railway strategies 101 early
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The latest edition of Railway StrategiesTRANSCRIPT
RAILWAYS T R A T E G I E Szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Issue 101 Early Edition
Neasden updated Revamped LU depot
to provide S Stock fleet maintenance
F o r S E N I o r r A I L M A N A G E M E N T
New chief executive for Network Rail
ORR: rail
travel reaches record levels
Capacity increase for Waterloo
revealed
Electrification factory train
unveiled
Rail delivers business boost
Rail crime continues to fall
Lakes line to be electrified
Watford improvements
scheduled
NEWS
Returning to Lloyd’s Register as transportation director, PaUL SeLLeR talks about his plans for the organisation
Interview
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www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 1
ChairmanAndrew Schofield
Managing DirectorMike Tulloch
Editor Martin Collier
Managing EditorLibbie Hammond
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Advertisement DesignerJamie Elvin
Profile EditorKirsty Birkett-Stubbs
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Head of Research
Philip Monument
Editorial ResearchersKeith Hope
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When it comes to helping to get the country moving,
in every sense, the investment in Britain’s railways is
playing a vital role. Figures released recently by Network
Rail suggest that the rail supply chain has benefited by
over £17 billion over the last four years, and that over £6 billion of
this investment has been with small and medium-sized businesses.
In the last year alone, over £3 billion of work was generated for
UK businesses with over a third going to SMEs. It is estimated that
over 90,000 full-time jobs have been sustained by this investment.
Looking ahead to the next Control Period, it is suggested that about
99 per cent of the approximately £25 billion expenditure on planned
enhancements and renewals – on projects such as Crossrail,
Thameslink, the Northern Hub, Electrification and the Borders
railway – will be undertaken by UK companies. In a separate report
Network Rail examines the potential benefits that HS2 might bring,
once it reaches Leeds and Manchester, and explores ways in which
HS2 could be integrated with the conventional rail network and how
to allocate the released capacity.
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From the Editorzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzHave your details changed? Are you reading someone else’s copy of Railway Strategies?Please email: [email protected] to amend your details or request a regular copy
Issue 101 ISSN 1467-0399
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Rail benefits
56
36
Features
18 Interview
IntervIew – returning to make a difference 18Kirsty Birkett-Stubbs
rail franchising in the UK – a model for the future 23Vivek Madan
Seeing clearly 36David Thomasson
Driving a change in culture from ‘Find and Fix’ to ‘Predict and Prevent’ 38Network Rail and Thales
Sense of purpose 40Robin Butler
An expanding network 42 Colin Flack
Opportunities for higher education in rail freight and logistics 48 Marin Marinov
How to build a younger workforce 50Sharon Glancy
Profiles
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzContentsISSUE 101 Early Edition
econocom 9Spence Ltd 24 rosehill rail 52UK Power networks Services 56Foundation Piling Ltd 62Civil rail Solutions 64 Haslerrail 66 Saudi railways Organization 69Dresdner verkehrsbetriebe AG 73Crown International 76 volante verkleidungssysteme 78 Centro 82 tube Lines 85 Fourway Communication 91Iarnród Éireann 94
73
News
14
5
Focus on... Rolling Stock
Big hitters 30Alistair Dormer
Focus on... Revenue Management
NFC needs an open standard rather than a ‘killer app’
to make it fly 32 Jörg Suchy
All aboard: how airline-style pricing is putting
the passenger rail industry back
on track 34 Peter Shearer
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzContentsIndustry News 4
High Speed Rail 16
Research 21
Stations 26
Rolling Stock 29
Security 35
Rail Alliance 41
Conferences & Exhibitions 96 11
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
00Event review 44
44
4 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
More than a third – around
£1.2 billion – of the money spent
by Network Rail on enhancements
to the UK’s rail network in 2012/13
went to small and medium-sized businesses.
This expenditure helped to support economic
growth and jobs across a range of industries
from telecoms suppliers and glazers to solar
energy engineers and security providers.
This investment has sustained over 90,000
full-time jobs nationwide in addition to the
34,000 people directly employed by Network
Rail, generating significant financial returns to
central government through tax revenue and
savings on benefits as well as boosting local
economies.
The enhancement schemes carried out by
Network Rail’s major projects division included
the redevelopments of King’s Cross, Reading
and Birmingham New Street stations, Crossrail,
the Thameslink Programme upgrade plus
dozens of other schemes to improve stations,
lengthen platforms and build new railway.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny
Alexander, said: “Investing in infrastructure has
a direct effect on the economy, creating jobs,
and giving Britain the infrastructure we need to
build a stronger economy and fairer society.
“This report is excellent in highlighting the
opportunities for small and medium sized
businesses that come with infrastructure
investment. That is why we have set out
£100 billion of investment in infrastructure
over the next Parliament, including supporting
the largest programme of investment in rail
since the Victorian era. I’m very glad to see
that Network Rail are doing their bit to drive
sustainable and balanced economic growth
across the UK.”
Simon Kirby, managing director of Network
Rail Infrastructure Projects, said: “The rail
industry is increasingly recognised as a key
contributor to our national, economic and
social well-being. Across Britain, investment in
a bigger, better railway has provided a massive
boost to hundreds of businesses of all shapes
and sizes, supporting sustainable economic
growth and jobs.”
Rail investment delivers business boostInvestment in a bigger, better rail network generated more than £3.2 billion of work for businesses across Britain over the last year, according to new figures
released at the beginning of August by Network Rail
The rail industry’s supply chain is both
extended and varied, ranging from professional
services to the construction industry. Rail
investment is therefore an important driver
of growth across many of the UK’s industrial
sectors.
In the last four years, Network Rail has
generated £17.3 billion of work for its supply
chain, of which £6.2 billion has been with small
and medium-sized businesses – a 22 per cent
increase on the previous four years. Planned
enhancements and renewals expenditure
between 2014 and 2019 is approximately
£25 billion, with 99 per cent of this work to be
undertaken by UK-based companies.
Capital investment in rail also pays back
over the longer term through wider socio-
economic benefits. A good example of this is
the Northern Hub project, designed to boost
the economic growth of the north of England
through value for money improvements to rail
services. The project delivers wider
economic benefits valued at over £4 for every
£1 invested, and it has been estimated that this
project alone will deliver an annual contribution
to the northern economy of £2 billion.
Simon Kirby continued: “Every day, more
than three million rail journeys are made in
Britain and the railway transports millions
of tonnes of goods between ports and
shops. But railways don’t just move people
and freight. Railways connect homes and
workplaces, businesses with markets, create
jobs, stimulate trade and support the growth of
a balanced economy.
“Network Rail will have a pivotal role to play
in driving sustainable economic growth over
the next five years, with plans to add 700 more
trains each day between the key cities of the
north, increase London’s rail capacity by
20 per cent, build new lines to increase
capacity in Scotland and electrify hundreds
of miles of railway so cleaner, faster trains
can run. By continuing to invest in rail, we are
investing in the future of Britain.” zz
Network RailWeb: www.networkrail.co.uk
Overnight work on the recently opened Hitchin flyover
The redevelopment of Reading station is well advanced
Birmingham New Street station is a major redevelopment project
All photographs courtesy of Network Rail
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Rail travel in Britain reaches record levelsl New statistics published at the beginning of August by the Office of Rail Regulation
show that rail use is on the rise as Britain’s railways clocked up 1.23 billion journeys in
2011-12. This accounts for a six per cent increase in rail passenger journeys
compared with the previous year – the highest since records began in 1995-96.
The data highlights passenger journeys within Great Britain, looking at travel within
and between 11 regions – East of England, East Midlands, London, North East,
North West, Scotland, South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire
and Humber.
The data also shows that:
l The total number of rail journeys within England was 1.11 billion – 749.8 million of
those started or ended in London, accounting for about 67.3 per cent
l Rail journeys within individual regions increased by 6.8 per cent compared with
2010-11 and rail journeys between the 11 regions were up 4.3 per cent from 2010-11.
l The total number of rail journeys for Scotland was 87.1 million – up 4.7 per cent
on 2010-11. Over 90 per cent of journeys were within Scotland. Areas that saw the
largest growth were West Lothian and East Ayrshire, which grew by 17.0 per cent and
11.8 per cent respectively.
l The total number of rail journeys for Wales rose to 28.1 million – up 2.9 per cent
from 2010-11. Journeys between Wales and other regions went up by 5.2 per cent
compared to 2010-11 – exceeding nine million journeys for the first time.
l London had more rail journeys than any other region – 754 million. London was the
origin or destination for 61.3 per cent of all rail journeys in Great Britain. The number of
journeys within London grew by 9.0 per cent compared to 2010-11.
To view the statistics and a summary of the methodology, see:
http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/
Neasden updatedl Neasden is one of the largest depots on the London Underground network. Rebuilt in the
early 1930s, there has been no major refurbishment until now. The introduction of the new air-
conditioned S Stock trains meant that a major upgrade of Neasden Depot was required. It is one
of the most complex depots and upgrade works took place while supporting the maintenance
of the Metropolitan line fleet, plus stabling for 20 Jubilee line trains. Works to complete the new
maintenance facilities were completed earlier this year and included the installation of a train lifting
machine – one of the very few in the UK, a training school, a wheel lathe and a cleaning shed. As
part of the SSR upgrade programme, Neasden Depot will provide light maintenance facilities for
the Metropolitan line fleet and heavy maintenance for the entire S Stock fleet of 191 trains.
A new strategic partnership is forgedl Leading academic experts and industry
decision-makers have joined forces to set up a
new partnership for rail research. The University
of Huddersfield and RSSB have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding, sealing a deal to
pool resources and talent for research into system
and engineering risk modelling to support informed
decision making and future risk prediction. Each
organisation is putting in funding of £0.5 million
per year to fuel a £5 million five-year programme.
Research will be carried out and new techniques
developed to fill the gaps that are identified in
system and engineering risk modelling, as well as
issues around human capital, and educating the
next generation of railway professionals.
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Anson Jack (right) and Simon Iwnicki sign the MoU on 24th July 2013 at RSSB’s offices in Angel, London
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Knorr-Bremse acquires Railcare businessl Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) Limited
has acquired the rail vehicle component and
overhaul business of Railcare. The acquisition
sees the UK Company of the global Knorr-
Bremse Group taking over the Railcare
operational sites at both Springburn in Glasgow
and at Wolverton near Milton Keynes.
Following the acquisition Knorr-Bremse has
formed a new company called Knorr-Bremse
RailServices (UK) Limited. This company
now joins the three other established Knorr-
Bremse Rail Group operations in the UK.
Located at Melksham in Wiltshire is the UK
engineering and manufacturing headquarters,
at nearby Corsham is a satellite precision
machining operation and at Burton-upon-Trent
in Staffordshire, Knorr-Bremse operates a
specialist HVAC facility.
Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Limited will
be fully supported by Knorr-Bremse UK but will
operate as a specialist company with its own
identity. The company will continue to offer
customers its previous portfolio of services
and remain fully focused on train maintenance
and repair.
Air-conditioned trains on the Circle linel New fully walk-through Tube trains, which allow
better access for customers, are being rolled out on
the Circle line from the beginning of September as
part of the introduction of 53 new trains on both the
Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. In addition to air-
conditioning, the new trains will have automated visual
displays and station announcements, as well as CCTV,
dedicated wheelchair areas, wider doors and walkways
and lower level, easier to reach passenger alarms.
With seven carriages the new trains are longer than
previous rolling stock on the Hammersmith & City and
Circle lines, providing 17 per cent extra capacity and
helping to relieve pressure on busy parts of the Tube
network.
By the end of 2016 there will be a total of
191 walk-through, air-conditioned trains on 40 per cent
of the Tube network – running on the Circle, District,
Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.
Wind turbines at Bathgate depot l ScotRail has installed two
wind turbines at a West Lothian
railway depot. The 5kW Evance
turbines are now up and running
at Bathgate depot. It is the first
time that wind turbines have ever
been installed at a ScotRail depot.
The project will save almost
eight tonnes of CO2 per year, as
well as producing approximately
14,000kWh of electricity – enough
to power a small railway station
like Greenfaulds. It is estimated
that they will save the rail operator
around £4500 in energy bills
every year. This money will be
reinvested in more renewable
energy schemes on Scotland’s
railways. The 17.75-metre-high
turbines are sensitively sited away
from homes on the south side of
the depot, in the car park area.
Shining a light on Britain’s rail industryl The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published the first in a series of new statistical
releases to help build understanding of how Britain’s railway is performing. These
comprehensive publications will form a series of quarterly national statistics offering
context and commentary on latest data trends as well as detailed explanations of the
methodology used in collecting the data.
The report (www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.3016) examines rail
performance and punctuality in the passenger and freight sectors in Great Britain from
1996-97 to June 2013.
Quarterly statistical releases in the series are:
l Passenger Rail Usage – 19th September 2013
l Freight Rail Usage – 3rd October 2013
l Passenger Rail Service Satisfaction – 17th October 2013
Transparency for the railways is about ensuring passengers are able to make the right
travel decisions, and helping Governments and rail customers really understand what
they are getting for their money. The industry has made strides forward in improving
transparency over recent years – using latest technology and publishing more data on
train performance to communicate more effectively with passengers, and sharing more
information than ever before on the costs and funding of the railways.
New chief executive for Network Raill Network Rail has announced that Mark
Carne, formerly executive vice president for
the Middle East and North Africa for Royal
Dutch Shell, is to be its next chief executive.
Mark will join the organisation on 6th January
2014 before formally taking over as chief
executive from David Higgins on 1st April 2014.
Mr Carne, 54, studied engineering at Exeter
University and is a Fellow of the Institute of
Mechanical Engineers.
© Tr
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ondo
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Image courtesy
Evance Wind
Turbines Ltd
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Watford improvements l Major improvement work on the West Coast Main Line at Watford will get
underway in 2014 to improve the punctuality of train services on Britain’s busiest
mixed-use railway line. The £81 million improvement scheme begins in May
2014 and continues over 16 days between 9-25 August 2014. Further work is
also scheduled to take place over Christmas 2014 and in early 2015.
During the project, passenger trains will be unable to use a 12-mile section
of the West Coast Main Line around Watford Junction station. The signalling at
Watford will be upgraded alongside new junctions and track to provide more
flexibility for train services and better reliability. Alongside this project, Network
Rail intends to increase the line speed of the fast lines through Watford to
125mph, from the current 80mph, and is investigating the feasibility of this.
The work in detail:
l Three junctions will be renewed to the north, south and in Watford Junction
station itself to improve the track layout and make it more reliable.
l Over nine miles (15km) of track to renew
l Upgrades to the overhead line equipment in the area to make it more reliable.
l Renewing crossovers to facilitate future maintenance of the main line while
keeping train services running.
l The signalling along 12 miles of railway between Kings Langley – Watford
Junction and Bushey will be completely renewed to improve reliability and
provide more flexibility. This work includes 11 new gantries, 39 signal posts and
approximately 120km of cabling.
l The signalling power supply system will also be upgraded.
Senior management changes at ORRl The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has announced that
Tom Taylor is to join as director of corporate operations and
organisation development. It also announced that Cathryn
Ross, currently director of rail markets and economics, is to
leave the organisation in October to take up the role of chief
executive of Ofwat. Tom joins ORR from the Department
of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where he
is currently finance director. Cathryn Ross originally joined
ORR from Ofwat in August 2011 and has led the periodic
review of Network Rail, working closely with programme
director John Larkinson, the draft determination of which
was published on 12th June.
Transport Systems Catapult centrel Milton Keynes has been chosen to be the location for the
Transport Systems Catapult – one of the first of its kind in
the world – based on a variety of criteria. The centre will be a
national hub for transport modelling and monitoring, enabling UK
businesses to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to
today’s transport needs.
TfL ticketing bidders shortlistl Following the issue of the OJEU in March for the contract
to take the capital’s transport ticketing systems into the
next decade, Transport for London (TfL) has announced the
shortlisted bidders:
l Cubic Transportation Systems Ltd
l LG CNS Co CNF
l Scheidt & Bachmann GmbH.
The shortlisted bidders will be invited to submit detailed
bids with the contract awarded by October 2014. The new
contract will commence from August 2015 upon the expiry
of TfL’s current contract for ticketing systems. The Electra
contract term is for seven years with an early exit option at
five years and extension options of up to three years.
750th Crossrail trainloadl GB Railfreight (GBRf) has celebrated moving its 750th
trainload of excavated material from Crossrail’s tunnels
in west London to Northfleet in Kent. This marks the
movement of over 850,000 tonnes of muck from the
Crossrail site. The Class 66 loco left Northfleet on 23rd
July at 19.27, arriving at Westbourne Park at 23.00.
Its return journey was on Wednesday 24th, departing
Westbourne Park at 04.02 and arriving at Northfleet at
07.02. This represented a significant milestone in the
excavation of material created by Crossrail Tunnel Boring
Machines, Phyllis and Ada.
GBRf
Electric route for the Lake Districtl Electric trains could soon be serving destinations in the heart of
the Lake District as Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin unveiled
his plans to electrify the Windermere branch line in Cumbria. The
Government is keen for the ten miles of track, which runs between
Oxenholme Lake District station on the West Coast Main Line and
Windermere station in the National Park, to be converted to allow
electric trains to run on the route. Once the proposed £16 million
scheme is agreed faster, greener more reliable electric trains could link
Kendal, Burneside and Staveley directly to Manchester by 2016.
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 17
Safer environment at Willesdenl Through the joint investment of more than £750,000, a collaborative
multi-party improvement scheme at Willesden Junction has created a
much-needed safer and more secure station approach for passengers
and the local community.
The refurbishment project, which was completed seven days
ahead of schedule, re-opened in July. The works have created a
safer environment for passengers, staff and the local community with
improved road conditions, new lighting and an increased number of
CCTV cameras. Transport links have also been improved with new
bus stops, shelters, cycle racks and short-term parking bays.
Glass for Class 800/801l Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. has announced that it has signed a
preferred contractor agreement with specialist glass manufacturer
Romag, based in County Durham, to supply glass for the
Class 800/801 trains for the Intercity Express Programme. Both
companies aim to reach close of the long-term build and support
contract shortly, enabling Romag to immediately launch the
necessary design and development work. Delivery of the windows
will start in spring 2014, securing high quality jobs in the region with
a potential to create additional capacity when supplying
at full volume.
LORO
L
Improvements to the station approach road with widened footpaths and new bus stops
New head of rail systemsl WSP has appointed Chris Lawrence as head
of rail systems, overseeing the growth and wider
development of WSP’s multi-disciplinary rail
business. Chris joins WSP from Arup where he
was rail engineering practice leader for the UK
MEA Region, and global rail skills leader. He
previously ran the Arup office in Singapore and
has over 30 years’ experience in the industry.
Chris Lawrence
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Econocom is the European leader in Technology Finance
For over 40 years, Econocom has been providing strategic finance solutions to the railway industry, ensuring that train operating companies provide the best travel experience to their passengers.
Econocom can finance a wide range of assets, such as:
Hardware: PCs, laptops, servers, tablets. ❑
Software projects ❑
Kiosk information systems ❑
Driver advisory systems ❑
Ticket machines ❑
Hand held devices: PDAs ❑
Epos terminals ❑
Catering logistics ❑
CCTV ❑
Multimedia and digital displays ❑
Econocom is active in 18 countries and, every day, 3,700 employees assist more than 20,000 clients across Europe. In 2012, Econocom reported €1.54 billion revenue.
ECONOCOM PLCT: +44 (0)208 940 2199E: [email protected]
W: www.econocom.com/ukTwitter: @Econocom_UK
Technology made easy.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzEconocom
A helping hand
Founded 40 years ago, Econocom is
Europe’s largest independent provider
of technology finance and associated
services. The company is present in
18 countries with nearly 4000 staff and achieved
revenues of just over €1.5 billion in 2012.
With expertise in distribution, leasing,
services and telecoms, and an innovative range
of enterprise solutions, Econocom assists
businesses in transforming their IT systems and
management of digital projects. As such it has
a presence in all industries with a number of
vertical markets, one of which is rail.
“The main service we provide to rail is
technology finance, especially for train operating
companies (TOCs),” elaborates Chris Labrey,
country manager UK and Ireland. “The biggest
challenge is accommodating the franchise
nature of the rail industry but we can help TOCs
Econocom’s financing expertise is helping many customers enhance their business
with digital solutions
moment, passengers are constantly becoming
more technology demanding. I can see the
customer experience being improved with digital
solutions.
“Contactless payment on-board trains is
coming and TOCs might want to evaluate the
tablet devices into seats similar to the airlines
for longer journeys. Both of these are income
generators and differentiators.”
It doesn’t stop with the customer experience
though. Chris also believes that Econocom can
play a role in technical developments such as
ERTMS and ETCS: “This technology is more
than likely to be upgraded in the future and
technology finance can assist here to smooth
the investment spikes of the initial purchase
and subsequent upgrades. In addition, being
independent of any manufacturer means that
Econocom is able to finance the eventual choice
from the four ERTMS systems being evaluated
at the moment on the Hertford Loop.”
With a client list that includes First Rail,
the BBC and Capita, Econocom is keen to
dispel the myth that only clients with low
cash reserves look to finance to fund their
technology investments. “As you can see from
our customers above, they choose Econocom
because they want their business to stay agile
whilst they invest in new technology. Market
conditions for standard technology are static
with some companies being forced to invest in
technology because their existing set-up can’t
cope. The digital solutions market, on the other
hand, is growing fast because people can see
the competitive edge it gives them.”
The next five years see Econocom looking
to double its revenues to €3 billion through a
combination of organic growth and acquisitions.
Within this includes the recently announced
plans to acquire Osiatis, a large European player
in the IT services market. At the same time the
company’s strategic plan is to further embrace
what it deems the ‘Digital World’.
“We see embedded technology growing
everywhere,” clarifies Chris. “Interactive
kiosks, multimedia information and advertising
screens, mobile technology, intelligent trains
and buildings – all of this equipment should
communicate with each other making it truly
smart technology. We are set up to help
companies acquire this technology and by
financing it intelligently, the cost can be mapped
with the productivity.” zz
Econocom PLCTel: +44 (0) 208 940 2199Web: www.econocom.com/uk
with financing towards the end of these
terms. The main strength of the business is
our experience as we are able to build our
solution to fit the customer, not some product
set we might have.”
For example Econocom is working
with one TOC to redesign the food and
beverage part of its business. This includes
delivery of food to the factory gate, inventory
management, and all the way through to the
passenger’s plate. The entire project is then
financed over a term to suit the client.
Another significant project was the
financing of all the desktops, servers and
laptops at the London Olympics. Econocom
is not purely concerned with financing of
products though, but more a complete digital
solution. As to the future of such things in
rail Chris says: “Leaving the trains aside for a
Chris Labrey – country
manager for UK and Ireland
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ork
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Securing the West Coast Main Line to improve performancel Network Rail has confirmed that it is installing over 100 miles of new lineside fencing
along the West Coast Main Line to secure the line and improve performance on the
route. The new fencing between Rugby and London Euston is part of a package of
projects worth nearly £40 million, aimed at improving the reliability of the infrastructure
and punctuality of train services on Britain’s busiest mixed-use railway line.
Key lifting role for overhead crane at Edinburgh tram depotl The Gogar depot, serving the new Edinburgh tram network, is using
a double girder 6.3 tonne travelling crane, installed by Street Crane
Company, to maintain the fleet of 27 trams and support the Unimog track
maintenance vehicle. The 19 metre crane, with a 5.5 metre height of lift,
spans three tracks within the depot and runs almost the full length of the
building to give maximum flexibility in transporting materials. Elevated
access platforms at the eastern end of the building allow engineers
easy access to the vehicle roof and covered pits permit access to the
undercarriage. Jacks, located in the floor in the western end of the building,
enable carriage bodies to be lifted from the tram bogies.
RSSB research
Recent research reports from the RSSB include:
Published research
T848 AeroTRAIN (a TrioTRAIN project) –
Aerodynamics: Total Regulatory Acceptance for the
Interoperable Network
T997 Managing occupational road risk associated
with road vehicle driver fatigue
Projects recently started
T952 Future Traffic Regulation Optimisation (FuTRO)
T1003 Standardisation of coupling arrangements
T1019 Reliability modelling of the Brighton mainline
T1029 Designing a tool to support duty holders in
the assessment of train dispatch risk
For further information please visit:
www.rssb.co.uk
Brakes for Hitachi Class 800 trainsl Hitachi Rail Europe has signed a contract with Knorr-Bremse which will see
Knorr-Bremse supplying the braking system for the new Hitachi Class 800
series trains destined for UK operations. Knorr-Bremse will be supplying the
entire braking system for the new trains including the brake control, bogie
equipment and the air supply system.
New chief executive for Freightliner Groupl Freightliner Group
has announced that
Russell Mears will be
appointed as group
chief executive
from Monday 30th
September 2013.
He will succeed Peter Maybury, who will retire
from the position of chief executive but remain with the
company as chairman. Russell is currently chief financial
officer for the Group and has worked with Freightliner since
privatisation in 1996.
Russell Mears
New fencing along the West Coast Main Line
Management buyout at Quattrol The Quattro Group
has been bought by its
management team, led
by finance director David
Callé, who assumes the
role of CEO. Previous
owner John Murphy has
retained a significant
stake in the business
and has taken over as
executive chairman. Quattro Group was founded
by John Murphy in 1989 and has since grown into a
£40 million business.
David Callé
12 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Network Rail welcomes the recognition
in the determination of the significant
progress the industry as a whole
has made in the last decade on train
performance, value for money, affordability,
and, above all, safety as the company
continues to meet unprecedented increases
in passenger and freight demand at the same
time as renewing our Victorian network.
During CP4 Network Rail has identified and
begun to address the major challenges that
those two goals confront us with, particularly
in our approach to sustainable asset
management and optimising the inevitable
trade-offs between performance and capacity
constraints.
Network Rail is determined to keep working
with the rest of the industry to maintain, and
build on, that progress, which is why we
have used the time since the determination
to analyse, in detail, the ORR’s proposals,
particularly given its assessment that the
chances of us reaching the targets it has set
are less than fifty percent.
The strategic business plan Network Rail
published in January set out the fundamental
changes we are committed to carrying
out in our culture, working practices, use
of technology and collaboration with our
customers and partners. The ORR’s draft
determination requires us to go beyond these
ambitions and deliver even higher levels of
performance and cost savings with less
investment, and less money to operate and
manage the railway, and with less funding for
enhancements.
As a result, Network Rail believes that the
cumulative impact of the scale and pace of
change that the ORR has proposed across
a range of activities makes the package as a
whole unbalanced.
