featherstone Track Programme Director, Network Rail
‘set out to address and meet industry challenges now and for the future.
Track Programme Director, Network Rail
22-23 JUNE 2016LONG MARSTON
With Support From
®
A Rail Alliance Event
2016VISITOR REGISTRATION FREE
To book as an exhibitor* or visitor, please visit www.raillive.com
* Exhibitor booking deadline 20 May 2016
infrastructure & civils | traction & rolling stock
engineering | electrifi cation | rail maintenance
materials & product development/testing
safety | digital | innovation | signalling
> Hundreds of suppliersin one location
> Live demonstrations and innovative working methods
> Meet customers and suppliers face-to-face
> Latest in best practice solutions and equipment
> Information and expertise on rail business growth/development
> High profi le conference with keynote industry speakers
RICHARD GEORGE, GROUP MANAGINGDIRECTOR OF SNC-LAVALIN RAIL &TRANSIT, ON THE LOSS OF THEINTERFLEET NAME AND THEOPPORTUNITIES THAT LIE AHEAD
When I last spoke to you, I was
probably optimistic and secretly
slightly nervous’, said Richard.
Eight months ago, we’d sat down
in a breakout area next to his
office to discuss the future of one
of the most-trusted names in rail
engineering and consultancy,
Interfleet.
In 2011, the Derby-based
consultancy was acquired by Canada’s SNC-Lavalin. In
September last year, Interfleet announced that from 1 January
2016 the company would adopt the name of its parent
company to become SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit. It was an
unnerving prospect for a company that trades off its reputation
and a much more complicated process than printing off a few
new business cards.
‘How much business have we lost? None. How much
business have we gained as a consequence? We’ll see,’
said Richard, who joined Interfleet in 2013.
‘Around the world the profile has now changed and that
will take time to come through, but it certainly has not done
us any damage at all and there are some opportunities that
have been opened up as a consequence.’
GLOBAL COMPANYSNC-Lavalin employs 37,000 people around the world,
with the majority of those working in oil and gas. For SNC-
Lavalin, the acquisition of Interfleet was an opportunity to
expand its expertise in rail, which had primarily involved
work on light rail systems. For Interfleet and its 750-or-so
employees, it was an opportunity to really make an impact
on a global stage. Not that Interfleet wasn’t already active
overseas. As Richard puts it, ‘I think a lot of people saw
Interfleet as a UK company with some offices overseas
which isn’t quite the same thing as being a global company.’
‘First of all, globally we now have a bigger clout than we
did just as Interfleet,’ said Richard.
‘There are things that we get invited
to do, we would never have been
invited to do before. There are doors
that open for us that would not have
opened for us before because it gives
us more credibility on the big stage.’
Interfleet was established in the
mid-1990s following a management
buyout of InterCity’s rolling stock
engineering division. With the financial
backing of Montreal and a deeper
pool of expertise to draw from, will
SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit look beyond
its traditional role as the consultant?
‘Yes and no,’ said Richard cautiously.
He feels the group has the capability
to take on more of a Tier 1 contractor
role, but it shouldn’t compromise
the company’s ‘bread and butter’
consultancy work.
‘In the UK, for example, virtually all the
stuff we do is the consultancy side and
there are some jobs we might take a
position on, as opposed to consultancy,
but we’d be a lot less likely to than
what we do in North America because
in North America we’ve got the
construction teams, we’ve got operation
and maintenance teams, we’ve got big
project management teams that are
used to doing this. We haven’t got those
things here.’
But he didn’t rule it out in the future.
‘We could do that now. We will look
very carefully at what we do and what
we don’t do.’
Steered not shaken
FromInterfleet to SNC-Lavalin
Globally we
now have a
bigger clout
than we
did just as
Interfleet.
‘
42 INTERVIEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
42 INTERVIEWS
GREEN CHIPS FOR BLUE CHIPSThe rail industry isn’t a stranger to changing names. In the last 12 months
alone, First Great Western has become Great Western Railway and the
Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has become the Office of Rail and Road. ‘The
key thing is timing’, said Richard.
‘If we had changed the name earlier it would have been the wrong time.
We changed it at the right time. We changed it at a time when SNC-Lavalin
is feeling far more confident about itself because it had some problems five
years ago. And it just feels like everything’s on the up.’
He added, ‘Had we changed the name immediately after acquisition, five
years ago, it just would have felt like we were changing green chips for blue
chips. It wouldn’t have had the same feel about it.’
Interfleet to SNC-Lavalin
If we had
changed the
name earlier
it would have
been the
wrong time.
REPORT BY MARC JOHNSON
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 INTERVIEWS 43
FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK
INTERVIEWS 43
In the lead up to the switchover,
Richard and his team spent a lot of
time meeting with staff. At the start
of the year, Richard spent six weeks
travelling around the world to different
SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit offices. ‘We
spent several months last year, a lot of
time, talking to staff, explaining it etc
and that was the important bit because
it was their buy-in that had to come.’
The concern was that if staff didn’t
believe in the name change, that
doubt could trickle down to clients.
‘That was the fear. That’s what we had
to avoid at all cost,’ said Richard.
That’s not to say that Interfleet
has become a dirty word - the
main office in Derby is still named
Interfleet House. But Richard believes
greater integration will create more
opportunities for staff: the opportunity
to work in other areas of the business
or a different country.
‘At the moment I’ve got somebody
going from New Zealand to Toronto
because we need electrification
people in Toronto. We need signalling
people in Australia, so I’ve got a
guy going from London to Australia.
Somebody’s approached me in
Toronto who wants to go to the Middle
East, and it’s much easier for us to
facilitate that now because we’ve got
the knowledge within the group.’