David Higgins, Network Rail chief executive,
said: “The regulator’s determination provides
the opportunity for Network Rail and the
Network Rail’s response to the ORR draft determination for CP5
At the beginning of September Network Rail published its response to the Office of Rail Regulation’s draft determination for the period 2014 to 2019, CP5
industry to build on the progress and success
of the last decade, but whilst there are many
aspects of the draft which we welcome, taken
as a whole we believe it is unbalanced and,
therefore, unrealistic.”
Amongst the issues Network Rail is
concerned about are:
l The proposal to cut our renewals budget by
a further £594 million on top of the £2.2 billion
of savings we had already identified in our
plan. This does not reflect the additional costs
involved in focusing track renewals on critical
routes which are more complex, and therefore
expensive, because of their higher rates of use
and difficulties of access.
l The expectation that we should deliver an
additional £800 million of property income and
enhancements on top of the £1.8 billion we
had already aimed for. We, and independent
property consultants, consider this to be
unrealistic.
l Our plan to update antiquated industry
IT systems has been cut from £614 million to
£338 million and our plan for a special budget
for research and development to stimulate
much-needed technological innovation to drive
efficiencies has been reduced from
£300 million to £50 million.
l A significant increase in the level and degree
of regulatory oversight which will result in
Network Rail having to report on a total of
3700 measures.
l An assumed cost of financing which is too
low because it does not reflect current market
conditions.
As a result of these, and other real concerns,
Network Rail is asking the ORR to restore
£1.4 billion of the £2.4 billion it cut from our
original plans (contained in the strategic
business plan published in January).
Network Rail is also asking the ORR to review
the regulatory regime it is proposing for CP5
since it believes the current proposal will:
l Add additional cost through duplication
of effort
l Deny the company the flexibility it needs to
manage the risks inherent in a highly complex
industry
l Deny the industry as a whole the flexibility
it will need to manage jointly the trade-offs
between capacity and performance in a period
when demand will continue to grow and there
will be inevitable disruption as we continue to
deliver the biggest rail investment programme
since the Victorian era.
Mr Higgins concluded: “We had already set
ourselves tough, challenging targets for the
next five years in terms of further improving
performance, safety and continuing high levels
of investment to grow and expand our railway.
The ORR’s response to our plans calls us to
deliver too much, too quickly and is, overall,
simply unrealistic. It would be irresponsible for
us not to be open and honest about the scale
of the challenge that would pose for us as an
organisation.” zz
More information on Network Rail’s strategic
business plans can be found here:
www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/
strategic-business-plan-for-cp5/
An interactive timeline of the periodic
review process can be found here:
www.rail-reg.gov.uk/pr13/
about/key-dates.php
Network Rail faces unprecedented increases in passenger and freight demand
David Higgins,
Network Rail’s
chief executive
Netw
ork
Rail
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Industry
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 13
Crossrail’s ‘race against the clock’ to
complete a key part of its work to the
Victorian Connaught Tunnel in east
London has been completed ahead of
schedule.
Earlier in the year, dam walls were installed
in a section of the Royal Docks that runs above
the tunnel to allow Crossrail workers to access
the tunnel from above. However, the dam had
to be removed by the first week of September
to allow ships to pass through the dock ahead
of a trade exhibition at ExCeL London.
Following three months of work around the
clock, the work has now been completed, the
dam walls have been removed and the dock
has been re-opened.
A cofferdam the size of a football pitch was
installed and 13 million litres of water were
drained from the Royal Docks. This allowed
workers to deepen, widen and strengthen the
Connaught Tunnel refurbishment completed
ahead of schedule
central section of the
tunnel so that it can
accommodate new
Crossrail trains.
Sections of the
tunnel were in a poor
condition and parts
of it were narrowed
during the 1930s so that the
dock could be deepened to accommodate
larger ships with brickwork removed and steel
segments installed. This material has now been
removed and a larger, stronger structure has
been put in place in preparation for the start of
Crossrail services in 2018.
The tunnel was built in 1878 and has not
been in passenger use since December 2006.
It is the only existing tunnel that will be re-used
for Crossrail.
Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief
executive said: “In refurbishing this Victorian
rail tunnel, the team at Connaught has had to
think on its feet and overcome some unique
challenges. It is a source of great pride that
our engineers and everyone on the project
continue to deliver, often in difficult and
complex circumstances.”
Linda Miller, Connaught Tunnel project
manager said: “It was a race against the clock
to get the work completed and the dock
re-flooded, so it’s great news that we’ve got it
finished ahead of schedule. It’s been a fantastic
effort by the whole team to get the job done
safely, quickly and effectively.”
When the southeast section of Crossrail
opens, up to 12 trains an hour in each direction
will run through the Connaught Tunnel,
reducing journey times and supporting the
wider regeneration of the Royal Docks. As well
as widening and deepening the central section
of the tunnel, the work at the site will include
laying new tracks, waterproofing, installing
water pumps and cleaning the 135 years of
coal and soot from the bricks. zz
Cros
srai
lCr
ossr
ail
Crossrail
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The Royal Docks being re-flooded
Connaught Tunnel in July 2013
Working in the cofferdam
earlier this year
14 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Electrification factory on railsA factory on rails – the first of its kind to be used on Britain’s railways – will slash years off
the time it will take to electrify the Great Western main line
W ith 235 route miles to electrify from
Maidenhead in the East to Swansea
in the West – and many thousands of
trains to keep running while the work
is done – Network Rail is working with German
manufacturer Windhoff to build the High Output
Plant system (HOPS) train to do the job.
This 23-vehicle train, in effect several trains in
one, will work its way west, building the railway
electrical infrastructure as it goes.
Project director for Network Rail, Western
and Wales, Robbie Burns, said: “Electrifying the
Great Western is a big challenge but the benefits
for passengers and the wider economy will be
equally huge. Electric trains are more reliable,
cleaner, accelerate faster and use less energy.
Their fuel cost is 45 per cent lower than diesel
trains, and they are also cheaper to maintain.
“But electrifying such a long stretch of line
in such a short timeframe, while also making
sure passengers can still take trains to where
they want to go, is a challenge we need new
technology to meet.
“The factory train will allow us to work
overnight, when the network is less busy, and
will also mean we can keep trains running. It’s a
step change in the way we work in the UK and we
are looking forward to starting next year.”
Operating six nights a week, the £40 million
HOPS will do its work after dark, with adjacent
lines open for business at speed – if not maximum
speed – aiming to sink up to 30 piles per shift.
This equates to the usual length of one stretch of
conductor wire – between 1200 and 1500m. And
there are 17,000 piles to be sunk before Swansea.
Electrifying the Great Western using the HOPS
will be a much more efficient process than
methods used in this country in the past, with
work able to be carried out while trains are still
running.
Without it, the work would need to be
undertaken at weekends, with disruptive line
closures. It is intended to have electric trains
running to Swansea by 2018.
How it worksWith several consists in one train, the HOPS will
leave the purpose-built depot in Swindon and
split up to head to different parts of the line at its
60mph top speed. It carries enough supplies and
equipment to avoid having to bring anything to the
trackside on lorries and staff can be picked up at
Regional director Robbie Burns with the piling rig on
the HOPS
Net
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The piling rig on the HOPS
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 15
stations en-route.
The different consists are:
l A piling rig, with two MPVs with Movax vibro
piling heads, which literally vibrate the steel piles
into the soil, two pile carrying wagons, and finally
a Fambo hydraulic percussion hammer MPV for
tougher ground
l An excavation and concrete batching
consist. This will feature an Hitachi excavator
plus a Kniele concrete unit which will mix concrete
from onboard aggregate, cement and water tanks
l A structures consist, which will erect the
Series One masts, portal booms and twin track
cantilevers. It is intended to carry 30 masts for
erection, per night
l Ancillary conductor consist, which will install
the earthing wires, return wires and small parts
such as registration arms and other equipment
l The contact and catenary consist, which
will string up the remaining wires, under tension.
Another unit will install other articles such as
catenary wires under low bridges, neutral sections
and record information such as height and
stagger.
Each consist will include two MPVs with full
driving cabs, powered by MTU power packs,
which can be driven at 60mph off-site. On-site
driving cabs will allow the train to be driven very
slowly in possessions, such as when installing
contact wire.
Where it will beThe HOPS will be maintained and restocked at
the High Output Operating Base (HOOB) near
Swindon. A further distribution site in the town
will act as a stockpile for materials, which will be
delivered to the HOOB when needed.
Around 200 people will work on the HOPS
project overall, employed by operator Amey, and
recruited from along the route of the line.
It is intended that many will train on the
equipment they are installing, before being ‘left
behind’ to work as maintenance staff on the
overhead, leaving the railway a legacy of highly-
skilled railway electrical engineers.
Net
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Proposed electrification schemesOn Tuesday 8th January 2013, Network Rail set out its plans to build a bigger, better railway for Britain over the 2014-19 funding period. These plans included the following electrification schemes:l Great Western Main Line (Maidenhead to Oxford, Newbury, Bristol and Cardiff) and Thames Valley branchesl Cardiff to Swansea and Welsh Valley linesl Midland Main Line (Bedford to Corby, Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield)l North-West Electrification Scheme (Liverpool to Manchester, Manchester to Preston and Blackpool)l Transpennine Electrification Scheme (Manchester to Leeds and York)l Electric spine (Southampton to Nuneaton and Bedford via Oxford)
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The piling rig gets to work on the HOPS
The concrete batching section of the HOPS
16 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz
HS2 benefits to extend across the rail network – Network Rail study
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Over 100 towns and cities on Britain’s existing railway lines could benefit from quicker, more frequent journeys and better
connections when HS2 phase two is complete, according to a new report published by Network Rail
The report on released capacity, ‘Better
connections: options for the integration of
High Speed 2’, sets out initial proposals for
how HS2 could be integrated into the national
rail network once the second phase connecting
Birmingham with Leeds and Manchester is complete.
It considers three broad approaches to how the
capacity released by HS2 could be used in advance of
more detailed assessments of the benefits:
(i) ‘Do minimum’ approach – this would keep
train services on existing lines broadly the same but
offer reduced crowding and increased choice for
passengers between high-speed and conventional
long-distance services at certain locations.
(ii) ‘Incremental’ approach – this seeks to replace
long-distance services on the existing network which
are replicated by those provided by HS2, allowing
the capacity to be used for improved inter-urban
connectivity and/or additional commuting capacity.
This approach could free up freight paths and provide
new journey opportunities on all north-south routes.
The capacity released on the West Coast Main Line
when Phase 2 completes could mean an additional
service for places like Crewe, Stafford, Winsford,
Hartford, Acton Bridge and Warrington. It could also
improve connectivity between Northampton and
Manchester or between Birmingham and North Wales.
For the East Coast Main Line, it could mean
additional journey opportunities between Manchester
and Newcastle and between Newcastle and
Edinburgh.
On the Midland Main Line the released capacity
could be used to provide more seats and improved
connectivity between Sheffield/Nottingham and Leeds.
(iii) ‘Integrated connectivity’ approach – a
more radical concept which would see all future
rail services planned in a ‘hub and spoke’ model to
complement and work in conjunction with HS2 which
would provide ‘hub to hub’ services.
This approach would see the high-speed lines
become the principal means of long-distance travel
with services on the existing network set up in a feeder
pattern to improve connectivity to the HS2 hub and the
surrounding area.
For example, most people travelling through Crewe
are on direct services to Manchester, Liverpool,
Birmingham, Preston, Glasgow and London. This
constrains capacity for improvements to other services.
The integrated connectivity approach would see
as many long-distance services as possible transfer
on to the high-speed lines, freeing up space for local
connectivity. This could mean that the towns and
cities surrounding Crewe could see improved services,
for example Stoke could see the number of services
increase from two to four with a potentially faster and
more reliable journey.
High Speed Rail
Net
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www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 17
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initial study published by Network Rail and Passenger
Focus in January 2012 which looked at how capacity
released from HS2 Phase One, between London and
Birmingham, could be best used to meet passengers’
priorities.
This study found that one of the biggest groups
to benefit would be commuters travelling between
Northampton, Milton Keynes, Watford Junction and
London Euston, where the worst overcrowding on the
West Coast Main Line is forecast in the coming years
as demand for rail continues to grow. zz
‘Better connections’ can be downloaded from
www.networkrail.co.uk/highspeedrail
and Network Rail is seeking feedback on its contents to
inform more detailed assessments of how to maximise
the benefits of HS2. This work will inform Network Rail’s
long-term planning process, which is also subject
to consultation.
Example of ‘Hub and Spoke’ approach . Crew N
etw
ork
Rail
Paul Plummer, Network Rail group strategy director,
said: “HS2 provides an opportunity to fundamentally
reshape our railway in a way that incremental
improvements simply cannot deliver. It is a chance
to stop playing catch-up on capacity and instead
look at how the rail network could deliver a step-
change improvement towards key national goals –
economic growth, reduced carbon emissions and an
improved quality of life for communities and individual
passengers.
“This study is part of a wider programme that looks
at how the high speed and existing lines might work
together as a single network. We will continue to
work with local authorities and other stakeholders to
understand how we can make best use of HS2 and
welcome feedback on this initial study in advance of
more detailed assessments of the benefits.”
Network Rail held a series of workshops with
stakeholders to make sure that the report took into
account local aspirations for connectivity and journey
opportunities as well as plans for local and regional
development. The workshops were attended by
representatives of local authorities, passenger transport
executives and chambers of commerce and were
extremely valuable in determining priorities for future rail
services.
The approach found to offer the greatest potential
benefits was the integrated connectivity, or ‘hub
and spoke’, option. This would see long distance
services principally provided by HS2, with services
on the existing network set up in a feeder pattern to
provide frequent and reliable connectivity between
surrounding areas and the ‘hub’ stations. It was felt by
all stakeholders that this approach could create new
opportunities to improve inter-regional, commuter and
freight services and promote a shift in journeys from
road to rail.
An incremental approach was also found to deliver
significant improvements for passengers on the East
Coast, Midland and West Coast main lines, with up to
100 stations on routes between London, the Midlands,
the north west and the north east and Scotland
potentially benefitting from faster and more frequent
services offering new and better connections.
The ‘Better connections’ report complements an
18 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
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Returning to Lloyd’s Register as transportation director, PauL SeLLeR tells Kirsty Birkett-Stubbs about his
plans for the organisation
Paul Seller – transportation director at Lloyd’s Register
INTERVIEW I Paul Seller
Returning to make a difference
There is a difference to Lloyd’s Register,” says Paul Seller
when asked about his reasons for coming back to the
organisation to take up the reins of its rail and metro
business.
“Firstly we’ve got longevity: Lloyd’s Register has been
around for over 250 years and can trace its roots to an
18th century coffee shop in London. Few bodies last that long, let alone
remain as consistently successful or reputable over such a time span.
Much of this can be attributed to our independence from shareholder
dividends, meaning we are free to be absolutely impartial in our work.
“Secondly, we are an organisation with strong interests in promoting
education and research into engineering. We invest in programmes that
help develop skills and attract quality engineers into the various sectors
we serve.”
“This means there is an ethos throughout the organisation which is
‘do something that matters’ which is important to all our staff. We’re
a home for people who want to see things done properly. And it is a
genuine privilege to be returning to lead such a high quality group of
people,” he enthuses.
Making a differenceWhich all stacks up. For at the heart of the organisation is a charity, the
Lloyd’s Register Foundation, with a mission to protect life and property,
and advance transport and engineering education and research. The
charity is funded by an operating arm – the Lloyd’s Register Group
Limited which provides independent assurance and expert advice
services.
Having recently assumed the role of transportation director, it now
falls to Paul to oversee the growth of its consultancy and assurance
services within the rail industry. “The Lloyd’s Register Group is keen to
extend its presence in the rail and metro sector,” he notes.
“My task is to use this backing to support that growth. We already
have a work portfolio that extends across Europe, the Middle East
and Asia, and the past 18 months have seen us secure roles on major
projects such as Crossrail, Etihad Rail and the Taiwan High Speed
network. Now is the right time to capitalise on that progress.”
Serving stronglyPaul previously spent ten years with the organisation between 2001
and 2011. During this time he managed the UK services team and
became global business development director. This was followed by
two-and-a-half years working for Bombardier Transportation where his
most recent responsibility was ensuring that the mainline and metro
division possessed effective safety, homologation and qualification
testing processes.
Reflecting on what he brings back from this time away, Paul says:
“It has given me an excellent ‘client-side’ perspective, which has
reaffirmed my belief that at Lloyd’s Register we already serve our clients
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 19
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There is an ethos throughout the organisation which is ‘do something that matters’ which is important to all our staff
Lloyd’s Register’s London headquarters is steeped in the organisation’s 250 year history
“
Chris
Kno
wle
s
20 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
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well with some very talented engineers
amongst our ranks, including specialists
who are amongst the best in the world
in their field. My number one priority is to
develop the business without losing that
technical edge or our client focus.
“Take our assurance and certification work
as an example: there’s no getting away from the
fact that sometimes all a client project manager
is primarily focused on is getting from A to B – to
achieve acceptance, or equivalent, as efficiently
as possible. They want people to come in and
lift the burden, not add to it. And our approach
has always understood that. Our assessors are
not ‘clipboard holders’ standing on the sidelines
dutifully ticking things off – we won’t just turn
around and say “that’s not acceptable”. We’ll see it as part of our
responsibility to get ahead of the project, anticipate its requirements,
flag up problems in advance and carefully explain the issues, thus vastly
reducing duplication and overall paperwork. As a project manager this
is highly valuable,” he continues.
Future directionThe first step towards formulating the future of Lloyd’s Register’s rail
activity is for Paul to reacquaint himself with each of the offices around
the world, and from that put together a formal growth strategy. “We
are all agreed on the ‘big picture’,” he notes. “We know what sort
of business we want to be in, say, five years time, and the areas we
need to look at in order to achieve our ambitions. For example, we
are widely known for our independent assurance, but we also offer
support through technical advice and intend to extend that area of the
business.”
One area that has progressed strongly is its Transportation Academy,
which has grown to now offer over a 100 different courses across rail
safety, performance and management disciplines. Courses such as the
Common Safety Method for Risk Assessment have proved particularly
popular in the UK. Meanwhile projects like the design of a new biomass
freight wagon for Drax Power demonstrate how Lloyd’s Register can
also provide specialist expertise away from the assurance roles it is
traditionally known for.
“I think there is an increased understanding about rail’s overall
importance in our rapidly urbanising society. It is also an industry that
has rediscovered its appetite for new ideas and methods to improve
efficiency. That means increased demand for innovations ranging from
advanced traction technologies and in-cab train control to procedural
improvements such as predictive maintenance, asset management and
energy monitoring. These are technical areas in which Lloyd’s Register
has a lot of specialist expertise to offer,” concludes Paul. zz
Lloyd’s RegisterTel: +44 (0) 20 7423 2949Email: [email protected]: www.lr.org/rail
INTERVIEW I Paul Seller
Left: Lloyd’s Register has a growing rail business in China and Asia
Below: Lloyd’s Register’s teams conduct stringent safety assessments on all forms of rolling stock
Lloyd’s Register’s
UK rail team moved to
Derby’s Pride Park in
April 2012
Lloyd’s Register specialists perform trackside
and on-board management services for a range
of purposes
•
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 21
A project that could enable manufacturers of rail
vehicles to use virtual testing of trains in order
to ensure safety standards throughout Europe
while making huge savings on development
costs has relied on a key contribution from a research
team based at the University of Huddersfield.
Named DynoTRAIN, with a total budget over
€5.5 million euros, the four-year project, now nearing
completion, has received funding from the European
Commission under the 7th Framework Programme
(Grant Agreement number 234079) and among
the partners – alongside manufacturers and rail
infrastructure bodies in seven European nations –
is the Institute for Railway Research (IRR), which
occupies a purpose-built suite of labs at the University
of Huddersfield.
The IRR’s head of research is Dr Yann Bezin, who
explained that an overall aim of DynoTRAIN was to
speed up the process of certifying rail vehicles so that
they can run safely on tracks throughout Europe.
“Before you are allowed to run a vehicle in a
country you need to make sure it is safe and that
implies a lot of physical testing,” said Dr Bezin.
“So you build a prototype of the train and it is tested
through an intensive and long programme of
physical testing.”
This is costly as well as time-consuming.
“If you build a fleet of vehicles to sell, the cost of a
full train would be spent on certification. That is quite
a large proportion, because you don’t sell hundreds
of trains,” said Dr Bezin.
A speciality of the IRR is in the development of
modelling software that can simulate the dynamic
zzResearch News
DynoTRAIN project nears completionbehaviour of railway vehicles, leading to estimate the
safe operation of a train in differing conditions.
“One of our tasks as part of DynoTRAIN has been
to build mathematical tools that take data collected
from different countries about the track and synthesise
that data into a representative track that you would
use in a virtual test environment,” explained Dr Bezin.
Manufacturers would be able to use virtual test
tracks to make adjustments to vehicles according
to the conditions in which they would be used. It is
hoped that the findings of DynoTRAIN, including the
IRR’s contribution, will help to establish virtual testing
as a valid route to certification.
But it relies on a massive database of information
about real tracks and real railway systems and this
was gathered as part of DynoTRAIN by assembling a
special train – locomotives, passenger carriages and
freight wagons – fitted out with a battery of testing
equipment, such as a laser system that captured
the shape of the rail every 25cm over thousands of
kilometres.
This train ran in Germany, France, Italy and
Switzerland, capturing the characteristics of different
tracks in different countries, including high speed lines
and slower, local services.
This furnished a huge amount of information that
could be used in order to help validate vehicle models
and build virtual test tracks.
“DynoTRAIN has been a very useful project,
involving all the key players in the industry,” said
Dr Bezin. The Institute had developed a tool that was
of interest to railway manufacturers and could be used
to build a database of virtual tracks to aid the safety
certification process. zz
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The Institute of Railway Research’s
head of research, Dr Yann Bezin, (front
row, second right) along with the rest of
the IRR team
For further information, please contact Dr Yann Bezin at:University of Huddersfield Institute for Railway ResearchEmail: [email protected]: 01484 473 732Web: www.hud.ac.uk
Achilles runs Link-up, the supplier registration
and pre-qualification scheme for the industry.
The company commissioned an independent
survey of 130 procurement professionals
working in a wide range of sectors – including rail
and transport – to ascertain their key supply chain
challenges. (Research was conducted on behalf of
Achilles by IFF Research in March 2013 amongst 131
directors, procurement managers and buyers of large
UK businesses with over 250 employees.)
Results showed that;
l 40 per cent of companies procuring only in the
UK, including the rail and transport sector, had no
information about their Tier 2 suppliers
l 18 per cent of all companies – including those in the
rail and transport sector – had no information about
Tier 2 suppliers.
Annette Gevaert, director of rail and transport
at Achilles, said: “Like most businesses, the rail
sector is now dependent on increasingly complex
and globalised supply chains. Rail is a safety critical
industry, with people at its heart, and we must take
proactive steps to address potential risks in supply
chains before they affect People, Planet and Profit.
“The horse meat scandal unfolded in a different
sector but the same issues – caused by a lack of
supplier visibility – could easily affect the rail industry.
“Our research suggests that businesses do not know
who their Tier 2 suppliers are and yet they remain
‘confident’ in their risk management processes –
without the benefit of a complete picture of information.
This suggests that procurement professionals are
either unaware of the risk posed by Tier 2 suppliers, or
overly complacent in their existing systems. By creating
maps of supply chains across all tiers the rail industry
could gain visibility and traceability of potential risks
and act as a role model to other sectors.”
The situation is also reflected among SMEs. A third
(30 per cent) of companies with a turnover below
£25 million have no information on their suppliers’
suppliers, compared to only 13 per cent of companies
with a turnover of over £1 billion.
Edward Funnell, rail policy spokesperson for The
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, said:
“This study should come as a wake-up call to rail
companies and the Institute welcomes the fact that
this research has been undertaken.
“While many companies take good care to ensure
their suppliers comply with high standards of care to
ensure that products are safe, how many are checking
the levels of compliance with quality and safety
standards of their suppliers’ suppliers?
“Many ‘Tier 2’ suppliers may well be excellent
providers, but as recent events have shown, when it
comes to the manufacture of safety-critical products,
companies who procure products from their suppliers
need to ask questions of their suppliers’ suppliers
too. Dented reputations, safety scares, unwanted
media attention and additional financial and legal costs
are much costlier than taking a little time to carry out
checks on those who supply your suppliers.”
Achilles provides supply chain management and
supply chain mapping services. This allows companies
to maintain accurate data and ‘map’ their extended
supply chains, to view supply information beyond
Tier 1 suppliers. An automated ‘cascading invitation’
from buyer to supplier to supplier’s supplier ad infinitum
gathers comprehensive information about the supply
chain, protecting buyers from global events and
allowing best practice in the mitigation of risk. zz
Why supply chain maps could prevent the rail industry
from having its own ‘horse meat’ scandal
22 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Contact details for the Achilles Link-up team are:
Tel: 01235 838 193 Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rail.achilles.com
Annette Gevaert is director of rail and transport at Achilles,
the leading provider of supplier information management
services
Supply Chainzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Rail companies should create maps of their supply chains to prevent an ‘industry version’ of the horse meat scandal. That’s according to supply chain management company Achilles, after research showed that 40 per cent of businesses procuring only in the UK have no information about their suppliers’ suppliers. Despite this lack of information, 92 per cent felt ‘confident’ in their ability to manage potential issues.
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 23
T he Government’s announcement in
June that it would invest
£16 billion into Britain’s rail
infrastructure is undoubtedly a step
in the right direction. However, recent failures
have once again highlighted that a cash
injection on its own is not the answer to
improve our rail network. The West Coast
mainline fiasco, for instance, brought to the
fore the limitations of the Government’s current
franchising model, emphasising a broader
malaise in Government’s relationship with the
private sector. As a result, the Government
is taking stock and spending time getting its
house in order, recently publishing a revised
strategy for managing franchise bidding and
delaying many of its scheduled tenders.
The issues surrounding the franchising
process have reignited the debate around
‘which is better’ for our railways – franchising
or public sector management? However, this
structural and politicised way of looking at the
issue will not lead us to the right answers. We
need to begin by asking more fundamental
questions – focusing on what investment and
management expertise are required to create
a world-class transport infrastructure for
consumers and how this can be provided.
Looking more closely at the West Coast bid,
the blame for its failure was laid at the door of
the overstretched civil servants, who lacked the
technical skills to correctly assess the bids, as
well as an overarching lack of leadership. West
Coast isn’t the only example of long-term deals
between the public and private sectors in rail to
have collapsed – the failure of the East Coast
mainline, which is still under direct Government
control after the franchise collapsed in 2009, is
another well-known example of a similar type
of mismanagement.
However, the real issues at the heart of the
franchising process are more deep-seated
than this. We would argue that, regardless of
execution, the current process is designed for
failure: the parameters under which contracts
come to market are flawed, the operational
risks transferred onto bidders have been
zzFranchises
Rail franchising in the UK – a model for the future
VIVEK MADAN considers some alternatives to the current franchising process
ill thought through, and wider social goals are
not addressed at all.
Although ensuring that the public purse
gets a good deal is important, there is far
too great a focus on trying to squeeze every
last pip out of companies at the bidding
stage – in essence, trying to get as high
a guaranteed revenue stream as possible
rather than thinking more strategically about
what the public needs from a railway. The
long-term economic objectives of building a
world-class infrastructure for consumers and
creating better connectivity to drive economic
growth are not set as specific aims for bidding
companies, meaning that the whole process is
defined by financial requirements.
Similarly, social aspects such as ridership
and economic development should be set as
a key indicator of success. Encouraging more
people to use rail should be one of the ultimate
aims of any contract. The public sector has
had some successes in this, particularly with
Merseyrail and NI Railways, which have seen a
spike in numbers in recent years.
Although there is no one template for public
sector contracting that we would urge the
Government to follow, there are a number
of lessons that can be learned from similar
processes in the UK and from other countries
in creating successful partnerships between
the public and private sectors.
The ‘Alliance’ approach used in rail public
private partnerships in Australia, such as the
one currently being tendered for Sydney’s
North West Rail project, offers an example of
how risk and reward can be more sensibly
shared. Rather than tendering on unknowns, a
procurement process lasting over a year where
shortlisted bidders and the state government
develop bids based on an ‘open book’
approach to costs, means that more innovative
solutions can be designed. This approach also
means that both the public and the private
sectors can focus on what they’re really good
at – the public sector keeping its role managing
the ongoing policy of the railway including
fare-setting, while leaving the private sector to
operate complex assets efficiently.
Rewarding bids on a specific set of success
criteria that goes beyond financial goals into
more societal goals is also becoming more
widespread in other parts of the UK’s public
sector. Although these sorts of contracts have
grown more rapidly in sectors where goals can
be more easily measured, like in the reform of
the prison service for instance, there are similar
measurable goals that could be applied to rail
franchise operators. Increasing the number
of low-income riders, growing the number
of tourists that visit regional destinations and
reducing anti-social behaviour on trains are just
three potential goals that could be accounted
for by a franchising agreement.
It is absurd that a strategic asset so vital
to the nation’s economic wellbeing as the rail
network is being managed entirely for yield.
Our rail fares are among the highest in Europe
– and still, franchise-owners are going bust.
While it is clear that the franchising model we
have today is not perfect, root-and-branch
change without an adjustment in underlying
attitudes will not deliver the changes we need.
There are examples out there of successful
and sustainable public private partnerships
in the rail sector that work to the benefit of
customers, business and government alike.
It’s our responsibility to find a solution that will
ensure we create a world-class rail system that
will serve the economy and is fit for purpose for
future generations.zz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Vivek Madan is a Partner at OC&C Strategy
Consultants, leading its Business and
Government Services practice. OC&C has
widespread expertise in advising the public
sector to maximise its tendering processes.
24 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz SPENCE ltd
Building upFurther significant
contract wins see Spence Ltd building
further on the foundations laid in
the rail industry
OHSAS 18001. Spence also holds a Network
Rail Principal Contractor Licence and Link-
up Approval, which is testament to its work
in the rail sector. Furthermore the company
was delighted with the news in February that
it had ranked 7th out of 36 key suppliers
and contractors in Network Rail’s PRISM
performance table.
This set something of a tone for the year as
shortly after Spence was awarded two three-
year frameworks by Network Rail, anticipated to
be worth £8 million per annum. The contracts
cover building, civil engineering and associated
works to all operational buildings along the Kent
and Sussex routes for services operating out of
major London terminal stations. This includes
335 franchised stations, depots, line-side
building, and four major terminals.
Specific services performed by Spence
will include emergency reactive works as well
as delivery of bespoke projects. The award
follows on from Spence’s earlier success in
gaining a commercial property framework
for non-operational property throughout the
Midlands, South and West England, and
Wales. It also further underlines the company’s
Founded by Robert Spence in 1973,
Spence is still family owned and
independently run today. Alongside
the continuing traditions and ethos,
the company is also a growing business
delivering a range of outstanding projects in rail
and commercial property with its skills in civil
engineering and construction.
An open and honest approach to business,
and determination to always give the highest
quality and craftsmanship of work, has
enabled Spence to build many long-term
relationships with its clients. At the core of
this is first understanding the client’s needs
through implementing previous experience and
knowledge, listening to issues, and providing
detailed cost-benefits analysis. This then allows
Spence to create the best possible solution,
which can be delivered by its own in-house
engineering, architectural, mechanical and
electrical capabilities and skilled workforce. A
trusted team of sub-contractors and suppliers
are also available for specialist requirements.
These high standards are maintained
through a management system that
incorporates ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and
Ensuring the highest quality development whilst keeping the wheels turning for Network Rail
Hendon Retail Park, design and build Maryland redevelopment
Victoria station façade: clean, repair and roof refurbishment
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 25
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzgrowing reputation for delivering maintenance
framework agreements.
Especially recognised has been Spence’s
work with Greater Anglia on station upgrades
and refurbishment projects. This includes the
flagship regeneration of Maryland station within
a 92-hour possession ahead of the London
2012 Olympics. With the Greater Anglia
franchise having been extended by two years,
Spence will continue to support the operator in
these programmes.
This year has also seen Spence sign
its largest ever single project contract to
date for Network Rail commercial property
at a value of £8.5 million. Specifically this
means the refurbishment of Victoria Place
shopping centre, which sits above Victoria
station in London, and is part of the overall
site redevelopment. The work includes
structural changes, mechanical and electrical
installations, complete refurbishment of
common areas and shell core preparation for
new retail areas.
As demonstrated by these contracts
Spence’s main activities include design,
refurbishment and upgrades, new build and
fit-outs, civil engineering, station works,
and mechanical and electrical installations.
However, the company also has a history of
assisting in more innovative concepts.
This includes the replacement of the lighting
system of the Peak Hour Subway at Waterloo
station with a new LED installation. Working
closely with Network Rail, Spence created the
system from scratch, and then implemented it
with minimal disruption. The new lighting has
not only approved conditions for passengers,
but also delivers significant running and
maintenance cost savings, and a reduction in
the station’s carbon footprint.
Elsewhere Spence assisted with a prototype
trial for a new system designed to deliver a
de-icing solution to the third rail using the trains
themselves. As part of the scheme, 1000-litre
storage tanks and specially designed pump
and pipe systems were installed on the trains,
with the test successfully taking place on live
track with very positive feedback.
With Control Period 5 now beckoning,
Spence is keen to see the different types of
work that will be briefed by Network Rail.
The company then intends to align itself with
these where possible through its specialism
in construction and civil engineering. Having
already become even more deeply involved
with the industry over the course of the year
through significant contract awards, it seems
Spence remains a name of choice for the future
as well. zz
Web: www.spenceltd.co.uk
ScorposScorpos is a family-owned company that subscribes
to the same values as Spence – quality, safety and
value for money.
Started in March 2006 by Helen Forbes, Scorpos
Recruitment Ltd was a traditional permanent
recruitment agency with a focus on white-collar
placements. In June 2010 Scorpos began supplying
temporary labour, skilled crafts and operatives to
businesses in the civils and construction industry.
The Scorpos Construction division was formed and is
headed by George Cruciuc, a civil engineer with over
ten years’ experience of labour supply on large and
small projects e.g. Leicester Square, M25 widening.
In December 2011 Scorpos became a Link-up
Qualified Supplier for contingent labour (track,
building works, civil and electrification), on-track
safety and warning services, and machine/crane
controllers. The Scorpos Rail division was established
and is headed by Sam O’Reilly, a working COSS. Sam
works closely with Spence on various projects, the
first of which was at Maryland station and required
supply of labour for an initial 92 hours possession
over Easter, and three further 24-hour week-end
possessions.
Scorpos appreciates and values the relationship with
Spence and looks forward to supplying Spence on
many future projects.
Tottenham Hale toilet refurbishment
26 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
After five weeks of around-the-clock
effort, six miles of new track, 143 new
signals, a new platform, the work of
2000 people and over 30,000 bus
movements, a full train service has begun
again at Nottingham station.
Network Rail’s £100 million investment in the
railway through the city has seen its 1960s-era
signalling and track pulled up and replaced
with modern equivalents to a new, more
efficient and flexible design. This will improve
the reliability of the train service in the East
Midlands and complement the work going on
to improve the station.
A revised bank holiday train service started
again at 0531 on the morning of Monday
26th August and Tuesday 27th August marked
the start of the first full working day timetable
for the new systems and infrastructure.
The new track and signalling layout at
Nottingham allows for greater flexibility,
uncorking the bottleneck on the approach to
the station which has for many years resulted
in trains at a stand waiting for platforms to
become available. With the number of trains
and passengers using Nottingham station
predicted to grow, this flexibility will enable
Network Rail and East Midlands Trains to run a
more reliable service.
During the work East Midlands Trains kept
passengers moving with a service of more than
700 bus movements a day linking Nottingham
with East Midlands Parkway, Derby, Beeston,
Alfreton, Grantham and Newark.
The project in detail:l One new platform created in the station and
‘passive provision’ left for a future platform 8
l Platforms resurfaced and canopy built on
Green light for Nottingham
platform 7 (formerly platform 6)
l 143 new signals
l Six miles of new track
l Three signal boxes and Trent power
signalbox closed and replaced with two new
workstations at Derby signalling centre
l Two level crossings renewed (Carlton
and Colwick)
l Two level crossings closed and replaced
with footbridges (Sneinton and Trent Lane)
l Three major junctions redesigned at
Mansfield Junction, Nottingham East and
Nottingham West
l All signalling designed with electrification in
mind so disruption will be reduced when the
wires come to Nottingham (in five years).
Funding for the scheme comes from
Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation.
The resignalling is part of the wider
Nottingham Hub scheme, which will see the
station’s historic porte cochere turned into a
new entrance hall, and a southern entrance
constructed. This will link to the Nottingham
tram station, being built on a bridge over
the railway.
Network Rail is working in partnership
with Nottingham City Council and East
Midlands Trains on the Hub station project
itself. Construction will conclude in 2014.
Nottingham’s tram project is due for completion
later that year. zz
Netw
ork
Rail
Netw
ork
Rail
Netw
ork
Rail
New platform 4 •at Nottingham, with an East
Midlands Norwich service and Cross Country train
stabled in platform 5
The first train out of Nottingham to the West in five weeks
Cab view of the new layout to the West of Nottingham station
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Stations
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 27
The blueprint to deliver capacity for
almost 10,000 extra peak-time
passengers on the route in and out of
London Waterloo by 2019 could involve
a staged programme of additional, longer
trains, platform extensions and re-openings,
as well as signalling, track and power supply
improvements.
The vision has been spearheaded by the
management team at the South West Trains-
Network Rail Alliance working in response to
the Department for Transport’s rail investment
strategy to future-proof one of the country’s
key commuter networks. It includes key
improvements around London Waterloo as well
as bringing the remaining four platforms of the
Waterloo International Terminal back into use.
Work is already underway to bring Platform 20
of the former International Terminal back into
service from spring 2014.
However under proposals developed by
the Alliance, Platforms 21 to 24 could also be
brought back into passenger service providing
extra capacity from Waterloo, the UK’s busiest
railway station. Plans are being developed to
extend platforms 1-4 to accommodate longer
trains and to carry out track and signalling
improvements to maximise the benefits of the
platform developments.
The first phase of the plan will see the
procurement of more than 135 additional
Capacity boost for WaterlooPlans are being developed to deliver a transformational capacity
increase on one of Europe’s busiest rail networks
carriages which will run in ten-car formation
on the suburban routes of the network. This
procurement process has now started and
depending on the proposal selected, the
first additional trains could be delivered as
early as 2016.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin
said: “Britain needs a strong economy if
it wants to compete globally and effective
transport links are absolutely key to that.
This is why the Government has embarked
on one of the biggest programmes of rail
modernisation ever.
“It’s also vital to cost effectively create
additional capacity at Waterloo – the capital’s
busiest railway station – making the proposals
from South West Trains and Network Rail
doubly important.”
Tim Shoveller, managing director of the
South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance,
said: “Our network is currently one of the
busiest in Europe carrying almost 210 million
passengers a year.
“We already have confirmed plans in place
to deliver improvements in capacity over the
next two years. However, the huge success
of the railway in the UK means it will get
significantly busier in the next two decades
and beyond. There is also a need to invest in
the infrastructure to improve the daily reliability
for today’s customers.
“The Alliance between South West Trains
and Network Rail means we are working more
closely together, thinking big and creating
plans for the long-term to deliver significant
improvements for passengers.
“The blueprint we are developing in
partnership with the Department for Transport
is a massive programme of work and requires
significant investment. These plans will greatly
improve what is a key part of the country’s
transport infrastructure and ensure our rail
network continues to support economic
growth.”
Plans are already in place to deliver
capacity for an additional 23,000 extra peak-
time passengers per day through the roll-out
of an additional 108 carriages by the end of
2014. These carriages, secured through the
Government’s High Level Output Specification
programme, will provide longer trains on key
peak-time services. Work has already taken
place on the lengthening of platforms at over
60 stations to enable ten-car trains to operate
on key routes.
The South West Trains-Network Rail
Alliance currently runs around 1700 trains a
day in and out of London Waterloo, carrying
nearly 210 million passengers a year.
However, with the huge growth in rail travel in
the UK, this is forecast to increase to nearly
380 million a year by 2030. zz
Waterloo station, with the former Waterloo International platforms beneath the curved roof in the background
ww
w.ra
ilimag
es.c
o.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Stations
28 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Passengers using Manchester’s Victoria
station are only one year away from
enjoying a newly revitalised, lighter and
brighter station as part of a
£44 million investment programme being
delivered by Network Rail. The project to
rebuild the station includes replacing four
sections of the old, leaky steel roof which will
be recycled and replaced with a new roof
which will flood the station with natural light.
Demolition teams are working throughout
the summer to remove the old roof and will
shortly be installing new steel beams up to
120 metres long which will support the new
roof structure. The roof is due for completion
in summer 2014 with the station refurbishment
scheduled for completion early in 2015.
The redevelopment of the station includes:
l Improvements to the footbridge spanning
platforms 3-6 allowing for future growth in
passenger numbers
l The old leaky roof will be replaced with a
new structure made from ETFE, the same
Raising the roof at Manchester Victoria
material used at the Eden Project and the roof at
Manchester Piccadilly station
l Sympathetic refurbishment to Grade II listed
parts of the Victoria Buildings, (including the war
memorial, glass dome, Soldiers Gate and the
wall map) restoring them to their former glory
l Refurbishment of the external glass canopy,
new lighting and glazed entrances to revitalise
the Victoria Buildings
l Revamp of existing retail spaces and
provision of new retail facilities for a better
shopping experience
l Improvements to the ticket hall and
external improvements to the paving on
station approach
l Electrified rail lines to the station.
Netw
ork
Rail
Netw
ork
Rail
An impression of the completed station at Manchester Victoria
Demolition in progress
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Stations
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Rolling Stock
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 29
Network Rail and its partners have
begun work to create a prototype
battery-powered train, part of an
industry study into the feasibility of
using electric trains on parts of the network
which have not been electrified. This could
see Independently Powered Electric Multiple
Unit (IPEMU) trains running on battery power
over non-electrified lines, before charging at
terminal stations, or using their batteries to run
over diesel lines in otherwise electrified parts of
the railway.
Electric trains are quicker, quieter, and more
efficient – making them better for passengers
and the environment. The potential to spread
those benefits while not having to put up
miles of wiring would be cost-effective and
sustainable.
Network Rail’s director of network strategy
and planning, Richard Eccles, said: “We see
this project as an important element of our
strategy of increasing the electrification of the
rail network, delivering improved sustainability
whilst reducing the burden on the taxpayer.
If we can create an energy storage capability
for trains, electric traction can be introduced
to more parts of the network without the
Batteries to be included?
Battery-powered trains could run over non-electrified lines
need to necessarily extend the electrification
infrastructure.
“As the principal funder and delivery
manager, we have done a great deal of
feasibility work before reaching this stage, both
to define the outputs we seek from the trial and
to build confidence in the project across the
industry. We are working with our partners to
drive this innovation forward.”
Funding is coming from Network Rail, the
Enabling Innovation Team (hosted by the
Rail Safety and Standards Board) and the
Department for Transport.
David Clarke, director, Enabling Innovation
Team at RSSB said, “Energy storage on trains
is a typical example of a development that’s
good for passengers, taxpayers and the long
term future of the railway but where it is difficult
for individual businesses to make the business
case to invest in the technology. To help prove
the business case we are funding up to 30 per
cent of the technology demonstration.
“We see the IPEMU project as a good
example of something that will work
according to the R&D but no one will invest in
without seeing a full scale demonstrator. By
supporting this programme we are helping to
take innovation out of the lab and de-risk its
potential introduction onto the railway.”
Working closely with Derby-based train
manufacturer Bombardier and operator Greater
Anglia, the project will use one of the operator’s
Class 379s as a test-bed to determine future
battery requirements and what kind of train
might be needed.
This train will be adapted by Bombardier
and fitted with two different forms of batteries:
lithium (iron magnesium) phosphate and hot
sodium nickel salt. The batteries will undergo
many lab tests before being fitted to the train.
Bombardier said: “We are very enthusiastic
to be collaborating in this groundbreaking
project with Network Rail. This project
is an innovative development to provide
an integrated battery system as a power
source for the well-proven Electrostar train.
Bombardier recognises the potential benefits
that this technology could bring to the rail
industry and the travelling public.”
The modified 379 will then undergo a variety
of tests ‘off network’, including the facility at
Old Dalby. Should those tests prove successful,
the train will then run on an electrified branch
line on the Anglia route, yet to be chosen, with
its pantograph down. This is so that if there is a
problem, it can raise its pantograph, and collect
power again. This running will be both in – and
out of – passenger service.
Once the programme is complete, by the
end of 2014, the unit will be returned to its
former state and will run as a normal unit again
in service.
Data gathered during the experiment will
be used to determine what form any future
Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit
(IPEMU) will take, be it a straight battery unit or
hybrid. Any future IPEMU would most likely be
designed as a new train and not an adapted
unit, to minimise energy consumption.
FootnoteA study carried out for the Department for
Transport in 2010 by Lloyd’s Register Rail, TRL
and Birmingham University examined battery
powering of trains. The report concluded that
the approach was certainly feasible but that the
operating costs of battery powering would be
greater than for an equivalent DMU at that time.
The authors suggested that R&D into cheaper
or longer-life batteries could eventually result in
operating cost parity with existing DMU rolling
stock. The full report may be found at www.trl.
co.uk/downloads/bc/20110302_Battery_
Powered_Trains_Report_PPR551.pdf
“I think that has a bearing on our ability to
support customers. The rolling stock on the
East Coast Mainline has been in service a long
time, so this is about making a step change in
terms of the product that we can provide, but
also gives the operator the ability to provide
a modern comfortable train in order to grow
their revenue. The great thing about the new
trains is it shows that investment is going into
the East Coast and the passengers will be
travelling on brand new state-of-the-art trains,”
he continues.
When it comes to the design of those
assets, Hitachi Rail Europe has been listening
closely to what passengers want. At the
top of this list is more reliable journeys, but
comfortable seats, more leg room, more
space for luggage, catering, air conditioning,
and the ability to store bikes close to seating
are also key concerns.
Of the design Alistair says: “It aligns with
everything that the operator wants to do,
it’s just giving them the technology in order
to deliver it. The design is progressing very
well and we aim to have that finished by the
end of the year. Clearly the trains are going
to be longer at 26-metres rather than the
current 23 with a lot more seats. They’re also
considerably lighter and therefore more energy
efficient with a 12 per cent saving in electricity
compared to the existing stock.
“Most important is really the customer
environment and experience, so we are
working very hard to make sure that it is fit for
purpose in the 21st Century. As we’ve seen
As part of the Agility Trains consortium,
in 2012 Hitachi Rail Europe was
delighted to sign a new £4.5 billion
contract with the Department for
Transport (DfT) for the Intercity Express
Programme (IEP). This will see the delivery of
92 new electric and bi-mode trains to replace
the ageing fleets of the West and East Coast
Mainline, as well as other benefits. Just a
year on and the company has further cause
to celebrate having secured the option for an
additional 30 nine-car Class 801 electric trains
for the East Coast Mainline.
“This is a firm endorsement of the train and
service offering that we provide, which will
give us continuous manufacturing in County
Durham up to 2020, and means we will be the
major partners for East Coast Trains in their
delivery of the service,” states Alistair Dormer.
As executive chairman and CEO of Hitachi Rail
Europe, as well as having helped secure the
IEP transaction for Agility, it is Alistair’s aim to
grow the company’s business further and
these additional trains are the first step towards
doing that.
Reflecting on these considerable successes,
Alistair outlines what he believes made Hitachi
stand out in the contract selection process:
“If you look back in history we delivered the
Javelin trains to Southeastern six months
early. Those trains worked straight out of the
box, saw a very successful Olympics, and we
continue to support Southeastern with a very
high quality train, which is reliable on a daily
basis.
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30 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Rolling Stock
After Hitachi Rail Europe’s success in the Intercity Express Programme, AlIstAIr DormEr
outlines the latest addition to that contract
Big hitters
on the West Coast Mainline new trains do
attract more customers so I think putting this
new fleet in will be a big boost to East Coast
Mainline, but also the north-east of England
and Scotland by improving the rail service on
that important corridor.”
Whilst the current infrastructure imposes
a 125mph speed limit, the new trains will be
capable of 140mph enabling them to adapt
with changes implemented during their 30 year
lifespan. Likewise the interior design will be very
flexible so that it can be changed, modified
and upgraded in the future in line with shifts in
customer demands.
Like those trains announced last year,
the new fleet will be constructed in Hitachi
Rail Europe’s new state-of-the-art factory in
County Durham. This £82 million investment
in manufacturing in the north-east of England
is expected to generate around 730 new jobs,
and significant opportunities for the UK and
European supply chain.
“So far we have signed a contract with the
main developer, and have just completed a
series of archaeological surveys at the site,”
explains Alistair. “We are now looking to
appoint the actual builder with an eye to the
factory opening in the middle of 2015. We’ve
Standard class
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www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 31
already started recruiting in the area, hiring a
plant manager and HR manager, and more of
that will come next year. We’re also engaged
in the task of working through the many and
varied suppliers we wish to work with. We had
a fantastic response locally with more than
1000 interested parties approaching us, and
will be progressively letting contracts over the
next few years.”
He continues: “This is a very significant
investment by Hitachi and we intend the facility
to be there for many years, so now is the
opportunity to find the right partners that we
can work with on a long-term basis. What this
latest contract gives us is a stable workload
up until 2020, but we still have the capacity for
more so are actively looking at other business.
We are one of the shortlisted builders for
Crossrail and are very interested in other
contracts in the UK and Europe.”
Although probably best known in the
UK for its rolling stock, Hitachi is also
working in other areas such as signalling
and traffic management. The company’s
ETCS equipment is in operation on the
Cambrian line in Wales, which is the first
time a supplier has fitted equipment on a
locomotive communicating with another
supplier’s trackside equipment. Hitachi Rail
UK has also developed a traffic management
system which helps signallers and controllers
manage disruption on the network and gives
Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant
Wardell Armstrong Archaeology have been on site since April, conducting an archaeological dig where the Hitachi Rail Europe train factory will be built. Construction will start at the end of 2013 with completion of the work scheduled for 2015.From left: Frank Giecco - archaeologist, Darren Cumner - manufacturing plant manager for Hitachi Rail Europe, Bill Grafton - Merchant Place Developments, Mark Bickle - partner at Michael Eyres partnership, and Martin Railton - project manager at Wardell Armstrong Archaeology
optimum decision support in the case of failures
in normal day-to-day service. This is up and
running in its London office, and the company
is now training with Network Rail in the use of
that system.
“All of these things – new trains, ETCS, and
traffic management contribute hugely in terms
of improving efficiency, delivering extra capacity
and reducing the overall lifecycle costs of the
railway. I think a company such as Hitachi with
our strong background in electronics and IT as
well as engineering, is uniquely placed to blend
experience from other markets into the railway
and bring some exciting solutions to bear,”
concludes Alistair. zz
HitachiTel: +44 (0) 20 7970 2700Email: [email protected]: www.hitachirail-eu.com
First class
32 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz
NFC needs an open standard rather than a ‘killer app’ to make it fly
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JöRG SUCHY highlights why an open standard is in fact the real key to bring NFC technology to the mass market, with transport and retail the first sectors to benefit
In the NFC (Near Field Communications) market
there has been plenty of talk about the ‘killer app’,
the one application or use case that will instantly
drive adoption of NFC in the mass market.
Suggestions so far have ranged from payment and
ticketing to accessing exclusive content and tracking
car keys. But what if the ‘killer app’ we’re all looking
for isn’t an application or a use case at all, but an open
standard?
What’s holding back a number of the applications
for NFC, many of which are already very successful,
is the fact that you’re restricted to one particular
application – sometimes in one particular place. Is that
really making life easier or just adding technology for
the sake of it?
Consumers are looking for a convenient ‘one size
fits all’ solution that allows them to take the train, do
their shopping or redeem coupons within a single,
unified application. Just as the majority of us don’t
like the idea of carrying the umpteenth loyalty card in
our physical wallet, the idea of having to deal with a
plethora of incompatible ticketing, payment and loyalty
apps on the phone will scare potential users away.
An open standard, driven by new retail and transport
applications – that often intersect – could turn out to
be the supposed ‘killer app’ NFC has been waiting for.
We’re already seeing some innovative use cases for
NFC in the transport sector, supplementing contactless
ticketing with loyalty schemes and crossing into the
retail space by supporting businesses located in and
around stations. For people using the train or bus
every day they may have multiple loyalty cards for
coffee, newspapers, restaurants and maybe even other
retailers they regularly visit while waiting on a platform.
Combining multiple loyalty schemes into a single
application on a smartphone makes life easier for the
consumer – but if they’ve only got one of their regular
shops signed up then they’re still having to carry other
cards around and NFC becomes a hassle not a help.
In the transport sector contactless technology has
already taken off – from the traveller’s perspective,
NFC-enabled phones have huge benefits over
paper tickets. The use of NFC technology in mobile
phones and contactless cards enables quick and
easy ticketing, immediate access control as well as
providing essential travel information such as journey-
related details and updates.