He added, ‘For lots and lots of
people, they don’t really want to work in
another country, and that’s fine, but they
like the idea a lot that they could if they
wanted to and that’s an important part
of the psychology, actually.’
AT THE CENTRESNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit is
growing all around the world. ‘A
phrase that I’m quite fond of saying
- because it’s true - is that in all the
countries across the world that we
operate, we’re recruiting in all of
them,’ said Richard.
Recruitment, particularly of
graduates, was one of the focus
areas for the company during the
transition. ‘I think that’s been one of
the challenges for us, to make sure
that we don’t lose the traction that
we’ve had with graduates because
we’ve got a fantastically good name
on graduate recruitment in the UK,
and we’ve had to work hard to make
sure that isn’t lost. And that actually,
people who are not necessarily
tuned into the rail industry - like
university recruitment people -
understand.’
This September, SNC-Lavalin plans
to bring in 12 new apprentices, who will
be employed in a wider variety of areas
within the business than ever before.
When we spoke last year, Richard
said he had no fears about Interfleet
being ‘flattened’ by SNC-Lavalin.
Several months on, he is confident that
by and large it is Rail & Transit shaping
the group’s processes, not the other
way around. Earlier in the conversation,
he described it like being at the centre
of the process, not ‘tacked on at the
edge’.
‘This isn’t the sort of company that
needed to be shaken up. This is a
company that just needed to be steered
slightly,’ said Richard. ‘Shaken up,
no. Too much talent, too much native
talent. It just needed to be redirected
a bit like every company always does,
perennially… Shake it up, throw it out?
Good God no.’
In all the
countries
across the
world that
we operate,
we’re
recruiting in
all of them.
44 INTERVIEWS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
Our name has changed.Our people ... haven’t.
is now
Richard GeorgeGroup Managing DirectorRail & Transit Engineering
Cyber-attacks on both company and personal computer
systems are an increasing threat to the continuity of
business, and there is little chance that this menace will
ever go away. There is no way of ‘immunising’ against
the threat of attack, nor is there any foolproof method
to prevent such attacks from causing harm to the
data systems involved.
Cyber-crime takes many forms. At the bottom end is
the ‘nerd’ in the bedroom who sees it as a challenge to
hack into supposedly secure systems just to see if it can
be done. At the top end are rogue states which attack computer systems
to seriously harm (or even destroy) a country’s infrastructure or military
capability.
Somewhere between these extremes are organisations that hack
for espionage, commercial gain, activism or the uncovering of sensitive
personal details. High profile lawsuits and public enquiries have made the
headlines in recent times, with attention being focussed on the relevance/
attractiveness of the target and the possible perpetrators. In the main, the
bulk of cyber-crime is financially motivated.
RAIL AT RISKFor the rail industry, the threats are many and diverse, with implications
for Network Rail, TOCs/FOCs, London Underground, the supply industry
and data support providers. To be hacked is, at best, a nuisance and, at
worst, a risk to safety.
Many rail organisations have already experienced attacks, so awareness
of the threat is growing. Some firms are employing data security experts
to advise on precautions – there is no single high-tech action that can be
taken and protection measures follow a logical pattern. Other companies
may still believe that either their products will be immune to hacking or
that, hopefully, it will not happen to them.
A significant risk exists within the emerging control and communication
networks (signalling) and the SCADA system for electrification control, both
of which will rely on the nationwide digital communication networks for
the distribution and resilience of control data. Whilst enormous efforts are
being made to safeguard the safety elements of these systems, cyber-
attacks can take many forms. A denial of service attack, where techniques
such as basic encryption do not provide protection, would cause major
disruption to train services.
So where is all this leading? A new European Directive has been agreed
that will have implications for everyone and should lead to a focussing of
minds.
NETWORK AND INFORMATION SECURITY (NIS) DIRECTIVE
This has been at the drafting stage for
some time and is now approved at the
European level, but has yet to be issued. To
understand what it is all about, Rail Media
met with Simon Shooter, James Mullock and
John Drake from the law firm Bird & Bird
who have been studying the content for
some time and recently put out the following
statement:
The proposed NIS Directive aims to
implement the European Union’s strategy
for cybersecurity across Europe. While its
scope of application is still under discussion
(in particular whether it will apply to digital
service providers such as Facebook and
Google), it is likely to apply to designated
service providers that provide essential
services such as energy, transport, financial
services, internet exchange points, food
supply chain and health. In trilogue meetings
in June and October 2015, the European
Council, Parliament and Commission reached
an agreement on the main provisions of the
draft directive, namely:
• The establishment of a network of national
Computer Emergency Response Teams
(CERTs) to assist with cybersecurity
coordination between Member States (MS),
whilst allowing MS the flexibility to use
existing competent authorities to establish
and administer the required ‘institutional
infrastructure’;
• The introduction of criteria to allow MS to
develop national, sector-specific guidelines
on what would constitute a reportable
incident;
• The Parliament has also broadly
accepted the Council’s preference for
voluntary cooperation and information
sharing. However, there will be a limited
requirement to share information where
an incident impacts continuity of service in
another MS;
• Information society providers will be
governed by a different set of rules from
providers of essential services; and
• MS will have discretion to determine which
designated service providers are deemed
to be providing ‘essential services’ and
won’t have to provide a list of essential
companies for security purposes.
CYBER SECURITYNIS AND THE LEGAL POSITIONREPORT BY CLIVE KESSELL
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46 FEATURE RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
The latest update on the directive is that
the final form has been agreed in principle. A
deadline of 21 months for MS implementation
of NIS is likely to start in Q1 2016. Companies
which take proactive action early will be
best placed to protect themselves from the
increasingly sophisticated range of cyber
threats, whilst simultaneously taking the
lead in reassuring their customers, partner
businesses and insurers that they have
appropriate safeguards in place to protect the
data and finances of their stakeholders.