Aside from the environmentally friendly aspect of
reducing paper waste, they are much more convenient
than plastic cards with no fumbling around in a
handbag or wallet at the barrier. And since
NFC-enabled phones can hold multiple applications,
they allow the consumer to choose which type
of ticket to use.
People are quick to adapt to technological change
if it makes their lives easier. The pace at which
commuters swapped from using traditional ticket to the
Open Loop payment system in London proves just that
as the numbers of contactless transport fare payments
is increasing at a steady pace.
The next question is how other cities and towns in
the UK can benefit, is it worth a small town spending
money to roll out its own contactless technology for
Revenue management
Jörg Suchy is associate director, smart card and NFC business
development at Samsung Semiconductor Europe
Near field communication (NFC) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few inches. Present and anticipated applications include contactless transactions, data exchange, and simplified setup of more complex communications such as Wi-Fi. Communication is also possible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a ‘tag’.
NFC standards cover communications protocols and data exchange formats, and are based on existing radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards including ISO/IEC 14443 and FeliCa. The standards include ISO/IEC 18092 and those defined by the NFC Forum, which was founded in 2004 by Nokia, Philips and Sony, and now has more than 160 members. The Forum also promotes NFC and certifies device compliance. It fits the criteria for being considered a personal area network.[Source: Wikipedia]
Open loop vs closed loopIn a closed loop system, a contactless card is effectively used as a prepaid credit card but the transactions may only take place with a single organisation/card issuer (e.g. Oyster)
In an open loop system, a contactless credit or debit card, or an NFC-enabled smartphone, may be used to effect the transaction.
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 33
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the few routes it operates? Probably not. But it would
be worth it if the cards can be used up and down
the country or potentially around the world where the
system costs are reduced.
With ticketing, there’s a clear consumer benefit in
contactless ticketing working across multiple towns,
cities and even countries. Yet we are still a long way off
using your phone’s ticketing app to get from your local
train station to London St. Pancras, take the Eurostar
to Paris and then hop on to the Metro, purchase a
ticket with the app for the local fare collecting service
and travel to your hotel.
So what is really needed is the implementation of
interoperable standards across platforms and across
borders within the transit fare market. We are seeing
some promising co-operation on a European level
taking a step in the right direction. Yet in order to
make the cross-border open standard for ticketing
applications a reality, it is absolutely crucial that
transport stakeholders act now.
NFC provides the ideal interface that allows for
convenient, secure and quick ticketing, payment, as
well as for value added services such as loyalty point
collection and coupon redemption. However, an open
standards-based solution remains the missing success
factor for customer acceptance. There have been a
variety of research studies analysing the reasons for
sluggish NFC adoption and most of them point at one
clear problem, the lack of interoperability between
existing implementations.
This is where CIPURSE, the standard developed
by the OSPT Alliance, can really offer something,
delivering multiple applications alongside tickets.
From the beginning, the OSPT Alliance has made
a tremendous effort to educate the market on the
importance of an open standard for transportation
and Samsung is committed to work towards the same
goal, for that reason it was only ever going to be a
question of time until the momentum started to build.
This isn’t something just promoted by technology
vendors either. The Greater London Authority included
an interesting statement in its 2011 report ‘The Future
of Ticketing’, stating that “Any new ticketing system
should, as far as possible, be compatible with those
provided by other transport operators”. Such a
statement directly supports the call to implement a
standard transportation scheme and not a selection of
proprietary solutions.
It is vital for any organisation to demonstrate they
understand the market trends and provide flexible
products, giving users the best solution in order to
achieve their aims, whilst introducing new features
within a short period of time. When it comes to
transportation, the industry is already in a position to
use existing solutions to implement the OSPT scheme.
Proprietary software and hardware, favouring limited
vendors, can only create limited consumer benefits.
Consumers need to know they can use their NFC
device across applications and geographies without
issue and this means a need for communication,
and more importantly, action. This, from key
players throughout the value chain, is crucial to the
technology’s success. zz
The OSPT Alliance The Open Standards for Public Transport (OSPT) Alliance is helping the transit community move towards the next generation of secure, cost-effective, and flexible fare collection solutions through a global, multi-provider community.
The OSPT’s charter is to define a new open standard for secure transit fare collection solutions, while providing industry education, creating workgroup opportunities, and catalyzing the development and adoption of innovative fare collection technologies, applications, and services. The Alliance is also building a global ecosystem of transit operators, transit consultants and integrators, technology solution providers, and government agencies to stimulate development and delivery of next-generation fare collection solutions. Web: www.osptalliance.org
34 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
All aboard: how airline-style pricing is putting the passenger rail industry back on track
PETER SHEARER notes the success of agile airline-style pricing in the rail industry and says that further innovation can be expected in order to smooth demand and leverage customer data
T he rail industry continues to face financial
challenges, with Network Rail being told by
regulators that it needs to find cost savings of
around £2 billion. Despite this, recent figures
from The Association of Train Operating Companies
(ATOC) have shown that it isn’t all doom and gloom for
the UK rail industry. Passenger journeys were shown
to have risen by 52 per cent between 2006 and 2012,
stealing market-share from airlines on domestic routes.
Indeed the development of airline pricing strategies
has been widely touted as the reason behind this
growth as increased demand needs to be managed
smartly: recently released figures from ATOC reveal
that sales of cheap advance fares have grown even
faster, rising by 103 per cent (see reference). Advance
fares are now used by around four out of every seven
rail passengers on these routes. The only way to
successfully sell so many discount tickets confidently,
knowing that margins are not being diluted, is to apply
airline-style pricing techniques to determine the best
mix of tickets sold in order to maximise revenues.
Taking a leaf from the airlines bookDeregulation of the passenger rail industry –
liberalisation, splitting network management from
train operation, and particularly allowing international
competition in home markets – have all meant that
rail transportation companies have been facing
increasingly steep competition. Moreover, the rise
of the Internet, and the emergence of low-cost
airline carriers who offer reduced price flights across
domestic routes, has given rise to a new normal:
consumers are now driving the market, making travel
choices, comparing prices and companies in real time,
based on pricing models and incentives. This suggests
that consumer decisions are being made based on
price, and not necessarily on brand. As a result, rail
companies have had to develop strategies around
offering simple, attractive pricing to attract today’s
customer; in much the same way as consumers
compare prices online, rail companies are starting to
use this market information to make better pricing
decisions.
Today, rail operators have moved away from the
distance-based pricing models to a more flexible
structure. There has been a marked shift from a
system where prices are regulated to a single ceiling
price, to one where TOCs are free to determine prices
fluidly. This gives rail operators the flexibility and agility
to respond to the market and remain competitive.
As a result, railway companies are becoming
cleverer about how they price year round, not only
during peak periods.
What do we expect in the future?The industry will have to keep innovating with pricing if
it means to stay ahead. To do this, it is likely that we will
be seeing greater price differentials across the peak/
off-peak periods, identifying different time bands within
the peak with variable pricing across those time bands
to try to smooth demand and avoid some of the severe
overcrowding problems that the industry currently
experiences. Supporting this, the movement to other
forms of fulfilment – paper tickets giving way to smart
cards or m-tickets on mobile phones – will accelerate,
allowing customers to buy a bundle of journey
opportunities effectively, rather than a single one-size-
fits-all travel pass.
The other big trend we expect to see great
development in is leveraging customer data to drive
promotions and brand loyalty by linking the customer
to revenue management. For instance, an operator
could share information with the CRM system to look
at opportunities to run a promotion, or to look at other
chances to push travel opportunities that are not likely
to sell out. Operators could push out a promotion to
customers who might be interested in a particular
market. Linked to this, rail operators are going to be
learning more about their customers’ purchasing
behaviour from their interaction with the operator
through websites or other channels.
In the passenger rail industry, there is now more than
ever a general understanding that the pricing paradigm
has shifted. Train companies need to know that to be
successful they must meet the needs of passengers and
deliver high levels of satisfaction and value for money.
The good news currently seems to be that passengers
are voting with their feet, and taking more journeys than
at any time since the 1920s. Now it is up to the train
operators to innovate and sustain these interest levels
and build on them. zz
Referencehttp://www.atoc.org/media-centre/latest-press-
releases/2013/04/29/airline-style-discounting-by-rail-
cuts-aviations-market-share-100822/
Peter Shearer
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzRevenue Management
Peter Shearer is industry head of passenger travel at JDA Software
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 35
This is the ninth successive
year that crime has fallen
and comes against a
background of a vibrant
and healthy industry, with rapidly
growing passenger numbers and
infrastructure.
Whilst the headline rate of crime
declines, the targeting of easily
saleable high-tech devices, such
as smartphones and tablets, and
organised pickpocketing activity,
has created a rise in theft offences. Since
June, the British Transport Police (BTP) has
been rolling out Operation Magnum, aimed at
combating thefts of personal items, luggage
and pickpocketing. “2012/13 has been an
exceptional year in our history, with the Force
playing a crucial role in the success of the
2012 Olympic and Paralympic games,” said
Chief Constable Andy Trotter.
“At the same time, we have taken care of
business as usual and reduced crime for the
ninth year in a row. I think that is a very good
performance and represents great value for
money, particularly in the context of a budget
reduction in real terms of 14 per cent since
2008.
“Increases in theft of passenger property,
particularly those targeting smartphones
and tablets, reflect the growing problem
throughout London and the UK.
“We have made great inroads into the
problem of cable theft, which has been a
major disruption factor on the rail network.
This year cable crime was down 47 per cent,
building on a 13 per cent reduction last year.”
Violent crime showed a small increase in
2012/13, with an additional 201 crimes across
the network.
“This is the first increase in violent crime for
six years,” says Andy Trotter.
“Serious assaults are down almost eight
per cent, but there has been an increase
of over three per cent in common assault.
Crime on railways falls again
Racially-aggravated harassment is a significant
contribution to the increase in violent crime,
which I think reflects a growing intolerance
amongst the public of this sort of incident.”
Within the violent crime category, assaults on
rail staff are down five per cent.
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the
Association of Train Operating
Companies, said: “It’s good news that
the overall crime rate on the railway
continues to fall, but the rise in some
crimes will be a cause for concern
for passengers which is why we will
continue to work closely with the
police in cracking down on offenders.
“Train companies take the safety
and security of their passengers and
staff extremely seriously and spend
millions of pounds on dedicated
security staff, providing funding for the British
Transport Police and improving CCTV. We will
continue to do all we can to keep customers
safe.”
Of BTP’s 12 crime groups, eight show
reductions and four increases. zz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Security
CRIME 2011/12 2012/13 No +/- % +/-
TOTAL CRIME: 54, 972 53,885 -1087 -2.0
Violence against the person 7922 8123 +201 +2.5
Sexual offences 1009 925 -84 -8.3
Criminal damage 3934 3452 -482 -12.3
Line of route offences 1395 1200 -195 14.0
Theft of passenger property 14,909 17,292 +2383 +16.0
Motor vehicle/cycle offences 8732 7430 1302 -14.9
Robbery 623 530 -93 -14.9
Theft of railway property 5962 4834 -1128 -18.9
Public disorder offences 5054 4765 -289 -5.7
Fraud Offences 880 920 +40 +4.5
Drugs 3679 3460 -219 -6.0
Other crimes 873 954 +81 +9.3
BTP Chief Constable Andy Trotter
Crime on Britain’s railways continued its long-term downward trend with a two per cent fall in notifiable offences in 2012/13. However, this year has seen a significant rise
in theft of passenger property, up 16 per cent, largely driven by rises in and around London
Seeing clearlyWhen it comes to transport surveillance, DAVID THOMASSON tells
Railway Strategies that the benefits of digital video technology are plain to see
Having perhaps long been associated with the
grainy images of analogue cameras, a shift
towards digital video technologies continues
to widen the scope of surveillance. More and
more operators are realising the benefits that digital IP
or network video cameras offer, particularly in terms of
monitoring an expansive network such as rail.
“The transport environment is fairly unique in its
complexity,” begins David. “Security incidents can
occur anywhere – onboard trains at stations, depots,
and along the infrastructure itself. The dilemma is to
be able to cover all of these parts, and it’s important
to appreciate that the larger transport systems handle
hundreds of incidents every day.”
Since developing the world’s first network video
camera in 1996, Axis Communications has been
the global leader in this technology. In fact when
you take into account all security cameras whether
network video or analogue, the company is still the
market leader in terms of sales – despite having never
manufactured an analogue camera itself.
Driving change“One of the main drivers in the shift from analogue to
network video is image quality or resolution,” explains
David. “As with the demand in the consumer market,
so a similar trend towards HD can already be seen in
the video surveillance market. Another main advantage
with network cameras is that they are not a closed
system like analogue.
“By transmitting data over a standard Ethernet
cable, these cameras are essentially an open network-
based system – whether that is a local network or
the internet. This enables real-time viewing at any
authorised location in the world, simultaneously, giving
station security, management and operation centres,
the authorities and emergency services access to the
images – even on the move.”
This helps at every stage of an incident from
detection and evaluation to response and investigation.
However David believes that network cameras
shouldn’t purely be limited to security applications,
but considered more in terms of surveillance: “Using
proven video analytics, the same camera can be used
for many things such as facial recognition, crowd
management through people counting and flows,
intelligent perimeter protection, smoke detection, and
even audio analytics in conjunction with microphones.”
No limitsThe rapid progression of technology means that
many of the limiting factors initially associated with
network cameras are no longer in effect. This includes
bandwidth and storage requirements through the use
of image compression, which has little or no effect
on quality but reduces the amount of data to be
transmitted. “Advances in compression technology
mean that the bandwidth and storage requirements are
about 20 per cent of what was required a few years
ago. At Axis we have developed our own powerful
David Thomasson is business development
manager for transportation at Axis
Communications
Network Surveillance zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
36 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
processing chip, which offers one of the most efficient
implementation of this in the industry, thereby reducing
bandwidth even more than comparable cameras,”
notes David.
“Low light levels have also historically been
problematic for network video cameras,” he continues.
“But not now, as we have developed a new technology
called Lightfinder, which enables the camera to see in
near complete darkness, without any additional light
source, and in colour. Another development from our
R&D department is Corridor Format, which delivers a
vertically orientated 9:16 portrait shaped video stream
from the cameras. This is particularly appropriate
for the transport sector as in many surveillance
situations the area being monitored is more vertical
than horizontal in shape. This includes passageways,
platforms, onboard vehicles, track and tunnels.”
As this technology improves so does its application
from monitoring stretches of track for maintenance
purposes to the wider use of video analytics. At the
same time uptake by the transport industry appears to
be growing, and with Axis the first company to have
network video cameras approved by Network Rail, the
benefits are clearly being seen at all levels. zz
Web: www.axis.com
Mission & solutionThe ‘Betuweroute’ is a 160km railway that runs
from Rotterdam in The Netherlands to Zevenaar
on the border with Germany. Construction on the
line began in 1995 and was completed in 2007 at
a cost of €4.7bn.
One aspect of the 600 different tests being
conducted was to determine whether the signals
and subsystems functioned properly. In an ideal
situation the entire test team would be located
at the front of the locomotive because the data
collected there is essential to the tests. However,
due to a lack of space, the team had to search for
an alternative solution; this was found in Axis’
network cameras. The cameras are mounted in
and around the test train and record images of
the railway and the surroundings. This makes it
possible to view the images at any time or from
any place.
ResultStreamed over the internet, the images were
instantly available in the moving test centre. The
test team could view the images from one of the
carriages, providing an excellent overview of the
surrounding area. Another benefit this provides
is the ability to save the images so they can be
reviewed later.
Network cameras provide convenienceA total of six network cameras were installed in the
test centre for the Betuweroute. Four of these were
placed in the locomotive itself, and two others were
linked to the front and rear of the test train to monitor
the sections of track.
These cameras can be used both indoors and
outdoors and offer the great advantage of a fixed
focal distance and a fixed zoom lens. As a result,
oscillations and vibrations have little influence on the
image quality.
Everard van Rees, test manager for the
Betuweroute commented:
“We opted for network cameras because they
provide convenience due to the simplicity of the
cabling. In total, our test train is 100 metres long
and consists of five separate carriages. If we were
to use cables, various signal amplifiers would be
necessary. With IP cameras, just a single Ethernet
cable is required that makes the images available via
a network. The images can then be accessed via each
camera’s individual IP address.
“Thanks to the Axis network cameras, the tests are
proceeding very smoothly. We have a good view of the
Betuweroute and can therefore determine whether the
Betuweroute is ready for completion or not.”
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Betuweroute case study : Network camera images show whether route is ready for completion
Betuweroute train showing network camera on the front of the locomotive
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 37
John Smith, programme manager for
Intelligent Infrastructure at Network Rail
said: “Intelligent Infrastructure is delivering a
significant improvement in the performance
of our network and is the catalyst for
changing the way we maintain key railway
assets. The combination of technology and
business transformation enables us to make
informed asset management decisions
and interventions, improving availability and
reducing whole life cycle costs in the future.”
Alistair McPhee, vice president of Ground
Transportation Systems at Thales UK said:
“Intelligent Infrastructure Management
programmes can transform railway operations,
increasing network availability, reducing
delays and making the customer experience
smoother and more reliable. At Thales we
worked closely with our customer Network
Rail on a daily basis, reinforcing our role in the
provision of efficient and sustainable solutions
for railways of the future.”
Developing an innovative solution to degrading performanceNetwork Rail sees technology as a key enabler
to managing the UK railway infrastructure.
Traditional maintenance regimes are based on
T he award of ‘Project of the Year’ in
the Real IT Awards 2013 for Network
Rail’s Intelligent Infrastructure
Programme incorporates an Intelligent
Infrastructure Management (IIM) system for
Remote Conditioning Monitoring (RCM)
from Thales UK and marks the recognition
of a remarkable story of technical and
management innovation. It is a corporate
business IT success story that combines
skills, disciplines and teams involved
in railway maintenance working together to
deliver an end-to-end solution. This has directly
resulted in an estimated reduction of around
418,000 delay minutes for Network Rail,
delivering an improved service for the travelling
public and freight operators
Described as a ‘game changer’ in IT, the
programme was also selected as winner of the
Innovation in Technology award. The judging
panel, made up of senior IT professionals in
leading global, European and UK organisations,
concluded: “This was a great project full of
innovations in the use of technology and
management processes, leading to significant
savings for both Network Rail and their
passengers.”
The Intelligent Infrastructure Programme
is a partnership between Network Rail and
Thales that started with establishing a joint
steering group to manage the design and
implementation of a solution that could
monitor more assets than ever before without
taking them out of service. Bringing core
competencies to the programme Network
Rail transferred additional responsibility to
Thales during implementation. The adoption
of a national, centralised, condition monitoring
solution is a major step forward in the rail sector
and the UK approach is significantly in advance
of European rail infrastructure systems.
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38 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Asset Management
Network Rail, winner of ‘Project of the Year’ at the 2013 Real IT Awards, and its partner Thales see growing
industry recognition for how Intelligent Infrastructure Management can lead to a better service for train
operators and passengers
Driving a change in culture from ‘Find and Fix’ to ‘Predict and Prevent’
a cyclical schedule of site visits that relies on
maintenance staff spotting potential problems.
This ‘Find and Fix’ approach can lead to over-
maintenance in which assets are replaced
according to schedule rather than requirement.
The challenge was to develop a system
to complement and refine the prevailing
maintenance processes coupled with the vast
amount of information available to maintenance
engineers. There had been previous experience
in several RCM systems, which were
proprietary, asset-specific and proved to be
somewhat inflexible and costly to purchase
and maintain.
As a private enterprise operating a public
utility, Network Rail is a regulated company.
The investment panel requested that a pilot
was carried out before the funding for a
national system was approved. Network Rail
selected Thales UK to carry out a pilot in 2009
to monitor different aspects of asset types
on a section of track between Edinburgh
and Glasgow. The potential benefits, when
extrapolated across the entire network, were
greater than originally estimated.
On completion of the pilot, approval was
given to proceed with the first phase of national
rollout for two asset types, Points and Earth
The Real IT Awards
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www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 39
Leakage Detection for Signalling Power
Supplies. Further phases have subsequently
been approved taking the total number
of assets monitored to about 30,000 and
extending the scope to Track Circuits, Points
Heating and Rail Temperature Monitoring.
The Intelligent Infrastructure Programme
takes a radical three-pronged approach:
l Technology: To support the heterogeneous
asset base including future installations the
MIMOSA data standard was adopted and
refined for use with rail infrastructure, providing
a standardised way of exchanging asset
condition information. Assets report their
condition in a common language enabling the
creation of a single monitoring system. The
constantly enhanced WonderWare software,
a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) package,
from Invensys was selected. Mandating
a technology standard allows the use of
cost-effective COTS solutions to develop an
enterprise-wide asset monitoring system.
Network Rail is currently able to monitor
30,000 installations across five different asset
types using one system, with the capability to
extend this even further in future.
l People: A team of dedicated monitoring
technicians was created, and are located in
ten incident control centres where they analyse
data and make decisions based on real-time
information. They liaise with Maintenance Fault
teams and Operations Control to agree the
least disruptive course of action for potential
failures. Additionally over 1000 maintenance
staff have received training to ensure use of the
system is embedded across the organisation.
l Process: A change in culture and
maintenance processes were moved to
a single nationwide ‘Predict and Prevent’
process using the Intelligent Infrastructure
system as opposed to a ‘Find and Fix’ asset-
specific, localised approach.
Cost savings advantageThe introduction of a common platform allows
for the removal of silo-specific, proprietary,
expensive, dedicated solutions. The roll-out
of monitoring using Intelligent Infrastructure
is significantly more cost-effective on a
‘per asset’ basis, allowing for better use of
maintenance budgets and a wider range of
critical assets to be monitored. The solution
is unique in its flexibility in that new, advanced
asset model behaviour algorithms can be
developed by Network Rail or Thales using
commonly available analysis tools
(e.g. MATLAB).
Intelligent Infrastructure and future proofingFrom the outset the programme adopted a
rigorous approach with a focus on return on
investment. The programme team identified
the highest priority assets by undertaking a
detailed analysis to identify assets representing
the largest potential cause of disruption. This
approach yielded results with reduction in delay
minutes and increased maintenance efficiency.
The programme continues to identify ‘high
return’ assets bringing them into the system.
For Network Rail there has also been
a cultural change on a national scale.
Maintenance teams are better prepared than
ever before when maintaining the railway
infrastructure. Network Rail is providing a
better quality service for train operators and
passengers with the reduction in the frequency
of faults and failures of trackside assets.
The service is highly scalable. A further
five new types of asset are to be added
during CP5, including level crossings and
HPSS point machines. Network Rail closely
monitors success on a per route basis to
ensure that lessons learnt by one route are
transferred nationwide. The programme is
looking to enhance performance through
the use of sophisticated analysis techniques
such as fuzzy logic, weather data to correlate
temperature and precipitation information, and
data exchange with rolling stock operators
to enhance its communication with trackside
teams through the use of mobile technology.
David Taylor, business development director
for Ground Transportation Systems and the
IIM programme leader for Thales UK says:
“The continued success of the IIM programme
and the innovative approach it provides to
condition monitoring is delivering a real benefit
for our customer Network Rail. We believe it is
the largest rail infrastructure remote condition
monitoring solution globally. The IIM solution is
now being recognised not just in the rail sector
but in the wider IT services sector.”
Thales has applied the same technology
to provide predictive monitoring capability on
rolling stock, having applied the solution to
Class 66 freight locomotives. The system has
also been piloted in a metro environment and is
being considered by rail infrastructure providers
in other countries, including Germany. zz
The Intelligent Infrastructure Programme in numbersl Over 400,000 delay minutes saved l Up to 30 per cent reduction in service-affecting failures on assets fittedl Eliminated over c. 15,000 site visitsl c. 1000 staff trained on the systeml c. 30,000 assets currently funded for monitoring (current status c. 20,000)l c. 183,000 point swings per dayl c. 11,000 data loggers distributed across the railway l Dedicated monitoring staff located in ten incident control centres across the UK
40 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Sense of purpose Robin butleR explores some of the applications for sensors within the rail industry
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Instrumentation
used to judge whether the train was accelerating or
braking too quickly or if the emergency brakes were
applied, amongst other things,” he continues.
Another key application for sensors is track
maintenance and monitoring. This includes the use
of single and dual-axis inclinometers to ensure the
track is aligned correctly and in a good state of
repair. “When it comes to monitoring the rail network,
sensors are often used as part of a proactive system
to identify issues before they become safety critical
such as general wear and tear or the effects of
subsidence. This may be as part of a wheeled vehicle,
which travels on the network and uses sensors to
record data such as rail gauge, inclination and offset.
These figures can then be compared with previous
logged data to ensure that any changes quickly
become apparent,” explains Robin.
Specialist requirementsAlthough a vast array of standard sensor products
are already available, certain applications can require
a customised solution. This can be anything from a
simple modification such as a change in connector
system or integration of a special filter network to
give a particular output, to the complete design and
development of a new product to meet a customer’s
specific application requirements. “In essence this
type of sensor would work better in the application
as it is designed specifically for it,” highlights Robin.
“As such you don’t have to compromise on the
performance by using a standard product and the
unit can be designed to be installed directly into the
application without the need for new connectors or
other modifications.”
As new developments such as high-speed, new
signalling technologies, and driverless trains all come
into effect more, sensors will have an even greater role
to play in tomorrow’s railway. “The more technology
advances in the general design of railway stock and
related items within the industry, the more diverse
the range of sensors will need to be to support these
applications,” describes Robin. “If you think about high
speed alone, the faster a train travels the more control
is required for accelerating and decelerating and the
better condition the track needs to be in to ensure
safety, and sensors can assist with that.” zz
Robin Butler is sales and marketing director at
Sherborne Sensors
Web: www.sherbornesensors.com
Although perhaps
not the most
conspicuous pieces
of equipment
on the railway, sensors
play a vital role in the
performance of the
network. Accelerometers,
inclinometers and force
transducers are some of the
broad sensor groups employed by the industry,
working across a wide range of applications.
Day-to-day usesTypically this includes the acceleration and brake
control of trains, predominately for passenger safety
and comfort by preventing too rapid acceleration or
deceleration, but also to ensure that the train doors
align to the correct parts of the platform. Sensors
are also used to achieve the correct angle on tilting
trains for travelling around bends, and feed back into
the train’s monitoring system to ensure that speed is
controlled on such curves.
“The sensors that are used in the rail industry are
operating in very harsh environments and therefore
need to be extremely robust,” notes Robin Butler.
“This includes extremes in temperature, shock, and
vibration amongst other factors. It is vital that the
sensors are able to withstand this over many years of
operation whilst delivering precision measurements
for often critical functions. Rail is a very regulated and
safety focused industry, and as such like all other
technologies used in the sector sensors have to be
proven to be effective in this environment.”
“In the event of a serious incident with the train, the
information gathered by the sensors could also be
Date Location Event Organiser/Contact
20 September W Midlands ERDF HiTech Rail Project Launch Rail Alliance(tbc) Chamber of Breakfast Event Commerce Details tbc
25 or 26 September TBA Members’ Meeting & Networking Event Rail Alliance(tbc) Details tbc
24-27 September Poland TRAKO 2013 www.trakofair.com
3 October TBA RVE 2013 Onyxrail Ltd
4 October W Midlands ERDF HiTech Rail Project Launch Rail Alliance(tbc) Chamber of Breakfast Event Commerce Details tbc
5 October ICC, B’ham Rail Staff Awards 2013 www.railstaffawards.com
8-10 October Sweden Elmia Nordic Rail 2013 www.elmia.se/en/nordicrail
24/25 October Coventry Moving People – the Inside Story Rail Alliance Railway Interiors Convention In partnership with Coventry University Enterprises & Rail Media Group Details tbc
12-14 November Cologne Railway Interiors Expo 2013 www.railwayinteriorsexpo.com
Alan Dick CommunicationsAlan Dick Communications is a key supplier to the UK
rail signalling and synergy upgrade programme working
with major Tier One suppliers. Having worked with
Network Rail for over ten years, they have an unrivalled
understanding of the FTN and GSM-R network. The
business has delivered major integration, upgrade,
spares management and first line maintenance
programmes for Network Rail as well as for major
operators such as Vodaphone, Airwave and T-Mobile.
Tel: 07721 632 617
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.alandickcomms.com
AquaAqua is a manufacturer of rail track drainage systems
and signalling ancillary products.
Tel: 01695 51933
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aquafab.co.uk
Ballast Tools (UK) LtdBallast Tools (UK) Ltd has been a major supplier of tools
and equipment for the maintenance of rail track and
permanent way since 1990.
Tel: 01793 697 800
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.btukltd.com
Hydrapower Dynamics LtdHydrapower leads the field in hose and tube
manipulation/pipe assembly manufacture up to 90mm
diameter covering a wide range of materials, supplied
throughout the world to many train builders, operators
and suppliers. The company also supplies and maintains
a wide range of Finnpower end crimping and hose
cutting machinery.
Tel: 0121 456 5656
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.hydrapower-dynamics.com
Recent new members of the Rail Alliance
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 41
www.railalliance.co.uk
For further information, please contact: The Rail Alliance Tel: 01789 720 026 Email: [email protected] Web: www.railalliance.co.uk
Outline Events Programme – 2013
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzRail Alliance
PurcellPurcell is a leading architect and historic
building consultancy.
Tel: 01206 244 844
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.purcelluk.com
Rail Order LtdRail Order Ltd specialises in the supply of traction and
rolling stock, spares, in-house repair and assembly,
train presentation materials and equipment to the
UK rail industry. Clients include train operators,
maintainers and infrastructure companies. Recently
acquired by Alan Dick Communications, they now
benefit from 56,000sq.ft. of advanced facilities.
Tel: 01724 292 860
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.rail-order.co.uk
If you are interested in attending one of the Rail Alliance’s events or would like to find out more about becoming a member of the Rail Alliance, contact Rhona Clarke on [email protected]
•
total, with the active membership currently
numbering between 250 and 300. At the
same time this is continuing to broaden with
more of the larger companies now, as well
as the smaller ones, really engaging with us. I
think we’re seen to add value at both ends of
the supply chain from the company that wants
to get into the rail sector to the larger players
looking to consolidate their supplier base.”
The Rail Alliance is also working to
strengthen its own offering to this end,
particularly around its ability to help people
Over the last four years, the Rail Alliance
has become the foremost business-
to-business networking organisation
of its type within the rail sector.
Spanning all aspects of the industry, as well
as those supporting it, the Rail Alliance helps
enable companies to network, collaborate and
innovate with other suppliers and customers in
order to grow their business.
Chief executive Colin Flack describes the
current reach of the organisation: “We’ve
recently signed our 400th paid member in
42 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
As well as business-to-business networking, the Rail Alliance is increasingly assisting its members
in other ways as well
An expanding network
network. “We enable companies to meet each
other, further their knowledge and understanding
and therefore target themselves better. That’s
the area we’re really concentrating on, but as a
follow on to that we are also working much more
closely with Network Rail in the field of product
acceptance,” reveals Colin.
“The real challenge for any company is always
going to be the route to market,” he continues.
“Companies will always innovate with new
products and services, and improvements to
old ones, but it all amounts to naught if you
can’t actually get someone to buy them. That
final bit of the process is what’s so desperately
important, and if we can help companies
with that then that’s a really valuable role.
Product acceptance and business-to-business
networking are the two areas going forward that
we feel we need to be doing in order to make
people’s businesses better.”
Recently the Rail Alliance’s facility at Long
Marston was the site of Network Rail’s Plant
show, which saw 250 exhibitors and 3500
visitors over two days. “This introduced
the world to what we have here at Long
Marston, and certainly for our members we
see this as an important move forward. We
just announced a new joint testing voucher
scheme with the Enabling Innovation Team (EIT)
(www.futurerailway.org/eit) that will enable
companies to come to Long Marston and use
our facilities at a subsidised rate,”
enthuses Colin.
“In this way we can ensure that our services
are made as widely available to the small and
medium enterprise (SME) base, universities,
and academic bodies as possible. It’s also
intrinsic for that product to market piece as
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Rail Alliance
Colin Flack – chief executive of the Rail Alliance
Rail Alliance Hub
•
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 43
the ability to demonstrate developments at a
very early stage, almost pre-prototype, is very
beneficial. The disaggregated nature of the
railway means it’s often quite hard to work out
who your customer actually is. It’s therefore
easy to end up with a product that any group
of people would recognise as being valuable to
the railway, but the cost of which falls into one
area and the value derived into another. That’s
an area where the Rail Alliance can help bring
people together and work through some of
those issues,” he continues.
The Rail Alliance has also started a European
Regional Development Fund project with
strategic partner the University of Birmingham.
This £2 million project will extend over the next
three years helping local companies develop
and demonstrate new concepts. “There is a
huge amount of money being spent on the
railway at the moment, and will continue going
forward, so that gives investors confidence
that this a sector worth being in. For many
companies working in rail is a complete
no-brainer at present because there’s just so
much opportunity at so many different levels,”
notes Colin.
“Another one of the areas we’re working
in is looking at companies’ supply chains,”
he elaborates. “Global sourcing has become
commonplace, but I think the procurement
world is waking up to the idea of whole life
costs rather than just purchase price. As
such UK companies can bring real value
to the sector, and it’s a shift that we need
to encourage and stimulate. Because rail is
a traditional sector, it has a lot of received
wisdoms which I think are there to be
challenged, such as ‘we don’t make that in
the UK’.
“The West Midlands for instance has a
phenomenal manufacturing heartland, but we
don’t seem to recognise it. Likewise we have
companies manufacturing and supplying rail
overseas, but not in this country. It’s a unique
view that we have as an organisation within
the railway, because we recognise that a lot of
companies that supply into rail aren’t ‘railway’
companies per se and identifying those is an
important piece of groundwork.”
As well as his role at the Rail Alliance, Colin
has also been appointed to the UK Trade
and Investment Rail Sector Advisory Group,
a senior industry group that assists UKTI in
developing its policy. “I think the reason for this
goes back again to that unique perspective
and the fact we have this reach across a
broad range of companies so I can bring that
experience to the table. It enables the other
players to perhaps understand the SME world
better, which is vital as some of these are very
pivotal and important businesses, yet the rail
sector is dominated by a very small number of
multinational corporate companies,”
he describes.
In the past the Rail Alliance has found
that the relationships between the two have
often been too adversarial and as such one
of the things Colin hopes to do in his new
role is reduce that friction, increase levels of
understanding and get people collaborating
better. In particular it is often a lack of
understanding of implications that leads to
one party unwittingly making life more difficult
for the other, so bringing those different
perspectives together could help alleviate such
challenges.
“I think in some ways it’s more of the same,”
concludes Colin when thinking about the future
of the Rail Alliance. “We’re driven by what our
members want and we can change direction
very easily as the situation dictates, but at the
moment we’re looking to continue to extend
our reach, help members network together and
to develop that route to market. It’s really about
keeping ourselves at the heart of the supply
chain of the railway.” zz
Rail AllianceTel: +44 (0) 1789 720 026Email: [email protected]: www.railalliance.co.uk
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Network Rail plant show at the Rail Alliance’s headquarters in Long Marston
Rail Alliance Hub
Robert Hopkin, executive director of the Rail Alliance, Andrew Skidmore, Network Rail scheme
sponsor of Birmingham Gateway and Colin Flack, chief executive of the Rail Alliance
than a lobbying trade association and noting
that the organization was soon to play host
at its Long Marston headquarters to Network
Rail’s Track Innovation Showcase. The RA’s
current themes are: route to market and an
overarching need to find a better way to gain
product acceptance. Colin then outlined the
£22 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply
Chain Initiative (AMSCI) collaboration being led
by Productiv which aims to develop, validate,
certify and generally de-risk new low-carbon
technologies for rail.
Railway Strategies’ seventh annual
supply chain conference, hosted in
association with the Rail Alliance, was
held on Thursday 27th June 2013
at the Royal Geographical Society, London.
Conference chair Colin Flack, chief executive of
the Rail Alliance, welcomed the many delegates
gathered in the prestigious surroundings
ahead of a fascinating day’s programme. The
proceedings commenced with an overview of
the Rail Alliance, emphasizing its credentials as
an enabling B2B networking organization rather
Inspiring excellence
For its seventh edition, Railway Strategies
Live moved to a prestigious new venue
in London and brought together an impressive line-up of speakers and
exhibitors under the banner of how to create
a modern railway for the next generation
Railway Strategies Live 2013 in association with the Rail Alliancewas sponsored by: Gold TBM
Silver AchillesComply Serve
Bronze Baldwin BoxallDilax Systems UK LtdMorson GroupRailway Industry AssociationSelectequipTrack Access ServicesVan Elle Rail
44 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Railway Strategies 2013Live
The exhibition area stimulated discussionThe terrace proved popular for networking over lunch
The Hi-Tech Rail ProjectThis then led neatly to the introduction to
Birmingham University’s Prof. Clive Roberts
who had just been awarded European funding
for the Hi-Tech Rail Project to support SMEs in
the West Midlands through focused knowledge
transfer. The aim of the project, which also
involves the Rail Alliance, is to bridge the ‘valley
of death’ between basic research and product
development and scale-up. With reference
to Technology Readiness Levels on a scale
of 1-9, Prof. Roberts gave several examples
of technologies that had been developed
and which were now proceeding towards the
scale-up phase: track condition monitoring;
conductor shoe monitoring; points monitoring;
and traffic management simulation. Professor
Roberts is now keen to hear from ten SMEs in
the West Midlands who could benefit from this
project’s funding ([email protected]).
TBM (Gold Sponsor)Richard Holland’s contention is that mature
Continuous Improvement (CI) companies grow
faster. He also said that around
50 per cent of executives say their CI initiatives
are “not or somewhat effective” at helping
achieve operational or market objectives.
Commitment frequently wanes in year three
of a CI programme. The point is, however,
change is not just about tools, it is about
people. Toyota’s people strategy is: “Brilliant
process management is our strategy. We
get brilliant results from average people
managing brilliant processes. We observe
that our competitors often get average (or
worse) results from brilliant people managing
broken processes.” Richard went on to
discuss the cascading of KPIs to the point of
impact, thinking of processes as patients, and
measuring the health of the process. He then
considered some examples of CI in action,
e.g. equipment overhaul improvements, design
change time reduction, visual fleet planning
improvement, pit-stop maintenance, resource
planning, passenger flow, train turnaround time
reduction, ticket office process improvement,
and food preparation process improvement.
In his final segment Richard cited the case
of the acquisitive Danaher company, whose
watchword is ‘Kaizen is our way of life’. The
company’s financial performance speaks for
itself and presents a powerful argument in
favour of CI, which requires a deep emotional
commitment at all levels through deployment:
change yourself, not others.
A view from the next generationThe Young Railway Professionals (YRP) was
formed in 2009 with the aim of bringing
together young people from across all sectors
of the railway industry. Their current chairman,
Dr Martyn Chimera joined the industry in
2008. At that time it was evident that ‘senior
members’ of the industry had many networking
opportunities not open to younger employees.
There seemed to be a gap, post-privatisation,
as companies facilitated internal networking
and the institutions facilitated networking on a
disciplinary level. The opportunity to network
across sectors and companies did not really
exist. The YRP seeks to plug this gap and
now has 1300 members. The YRP aims
to promote the railway industry to the next
generation (through an ambassador system),
to inspire young railway professionals (by
providing access to senior industry figures),
and to bring together young people from all
sectors and companies in the railway industry
(through events, fundraisers, social networking
etc). Martyn then gave his view of the industry
(healthy) and public perception of the industry
(often negative), which he put down to a
lack of public relations effort. We are facing
an ageing workforce so must counter the
negatives through such initiatives as the YRP
ambassador approach, and the YRP Awards
which recognise achievements. In summing
up Martyn stated his ideal legacy for a future
generation: a positive perception of the railway
industry; continuous long-term investment;
manageable debt; and innovation.
Collaborative AssuranceComply Serve’s founder, Chris Rolison,
presented his view of how to demonstrate
value for money through collaborative
assurance. Who is looking at assurance? The
Government’s Major Projects Authority (MPA)
certainly is, seeing it as “a new mandatory
system of assurance … to reduce the
financial risk to the taxpayer and increase
the likelihood of successful project delivery.”
They define assurance as follows: “The role of
assurance is to provide information to those
that sponsor, govern and manage a project
to help them make better informed decisions
which reduce the causes of project failure,
promote the conditions for success and deliver
improved outcomes.” The McNulty Report
also says: “...ensure a clear programme
assurance strategy and detailed assurance
approach that progressively demonstrates
that the programme is on course to deliver the
benefits’. Network Rail says that “In its simplest
zzRailway Strategies 2013Live
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 45
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Railway Strategies 2013Live
Colin Flack chaired
Railway Strategies Live once again
Prof. Clive Roberts
Richard Holland
Martyn Chimera
Chris Rolison
next five years. There is a huge list of projects
ranging from additional route electrification
to the Northern Hub. Safety improvements
continue to be a priority. Network Rail will
be challenged to achieve excellence in
asset management, with more money being
released once progress is visible on civs
structures and climate resilience. Passenger
will benefit from greater reliability and station
investments; freight operators will benefit from
the strategic freight network and infrastructure
improvements. Network Rail will aim to avoid
any procurement hiatus between CP4 and
CP5 by earlier requirement signalling. The
final determination, following feedback from
Network Rail, will be due in the autumn.
Enabling innovation“Innovation is not invention” – so began
David Clarke, director of the Enabling
Innovation Team (EIT), part of the Technology
Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG). EIT
helps to facilitate demonstrator projects
and innovation across the rail industry – it is
the delivery arm of the TSLG. In turn, TSLG
takes direction from Rail Delivery Group and
is facilitated by RSSB. UK rail is a success
story with increasing expectations and new
opportunities for the supply chain. Europe
represents the largest part of a £100 billion
global rail market. EIT was set up to help
address the innovation gap and to de-risk
innovation in order to improve outcomes.
Some £10 million per annum is available for
this purpose to co-invest with innovators
now, with £50 million available in CP5, to
be leveraged to £80-100 million. There is
strategic ‘pull’ from the RDG, R&D ‘push’
from TSLG, RSSB, RRUK and Network
Rail and supplier response provided by the
Rail Industry/Innovation Association and
Rail Alliance, all being enabled by the EIT,
the Technology Strategy Board, and the
Transport Catapult. The EIT’s ‘service offer’
currently takes the form of Radical Train
form, assurance will demonstrate that what
we say we are doing is what we are actually
doing, and this in turn will match what we are
supposed to be doing.” The MPA assurance
measurements are: time, cost, quality,
scope, risk and benefit (variance against
business justification). The Collaborative
Assurance approach delivers: systematic
capture of assurance information to improve
project performance; a single source of
knowledge for projects to easily access
lessons produced by assurance; improved
visibility of the health of projects – with
fewer surprises; and transparent reporting
of assurance across project organisations.
As a consequence, assurance reduces
financial risk and increases opportunity to
demonstrate value for money.
Achilles Link-up Engage and beyondA year ago, at Railway Strategies Live
2012, Annette Gevaert, the UK director of
Achilles’ rail and transport sector, announced
that Link-up Engage would be launched
in 2013 – and that has now become fact.
Advances incorporated in the new version
include a modern user interface, onscreen
feedback, a shorter questionnaire, and it
features a cross-community platform to
reduce duplication between, say rail and
utilities. Buyers now have a more flexible
search suite and there are new collaborative
features such as Additional Questions.
Savings of some £5 million per year are
expected by using this easier process. Next
it will be the turn of the audit process to
be overhauled. Industry consultation has
started and a rollout programme is planned
for autumn this year. Annette then turned to
ways in which even more efficiencies can
be achieved, such as using the information
available to further reduce company-
specific PQQs, reducing the duplication of
audits, recognition of third parties and other
assurance regimes, and using the strength
of the community to also address other risk
areas, e.g. financial, sustainability. Finally,
Annette turned to collaborative supply
chain management, citing the recent horse
meat scandal, Bangladesh garment factory
tragedy, and the interruption to automotive
supplies caused by crises in Japan. 40 per
cent of businesses have no visibility of their
suppliers’ suppliers. The automotive industry
has developed a supply chain mapping tool
to address this issue. Rail should take note!
The ORR’s draft determinationMaking his second consecutive appearance
at Railway Strategies Live, ORR’s chief
executive Richard Price gave a spirited
resumé of the recently published ‘draft
determination’ of Network Rail’s programme
for Control Period 5 (2014-2019). Network
Rail is currently experiencing the pressures
of growth and the industry is now seeing
variable punctuality. The CP5 settlement
will contribute to counteracting decades
of underinvestment and will benefit both
passengers and freight. Network Rail will
be challenged on asset management and
encouraged to work collaboratively with
customers. Passenger numbers have risen
50 per cent over the last decade and freight
is expected to grow 10-20 per cent in the
next five years. Whilst passenger satisfaction
is high and the industry’s safety record is
good, there is no cause for complacency.
We need to keep raising efficiency, keep
increasing customer satisfaction, keep
improving asset reliability, and TOCs & FOCs
need to work together in a more commercial
way. ORR has produced a “balanced
package” with some tricky challenges and
some flexibility. A PPM of 92.5 per cent will
be required. Enhancement and improvement
funds will amount to £12 billion over the
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Railway Strategies 2013Live
46 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Annette Gevaert
Richard Price
David Clarke
Demonstrators, the £1 million Customer
Experience Prize, Independently Powered
EMU, Open expressions of interest, and
Testing Vouchers worth five days of testing
with two days of engineering time at a cost
of £750. Other approaches to ‘de-risking by
innovation’ include strategic, co-funded, and
Angel investor (for a royalty return). David also
reviewed other innovation activity and challenge
workshops before highlighting the study
underway to map capabilities and markets
for the rail sector, covering heavy rail, metro,
light rail and tram. Finally he described the
Innovation Guidance Tool which has now been
launched with its various filtering options to aid
identification of guidance, advice or funding for
ideas.
Crossrail – the story so farCrossrail’s CEO, Andrew Wolstenholme
presented an object lesson in how to deliver a
new railway, and, moreover, one that involves a
vast amount of civil engineering and tunnelling.
The complexity of the project and the scale of
the equipment involved are both staggering.
The railway is projected to bring £42 billion
of benefits, employ 14000 people, feature 24
ten-car trains per hour and provide 200 million
journeys per year. To date, 13,882m of tunnel
have been bored under London. Vast station
boxes have been created at e.g. Canary Wharf
and Woolwich. Oversite developments are
being planned and executed. Rolling stock is
being put out to tender. The project has been
subjected to rigorous economic, environmental
and social scrutiny and is being delivered by
a team of what Andrew refers repeatedly to
as “pioneers”. The project has five key tenets:
safety – first and foremost; inspiration – belief
in the power to change things for the better;
collaboration – we’re stronger together;
integrity – we keep our promises; respect –
we treat people as we’d like to be treated.
The project has learned from CTRL, T5 and
the 2012 Olympics and will leave a legacy for
Crossrail 2, the Thames tunnel etc., notably
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 47
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Railway Strategies 2013Livethrough TUCA, the tunnelling academy in
Ilford. The whole programme is moving surely
and certainly towards its phased opening in
2018/2019.
Modernising the London UndergroundIn the final presentation of the day, David
Waboso, London Underground’s director of
capital programmes, talked about how to
create a sustainable railway to last another
150 years. London is at the heart of the UK
economy but its transport system assets are
ageing and often well beyond their economic
life. Demand is outstripping supply on the
Underground network. There is a programme
of total planned growth of 50 per cent in
progress, and several improvements such as
the Northern line upgrade are on the horizon.
Much has been delivered – Victoria line
upgrade, ELL extension on the Overground,
S8 fleet in service on the SSR – and much
remains to be done, such as station upgrades
at Bond Street, Victoria, Tottenham Court
Road and Paddington. The introduction of
new standardised rolling stock for the deep
level Tube is to come, providing a total system
improvement. David is passionate about
keeping successful teams together and not
disbanding them at regular intervals (an act
of vandalism he says). Only this way can
long-term benefits accrue from the combined
experience of the team members. The notable
reduction in core signalling upgrade costs for
the Northern line is testament to that, with
even greater reductions predicted for the
SSL upgrade. And if we could only achieve
‘right first time’ engineering then costs would
tumble dramatically. London Underground
has also realised the folly of abandoning its
apprenticeship programmes two or more
decades ago and is now establishing an active
programme once more.
In conclusionThe formal proceedings concluded with a
panel discussion involving the day’s speakers
(and others) taking questions from the floor.
Following this, Colin Flack thanked the
speakers for their excellent contributions,
as well as sponsors and exhibitors for their
support, and delegates for making the day a
success. zz
For information about attending or participating
in next year’s event, please contact Mark Cawston:
Railway StrategiesTel: 01603 274 130
Email: [email protected]
Andrew Wolstenholme
David Waboso
48 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz
Opportunities for higher education in rail freight and logistics
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NewRail – the Newcastle Railway Research Centre – launches a modern, research-based MSc in rail freight and logistics. MARIN MARINOV explains further...
T he world is changing fast. The global rail freight
and logistics industry is no exception. More
skills are needed for railway professionals
and logisticians than ever before, which
necessitates a higher level of qualifications to be
continuously developed.
Recent surveys conducted within the context of two
rail education-focused projects revealed that 72 per
cent of respondents believe that more people will work
in railway positions in their company three years from
now: a significant potential for railway higher education
in the future.
Future rail freight professionals who serve in the
industry must be able to master increasing levels of
new information technologies, innovative approaches
and system complexities which differ from the
historical concepts and practices that concentrated
more on orthodox methods. Such a critical need
must be addressed in rail higher education to include
modern logistics principles and practices.
The university programmes in rail freight and
logistics should be more globally oriented, employing
an interdisciplinary approach and promotion of
transferable skills such as creativity, R&D, innovation
and flexibility.
The surveys also found that higher education
in rail operations, management and logistics will
benefit both service users and providers in improving
their economic performance and trade facilitation.
Individuals will also be benefited for their prospective
career paths.
In response, NewRail has designed a modern,
research-based MSc in rail freight and logistics. The
programme aims to develop the student’s ability to
initiate and carry out advanced performance systems
analysis, and research projects to solve managerial
and engineering-related problems in rail freight and
logistics. Specifically, the programme aims to equip
graduates with the skills and qualifications necessary to
pursue a management and/or engineering career in rail
freight and logistics.
The programme places an emphasis on the growing
interest in rail freight services and the international
aspect of logistics, as both of these promote a more
mature distribution of freight. Alongside this, freight
transport planners and managers will be provided with
the chance to view rail freight and logistics together,
from a wider perspective, allowing them to appreciate
the increasing importance of rail freight and logistics
policy and practices both national and international for
a sustainable future.
The programme was designed with the purpose of:
l Preparing students to engage in life-long learning
and critical enquiry with skills in research and
knowledge acquisition and an appreciation of the value
of education to the wider community
l Providing students with internationally recognised
qualifications, which meet the requirements of the
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications and of
other benchmark statements for applicability of output
standards to Master Degrees
l Provide the global rail and logistics industry with
employable and enterprising graduates prepared
for taking on managerial, operational, commercial
technical, and financial responsibilities.
The programme provides opportunities for
students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and
understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in
the following areas:
1. Railway engineering
2. Rail freight operations and management
3. Rail economics and planning
4. Freight transport logistics
5. Rail transport policy, safety and security
6. Inter/multi-modal freight transport
7. Rail project risk and value management.
The learning outcome from the programme is a
sound understanding of rail management, engineering
and logistics concepts, operations, economics,
technologies and policies and practice, with a focus on
effective freight distributions.
The degree programme is innovative in character,
Training
Dr. Marin Marinov is the manager of NewRail’s Rail
Education Group
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 49
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integrating research-based teaching activities such
as independent studies, team and independent
assignments and workshop assignments.
Specifically the programme includes a range of multi-
disciplinary activities such as: lectures with discussion;
major research projects; panel of experts; analytical
and simulation modelling; performance analysis, case
studies; scenarios; surveys; lean production systems,
systems design, evaluation of network policy and
strategy, optimisation of investment choice, economic
assessment; road mapping; web conferences and
technical visits.
The programme framework provides a multi-
disciplinary multi-cultural environment to learn and
develop the skills and qualifications necessary to
pursue a management and/or engineering career in
rail management, engineering and business logistics
at large. zz
For further information, visit: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/newrail/education/msc.htm
NewRail would like to acknowledge the support of the
European Commission, who provided the majority of
the funding for the development of this MSc course.
Tel: 0191 222 3976Email: [email protected]: www.newrail.org
Bookings Team 020 7500 6900 www.expressmedicals.co.uk
rail medicalsDRUG & ALCOHOLwellbeing OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
counselling PHYSIOTHERAPYblood testing & vaccinationsTRAINING SERVICES
Looking after the health of your business
Follow us on twitter@ExpressMedicals
50 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
How to build a younger workforce Customer service and personal development training will help passenger transport
sector build a younger workforce, says SHARON GLANCY
P assenger transport companies need to
invest specifically in customer service
and personal development training to
retain the next generation of workers,
finds the People 1st Training Company Retention
Index (Ref.1).
The recent State of the Nation 2013 report
(Ref. 2) from People 1st, the sector skills council
for the passenger transport and travel sectors,
showed that the next big challenge for the sector
will be recruiting younger workers to replace an
ageing workforce. The Retention Index shows the
type of training that will make a difference to the
people who are entering the industry.