Broadly speaking, this means that
any organisation within the scope of the
anticipated legislation that does not take into
account the threat of cyber-crime and cannot
be seen to be taking reasonable precautions
to protect against cyber-crime could be in
breach of the legislation and thus subject to
sanctions.
The directive is to become European law
and will be transposed into national law
sometime in early 2018. Although it remains
to be seen how the English wording of the
legislation is written, it is anticipated that the
expected compliance requirement will be
balanced by a defence of having adopted
adequate procedures to guard against cyber
threat. It is going to happen, and organisations
should begin to prepare for it right now.
SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN?Some readers will have realised that
the onus is being placed on the potential
victims of cyber-crime rather than on the
perpetrators. This may seem unfair but it is the
only pragmatic solution if the menace is to be
minimised. Already some regulated industries
should be taking all necessary action to
remain compliant with their regulatory
obligations.
An example would be a business in the
financial services sector, where a breach of
the regulatory requirements that demand
suitable security measures be taken would
likely trigger sanctions if the protection
of data was found to be inadequate.
The recent hacking of records within the
telecommunications provider TalkTalk had to
be reported because of telecom-specific data
protection regulations.
The directive is not intended to be
draconian in its policing and member states
will be expected to adopt a proactive role
in helping organisations comply. There
is a realisation that one size cannot fit all.
Small companies will not be expected to
dramatically increase their expenditure on
cyber security, since this could well make
them uncompetitive when the risk is likely to
be small. For larger organisations, it may be
different and significant sanctions may result
if a serious breach of data protection law
occurs. All this is a bit scary but it is early days
and, providing industry guidance is adopted,
then punitive action is unlikely.
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RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 FEATURE 47
UNDERSTANDING RESPONSIBILITIES
There continue to be many conferences and seminars on cyber-
crime and how to combat it. Companies tend to fall into a number of
categories as to their preparedness:
• Unaware – incidents just happen;
• Routine – controlled response to incidents should they
happen;
• Planned Reactive – planned response to incidents if they
occur;
• Elements of Proactive – some knowledge of what might
happen in the future;
• Mainly Proactive – good resilience measures in place; »
• Proactive – decisive actions based on fact will be
implemented.
The more proactive a company is in this chain of
measures, the less likely it will be for any penalties to be
imposed. Having a cyber incident response plan in place will
be key. Some basic ground rules have been in place for some
time to minimise risk of attack and include:
• Having effective firewalls in place;
• Education and knowledge of staff – being aware of disgruntled
employees and careless attention to data devices such as personal
safeguarding of laptops;
• Control of passwords and access control sequences;
• Constant monitoring of technical data;
• Minimise open TCP/UDP ports;
• Robust behaviour for firmware updates;
• Penetration testing by experts to assess vulnerability.
In short, multiple levels of protection will be needed to both assess the
risk and nature of any attack and then to devote time, thought, energy and
money to prepare the business for the necessary action when the attack
happens. This will include means to identify and neutralise the cause, then
to mitigate and repair the damage so as to restore business, but also to
learn lessons from what happened so as to improve protection for the next
time.
Advice on what constitutes ‘appropriate’ will always be on offer but one
should remember that the situation is not static. Hackers will forever be
trying to ‘beat the game’ and thus constant vigilance is necessary with
associated updates to protection always being necessary.
One essence of the directive will be the responsibility to report attacks.
This is already in place in Germany, Austria and Norway but is only
voluntary in the UK. A report will need to be made promptly. Once known,
the Computer Emergency Response Team will then probe:
• Was there a serious breach of data protection law?
• Is substantial damage or distress likely?
• Was the contravention deliberate, had the organisation been aware that
damage or distress was likely, and had reasonable steps been taken?
• Should a fine be imposed?
AWARENESS AND ACTIONS FOR THE RAIL INDUSTRYMost rail organisations are aware of cyber-crime and the need for
associated security. To what extent the true level of threat is understood is
an unknown – probably rightly so, since high profile public statements and
detail are inappropriate for this clandestine world.
The UK government has defined nine categories of essential
infrastructure, of which transport is one and communications is another.
Rail is a major element of the first and has considerable impact in the
second.
The Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) studies and
gives advice to all industries involved in the nine categories and is well
aware of critical rail systems. Many such rail systems are not unique to
the UK – ERTMS, ETCS and GSM-R all have pan-European deployment
– and thus a sharing of knowledge with other countries is important.
It must also be recognised that the said systems cross the wheel-rail
divide, thus involving both infrastructure providers and train operating
companies.
CURRENT ACTIONS BEING TAKEN BY THE RAIL INDUSTRY
Cross-industry rail groups are actively
working on cyber security. Two are the High
Integrity Systems Group (HISG) hosted by
RSSB (formerly the Rail Safety and Standards
Board), and the Digital Railway Cyber Security
Steering Group (DRCSSG) hosted by the
Digital Railway programme at Network Rail.
HISG is investigating what the cyber risks are
and DRCSSG is looking into cyber security
for future systems. RSSB also facilitates
provision of cyber security guidance from the
Department for Transport.
To communicate with the industry, RSSB
has formed the Cyber Security Advisory
Group (CSAG) that will advise on the
development and content of the cyber
security strategy. In particular, it will mitigate
the risk of duplication of effort and facilitate
management of interfaces. The development
of the strategy will take into account the
NIS Directive as appropriate. The strategy is
intended to assist parties in the industry to
understand their responsibilities and be able
to put in place informed, proportionate and
cost-effective measures to mitigate cyber
security risk.