“We know that the next big challenge for the
sector is attracting the next generation of workers.
But beyond attraction, they also need to start
thinking about the things that will keep them in the
long-term,” comments Sharon Glancy, managing
director of the People 1st Training Company.
“Training can have a positive financial impact too
– we know from our State of the Nation report
that 48 per cent of passenger transport and travel
businesses that trained staff in the last 12 months
saw their financial turnover increase.”
The Retention Index found that almost three
quarters (74 per cent) of HR directors and training
managers feel that personal development training
can have the highest impact on retention, followed
by people/team management (55 per cent) and
soft skills/customer service (54 per cent). This is
compelling when the State of the Nation Report
revealed that 81 per cent of employers identified
customer service skills as the most important for
their business in the next three to five years.
Sharon Glancy says: “People 1st’s State of the
Nation report showed that only about
35 per cent of passenger transport and travel
businesses provide training based on personal
development needs, and yet this has been
identified by the Retention Index as the most
important training need that is most likely to
have an impact on staff retention, so there is a
mismatch between what employers know and
what they choose to invest their training
budget on.
“This research shows that skills like customer
service and team management are among
the most valued by staff and not only do they
meet key skills needs for passenger transport
businesses, but they can also have an impact
on retention. This is something we’ve known at
the People 1st Training Company for quite some
time – employers who have used our WorldHost
customer service training programmes have told
us that their staff feel they have been invested
in when they undertake the training and the
business has seen staff motivation improve as a
result. In addition, our Management 1st training
programme helps managers – particularly new
managers – address some of the challenges they
face. When their employer invests in this training,
they feel more valued and supported.
“In terms of personal development, we also
offer train the trainer programmes, which help
people develop the skills to deliver effective
training – again, many delegates see this as a real
investment in their skills and future career.”
The HR directors and training managers
surveyed say that frontline staff are the type of
employee most likely to stay by being offered
regular and relevant training – the group with the
highest percentage of current turnover
(23 per cent on average). To improve retention
respondents felt that their training budgets would
need to increase by an average of 43 per cent.
Based on current spend, passenger transport
companies would need to spend £2300 a year
on each member of frontline staff to retain those
joining the industry now.
Sharon Glancy says: “With such a clear need
for entry-level staff we want to help passenger
transport organisations direct investment into the
kind of training that will retain the right level of
employee. This is fundamental to building a
younger workforce.” zz
ReferencesRef. 1: The Retention Index research was
conducted by independent research company
Illuma in May 2013. One hundred telephone
interviews were conducted amongst HR directors
and training managers across a range of
leisure-based industries including passenger
transport industries.
Ref. 2: State of the Nation Report 2013
Passenger Transport and Travel is the second
report from People 1st that surveys more than
1400 employers in the sector to analyse current
labour market trends, skills and education and
training needs.
Sharon Glancy
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Training
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 51
New research conducted for O2 by
expert analysts Conlumino found that
passenger services companies, such as
rail and bus operators, are struggling to
harness digital technologies despite the fact that
the majority of passenger spend – 64 per cent –
is now influenced by these digital channels.
From comparing prices and planning routes in
advance to checking for delays whilst travelling,
mobile apps and online sites are now a crucial
part of a passenger’s journey. Whilst 30 per cent
of transport operators think they are doing a good
job in adapting to new technology, customers
disagree, with 96 per cent of consumers
dissatisfied by some aspect of their digital
journey:
l A large majority (84 per cent) are confused
by websites and apps
l 87 per cent are frustrated by the lack of
real time travel information
l Almost nine out of ten are annoyed when
prices aren’t consistent across different outlets,
highlighting the need for a truly multichannel
experience
With the number of Brits planning ‘Staycations’
rising year on year, bus, rail and coach companies
are set to benefit from the millions of additional
journeys being made over the summer months.
This presents passenger transport operators with
an opportunity to boost their bottom line through
digital engagement. The study shows:
l Digital is the preferred way to find
passenger transport operators: Over
80 per cent of people have used digital channels
to plan journeys and look up prices
l The station is no longer the place for
purchases: more people are now buying tickets
via websites and apps (66 per cent) than in
person or over the phone (53 per cent)
l Real-time information crucial: 65 per cent
have used digital methods to check for travel
news updates – four times the number of people
who still rely on more traditional services such as
station updates or over the phone information
Passengers are telling the industry what they
want; a more informed, integrated experience,
where they can manage tickets and access
Digital frustration costing passenger transport industry £1.2 billion
current information, not only about their journey
but the destination too. Companies such as rail
and bus operators need to keep pace with the
rapid evolution of mobile technology and ensure
the right support is in place to adapt and ensure
passengers can receive real-time updates on
any device.
The rapid evolution of mobile technology has
the power to transform the passenger services
industry. Data and analytics tools are available
to provide a deeper insight into passengers’
behaviour and needs to inform marketing plans
and improve services overall. Mobile technology
is becoming indispensable to employees too;
companies that equip teams with smart devices
and the right digital tools will be ahead of the game
in delivering a seamless and enjoyable service for
passengers. zz
The passenger transport industry may be missing out on sales to the tune of £1.2 billion by failing to connect
effectively with customers digitally, says O2
Anna Holness, managing partner of O2’s Passenger
Services commented: “Nearly all of us have used some
form of digital technology to plan journeys or buy tickets, so
we understand how convenient digital services can be in today’s
busy world. The industry is making efforts to provide passengers
with the digital tools they want; however there is still room for
improvement. The priority now is to create a seamless experience
for the customer offering real-time, multichannel information
which will ultimately improve the passenger journey.”
Ben Dowd, head of business at O2 commented:
“Passenger transport companies have embraced many aspects of
digital, but there is still a huge amount of scope to transform the
services provided to passengers. With the arrival of 4G, ubiquitous connectivity will only make these
technologies more central to the consumer experience. From
providing reliable real-time information and ensuring customer
services embrace social media, to creating a consistent multichannel
experience online and en-route, the impact of successful digital services
will be the deciding factor when it comes to engaging and retaining
customers.”
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzCommunications
which provides the basis on which all of the
other divisions depend, Offshore, Highways,
Mouldings, Sports & Play and Biomed, and this
innovation and diversity has been the driving
force behind the company’s success.
Until relatively recently Rosehill would have
been an unfamiliar name to most in the UK rail
industry but the company actually developed
the method of cold curing rubber crossing
panels as far back as 1994. At that time
Rosehill’s chairman Michael Hopkinson was
approached by an American company Riedel
Omni to improve the production methods of
their rubber crossing panels which were being
manufactured by vulcanisation using high levels
of energy, taking 17 to 20 hours to produce
and de-mould each panel.
After successful trials in the US, Riedel Omni
adopted the Rosehill method of manufacture
improving their production output enormously
by reducing the production cycle to one hour.
In 1999 Riedel Omni closed and Rosehill
acquired their mould technology, designing and
Rosehill Rail designs and produces
rubber railway crossing systems for
rail authorities throughout the world
and is the largest manufacturer of
rubber crossing panels in the UK. These panels
are manufactured from a blend of recycled
tyre rubbers without heat and are chemically
bonded under pressure and de-moulded in
25 minutes, which is a clean, quick and energy
efficient method of manufacture.
Furthermore Rosehill crossing panels do not
pose any risk to the environment, do not react
with soil or water and will not leach chemicals
or emit any harmful vapours or odours into the
atmosphere. They are marketed in the UK by
Holdfast Level Crossings and branded with the
Holdfast name.
The Rosehill Rail team is dedicated to
meeting rail customers’ needs by providing a
service that operates on a global basis. It is
also a division of the Rosehill Polymers group
who are world leaders in the production of
polyurethane systems. It is this expertise,
52 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzROSEHILL RAIL
With nearly 20 years’ experience,
Rosehill Rail’s manufacturing
process yields superior railway crossing panels
Rosy outlook
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 53
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crossing grade, rail type, sleeper type, fastener
and year of manufacture, which makes it easy
to check on site that the panels meet the
required specifications.
The first of these is the Rosehill Baseplated
System, which is ideal for shorter crossings
and for cutting into turnouts and tight bends
that are particularly found in tram and city
rail systems, something few others can
accomplish. The panels can be made in
various grades to suit traffic conditions, from
heavy traffic to track access or pedestrian and
have approval in many countries including
Network Rail in the UK.
The Rosehill Rodded System has been
designed particularly for heavy traffic and
extreme situations but can be employed in any
road crossing. The principle is both simple and
ingenious; each panel is manufactured over
length and by means of rods moulded within
the panels is compressed down to 1.8 metres
long and held under compression during its
lifespan.
The advantages are that dimensional
stability is maintained in all conditions
irrespective of temperature fluctuations and the
pre-compressed panel combats compressive
set from the wheel tracks of heavy, high speed
vehicles which over an extended period can
result in distortion and gapping. The panels
can be manufactured for wide, standard or
narrow gauge and are particularly useful for
longer crossings and those at an acute angle
to the road. They also come with Network Rail
approval and that of other countries.
Both systems are quick and simple to install,
building a plant at the Beech Road factory
to manufacture the panels.
The moulds were re-engineered for the
new Rosehill process including fitting hydraulic
systems to each mould in order to employ an
efficient production process. As such the initial
investment was in excess of £2,000,000.
During its long history in the rail industry
Rosehill has amassed a wealth of experience
working with a range of global rail infrastructure
companies and operators on a wide variety
of projects. The knowledge and experience
gained has enabled Rosehill to provide
crossing solutions that are perfectly tailored to
any requirement.
For example Rosehill manufactures two
systems which are made to fit the contours of
the track taking into consideration the sleeper
profile, rail type, fastener and gauge and can
accommodate gauge widening, check rails
and tight radii.
Each panel is marked when moulded so
that it can be clearly read from above i.e. the
Rosy outlook
Sheffield Supertram Baseplated Crossing Rosehill Rodded Crossing system
Rosehill Anti-Trespass Panel
as demonstrated by the initial installation for the
Rodded System’s Network Rail trial, which can
be viewed on the Rosehill website
(www.rosehill rail.com) where all the timings
are logged. As part of the installation process
Rosehill Lifting Pins have been designed
specifically for use with both systems and
each set is accompanied by the appropriate
test certificate and instructions for use and
maintenance. Two sets can be used in tandem
to install the gauge panels which form a natural
tent shape ideal for lowering straight into the
gauge.
A further development from the Rosehill
range is the new improved design of rubber
Anti-Trespass panel which is in extensive use
throughout the UK rail network. The panels can
be incorporated at the ends of level crossings
or on station platforms. The new design
incorporates more diverse mouldings making
them both a physical and visual deterrent to
trespassers, cable thieves, etc.
Manufacture is controlled by detailed
operating instructions. All associated
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 55
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ROSEHILL RAIL
documentation, including technical
specifications and bills of material are
controlled by documented procedures as
detailed in the company Quality Systems
Manual. Rosehill operates a quality
assurance system complying with the
international standard ISO9001:2008
which is audited annually by the National
Quality Assurance board. The process is
computer controlled and operated by a
fully trained experienced staff
and maintained under contract by
specialist engineers.
Traceability is achieved by recording on
computer the production data, weight check
and visual check of each panel at the time of
manufacture. Each panel can be traced to the
order and manufacturing batch. This enables
checking against the engineering drawings if
needed at a later date.
Rosehill Rail is looking forward to a positive
future in terms of growth. The product range is
proven and Rosehill Rail is working with many
new partners around the world to develop new
markets. This will not only lead to Rosehill Rail
crossings being seen more widely in use but it
will also help railway administrations to achieve
savings over existing monopolistic sourcing,
by introducing more competition into the
market place.
Another positive aspect is that existing
Rosehill Rail distributors are continuing
to achieve growth at a time of worldwide
economic downturn. This reflects well on the
product range as more customers realise
the benefits of using Rosehill level crossing
systems.
Rosehill Rail has attended Railtex in London
and IAF in Munster so far this year. Both of
these rail exhibitions have resulted in excellent
feedback and sales opportunities.
Other rail exhibitions where Rosehill Rail will
be present are: Nordic Rail, Sweden
(8-10 October 2013) and Eurasia Rail, Turkey
(6-8 March 2014). Rosehill Rail looks forward to
welcoming new and existing customers to their
stand at these and other major rail events. zz
Web: www.rosehillrail.com
Rosehill Rail stand at Railtex 2013
Supertram pedestrian crossing
Manufacturing plant
As a Distribution Network Operator
(DNO), UK Power Networks’ role is to
take electricity at high voltages from the
National Grid and transform it down to
suitable voltages for commercial and domestic
use. The company is responsible for three
such networks, in the East of England, London
and the South-East, which together use more
than 160,000 kilometres of underground cable
and overhead lines to distribute electricity. As
such, the company works to ensure that this
infrastructure continues to deliver 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year.
As an independent operating arm under this
parent, UK Power Networks Services (UKPN
Services) develops and maintains business-
critical energy networks for a variety of sectors.
This includes long-term maintenance contracts
for airports such as London Heathrow, London
Stansted and London Gatwick, defence
contracts such as Project Allenby/Connaught,
iconic commercial premises and significant
rail projects.
Specifically UKPN Services designed,
financed, and built, and the company now
operates and maintains the High Speed 1
(HS1) electrical infrastructure on a 50-year
contract. The company also delivered the
electrical work for the Lewisham extension of
the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and has
completed several projects on the London
Underground including the Victoria Line
upgrade programme.
Presently UKPN Services is bringing its
expertise to London Underground’s sub-
surface lines modernisation scheme and
various Network Rail programmes including
Thameslink and power supply upgrades.
Thameslink in particular has continued to
progress well with UKPN Services supporting
several phases of the scheme, including Key
56 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzUK POWER NETWORKS
Making the connectionMaking the connectionHaving welcomed the announcements surrounding electrification, UK Power Networks Services has the team to deliver such programmes
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 57
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzOutput 1 and Key Output 2.
The company’s main remit has been the
construction of a new DC substation close
to Blackfriars station, which will enable the
changeover of the route from AC overhead
traction to DC third rail.
Adrian Dixon, head of business development
and projects at UKPN Services, said: “While
delivering this we encountered some challenges
when undertaking the foundations, which
created a 12-week delay. However, by working
together with the client, we still managed to bring
in the project two weeks early.
“We are strongly embedded with the client,
which we believe enables us to overcome issues
more easily, should they arise, by working out
a solution together. Likewise, we also like to be
involved with projects from an early stage as it
means we can contribute our experience and
help influence the approach to be the
best possible.”
At the beginning of the year, UKPN Services
was successful in gaining a position on Network
Making the connection
@
UltraeleCtroniCS
Rail SystemsUltra Electronics - PMES supplies high quality DC power products for traction applications to customers around the world. Ultra can supply both substation equipment (including transformer rectifier units) and complete turnkey DC substation systems. The electrical and mechanical designs are commercially competitive, based on decades of refinement, supported by cutting edge software tools, and fully conform with both UK and International standards and practices.
Business StreamsPower & Control •(DEfEnCE)Power & Control •(InDUStrIal & EnErgy)rail SyStemS & tranSformerS•SenSorS•
ContactUltra Electronics PMESTowers Business Park | Wheelhouse RoadRugeley | Staffordshire | WS15 1UZ | UKTel: +44 (0)1889 503300Fax: +44 (0)1889 572929Email: [email protected]
advanced power electronics products, systems and services for use worldwide in ships, submarines and mass transit systems.
www.ultra-pmes.com
Rail’s Power Distribution System programme
in Kent. Due for completion by July 2016, this
project is still in its early phases but work will
include renewal of switchgear and upgrading of
electrical infrastructure at 39 substations and
21 traction power huts. Furthermore, more than
50 kilometres of electricity cable will also be
designed and installed.
As in many of its projects, UKPN Services
prides itself on its ability to provide a completely
integrated service from early consultancy and
design, to supply, engineering, construction,
installation, testing and commissioning. In many
cases this also extends to on-going operation
and maintenance.
“Although each industry is different in terms
of its regulations, procedures or geographical
constraints, the principles of taking energy from
Point A to Point B remain the same in many
sectors,” said Adrian. “As such we are able to
learn across our business to take aspects that
work in one industry and apply it to the benefit
of another.”
In order to widen this offering even further,
UKPN Services is currently developing a
partnership with Colas Rail Limited, which will
enable it to combine its core skills, expertise
and technologies for specific projects.
Stewart Dawson, director of UKPN Services,
said: “We specialise in the non-trackside power
supply from the DNO connection but, in order
to offer an end-to-end solution, Colas brings
in its trackside expertise. The intention is that
in this way we will be able to offer a one-stop-
shop for electrification.”
“We’re also looking at innovation. One
company we’re talking to is ABB, regarding the
innovative ideas that we could bring to the rail
sector, not only for new-build projects but also
existing assets where we could offer efficiencies
such as reducing electricity costs or losses.
“In this way we have a team working with
HS1 to look at a regenerative braking scheme
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 59
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz UK POWER NETWORKS
Ultra ElectronicsUltra Electronics is an internationally successful company with a long, consistent track record of development and growth.A world leader in power systems for mass transport, Ultra has enjoyed a sustaining, positive relationship with UK Power Networks. As part of its ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction and growth, Ultra continues to work closely with UK Power Networks to further develop this co-operation
Sonic Rail Services (SRS) Ltd have over the last 10 years developed a strong working relationship with UKPNS (formerly EDFE). This started in earnest during the Power Supply Upgrade undertaken between 2003 and 2006. SRS were the principle DC contractor for SABCo, the joint venture between Balfour Beatty and the then named EDFE.
Following on from the Upgrade SRS maintained the close ties with EDFE and latterly renamed UKPNS. The relationship has developed further over time with SRS not only servicing the DC cabling installation works but undertaking GRIP 4 and GRIP 5 design works on behalf of UKPNS, supplying significant project management resource as part of preliminary teams or actual UKPNS core team members for the major projects. SRS have also expanded into completing HV works for UKPNS, with collaborative working the strengths of both company’s skill sets and resources can be realised to deliver other elements of a project together and efficiently.
As such SRS and UKPNS have and continue to integrate their teams to enable the delivery of a broad spectrum of projects and with our collective involvement manage the rigorous process from cradle to grave. Some of the schemes may have been relatively minor however the two companies have virtually partnered on the delivery of some significant projects, some of which are ongoing. Ludgate Cellars SubstationIneer London Substation UpgradesBlackfriars StationKent PSEWaterloo Upgrade
UKPNS ETE/ETM PWAY / BRIDGE TRANSPORT & PLANT
Delivering QualityInfrastructure Services
Head Office01621 784 688
London Office0207 921 0545
Email:[email protected]
Webwww.sonicrail.co.uk
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 61
and similarly with London Underground looking
at inverter trials. This is an area that we’d like
to progress further in order to create more
efficiency and savings for the railway and
our clients.”
Perhaps of greatest interest, though, has
been the recent announcements regarding
investment into electrification. “It is good to
see the rail industry investing, not only for us
as a country but the UK as the whole, as in the
past it’s not had the level needed to transform
it into a 21st century railway,” said Adrian. “The
electrification programme, the Great Western
electrification programme, the electrification
and plant (E&P) works in the South – all those
things are of interest to us.
“Further ahead we have High Speed 2 (HS2).
Given that we are the only UK company that
has built a power system for a high-speed line
in this country, we have a lot of knowledge in
this area and therefore view this as an exciting
opportunity.”
The challenge the industry now faces is
not the volume of work but finding the skilled
personnel to deliver this. UKPN Services
has always benefited from a fully-qualified
and certified workforce but is continuing to
invest in this at all levels in order to meet the
requirements of tomorrow.
“There is a major skills shortage across the
whole of the UK, which means the industry is
even looking outside of Europe to recruit the
necessary expertise,” said Stewart.
“Therefore, we are focusing strongly on the
next generation of those skills and forward
planning to be able to recruit the right people
now, working with universities, schools and
colleges to encourage young people to take
that career path. Within our company we have
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz UK POWER NETWORKS
Founded in 1951, Transformers & Rectifiers Limited have supplied Transformer/Rectifier Units and Auxiliary Transformers to both Network Rail and London Underground over many years. Additionally the company has supplied similar equipment both nationally and internationally.
Our considerable strength in design and build of both standard and bespoke products, coupled with our geographical location close to the heart of the british railway industry gives us a distinct competitive edge.
Contact15-16 Woodbridge Meadows,Guildford, Surrey,England, GU1 1BJ
Tel: +44(0)1483 568281Fax: +44(0)1483 504961www.transformers.co.uk
An ISO 9001:2008 Accredited Company
training centres and recruitment campaigns
which we can use to deliver basic electrical
training before taking them through to get the
specialist skills needed to work in rail,”
he continued.
“Because power goes across the bounds of
different industries, in terms of being the same
volts and amps, we are able to move people
across for different industries and give them
that education in rail,” said Adrian. “It’s about
attracting those people into rail but at the same
time promoting and increasing the skills of our
present workforce.”
One of the ways in which UKPN Services
is looking to achieve this is through a focus
on safety. The company has embarked on a
new safety culture programme, which aims to
look at making sure safety is foremost in every
employee’s mind by the end of the year.
“It’s about bringing that culture into the way
people operate and think,” said Stewart. “Our
vision is to win more contracts and to deliver
the projects and objectives safely, on budget
and to a high quality. The main element of
that is staff and having the right people, which
to me is key for us to be able to develop the
relationship with our clients and therefore
secure more projects for the business.” zz
Web: www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk
62 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Foundation Piling ltd
Top of the pileSucceeding in the most
challenging environments, Foundation Piling Ltd is
an expert in foundation and piling solutions for restricted access areas
is able to respond to its customer requests
quickly and efficiently, anywhere in the UK
or Ireland.
From the beginning the company has
prided itself on innovation, leading the way
in terms of technically advanced, practical
ground engineering. Foundation Piling’s
extensive knowledge of soil behaviour and
unrivalled experience of challenging jobs
helps to minimise risks and enables it to
succeed in locations that are often considered
unworkable. It is for these reasons that the
company has developed a reputation as
the specialists’ specialist, and the go-to for
many site managers and civil engineers, as
well as frequently being called upon by other
companies to assist in resolving problems.
In doing so Foundation Piling can call
upon what is perhaps the UK’s largest, most
modern and versatile range of large diameter,
restricted access rigs. The company continually
assesses the latest equipment to bring the
most appropriate, up-to-date technology to
each project. In recent years this has included
new Soilmec SR70 and SF50 rigs together
with Tescar CF3 Ultra-Low Headroom Rotary
Rigs, all efficiently delivered to projects by
F oundation Piling Ltd was originally
formed in Birmingham in 1980 as
West Midland Piling and Foundations
Ltd, before relocating to Shropshire
in 1982. As today the company specialised
in providing piled foundations for civil
engineering and building projects, with
particular emphasis on restricted access
requirements. At the time the piled
underpinning market was in its infancy,
and as such the company quickly
developed its reputation.
With various other independent
companies with regional titles being
formed in the following years, it was
in 1993 that these were all brought
together under the Foundation Piling Ltd name.
As an independent company, Foundation Piling
Installation of ductile
piles in limited
headroom beneath
power transmission
cables for power
station
300 No 170mm diameter ductile piles at
Ely bridge. Replacement rail bridge piling
completed in three weeks for Kier Rail
Installation of bored piles for student accommodation constructed in limited access site adjacent to existing embankment
73 No 220mm diameter driven displacement piles for new footbridge installations adjacent to rail track
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 63
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztheir own transport fleet. Much of this is
designed specifically for restricted access, low
headroom, and difficult ground conditions. This
includes things like working under overhead
power lines, bridges & inside
existing structures.
Delivering the works are Foundation Piling’s
highly trained operatives, the majority of which
are based out of its purpose-built premises in
St Martins, Oswestry. The company maintains
a policy of continued training and personal
development, including participation in the
Investor In People scheme, to ensure that a
multi-skilled workforce is available at all times.
Each individual has the relevant qualifications
for any work they may undertake including
CSCS standard, with the foremen also
holding an NVQ Level 2 in Piling Operations
and SSSTS accreditation.
With each foundation project presenting
its own challenges, the wide range of
piling techniques offered by Foundation
Piling ensures that the most appropriate, and
economic, solution is selected. Amongst others
this includes CFA bored piling, rotary bored
piling, tripod piling, driven tubular and timber
piling, ductile piling, soil nails, screw piles and
anchors, and retaining wall construction.
Known as Continuous Flight Auger (CFA),
this method is the quietest form of piling and
suitable for forming piles in most types of
soil, including unstable ground, with minimal
environmental disturbance. It is an ideal
solution for noise and vibration sensitive work,
and for use on some restricted-access sites.
Also ideal for use on low headroom or tight
access sites are the company’s range of rotary
rigs, a number of which have low mast heights
particularly suited to piling adjacent to roads
and railways.
Another key technique employed by
Foundation Piling is tripod piling, with the
company currently the largest contractor
for this method in the UK. Most of the
components can be manually handled and
require very little mechanical assistance to
negotiate stairways and corridors making
tripod rigs preferable to tracked machines
in many restricted applications. Furthermore
Foundation Piling can also offer electrically
powered rigs, which can be used in confined
spaces without the need for fume extraction
systems.
For more challenging environments such as
rock or loose ground, the company can deliver
both rock drilled piles and anchors together
with soil nails that achieve exceptionally high
pile capabilities, whilst the driven ductile
steel tube system offers substantial support.
As such these systems are often used in
industrial works, house extensions, highways,
architectural environments and marine
applications. When it comes to the rail market
though, it is the quick installing screw piles
that are an ideal fit to the limited possession
times. These are capable of being installed
for temporary works, as well as complete
projects, and the ability to do so without the
need for concrete or grout greatly speeds up
the process.
As a business focused around the delivery of
solid and stable underpinnings, what has been
most important for Foundation Piling in its years
of operation is keeping its own foundations
strong. This means maintaining the long-held
values of innovation, quality, and expertise, that
will ensure the ground below remains secure as
the company builds its future. zz
Web: www.foundation-piling.co.uk
Top of the pileNDT Services Ltd
PILE INTEGRITY TESTING
DYNAMIC LOAD TESTING
STATIC PILE MAINTAINED LOAD TESTING
UK Office: Unit 32 Criftin Centre, Oxton Road, Epperstone, Nottinghamshire, NG14 6AT, UK Tel: www.ndt-piletesting.com
Ductile piles for new Tesco store adjacent to rail track at Lawrence Hill Bristol
64 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Civil Rail SolutionS
Plenty of manpowerProviding a wide spectrum of personnel solutions to the rail industry Civil Rail Solutions always delivers the right man for the job
later I had another four personnel onboard and
slowly it has grown from there,” he continues.