The requirement to report cyber-attacks
may be easier for rail than other industries
since it is already required to have
procedures in place to report accidents and
near misses. Extending this and educating
staff to include cyber-crime could be an
important early step.
Unfortunately, there is no ‘silver bullet’,
and advice from legal professionals on how
to comply with the directive- related cyber
legislation will be needed.
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48 FEATURE RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
Apart from orange, there’s not
a lot of colour on the railway
- and there’s lots of orange.
Safety boots are even more of
a drab affair. Take your choice
of charcoal, granite or midnight
sky.
But now Steel Blue, a safety
footwear company based in
Western Australia, has produced
something which has rarely, if ever, been seen
on a rail worksite in the UK before - a pair of pink
steel toe cap boots.
PINKY PROMISE
SPOTLIGHT50 GEAR+TECH RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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SOUTHERN CROSS LADIESSIZES: 3-9 (WHOLE SIZES ONLY)MEET EUROPEAN STANDARDEN ISO20345
Steel Blue claims that the boots have
anti-static properties, conducting the static
electricity that builds up around the body to
the ground. A valuable property for anyone
working alongside flammable materials or
sensitive electronic devices.
The boots are lined with Baltico®, a
wicking material designed to move sweat
away from the foot.
The nitrile rubber outer sole is oil and acid
resistant, and can withstand heat up to
300ºC.
The steel toe caps can withstand a
200-joule impact.
Scalloped collar design.
The colour also serves a serious
purpose. For every pair sold, Steel
Blue will donate €8 to breast cancer
charity Breast Cancer Care WA.
The Southern Cross Ladies range, which also come in purple, has
been designed for women as an alternative to the black and brown
safety boots which are commonplace on the railway. It’s another
example of workwear being designed to suit the specific needs and
challenges faced by female workers.
Ill-fitting safety clothing is another barrier that the industry is
looking to remove to address the gender imbalance that currently
exists, and manufacturers are beginning to design specifically for
women.
The colour also serves a serious purpose. For every pair sold,
Steel Blue will donate €8 to breast cancer charity Breast Cancer
Care WA. The company has so far raised more than €600,000
to support the charity and is also now selling a blue pair to raise
money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA)
and beyondblue, a not-for-profit organisation which looks to raise
awareness and support those with mental health issues.
For more information visit: www.railppe.com
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 GEAR+TECH 51
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Last month, 18 companies from the UK rail sector joined
a UKTI Yorkshire and the Humber-led trade mission to
Germany. The aim was clear: to establish productive links
between UK rail sector companies and Deutsche Bahn
(DB), its subsidiaries, and its supply chain.
The UK has a strong story to tell on rail. Over the last
two decades, the number of passenger journeys across
all lines has doubled, and the volume of freight moved
by rail has increased by 70 per cent. The UK railway
increases the productive potential of the economy by
£11.3 billion, reduces CO2 emissions and is the safest railway network
in Europe.
NORTHERN POWERHOUSEAmbitious public projects such as HS2 and Crossrail show the
UK’s commitment to the future of rail as a driving force for sustainable
growth. These projects rely on effective collaboration between
government and business across the whole rail supply chain.
Of the 18 companies who attended the UKTI trade mission, a
significant proportion were from the Northern Powerhouse region. The
Northern Powerhouse, first introduced by Chancellor George Osborne
in June 2014, seeks to unite some of the UK’s biggest cities and other
regions in the North: pooling a wealth of world-class expertise and
business talent.
Combine this with a world-class heritage of manufacturing know-
how, and the Northern Powerhouse has the potential to galvanise
its collective power to drive economic growth across the North of
England.
EXPANDING GERMAN SECTORDB offers a variety of opportunities for UK rail companies throughout
the supply chain. DB runs 5,100 trains daily and manages nearly 5,700
stations – the largest of any European operator. By 2017 it will invest
€32 billion – two thirds in infrastructure and one third in traction and
rolling stock. This mission therefore was a chance for UK companies
to showcase their expertise and gain a foothold in this promising and
expanding German sector.
BEST OF BRITISHThe mission took place
over four days and included
speakers ranging from the
chief executive officer of Serco,
Rupert Soames, the British
ambassador to Germany, Sir
Sebastian Wood, and senior
procurement representatives
from DB, Bombardier Mobility
and Siemens. The most valuable
parts of the mission for the UK
delegation were the 1-2-1s set
up with buyers from a range
of companies, representing
the entire German rail supply
chain, who were looking for UK
expertise.
Several companies reported
very productive discussions,
which will likely lead to new
business. Peter Hardy from
IconPolymer said, ‘UKTI have
given us great support. We have
used this mission to enhance
existing relationships with key
customers and it has provided
opportunities to extend this
further. UKTI’s visit to Siemens
has opened doors that wouldn’t
otherwise have been open to us.’
Mark Robson, regional
director at UK Trade and
Investment Yorkshire and the
Humber, added, ‘The UK has a
great history of designing and
developing railways all over the
world. It is important that as a
country we continue to share our
innovation, skills and expertise
globally, to support companies
and help them win business
overseas.
‘We are working closely
with the National College for
High Speed Rail in Doncaster,
nurturing future talent to ensure
sustainability of the British rail
industry and associated supply
chain.’
Article supported by UKTI
Yorkshire and the Humber.
Contact yorkshiretrademissions@
mobile.ukti.gov.uk for information
on upcoming trade missions.
52 INTERNATIONAL RAIL RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
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All photos © Deutsche Bahn
The Institution of Engineering
and Technology (IET) is
looking for the Technician
of the Year - entries are
open until the end of May.
It could be the winner is
right here among RailStaff
and Rail Engineer’s dynamic
readership. All railway
engineers should take a
serious look at the IET which seeks to
'Inspire, Inform, Influence'. Paul Darlington,
career rail engineer and IET member,
reports.
IET aims include inspiring the next
generation of engineers by providing
bursaries, scholarships, schemes such
as the Faraday Challenge and informing
schools of the challenges a career in
engineering can provide. As the rail
industry seeks to recruit more engineers
the IET could have a powerful role to play.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKINGRAILWAY ENGINEERS LOOK TO IET
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54 TRAINING RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
TREFOREST, BRISTOL, PLYMOUTH, KENT, YORK, BARNSLEY, WATFORD, BURY, DERBY, DONCASTER
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Once into engineering the
IET assesses and awards
professional registration of
engineers and technicians.
Registration as a professional
engineer or technician is an
important career milestone.
It demonstrates knowledge,
understanding and engineering
competence. In particular,
registration shows employers
and peers that the holder has
demonstrated a commitment to
professional standards, and to
developing and enhancing their
competence. For employers,
having registered engineers
and technicians demonstrates to
customers and stakeholders that
they have people assessed for
their competence to a rigorous
external standard.
The IET is one of many
organisations licensed by the
Engineering Council to award
the professional engineering
qualifications defined in the
UK Standard for Professional
Engineering Competence (UK-
SPEC).
Categories and benefits of registration
The IET supports a number
of registration categories
which include: Chartered
Engineer (CEng), Incorporated
Engineer (IEng), Engineering
Technician (EngTech), Chartered
IT Professional (CITP), ICT
Technician (ICTTech).
Registration demonstrates
recognition as a professional in
an applicant’s field of expertise.
This can improve motivation,
career opportunities and salary
prospects. Once added to the
Engineering Council register
applicants are able to use
the professional registration
designatory letters (CEng, IEng,
EngTech or ICTTech).
VolunteersThe IET is supported by
volunteer experts from all
aspects of engineering who
advise, assess, interview and
award registration. In becoming
a registered engineer one of the
first steps is to seek the advice
of a Professional Registration
Advisor (PRA) who can be found
via the IET website.
These are experienced
engineers who have been
trained by the IET to advise
candidates on their application.
Assessors then verify that the
required underlying knowledge
& understanding (UK&U) has
been demonstrated prior
to recommending that the
candidate proceeds to interview.
Interviews are carried out
by Professional Registration
Interviewers (PRI). PRIs are
trained by the IET and will have
experience in the candidate’s
field of work. PRIs do not
award registration, but will
make a recommendation to an
independent panel who will
consider all the evidence and
interview findings before making
a decision.
Maintaining registrationCurrently there are no
requirements for re-assessment
once registration has been
granted, and engineers and
technicians will remain on the
Engineering Council register while
being a member of a licensed
body.
Joining the register confirms
commitment to both the
Engineering Council’s Guidelines
for Institutions’ Codes of Conduct
and the IET Rules of Conduct,
together with an obligation to
remain professionally competent
through continuous professional
development (CPD).
UK-SPEC V3Version three of UK-SPEC was
produced in 2013, published in
2014 with compliance from 2016.
The IET has been operating
V3 from November 2015 and it
is now very familiar to all PRAs
and PRIs. V3 now includes
additional exemplars for the
various competencies together
with additional requirements for:
security & intellectual property,
risk & sustainability, diversity,
safety, CPD and whistle blowing.
The IET is in the process of
implementing a new Review
Process System (RPS) which
will ultimately be used by
all candidates, volunteers,
assessors, PRAs and PRIs. RPS is
cloud-based and will make better
use of the volunteer resource
and talent management.
Career ManagerCareer Manager is available
for all members to build their
competency profile, create a
development action plan and log
CPD. The system can be linked
to a candidate’s application for
registration allowing all evidence
to be entered once and once
only. Guest tickets can be issued
electronically for mentors and
PRA to view and comment on
evidence.
Continuous Professional Development
From 2017, the Engineering
Council requires all engineering
institutions to carry out random
monitoring of registered
engineers and technicians CPD
records. IET rules of conduct
apply to all members and require
CPD records to be made. Thus all
IET members CPD records will be
subject to monitoring.
CPD is not just about formal
training. CPD can include
work experience, events,
self-study, academic study,
and volunteering. The IET
recommend Career Manager is
used as it will provide a secure,
structured platform for record
keeping. Feedback on a trial
of CPD monitoring found that
candidates actually exceeded the
30 hours required of members,
with an average of 79 hours in
2013 and 114 hours in 2014.
For example: consider attending
an engineering exhibition, discuss
innovations with experts and
report back. Log the CPD record
for both activities. Job done!
Rail engineers could profit from
joining the IET and it goes without
saying the Technician of the Year
could well be among us.
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
56 TRAINING RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
Baltic Training Services has played
an important role in our apprenticeship
programme, identifying people who
are relevant to our culture and offering
training and support alongside ours
once they’ve been recruited.
Tony Dougan Technology’s operation manager at Aspire
baltictraining.com
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Like little ninjas’, said Katie Tingle, describing her team’s role
within Network Rail. ‘If you can be a little ninja in a big yellow
train? I’m not sure.’
The big yellow train in question is a Mobile Maintenance
Train (MMT) - one of Network Rail’s new toys. Katie manages
one of two MMT units currently operating in the East
Midlands. Specially designed by German manufacturer Robel,
the trains can be used to provide everything that’s needed on
a railway worksite in a safer, more convenient, more efficient
way.