Over the years Civil Rail Solutions has
diversified from being just a labour entity for
the railway to also supplying the construction
sector. The company recognises there is a
need for the provision of high quality, skills
specific personnel to meet the exacting
requirements of the industry. Fully licensed,
with Link-up and ISO:9001 approval, Civil Rail
Solutions also offers an in-depth understanding
of the challenges and needs of its clients.
“Coming from a background of working on the
railway myself, I am well connected with many
others working in the industry. As such I knew
we would be able to mobilise the right staff for
each project,” highlights Mark.
“We understand that we are only as good as
the staff that we supply so we have a very strict
application process that we adhere to when it
comes to taking on new staff. This includes a
thorough induction and ongoing competency
management and training. This gives our clients
confidence that when they choose to work with
Civil Rail Solutions that we will deliver only the
best, qualified staff.”
Having built up a track record on high
C ivil Rail Solutions is the brainchild of
managing director and owner Mark
Mason, conceived in 2008 at a
crossroads moment as he explains: “I
used to play semi-professional football until I
snapped my cruciate ligament in my knee. At
the time I was helping to build the depot for
the Hitachi trains that run on the high-speed
link between Ashford and St Pancras, and we
came to the end of a piece of work with the
next intake not due to start for another couple
of months. Being that I was also in plaster, after
being on the tools for 12 years I began thinking
how I’d worked for some good and some bad
companies, and could I do better in supplying
good quality men to clients.
“So I approached a senior project manager
at Fitzpatrick, before they were Volker
Fitzpatrick, and was given the opportunity to
supply myself and one other guy. Three weeks
Mark Mason - owner and managing
director of Civil Rail Solutions
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 65
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
profile projects, today Civil Rail Solutions’
core staff of 240 work on programmes for
many of rail’s biggest Tier 1 contractors.
This includes Balfour Beatty, Amey, London
Underground, Colas Rail, Morgan Sindall, Kier,
Volker Fitzpatrick and Carillion. “We can supply
the complete spectrum of staff from project
managers to PTS labourers, LUL operatives
and CSCS-CPCS operatives. It’s just as
important for us to invest in the newly qualified
personnel as the more experienced members
of the workforce, because as a growing
company we need to bring in the staff of the
future,” notes Mark.
Outlining some of the projects Civil Rail
Solutions’ is currently engaged on, he
continues: “We have a framework contract with
Balfour Beatty for the London Underground
and are heavily involved in delivering all the
drainage programmes for that. We started off
with one team, and now have six delivering
that work so it’s been a successful niche for
us. This is because we’ve been able to put the
right staff in for the application each time, so
the client has confidence in our ability to deliver
this work.
“We’ve also been building relationships
with new clients such as C Spencer. They are
becoming a key player in Kent because of the
amount of work they have secured, and being
based in Ashford ourselves, the south-east
and London are markets we have historically
been strong in. It also means that we have
a lot of staff from the surrounding area, and
clients like to be able to source local labour
where possible to try and reduce their carbon
footprint and environmental impact.”
Five years after its formation, Civil Rail
Solutions is very much considered a trusted
partner by many, with Balfour Beatty noting
that the company is a strategic part of its
supply chain. This is a positive endorsement of
Civil Rail Solutions’ ability to deliver and stands
it in good stead for the future.
“The market is very much growing,”
concludes Mark. “Talking with clients at a
director level Control Period 5 is expected
to be a very busy time within the industry
because of the amount of work out there.
For Civil Rail Solutions it’s about making sure
that we maintain the ethos that we built the
company around – steady growth, stringent
staff approval, and the knowledge that we are
only as good as the labour we supply. If we
can continue with the above I believe we will
continue to grow and become a key player
in the labour supply market within the railway
industry. zz
Web: www.civilrailsolutions.co.uk
ReflexFlexible light commercial vehicle &
fleet car hire throughout the UK
www.reflexvans.comReflex is a brand of LCV Hire Solutions LimitedIncorporated in England and Walescompany number 07813062
Fleet SolutionsFleet StabilityPeace of Mind
One hundred and twenty-six years old,
HaslerRail AG is a worldwide well-
known name based in Switzerland.
The company’s history is inextricably
linked with that of the railway, launching its
first products alongside this revolution of
mass transport in the 19th century. Over
the years HaslerRail has diversified into
other technologies such as cell phones, fire
protection and measurement systems, but
what remains today is very much the original
founding DNA of the business.
As such the rail market is the only one in
which HaslerRail operates. The company’s
core products are event recorders or black
box technology, which are traditionally used in
the aftermath of an accident to evaluate and
assess what happened in order to hopefully
improve the safe running of trains.
It is around this primary technology that the
company has developed its other products
including those with Safety Integrity Levels
(SIL) of up to four for use on the most safety
critical functions of a train. This includes brake
supervision, dead man control and speed
restrictions. The third branch of HaslerRail is
its offboard software solutions, which support
these products through the evaluation, analysis
and monitoring of the data recorded onboard.
With the domestic market within Switzerland
relatively small for these types of products,
from an early stage HaslerRail has focused on
international expansion and global operations.
66 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzHaslerrail
A long-time technology leader, HaslerRail AG’s black box solution
offers benefits beyond accident investigation
On the record
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 67
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Today less then five per cent of the company’s
revenue comes from Switzerland, with the rest
being delivered through exports to major train
builders and operators around the world.
With safety being one of the headline
concerns of the industry, CEO Alexandre
Grêt describes some of the issues affecting
this today: “Safety can be achieved through
different means, and technology obviously
has an impact on that, but on the other side
is cost. We know we have very safe systems
FLIRT service-counter
Rowe Hankins Rowe Hankins Limited is proud to be
the Sales Agent for HaslerRail and their
range of safety and on-train monitoring
and recording systems (OTMRs) for the
UK rail market.
After many years of building sales for
new product applications on behalf
of and with HaslerRail, Rowe Hankins
has developed a team of trained
technicians within its Service Centre to
provide the expertise for the overhaul,
refurbishment and repair of the many
HaslerRail systems that are currently
installed within the UK national, urban
and underground train fleets.
All work is undertaken at Rowe
Hankins’ UK based, IRIS accredited,
premises in north Manchester and
is also supported by a team of ten
engineers with many years experience
of working within the rail industry. Rowe
Hankins and HaslerRail – making UK
rail a safer place.
these days, so I don’t think the challenge
is to improve that per se, but to do it at a
reasonable cost.
“The other issue is that safety is often
considered a reactive solution, but once a
system is installed very little is done in terms
of monitoring whether those levels of safety
remain consistent over the decades of
operation. So the operator needs to maintain
the system more or less, what is the availability
of the system, what do the trains do if that
68 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
system is out of service – all these issues are
not solved. The industry knows about how to
build a safe system, but less about how to keep
it running safely.”
Also of note is the fact that whilst safety has
increased, so has the volume of traffic, and
therefore the net result is not less accidents,
as recent high profiles incidents in Spain and
Switzerland serve to remind. “I think what Spain
showed is that the driver is still a critical element
in the safety chain,” notes Alexandre. “Even
though there are signalling systems that largely
exclude the driver from that, the reality around
the world is that is not really the case and it will
take decades before the majority of networks
are equipped with systems that mean the driver
isn’t the weakest link.
“Whilst there are commercial aspects to the
industry, a large proposition of international
railway is funded by government money and
this presents an investment challenge. In
Europe it is very often the case that trains run
through corridors where different signalling
systems are installed and the driver changes
from one to the next. For example whilst ETCS
is globally accepted as the safest system today,
the rollout of this technology is done in patches
which means the trains are still running on
multiple systems.”
In the past HaslerRail’s technologies
were perhaps predominantly used to take
a retrospective look at the conditions at the
time of an accident, but the company believes
they can be used in a much more proactive
way: “By looking at the data regularly we can
identify where there are safety gaps and how
we can close these to prevent incidents in the
future,” explains Alexandre. “There are many
signalling systems in the world that still operate
a speed limit but this is not necessarily checked
until something happens. Our data recorders
though can tell if the operator exceeded the
speed limit or not, so we are building tools
around this for automatic data evaluation which
will flag up such behaviours so they can be
addressed.”
He continues: “We’ve also developed a
solution that can monitor the different signalling
sub-systems and the roll-out of new ETCS
systems through the use of our data recorders
and offboard software AURA. This enables the
train operator to verify that the new system is
as safe and available as it promised to be on
a contractual basis, and to call attention if it’s
not. We’ve had success with this in a ETCS
application and want to expand that model
internationally.”
As a purely rail focused entity HaslerRail has
a unique understanding of the requirements
of the market to be able to develop products
and solutions that truly deliver. It’s an approach
the company has continued even in the more
difficult economic times. “Although it may have
slowed down a little as a result of the global
financial crisis, we believe rail is a growing
market,” concludes Alexandre. “We have been
fortunate enough to be able to invest in R&D
during this period, and our belief is that we
will emerge stronger with the best and latest
technology as a result of that.” zz
Web: www.haslerrail.com
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzHaslerrail
The full range of TCMS and communication products
www.duagon.com
ionia™ Boxedproducts
Interfaces
–ionia™ TCMS –Remote I/Os –Controllers –Interfaces
–Gateways –Repeaters –Switches –Diagnostic Tools
–MVB –ETH –CAN –WTB
and eastern regions, the
northern and central parts
of the country, and to link
Saudi Arabia with the
GCC countries. Another
aspect of this strategy
includes moving towards
the privatisation of SRO
and opening the door
for national and foreign
investments to bolster
its ability to support
ongoing development.
Currently SRO’s fleet consists of 68 diesel
locomotives with 3500 horsepower and
75 passenger cars, which are split between the
three different classes of passenger service. In
addition, the cargo fleet numbers 2277 cars
of different sizes and types, including 838 for
double stacking of containers, 784 regular
container cars, 47 flatbeds for transporting
vehicles, 250 cement cars, 100 rocks cars and
135 grain hauling cars.
In addition to the provision of 33 2000-
horsepower locomotives for the cargo fleet,
SRO plans to expand its passenger and goods
transportation activity by about 60 per cent of
its current level. This began at the end of 2012
when SRO put eight new sets of luxurious
and fast trains in service, each consisting of
two locomotives and five cars, which will add
Saudi Railways Organization
(SRO) operates a railway
network of approximately
1800 kilometres which extends
from Dammam on the east coast, to
the capital Riyadh passing many key
areas. Together the Eastern Province
and Riyadh Province account for 40 per
cent of the country’s population, as well as
50 per cent of the economic activity. The
company’s trains carry more than 1.3 million
passengers and 450,000 containers each
year, which equates to more than
80 per cent of the containers directed to the
Riyadh Province through Dammam Port.
Specific lines include the 449-kilometre
railway for passengers connecting Riyadh to
Dammam through Al-Ahsa and Abqaiq. This
line is being doubled and expected to be in
service by the end of the year. A second line
of 556-kilometres runs from the King Abdul
Aziz Port in Dammam to Riydah, passing
by Al-Ahsa, Abqaiq, Al-Kharj, Haradh, and
Al-Tawdhihiyah. A tender study to double
the fright line is ongoing and the project is
expected to start by the end of the year.
Furthermore the network consists of 400
kilometres of auxiliary lines that branch from
these main routes to connect industrial and
agricultural areas, and military sites with export
ports and residential areas. SRO’s ambition is
to ensure that together these lines
create a network of world-class rail transport
to support national development, including
international connections.
Likewise the company is focused on
delivering high quality services and continually
developing its performance. Its success in
these areas enhances SRO’s value as a whole,
demonstrates the advantages of rail to the
national economy, and facilitates the further
expansion of the network across the country.
In particular, the Saudi Government, realising
the value rail transport offers to the national
development, has launched a number of
initiatives to bring this vital service in line with
the needs of the country. This includes major
expansion projects to connect the western
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 69
All changeAs current operator of the Saudi Arabia rail network,
Saudi Railways Organization is supporting the wealth of expansion projects taking place
throughout the country
SRO New Trainsets
zzzzzzzzzzzz SAUDI RAILWAYS ORGANIZATION
First class
Railway Master Plan (SMRP) for the period
2010 to 2040. The main objective for this was
to put in place a conceptual framework for the
long-term development of a future passenger
and freight transport network for Saudi Arabia.
The development strategy incorporates the
key findings of SANTRAPLAN3, the National
Transportation Strategy (NTS) and other
strategic planning documents.
Contained with the SMRP is a railway
network model with a forecast of passenger
and freight transport volumes as of 2040.
As such the main recommendations include
gradual expansion of the core railway network,
and integration of rail into multimodal transport
chains to improve overall efficiency and
reliability of the transport network.
The implementation of this includes the
a further 2000 seats to the current capacity
with four more sets now under construction.
This reflects the expectation that the number
of passengers and cargo will grow after the
implementation of the current expansion
projects and those now being planned.
At the end of 2010 SRO signed a six-month
contract with the German International
Co-operation (GIZ) to conduct the Saudi
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 71
zzzzzzzzzzzz SAUDI RAILWAYS ORGANIZATION
SRO in early stage of
operation around 1950s
SRO These days
l CAF Group, a global leader in railway technology, covers the design and manufacture of whole range of railway vehicles including driverless metro, catenary-less trams and very high speed trains ( 350kmh OARIS ) as well as global railway solutions through its specialized subsidiaries ; CAF Transport & Engineering / Turn Key and Systems Integration Solutions, CAF Signaling / Signalling and Power Control Systems, CAF Power / Traction Solutions, LANDER ( Simulation Systems), NEM / Intelligent Maintenance Management etc. A reputed market leader at the forefront of technological development. CAF Group is committed in helping its clients to reach out and embrace new frontiers and reiterates its commitment to providing best-in-class rail mobility solutions for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and SRO. CAF Group, with a global presence on five continents and a presence in more than 40 countries, has worked to develop a sophisticated strategy for Saudi Arabia and the MENA region since its arrival in 2008. The two contracts signed within 2008 and 2011 for the design, manufacture and supply of the most modern passenger trains for SRO up to 200km/h for the daily services on the Dammam - Line, had become a design icon that signifies the Kingdom’s commitment to developing state-of-the-art and cutting-edge transport solutions for Saudi people. They are based on close co-operation with CAF’s client SRO, with a permanent presence through its CAF Saudi branch that develops the most modern maintenance services for the whole fleet in Dammam and Riyadh on a daily basis.
Providing the latest state-of-the-art and cutting-edge transport technology solutions for SRO
CAF GROUP
72 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Supco Canada Railway Supply GroupSupco Canada Railway Supply Group, an AAR quality certified company, has a decade of extensive experience in design, manufacturing and supply of a wide variety of spare parts and assemblies to first-class international railways. Along with superior products to guarantee the best performance, SCRS has held an exemplary reputation in technical consultancy, maintenance program management services, turn-key maintenance and rebuilt programs, and rolling stock upgrade projects over the years.
zz zzzzzzzzzzSAUDI RAILWAY ORGANIZATION
construction of 19 lines, at a total length of
approximately 9900 kilometres. These are to
be delivered in three stages of development,
the first of which is goes through to 2025.
One such project is the double line upgrade
of the existing two lines between Dammam
and Riyadh. This will help reduce trip times
for passengers. Work is also underway on
the Haramain High Speed Railway ( 350km/h)
project, which is intended to link the holy cities
of Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah.
Approval has been granted for the planned
Saudi Railway Landbridge between Riyadh and
Jeddah, and Dammam and Jubail, therefore
essentially linking the Red Sea to the Arabian
Gulf. This will provide the capability to move
large quantities of cargo over long distances,
as well as comfortable overland passenger
transport. It is forecast that by 2015 the
number of traded containers transported by
the Landbridge will be over 700,000, which is
around eight million tonnes of cargo in total.
It is one of the largest projects to be
executed in the region by the Saudi
Government and will have a significant impact
on the routes for transport in the region. The
Landbridge is also considered to be one of
the most important elements in the expansion
programme due to the nature of the
areas linked.
Another key project is the North-South
Railway (NSR) or Saudi Railways Company
(SAR), which is one of the largest railway
projects currently under construction worldwide
by Public Investment Fund (PIF).
SRO as the leader with more than
50 years’ experience in the region, is playing
a big role in those expansion projects through
participation in almost all the technical
issues from the tendering stage till the final
execution. Moreover SRO management
is offering its expertise in setting up the
operation and maintenance regimes and
training programmes for those railways that
have already begun operating until they can
undertake this themselves. The challenge for
SRO is the training that is required to transfer
this knowledge of operations and maintenance
within the extreme sand/dust, hot, and humid
climate of the region.
The plans for the rail network are not only
limited to Saudi Arabia itself though.
There is also significant activity within
the country surrounding the GCC rail
project, which is scheduled to start
from Kuwait linking into Dammam
in Saudi Arabia, and onto Bahrain
through a new proposed causeway. It
will also join Dammam to Qatar through
Salwa, and Qatar with Bahrain via the
Qatar-Bahrain Causeway, as well as
Saudi Arabia to the UAE through Al
Batha terminating in Oman across Sohar to
Muscat. The total project covers a distance of
approximately 2116 kilometres, 663 kilometres
of which will be in Saudi Arabia. The GCC
project is expected to have a direct positive
impact on the economies, enhance mobility
of goods between the involved countries,
and freedom of movement of citizens, which
will help advance regional investment to the
benefit of all. zz
Web: www.saudirailways.org
Double Stacks Containers Wagons
with Dresden being a growing city with
attractive job and tourism opportunities.
Whilst this trend is positive, Hans-Jürgen
notes that there is more that DVB wants
to do: “An important mid-term goal is to
raise the modal split. At present public
transport has 20 per cent of this, but we
hope to bring this up to approximately
25 per cent. This is an ambitious
goal though as improvement to
the road and cycle networks mean
private transport has also become more
attractive.
“Nevertheless, the chances for public
transport are very good as it is already
clear that city development has increased
its dynamic along well functioning public
transport routes, and considerable
settlements are taking place from the
region into peri-urban areas. The necessary
intermodal connection points between
the regional train, regional bus, city train,
tram, and bus system are already very
well developed and offer attractive new
O ne of the most important
transport companies in the
Dresden and Upper Elbe region,
Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe
AG (DVB) considers itself to be more than
just an operator, but rather an integrated
force for public transport. This means
that as well as owning and operating the
tramway infrastructure, and the light rail
and bus vehicles, the company delivers
product development, product production
and marketing services.
“Product development takes place in
a communicative planning process with
the state capital city of Dresden as the
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 73
zzzzzzzzzzzz DresDner Verkehrsbetriebe
Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG is helping to improve the multi-modal and integrated nature of public transport in Dresden
Publicly minded
responsible authority,” notes general
manager Hans-Jürgen Credé. “The
aim of this process is to combine the
political requirements with the results of
market research in order to harmonise
customer expectations with the economic
possibilities of the company.”
Passenger figures for DVB have
increased by 12 million in the last decade
to the current figure of 151 million
passengers, and further growth is expected
The tram cockpit
with the driver
advisory system
display
The low-floor tram is accessible for handicapped people
74 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzDresDner Verkehrsbetriebe
supply of seats to customers, as well as
better timetable stability. In addition, the
expected operational concept will lead to
greater savings in the area of buses and in
the further improvement of the efficiency
of the light-rail-transit.
“I see the strength of DVB being in the
constant alignment of the company with
the customers’ needs while considering
efficiency,” describes Hans-Jürgen. “This
means a close meshed route network,
a high frequency of services adjusted to
customer demand, and delivery of the low-
floor systems in vehicles and at tram stops
to improve accessibility.
“The basis for the high quality and
connections,” he elaborates.
One answer to the growth of Dresden
is the Stadtbahn 2020 or light-rail-
rapid-transit 2020 project. The aim of
the programme is to switch the highly
frequented bus routes to city railway
operation and therefore provide a greater
VEMVEM is an internationally active manufacturer of technically sophisticated drive solutions in Germany. It has been developing and producing rail traction machines for more than 100 years. Its product range contains highly efficient asynchronous traction motors for electrical or diesel-electrical locomotives, multiple units, trams and working vehicles. It supplements its range of products with main and auxiliary operating generators and their regulating systems. Beyond this, VEM also offers traction motors for hybrid and trolley buses for environmentally friendly local public transport.
The environment and modern public transport – an excellent partnership
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 75
efficiency of our service is the consistent
implementation of internal supplier
and customer relations within product
manufacturing. The key to our success
is, however, the great willingness of our
employees and partners to implicate
changes in the course of successful urban
development, as well as image cultivation
and employee qualification. In addition,
image and market cultivation, continuous
product adjustment and customer loyalty
management are important building
blocks,” he continues.
DVB continues to invest in the
modernisation of its business with a
programme that has seen its 155-strong
bus fleet fully transitioned to low-floor
vehicles since 1999, and in the same
way only low-floor vehicles operating on
the scheduled tram service since 2010.
“From a short and mid-term perspective
there are still investments to be made in
improving the existing tram routes. Besides
that we are implementing modern control
technology at traffic lights in order to speed
up the buses and trams and improve
reliability of all travel chains,” explains
Hans-Jürgen.
This is by way of a new control system
developed at the Technical University
of Dresden which makes it possible
to switch free gaps at traffic lights for
more intensive use of regenerative forms
of energy will become necessary. The
concept envisages between 20 and
25 per cent savings against conventional
fuels by using recuperated energy and our
fleet has almost reached these goals. The
next step in electric mobility, as we see it,
is the establishment of a district bus line
operated by a 100 per cent electrically
driven vehicle. This bus would have
batteries as its storage medium and use
the direct current infrastructure at the
end of a route to recharge,” highlights
Hans-Jürgen.
With Dresden already being a well-
developed city in terms of public transport,
the task now is to raise potential demand
through a tight co-ordination of regional,
city and traffic planning. “We aim to
support the trend towards multi-modal
mobility patterns by means of appropriate
offers,” says Hans-Jürgen of DVB’s role.
“We have for many years been
co-operating with local car sharing
companies, and will soon be offering
our regular customers access to a bike
rental system.
“Likewise, city policy and its willingness
to support DVB and the necessary
investments financially will also have a
substantial influence. This has so far been
possible through the communal multi-utility
network, which is the common leadership
of transport and utility companies under the
umbrella of a holding company. Upon this
foundation, the sustainable development of
the transport company is possible,”
he concludes. zz
Web: www.dvbag.de
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
public transport in such a way that the
respective timetables or current needs
are taken into account. Therefore a
delayed tram would get clearance before
one that is at the traffic light but ahead of
schedule. In order to meet the free gap
in the demand, the project includes a
driver advisory system that also generates
positive effects for energy efficient
driving. This system will be implemented
across the entire diameter of the North-
South axis.
“We’ve also completed the acquisition
of 18 hybrid omnibuses, as long-term
the renunciation of fossil fuels and
Dynamic displays for the customer and comfortable interchanges between tram and bus
Interchange between suburban train tram and buses in Dresden-Dobritz
76 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Crown InternatIonal
Crowning gloryCrown International’s innovative gantry-
mounted signal pole helps address many of the rail industry’s key concerns in safety and cost
Gantry-mounted pole
Gantry-mounted pole
Cess pole for trackside mounting
Roadside sign mounting pole being lowered
having been rotated
Crown International was established
in 1991 as a specialist designer and
fabricator of road and rail infrastructure
products,” begins managing director
Mark Stacey. “Common to what we do is the
desire to produce innovative solutions which
solve problems to deliver the twin benefits
of operational cost reduction and increased
levels of safety for operatives and users.”
Working for highway authorities, and
leading service and technology companies,
Crown International’s mission is to design,
develop and manufacture road and rail safety
equipment to meet the need for secure, easily
maintained installations in urban, rural and
motorway locations. The company supplies
into both UK and overseas markets, where
it typically works with main contractors on
larger projects such as Balfour Beatty, Serco,
Costain and Carillion. However, it has also
found that it has an ever-expanding set
of contacts within consultancies such as
Mouchel and Atkins.
With an in-house team of engineers,
Crown International is able to ensure that its
products are designed in a way that meets
client specifications at an affordable price.
This is particularly important as designing an
innovative product is one thing, but designing
something that is able to be manufactured at
a reasonable cost is another. The use of 3D
engineering software and concept designs
means that every part fits as it should, and
creation of a prototype ensures that once
Crown International enters the manufacturing
stage any issues have been resolved.
Focusing on the rail market, Mark
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 77
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzoutlines Crown International’s most recent
development: “We designed and delivered a
new gantry-mounted pole for signal systems.
This product allows the maintenance crews to
access the signal head without having to step
down to a platform placing them in proximity to
the power cables. It also allows for very quick
replacement of signal head equipment as all
work can be carried out at normal working
height from within the safe confines of the
gantry.
“We have supplied over 400 of these gantry-
mounted counter-balanced signal poles to
the West Coast mainline upgrade project,
over a three year period ending in 2008. The
contract was delivered in a series of phases
and required us to design, type approve and
then build a unique solution for the problem
posed by moving to new gantries and the new
power lines. Since this installation we have
been providing spares and training to Network
Rail and their staff, and working with some of
the main contractors examining new product
initiatives for deployment on new schemes,”
he continues.
The unique properties of Crown
International’s gantry system is based on its
expertise in counter balance technology. This
allows even heavy equipment to be operated
by a single person to enable working at a
safe height. Many companies can deliver
improved safety or reduced costs, but Crown
International offer the unique advantage
of reducing cost to existing operations
and significant reduction to safety risks for
operatives. The knock-on effect is reduced
maintenance times and improved service
reliability.
The company has also been working
on other product developments including
enforcement equipment for a major safety
initiative, which will begin pilot installation
over the next few months. The expectation
is that there will be a larger scale rollout in
the years to follow. Having had success with
a different signal pole gantry design on road
projects, Crown International is now exploring
the possibility of using this system on the rail
network as well. This gantry has an advantage
in that it can be rotated away from the track
and then wound down by the trackside for
essential maintenance to signs and signals.
Describing the challenges that the company
finds when working in rail, Mark says: “Primarily
it is about getting sufficient pre-knowledge
of impending projects, and that as an SME
we have to work with others to be able to be
considered for work. Clearly more needs to be
done on implementing and making work the
Government’s policy for opening up opportunities
for SMEs. The other major challenge is that
Network Rail’s organisation can cause delays
and difficulties in the procurement process.
“Railside investment into major projects
has, with the exception of Crossrail, not been
significant over the last few years. We are seeing
signs of improvement though, and alongside talk
of big projects the smaller activities will continue
although these provide less opportunities for our
product set,” he continues.
Taking this into account, Crown International
is continuing to look at expanding its product
offering to appeal to a wider set of applications,
and therefore opening up more of the market to
the business. Having long been considered an
expert in the field of safety equipment, both the
road and rail side of the company seek ongoing
profitable growth in order to maintain Crown
International’s position as a leading player. zz
www.crown-international.co.uk
CONTACTGraham Sprowell Technical Business Development Manager
...a local source......to a global capability...