MMT units will revolutionise the way maintenance is done on the railway,
Network Rail believes. Workers can be taken directly to site without needing
to drive and they are protected from poor weather while they’re there. There’s
better lighting, better tooling and better welfare facilities than on a typical site.
Why a ninja? One of the main benefits of the MMT is that it can carry out
maintenance work quicker than a track possession, without closing the railway
and with less disruption to passengers.
‘It’s really focussing on the benefits that we can bring,’ said Katie. ‘Not just
to our production levels, not just to getting jobs done quicker, so I’m not
disturbing our passengers that rely on these lines to get to and from work,
to get to see their friends, to get to and from job interviews, and that kind of
thing. I’m also benefitting our staff that are actually out there on the front line
making the track safer for people.’
Apprentice to managerKatie joined Network Rail in 2009 as an apprentice. Back then she had
to split her time between a depot in Nottingham and Network Rail’s training
centre in Portsmouth. She applied for the scheme after it was recommended
to her by a family friend. ‘I’d always had the background interest in
engineering and it was looking at what route I wanted to follow,’ said Katie. ‘I’m
a massive believer in learning whilst you’re doing and gaining that experience
to back up the theory that goes with it.’
After completing her apprenticeship in 2012, she was offered the chance
by Network Rail to study for a degree at Sheffield Hallam University and was
subsequently seconded to the MMT project team. Having laid the foundations
for the introduction of the MMTs, she applied for one of the section manager
roles.
‘It was a good natural progression because when I was doing the project
management role, it was heavily to do with the actual machine itself, and the
train, how it works, the new concepts it’s going to bring onto the infrastructure,
and that kind of thing. It just seemed like a nice natural progression to then
manage the train and keep that ethos that we were trying to embed.’
The MMT is made up of three sections. At
the front is the Traction & Supply Unit, which
drives the train and powers the MMT. The
middle section is the Intermediate Car (IC),
which stores all the materials, tools and the
welfare facilities. And at the end is the MMT
itself.
As well as offering Network Rail a
more efficient way of completing track
maintenance, the MMTs provide a much safer
working environment for track technicians.
Hoists within the vehicle allow heavy materials
to be easily transported and moved around
site, hydraulic and pneumatic powered
tools on board reduce the risk of hand arm
vibration and its mobility removes the need
for workers to drive to and from site.
At the forefrontNetwork Rail began exploring the idea of
introducing MMTs in 2013. There are now five
on the network, with the final unit expected to
be in use by August. ‘This is three years in the
making,’ said Katie, who has been involved in
the project since the very beginning.
‘We’re now at the forefront of Network Rail’s
technological advances. There’s only going
to be eight machines on the infrastructure
anyway and we’ve got the third one. We were
the second machine on our route, so we’re
really leading the way in revolutionising how
we deliver track maintenance and how we
better what we’re already doing.’
MARC JOHNSON LOOKS AT WHATIT TAKES TO BECOME A MOBILEMAINTENANCE TRAIN MANAGER
Katie Tingle.
OF THE YELLOW TRAINSNinjas
‘
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58 TRAINING RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
It really is quite
exciting because
it’s something
new, and we
are at the very
beginning of this
MMT journey.
Katie currently manages a team of 11 people. As well as
operating her own MMT, she’s also heavily involved in the
wider project, dealing with any issues with the machines
and looking at how the MMTs could be used by other
parts of Network Rail.
‘For me, it really is quite exciting because it’s something
new, and we are at the very beginning of this MMT
journey, without trying to sound really cheesy.
‘With us being at the start of it, I can be instrumental
in the way it goes and its success… I’m quite passionate
about it, and it’s passing that on as well around the
business and changing the mindsets and the culture that
we have embedded in Network Rail.’
Will the MMTs eventually replace possessions entirely?
‘I don’t think we’ll ever be able to completely remove
the human interface with the track,’ said Katie. ‘We’re
always going to need that and there’s going to be a need
for people to be out there doing a job manually, but it’s
looking at ways we can reduce it more and more. And
upskilling our people, as well, to be able to do that.’
Gender balanceThere are three women in Katie’s team,
including her. ‘I can probably count my number
of female engineering colleagues on one hand,’
said Katie, when asked about her experience as
a woman in the rail industry.
‘But it’s breaking that barrier and breaking
that stereotype, that engineering as a whole is a
place for females, and we can offer just as much
to a department as a male can…’
She believes the industry is making progress.
‘We’re getting there, it’s happening but it’s
happening quite slowly.’
Ninjas were secret warriors of Japanese
legend. As imaginative a job description as a
ninja in a big yellow train might be, Katie had
another go at describing her role. ‘It’s hard to
explain your job when people ask you what you
do. I just get on with it,’ she summed up.
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RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 TRAINING 59
FUTURE LEADERS The highlight of the evening for many was a special
keynote address from Sir Peter Hendy CBE, chairman
of Network Rail. Sir Peter gave a valuable insight into
his stellar career, from his days as a London Transport
graduate trainee to becoming chairman of Network
Rail.
His message was for the young people of the
industry - its future leaders - to understand the value
of knowing your business and how the individuals
who work with you, and perhaps one day for you,
are the essential component to running our railways,
and knowledge and consideration of their needs is
essential.
Sir Peter also spoke of his desire to increase
the voice of young industry members in industry
publications. After dinner, the new YRP chairwoman,
Sabrina Ihaddaden, gave a rousing speech, appealing
to the younger members of the industry to know and
have confidence within themselves of the contribution
they can make to the advancement of our industry.
She spoke of the impressive statistics of YRP and
its continued growth across Great Britain. Fiona
Malcolm, from Porterbrook, was crowned Young
Rail Professional of the Year by the judging panel.
She claimed the top award from a very impressive
list of nominees by going above and beyond what
is expected of someone at the early stage of their
career, and particularly for inspiring and supporting
other young professionals.
As tradition dictates, the dinner concluded with
the annual YRP Committee member photograph.
The dinner is an incredible opportunity for volunteers
from across Britain to gather together and celebrate
another year of working hard to make a difference for
young people in the industry.
YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALSCELEBRATING THE PAST,
PRESENT AND FUTURE
On 8 April, the Young Rail Professionals (YRP) celebrated
young people in rail at its fifth Annual Black Tie
Dinner. This year’s event was held outside London
for the first time in recognition of YRP’s fast-growing
membership outside the South East region.
Three-hundred-and-eighty YRPs, senior rail
professionals and VIP guests travelled from all over
the country to celebrate the event, surrounded by
300 years of history at the National Railway Museum
in York.
The evening began with a lively welcome drinks reception amongst
must-see locomotives and rolling stock, after which the guests moved
to the dining area, dramatically set amidst twinkling lights and royal
carriages.
The dinner commenced with Stephen Head’s final address as YRP
chairman. Stephen’s awe-inspiring commitment to the organisation this
year has solidified YRP’s status as a truly national organisation. The
success of the black tie dinner in York is testament to his vision.
All images © RailAlliance/Eli Rees-King
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60 YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
RAIL WEEKThe next big event for the Young Rail Professionals is the first ever
Rail Week, happening from 27 June to 3 July. For one intensive week,
we are going to celebrate all that is great about rail to inspire students
at schools, colleges and universities with an exciting programme of
events across the UK.
Rail Week is a collaborative project being delivered by an industry
partnership led by YRP with the support of Routes into Rail, Rail Supply
Group, NSAR, NTAR, Rail Alliance, Rail Media, RRUKA, RSSB, IMechE,
Rail Forum East Midlands and REF.
Young people, parents, teachers and careers advisors will get to see
first-hand the exciting projects and range of jobs in rail.
Young Rail Professionals has created the Rail Week project because
it knows first hand that the rail sector is a great place to work, with
exciting projects to get involved in, good career prospects and a wide
range of different roles to undertake.
During Rail Week, the rail sector will open its doors and go out into
the community to deliver exciting interactive rail activities, hosting tours
of depots, factories, control centres, stations; giving public lectures and
seminars about incredible projects; and volunteering staff to promote
rail in schools as Rail Week Ambassadors.
Through Rail Week, we hope that all young people from all
backgrounds will consider the rail sector when thinking about their
future prospects in order to make our skills gap a thing of the past.
Look out for the event on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for updates
on upcoming Rail Week events.
YRP is run by its members for its members. It is your organisation.
To join us, please register online at www.youngrailpro.com. To become
involved in organising future YRP events, performing outreach activities
to promote the railway industry as a career choice, and developing
opportunities for young people to be recognised and prioritised in the
wider railway industry, contact us at [email protected].
Together we can bridge the skills gap and inspire a new generation into rail careers, promoting our industry as the exciting, ambitious and growing sector that we all love.
The inaugural Rail Week is a truly pan-industry collaborative programme. The rail sector will open its doors to thousands of students in schools, colleges and universities, and go out into the community and support teachers to deliver exciting interactive rail activities.
We need you to:
Host tours of your depots, factories, control centres, stations, etc., Give public lectures and seminars about your incredible projects, Volunteer your staff to promote rail in schools as Rail Week STEM Ambassadors.
Rail Week can be whatever you want it to be. If you have a great idea shout about it and show off to the world what we can do together!
Join the ranks of organisations below who’ve already pledged their support.
Sir Peter Hendy with the
YRP family at the Young Rail
Professionals fifth Annual
Black Tie Dinner.
Together we can bridge the skills gap and inspire a new generation into rail careers, promoting our industry as the exciting, ambitious and growing sector that we all love.
The inaugural Rail Week is a truly pan-industry collaborative programme. The rail sector will open its doors to thousands of students in schools, colleges and universities, and go out into the community and support teachers to deliver exciting interactive rail activities.
We need you to:
Host tours of your depots, factories, control centres, stations, etc., Give public lectures and seminars about your incredible projects, Volunteer your staff to promote rail in schools as Rail Week STEM Ambassadors.
Rail Week can be whatever you want it to be. If you have a great idea shout about it and show off to the world what we can do together!
Join the ranks of organisations below who’ve already pledged their support.
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61 RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS
– Rail and Infrastructure Vacancies Currently Available –
Rail Project Manager Birmingham, London, York and Derby Degree educated, NEC experience £300 - £450/day or £35 - £65k
RAMS Specialist + Rail AssessorsMiddle East £100k or £500 - £750/day
Quantity Surveyors / Commercial Managers London, Derby, Midlands and York £35 - £65k or £300 - £450/day
DPE/CRE - Track and P-Way EngineersRugby, Swindon, and Derby £40K - £55K or £300 - £500/day
Rail Site and Construction Manager London, Birmingham and East Anglia £35K - £55K or £250 - £350/day
P6 Project Planners London, Midlands, Reading and Manchester £40K - £65K or £350 - £500/day
Project Controls Manager London, Midlands, Reading and Manchester £55 - £70K
OLE Engineers / Managers Rugby, Swindon and Derby £300 - £500/day
Please email your CV to andrew.johnson@trssta� ng.comor if you’d prefer to discuss any roles call +44 (0)20 7419 5800
www.trssta� ng.com
TRS Sta� ng Solutions are international engineering recruitment specialists. We recruit for major national and international projects for leading national rail organisations, main contractors and consultancies.
Global Scale. Local Focus.
Engineering ManagerSalary £40,000 PA
(Permanent after completion of probation period)
We are looking to recruit an experienced and enthusiastic Engineering Manager to lead all of our engineering functions.
The post holder will be a qualified electrical engineer and have experience in running a workshop and extensive project
management skills.
This is a unique opportunity to join a highly skilled team, committed to ensure the award-winning Crich Tramway Village,
home of the Accredited National Tramway Museum, delivers world-class restorations of heritage trams and maintain a
thrilling visitor experience.
Please visit:www.tramway.co.uk
…and complete the specific application form and return to us with a short covering letter. Submissions of CVs without
completed application form will not be considered.
Based at Crich, Derbyshire.
Closing date: Tuesday 31st May 2016
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANDIDATES AND CLIENTS TO DELIVER TALENT THAT ENHANCES THE UK RAIL SECTOR.Since inception in 2001 ATA Rail has helped over 8000 talented individuals make their next career move within the rail sector. Our dedicated and highly trained team of rail recruitment specialists have over 100 years of collective industry expertise which helps facilitate the connection between the ‘best talent’ in the market and the ‘best client opportunities.’
Attracting, Selecting, Engaging and Retaining talent are some of the greatest challenges facing the UK rail sector. ATA Rail provide clients with access to knowledge and expertise that enables you to tackle these challenges through improved;
If you are finding it challenging to locate the calibre of individuals to drive your business forward please contact one of our dedicated railrecruitment specialists for a confidential discussion.
CALL: 0333 011 2046 and select OPTION 1 | OR VISIT: www.ata-recruitment.co.uk
ATTRACTIONDefining and improving value proposition to market
SELECTION Understanding and refining selection methodology/ process
ENGAGEMENTDeveloping improved candidate engagement plan and facilitating
RETENTIONPost placement support process with issue identification and resolution
ATA | SPECIALISTS IN RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE, ROLLING STOCK ENGINEERING AND TRAIN OPERATIONS
Jigsaw advert.pdf 1 04/04/2016 08:52
62 CAREERS RAILSTAFF MAY 2016
RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
Please forward your application to [email protected] or call Rod Shaw, Managing Director, RGS Executive with any particular queries on 0115 959 9687.
GB Railfreight is a leading and award winning freight operating company employing 650 people in the UK delivering over 1,000 train loads per week. With over 120 locomotives and 1,100 wagons, the company operates 15% of the UK railfreight market at the highest levels of reliability including:
• Intermodal Transport• Petro-chemicals, Biomass and Coal• Metal, Building Materials and other Commodities• Infrastructure Equipment and Services• Rail Vehicle Haulage
Due to planned retirement, a Commercial Director is sought to join the company’s senior management team, reporting to the Managing Director.
The role will include responsibility for the management of all commercial activities and the leadership of an experienced team with sector specialisms and a very strong customer focus.
As part of a close working board level team, the role will influence the strategic development of GB Railfreight including product and service development, new business, operations, rolling stock, customer engagement and risk management.
Candidates will have strong backgrounds in UK rail operations and logistics as well as an understanding of the commodities hauled and their associated economics. Experience of developing strong working relations and managing commercial arrangements at senior personal and corporate levels should also be demonstrable.
Commercial Director £ Six figure salary plus strong benefits package London Base
“An outstanding board level commercial, strategic and managerial opportunity”
RGS - MAY ADVERT.indd 1 19/04/2016 11:56
MANAGING DIRECTORBirmingham base | £ Attractive package
‘An outstanding opportunity to lead a developing rolling stock engineering business’
Vossloh Kiepe UK is a subsidiary of the German based Vossloh Kiepe GmbH.
The business is a leader in railway rolling stock engineering, enhancement and systems integration and provides high quality turnkey project and consultancy services to maximise vehicle utilisation and performance. Current annual sales turnover is circa £20m.
With excellent rail engineering, production and project management skills; Vossloh Kiepe UK operates from offices in Birmingham and from a range of project facilities to suit vehicle and fleet locations around the UK.
The key elements of the role are to:
• Develop and manage the company’s strategic plan
• Promote revenue, profitability and growth as foundations for business success
• Provide expert leadership and guidance to the senior management team; managing, motivating and developing performance
• Lead top level business development, customer relations, financial performance and personnel development initiatives and strategies
• Take responsibility for the health, safety and wellbeing of up to 150 people at work
• Ensure proper governance and uphold the ethics of the business
Candidates should have strong management team / board level experience gained in railway engineering and project management businesses and ideally in rolling stock.
Preferred candidates are also likely to be proven in leading significant teams of people, strategic business leaders, experienced in project oriented activities and able to exert influence at all levels including customers, suppliers and key stakeholders.
Qualifications will ideally be at graduate level in an engineering discipline and possibly with Chartered status.
Along with an attractive salary the overall remuneration package will include a fully expensed company car, bonus arrangements and other benefits.
Please forward your application to [email protected] or call Rod Shaw, Managing Director, RGS Executive with any particular queries on 0115 959 9687.
RAILSTAFF MAY 2016 CAREERS 63
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Marketing and Sales Team020 7500 6901www.expressmedicals.co.uk
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Express Medicals have been providing railway medical services since 1996. We provide medical examinations and drugs & alcohol testing to meet Network Rail, London Underground and DLR standards.
If you have a requirement for such services please do not hesitate to contact us.
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Marketing and Sales Team020 7500 6901www.expressmedicals.co.uk
Marketing and Sales Team020 7500 6901www.expressmedicals.co.uk
020 7500 6900www.expressmedicals.co.uk