Sigma Composites Ltd16 Top AngelSterling Business ParkBuckingham Ind EstBuckinghamMK18 1TH
Tel: 01280-825591 (Direct)Tel: 01280-824498 (Switchboard)Fax: 01280-824408Email: [email protected]: www.sigmacomposites.co.uk
Sigma CompositesSigma Composites
specialise in the
manufacture of high
quality composite
components and
assemblies for select
market sectors, including
Rail, so our collaboration
with Crown International
to find a new & cost
effective solution for a
Camera Housing Cabinet
for a safety improvement
& enforcement project,
was a perfect match. Our
brief is to manufacture
flame retardant
assemblies to house
the camera & operating
hardware that are
lightweight, strong, vandal
proof and withstand all
weather conditions.
Top of the enforcement unit
T he company was first associated with
interiors in 1983 when it operated
as a woodwork and joinery business
supplying hotels, health resorts, shops
and restaurants. In 1995, the company moved
into the rail sector providing simple high-
pressure laminate (HPL) plywood sandwich
panels. Over time it was realised that although
this market had special requirements, it also
offered significant opportunities.
As such, in 1998 under the name Volante
Verkleidungssysteme GmbH was established
as a fully independent company by director
and shareholder Erich Sperber. Located in
Germany at the centre of Europe, the company
has grown from 12 employees initially to 80
today. As of 2012 Volante Verkleidungssysteme
achieved a turnover of over €9 million, with
healthy growth prospects for 2013.
“Our main focus is the European rail interior
market,” describes technical manager Dietmar
Graml. “Our products are in trains across
more than 20 countries. We deliver interior
parts to many major manufacturers for new
coaches, but also refurbishment projects. We
also produce and deliver a wide range of spare
parts for companies like Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB,
and SBB. All types of vehicles are supplied
from subways and trams to commuter and
high-speed trains, as well as specific coach
types such as dining cars and sleeping cars.”
Interior components that Volante
Verkleidungssysteme specialises in include
flooring, side wall panels, ceilings, partition
walls, compartments, doors, driver back walls,
cabinets, tables, restaurant benches, kitchens,
counters, galleys, luggage racks, front wall
panels, toilet panelling walls, washbasins
and beds amongst others. This know-how
78 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzVolante Verkleidungssysteme
From top to bottom Volante Verkleidungssysteme GmbH
is providing rail with quality interiors
Nedtrain DDAR ceiling upper deck
Nedtrain DDAR ceiling lower deck
Quality inside
Nedtrain ceiling
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 79
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
back walls with doors for the new Siemens
trains being built for the Thameslink
Programme. This includes meeting of
fire protection requirements. Volante
Verkleidungssysteme is also supplying
numerous projects for the Stadler Group
within Germany and Switzerland with side
wall panels, cabinets and toilet panelling. One
prominent project for the coming years is the
new ICx high-speed train for Deutsche Bahn,
where Volante Verkleidungssysteme will deliver
over 5000 cabinets, 14,000 components for
front wall coverings and 130 break room walls
with sliding doors.
is reflected in the many detailed solutions
the company has delivered over the years,
numbering more than 580 large and small
projects.
Even now the company is working on
around 50 projects in parallel. This includes
development of the driver’s compartments
img Gm
bH
OUR EXPERTISEIS METAL
RIVETING
TOXING
www.img-schwanhof.de
welding technique certificate DIN EN 15085-2 conforming to specifications of DB (Deutsche Bahn)
Stainless steel Aluminium
Steel
Schwanhof | D-92706 | Luhe-Wildenau
FLIRT service-counterBistro bench and tables
80 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Working with all of these different
components means Volante
Verkleidungssysteme has developed significant
expertise in production using different materials.
This broadly included wood, artificial fibres,
glues and adhesives, and metals. With more
than 4500 square metres of manufacturing
facility, the company is able to undertake all
steps from pre-fabrication including cutting,
pressing and CNC technology, to product
completion including final assembly.
Describing the typical manufacturing process
Dietmar says: “We begin on the basis of system
specification, and usually use a rough 3D model
to develop the design. Here all the requirements
and direction lines are observed and verified
using tests and laboratory certificates, including
quality checks. Then we use the chosen
materials to realise the design, often HPL and
plywood laminated sandwich panels, which
are milled on CNC machines, have edges
cast or stuck on, and are assembled with the
other components of the complete system.
Here we use our fully networked modern CNC
machines. After passing the FAI we launch the
series production and deliver just-in-time in
synchronicity with our customer’s workflow.”
At all stages it is Volante
Verkleidungssysteme’s objective to provide
its customers with the highest quality. For this
purpose the company maintains a number of
quality management systems such as
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. It is also classified
as a Q1 supplier for Deutsche Bahn, and holds
many certificates for major standards such as
DIN 6701-2 for gluing, DIN 15085-2 CL4 for
welding, and DIN 5510 Part 2 and CEN 45545
for fire protection.
Increasingly Volante Verkleidungssysteme
has recognised a trend within rail for
manufacturers to expect suppliers to take
over the complete development and delivery
of comprehensive systems. This might mean
ceiling panels including ventilation elements,
lighting and speakers, or complete bistro
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzVolante Verkleidungssysteme
Bench
Wash table
Plywood HPL PUR edge
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 81
HAGN-Technische Elastomere GmbHHAGN-Technische Elastomere GmbH is a nearby Vienna domiciled company which is specialised in distribution of rubber-parts for all kinds of railway vehicles. The product range contains rubber profiles and frames, moulded parts, sponge rubber, rubber-metal-parts and components for the carriage connecting walkways. All products are available with fire behaviour according to DIN5510:2009, NF F 16-101, BS 6853 and EN45545:2013. Due to primarily specialisation in manufacturers and operators of railcars it is possible to deliver small quantities and to practise a customer-oriented stock.To assure the required level of quality standard the company established a quality management system according to ISO 9001 and IRIS.
facilities with benches, tables, bar, and
counters.
“A great knowledge of subject areas is
therefore necessary,” notes Dietmar. “We
have collected a huge amount of experience
and know-how from numerous past projects,
which can be used for the contracts which
follow. Growing demands on fire safety,
reliability, durability and cost effectiveness pose
major challenges for the future. The aim is to
secure long-term project contracts with our
customers, and use our specialist expertise in
train experience to their benefit.”
With this in mind, Dietmar outlines how
Volante Verkleidungssysteme plans to address
these demands: “Our strategy for the next few
years is to expand our skills. A horizontal, and
perhaps vertical, diversification is needed to
achieve this in the form of new technologies,
new materials and new solutions. Employees
with a high level of training and academic
education will be required, as well as a high
proportion of skilled workers. Multidisciplinary
project management is also necessary.
“The trend towards complete system
suppliers has to be addressed, whilst retaining
our core competencies. The joinery work from
which we emerged and the wide range of
materials used such as plywood, HPL, plastics,
light building materials, foam, honey comp,
artificial stone, glass, textiles, leather and steel
components create perfect conditions for this.
We can develop and produce nearly all rail
interior systems from the ground to the ceiling
and supply them for when our clients need
them,” he concludes. zz
Web: www.volante.de
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Luggage rack
the new Birmingham New Street station in
spring 2015.”
In anticipation of this Centro has
adapted its other public services including
the reconfiguration of all bus routes in
Birmingham city centre. “We redesigned
the network around five new hubs giving
a family of services going out to different
areas,” highlights Geoff. “We also put in
new bus shelters, totems, and way-finding
information, which we have won a number
of awards for. The long-term benefits of the
Metro extension include improved access,
alleviation of overcrowding, greater
reliability, and more frequent trams, as well
as contributing to the increase in economic
activity in the region. However, even at this
stage the value is already being seen as
we have been asked to extend the work
even further to the new library in Centenary
Square through a £40 million funding
package from the city council.”
Through its partnership agreement with
National Express, Centro is jointly investing
over £80 million into the bus network
in general to improve the passenger
experience. Linked into this is work around
real-time and up-to-date information
through means such as mobile apps.
A s the West
Midlands
Integrated
Transport
Authority, Centro
is tasked with the
promotion and
development of
public transport
across the region.
Its aim is to transform public transport so
that the people of the West Midlands have
a world-class system provided by a best-
in-class organisation.
One of the ways Centro is working to
82 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzCentro
With a raft of works underway, Centro is bringing improvements to every part of the West Midlands’ public transport network
At the centre
How the Metro extension will look outside the rebuilt Birmingham New Street Station
Centro has developed smartphone apps
giving passengers real-time information for
bus train and tram services.
deliver this vision is through the extension
of the Midland Metro tram route between
Wolverhampton and Birmingham city
centre. “This includes 21 new trams, which
offer 34 per cent extra capacity as one of
the biggest challenges we have with the
existing system is that it is nearing capacity
in terms of patronage,” describes CEO
Geoff Inskip. “The first is to be delivered in
October, and then one a month through to
2014. The trams will be operational on the
line from late 2014, before being linked into
Geoff Inskip CEO of Centro
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 83
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
a new bus station to replace its existing
infrastructure.
With journeys being increasingly thought
about in end-to-end terms, as opposed
to a single transport element, Centro’s
smartcard ticketing developments are
an ideal fit. Known as ‘Swift’ the scheme
builds on the integrated ticketing concept
that the company already operates. Over
the next 12 months Centro will add a
Working with Wolverhampton City Council
and developers Neptune, Centro also put
in a new bus station in the city, which has
stimulated the need for greater investment
into Wolverhampton, including from the
private sector. As such the transport
authority is now working with the council,
Neptune and Network Rail on a second
phase interchange with the Wolverhampton
railway station. Stourbridge has also seen
Wolverhampton’s £22 million bus station was opened by Centro in July 2011
AECOM and Wolverhampton City Centre ExtensionIntegrating street running trams into a well-developed
urban area is always challenging. AECOM has been
supporting Centro to meet the challenges through the
provision of full design and consultation services to
develop a 900m extension to the Midland Metro to
properly integrate Wolverhampton’s city centre railway
and bus stations. Our work in developing
3D visualisations has helped Centro, key stakeholders
and the general public to see further and go further.
84 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
range of area bus tickets to the card,
starting with Coventry, before moving onto
the tram and railway as well.
“All of these elements are part of an
integrated public transport package,”
notes Geoff. “We are also well on the way
with our big commitment “Smart Network
– Smarter Choices”, which is about
enabling communities to make smarter and
sustainable transport choices. Behavioural
change is an important element of this,
and we see a very good market in younger
people who are very aware of the green
agenda, and at the same time may not be
able to afford a car so are very reliant on
public transport.
“There has been something of a shift
from car to rail, particularly for longer
distance journeys where the issues of
congestion, fuel and running costs, and
economic austerity come into play for
the car owner. For shorter distances
we are seeing more people choosing to
walk or cycle, which is very positive but
also growth on the bus corridors. This is
especially in areas where we have carried
out reviews with operators to look at
how services can be provided in a more
modern, simple, and better way,”
he continues.
Longer-term, the proposed High Speed
Two (HS2) link remains a focal point as
Geoff explains: “High speed rail is key
for the West Midlands because of three
things; capacity, capacity, capacity. Local
commuter services are growing by
14 per cent a year, whilst inter-city
connections such as Manchester, Leeds
and London are equally busy. Then there
is also freight, so high speed presents
benefits for all three of these markets by
freeing up existing capacity.
“As such a lot of our planning in the
coming years will feature around this
development, and putting in place the
necessary local rail package in the region.
Together with our wider connectivity
package, including Metro extensions, we
believe this will help to boost the West
Midlands economy by £4 billion a year and
create 50,000 new jobs. In this way we
are also focusing our agenda on helping
people to take advantage of these new
jobs by ensuring they have the transport
means to get to them. This also requires a
lot of strategic planning,” he elaborates.
For passengers across the West
Midlands’ public transport provision,
Centro’s plans look to have a positive
impact. The authority hopes though that
a proposed devolution in responsibility
for rail could allow it to do even more.
“In 2013 we are focusing on preparing a
proposal for this which we can put into
government and identifies the benefits
for them, passengers and the local area
of having a devolved railway. If this is
successful we would see responsibility
for the railway devolved directly to Centro
which would allow us to specify local
services with a greater accountability for
the operation of these,”
concludes Geoff. zz
Web: www.centro.org.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzCentro
l Transport bosses have invited the public
and business community to give their views
on £31 million plans to extend the Midland
Metro in Birmingham city centre. The
proposals from transport authority Centro
would see the tram system travel through
Paradise Circus and up to Centenary
Square to help improve transport links and
support economic regeneration taking
place in the area.
Work is currently underway to extend
the system to connect the city’s two largest
railway stations, New Street and Snow
Hill, and beyond to the historic Jewellery
Quarter and the Black Country by 2015.
The proposals, drawn up in partnership
with Birmingham City Council, would build
on the work taking place to provide further
connections to key venues like the ICC,
Symphony Hall and Birmingham Museum
and Art Galleries.
Trams would run from the new stop on
Stephenson Street outside New Street
Station, before travelling along Pinfold
Street, Victoria Square, Paradise Street
and Broad Street before terminating at
Proposals for Birmingham tram extension
Centenary Square.
New stops would be created at the Town
Hall and Centenary Square.
Centro has already received approval
to integrate the system with the Paradise
Circus redevelopment but are proposing
to slightly amend the route to eliminate
the need to build a bridge over the Suffolk
Street Queensway tunnels.
Centro aims to submit before the end of
this year an application to the Government
for a supplementary Transport and Works
Act Order which would grant the legal
powers needed to build and operate the
extension. If granted, work could start in
2015 and be open for public use in 2017.
Metro Town Hall: The Midland Metro at a stop outside Birmingham Town Hall which would be created under the proposals
Cent
ro
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 85
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Steaming ahead
London Underground, AP JNP (Asset Performance Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly), is a business area within London Underground (LU) with a proven track record.
Originally Tube Lines but now part of LU
– it is responsible for the maintenance,
renewal and upgrade on the Jubilee,
Northern and Piccadilly lines. Over
500 million passenger journeys are made every
year on these lines and they play a key role
operating part of London’s frenetic transport
infrastructure. The Jubilee line was critical in
meeting the challenges of the 2012 London
Olympics and all lines now face the demands
of the capital’s growth as reliance on the city’s
transport network is increasingly stretched.
Transport, and in particular the Tube, were
vital to the success of the London 2012
Olympic Games. The Games required years
of preparation to ensure that the capital’s
transport network would be ready for the
inevitable influx of passengers during the
event. There have been multi-million pound
programmes to upgrade and improve the
assets. This included the completion of a
flagship project upgrading the Jubilee line
signalling system to ensure that the network
was able to cope with the 60 million journeys
London UndergroUnd AP JnP
Stewart Mills – director of operations
© T
fL
every day of the Games it was able to turn out
100 per cent of its fleet to meet the demand.
Following the formidable success of the
Games, which saw LU praised by high profile
politicians including the Mayor of London
and Games’ chief, Lord Coe, LU established
a review to decide how best to continue the
legacy of the games.
Stewart Mills, director of operations
for Asset Performance JNP at London
Underground explained: “Our job is to deliver
improvements and investments in asset
performance and maintenance for London
Underground. The Olympics was a hiatus from
the norm and LU – and indeed the whole of
Transport for London (TfL) – quite rightly has
been given a lot of confidence and kudos by
demonstrating what could be achieved with an
integrated transport system approach.
“TfL’s integrated structure means that
it is able to clear many of the barriers that
would normally hinder attempts to complete
improvements. Activity to support spending
reviews and funding allocation, for example,
can now be managed much more effectively as
the business strives for greater efficiency in its
upgrade projects. This is a vital step for London
that were made during the 17-day Olympic
period. This equated to a 100 per cent
increase in passenger journeys.
As well as major track and infrastructure
development, 36,000 components on the
current fleet of 63 Jubilee line trains were
renewed to make them even more reliable.
This massive piece of work meant that for
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 87
zzzzzzzzzzzz London UndergroUnd AP-JnP
© T
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© T
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Underground as it takes on the increasing
challenges faced by an ever growing city like
London.”
Stewart elaborates: “We have an obligation
with the Mayor of London to achieve a
30 per cent improvement in reliability across
the Tube network by 2015. It is what we are
driving towards – providing a safe, reliable
service in a cost effective way. It is what our
customers demand of us and what London
needs us to deliver.”
Upgrades to the Jubilee and Northern lines
have been vital to London’s thriving economic
success. Currently, London Underground
continues with a £392m modernisation of the
Northern line, which will be completed by the
end of 2014. Modernisation started with the
Jubilee line,” explains Stewart. “It was about
improving capacity and reliability and we have
successfully continued to do this. We are
providing a service of 30 trains an hour which
has increased capacity by 33 per cent.
“The Northern line’s upgrade involves the
same new signalling system plus, later, a
proposed extension to Battersea, which will
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 89
zzzzzzzzzzzz London UndergroUnd AP-JnP
© T
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90 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zz zzzzzzzzzzLondon UndergroUnd AP-JnP
open up greater access to this part of the
capital. The line represents a different challenge
from that experienced on the Jubilee line as
it is made up of older infrastructure and has
twice as many complex junctions, depots and
sidings. However, the AP JNP team in LU has
maximised the efficiency of its works by utilising
lessons learnt from the Jubilee line upgrade.”
As the UK’s capital city continues to
grow, continuing investment in infrastructure
and services will remain critical to London
in the coming years. “We have the oldest
Underground metro in the world and we are
working with a system which is 150 years old in
some parts.” says Stewart. “The continual drive
to improve the way we work, coupled with the
investment and upgrade work is allowing us to
achieve some really excellent results.” zz
Web: www.tfl.gov.uk
© T
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www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 91
zzzzzzzzzzzz zzFOURWAY COMMUNICATION
Beginning its foray into engineering in
1949, today the greatest proportion
of Fourway’s business is in the
rail industry through its subsidiary
Fourway Communication. In this capacity
Fourway delivers turnkey telecommunication,
and technical engineering management
and support projects, either as a principal
contractor or subcontractor, to rail clients
throughout the UK from Network Rail,
London Underground and Transport for
London through to train operating companies
and contractors.
Fourway Communication’s early
involvement in the industry means that the
company has been able to develop an offering
that covers all elements of telecoms from retail
SISS communications to trackside operational
infrastructure. This allows it to deliver a
complete package including CCTV, customer
information, cable diversion, public address
systems, line side telephony, track structure
gauges, radio systems, and passenger
help points, and most importantly to apply
these technologies in the context of an
operational railway.
Outlining those strengths, speaking
previously to Railway Strategies projects
director Charles Codrington said: “We have
developed a diverse range of multi-discipline
skills, coupled with the ability to get right
down to the detail of a project. As a company
we are about 50 per cent consultancy and
design based, and 50 per cent design and
build so we can offer a true turnkey solution.
We are really looking to capitalise upon this,
particularly in the field of design as we believe
that the level of detail that we can offer the
client far exceeds the industry norm. By laying
this detail down at the beginning of a project
we can ensure that there are no unexpected
surprises further along.” The company also
stands at the forefront of new technologies
which are being introduced to the rail sector, or
With its vast experience, Fourway
Communication keeps its clients’ railway
telecommunications on the right track
CIS installation on custom gallows
The right way
92 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbeing looked at by its major participants. In this
way, Fourway Communication has delivered a
number of innovative firsts such as specialist
CCTV modelling software, and championed
developments such as intelligent speakers in
station and IP cameras.
Whilst telecoms are usually the major
element of such contracts, Fourway
Communication is also able to incorporate
structural, civil, mechanical, electrical and
signalling work. Likewise the design and build
telecoms capability is offered in any size of
contract from minor works to large system
integration schemes, often in partnership with
other contractors, or as individual components
including consultancy, design-only and
installation-only contracts.
Like all parts of Fourway Communication’s
business, design is approached in a structured
manner with a high-level system proposal
initially produced to identify proposed
manufacturers’ products and the means
of integration. At the same time system
performance is established in terms of
functionality, availability, maintainability and
installation, and design risk assessments
included at an early stage.
Such an approach benefits the site teams
at the installation phase and the company’s
planning credentials continue to be drawn upon
to ensure tasks are completed safely and on
time in accordance with railway procedures.
Site management teams are specially selected
for each project to monitor and control site
activity, whilst highly skilled operatives deliver
the works themselves.
Building on a concept pioneered on
the Farringdon station project, Fourway
Communication has also launched a new
engineering support services division. This sees
the company work to assist the client in the
management of all third-party system providers,
users, operators and stakeholders on a project.
This not only encompasses telecoms, but other
rail systems such as signalling and general
utilities as one central point of management.
Over the years Fourway Communication has
contributed to many landmark projects within
the rail industry. This includes most recently the
complete design and build of the stationwide
telecoms for the Reading Station Area
Redevelopment project including the provision
of a full Station Management System (SMS).
The company has also worked on the
King’s Cross redevelopment project first as
a principal designer of the telecoms solution,
including the complex temporary and migration
arrangements, and then as a sub contractor for
the delivery of the permanent works. Fourway
Communication is currently delivering the m&e
and comms works for the final phase of the
King’s Cross redevelopment project as part
of the Southern Square package. In addition,
Fourway Communication has lent its expertise
to the telecoms systems at Manchester
Piccadilly station and Birmingham New
Street station.
“Migration design has become a key part of
many station refurbishment projects because of
zz FOURWAY COMMUNICATION
New ticket hall Farringdon
Specialist design and manufactureorganisation for metal fabrications
Tegrel LimitedTundry Way, Blaydon-on-Tyne, NE21 5TT
Tel: 01914146111Fax: 01914140660E-Mail: [email protected]: www.tegrel.co.uk
TegrelTegrel are a UK-based specialist design and
manufacture organisation for metal fabrications.
We have worked closely with Fourways
Communications amongst other parties, on a
number of high profile rail projects including
King’s Cross, Reading, Paddington, and
St Pancras. These projects included providing
aesthetically pleasing brackets, enclosures,
CCTV housings, and Help Points, which fit the
environment. Tegrel are proud to be associated
with Fourway Communications, one of the UK’s
leading providers of communication solutions.
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 93
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzthe need to keep the site operational,” Charles
also noted when speaking previously with
Railway Strategies. “This quite often requires a
process of migration where central parts of the
telecoms are moved around the station, so we
strive to work with our clients early to map out
these processes piece by piece.”
One of the things that Fourway
Communication prides itself on is value
engineering and finding savings for its clients
whether that is from a technology or efficiency
perspective. It remains the case though that
technologies continue to progress and improve,
and therefore a large proportion of work is
about updating and replacing such life-expired
systems. The company is also responding
to the growing realisation of the importance
of good and effective telecoms within the rail
industry. As such, Fourway Communication
is tendering for a number of major contracts
throughout the UK, as it gears up for what
looks to be a very busy 2014. zz
Web: www.fourway.co.uk The new King’s Cross western concourse
Melford Electronics LtdUnit 14 Blenheim RoadCressex Business ParkHigh WycombeBuckinghamshireHP12 3RSUK
Melford Rail offers a variety of standard monitors which are fully approved by Network Rail and the London underground (Section 12) for Driver Only Operation (DOO), One Person Operation (OPO) and Public Awareness (PAM) applications.
Tel: +44 1494 638069Fax: +44 1494 463358e-mail: [email protected]
Company reg number: 968851VAT number: 207831277
Melford Rail has monitors installed across the rail network in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Every product created by Melford Rail is environmentally tested on site prior to despatch.
Melford is a Link-Up qualified supplier
Melford Rail is able to support legacy systems by offering reprogramming and customisation of standard products without the need for an external legacy converter unit.
MelfordManufacturers of Flat Panel LCDMonitors for Harsh Environments
94 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Iarnród ÉIreann
Under the guidance of a new CEO Iarnród Éireann looks to both reduce costs and increase revenue in its operations
As the national railway system operator
of Ireland, Iarnród Éireann or Irish
Rail, provides passenger and freight
services over 2500 kilometres of
track. The passenger operations break down
into three key sectors of commuter transport
around Dublin including the Dublin Area Rapid
Transit (DART) system, an intercity service
connecting key destination such as Belfast,
Cork, Galway and Limerick, and some regional
routes. In addition, operation of Rosslare
Europort sits within Iarnród Éireann.
Although serving around 38 million
passengers per annum at present, there is
an underlying desire within Iarnród Éireann to
grow these numbers, and with this the revenue
figures. Having taken up the role of CEO at
the beginning of the year, it is down to David
Franks to deliver the changes necessary to
achieve this as he explains: “One of my first
tasks was to complete the restructuring of the
business to an infrastructure manager and
railway undertaking in compliance with
EU directives.
“Both of these parts in turn report through
to me so it is a much more integrated business
model than the likes of the franchises and
Network Rail in the UK. The other thing that I
recognised was the enormous cost pressure
that the business was under as a result of the
austerity that has been felt in Ireland as with
some other European countries. As a public
sector company we are reliant on subsidies,
and one of the big issues has been a huge
reduction in the level that is available to the
railway,” he continues.
Having faced a focus on cost control
throughout his career, David was fairly
confident of his ability to put in place
arrangements that could deliver the cost
reductions that were needed. “The other thing I
observed is that there was a lot of emphasis on
costs, but not on growing the revenue so one
of the things I was keen to do was get people
thinking about how we can grow that line. As
part of that I am focusing on measures such as
A new track
David Franks - CEO
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 95
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzrevenue protection,” he describes.
“We are investing around €13 million in our
‘customer first’ programme, which is to put
in place a revenue management system, new
pricing engine, replace ticket machines and
handheld devices, develop a CRM capability,
and link it all to our reservation system on the
trains. It’s a real upgrade of our technology,
which will give us the capability that has been
in place for some years in the UK.”
Iarnród Éireann already benefits from one
of the youngest fleets in Europe, and the
only one that has WiFi on every train, so the
business is now looking to maximise the
benefits of that. This is particularly in terms of
attracting customers onto the train from their
car. “Over the last five or six years there has
been significant improvement in the motorways
of Ireland, and we’ve not be able to invest in
the intercity routes to enable us to maintain
an advantage on journey times,” notes David.
“This is an area we are focusing on in our five
year plan to try and enable us to operate our
service more quickly between key destinations.
That’s where the customer first programme
really kicks in because if we can balance the
loads on our trains then we can also price
more effectively.”
Another aspect of this strategy is the
introduction of additional frequency on a
number of routes. In January Iarnród Éireann
introduced a new timetable to speed up
journeys to some key destinations such as
Cork, and is now putting plans in place to
plug gaps on major routes to generate more
journeys including moving to more hourly
services.
“We are currently spending between
€50 million and €60 million on replacement
of the signalling equipment in Dublin, which
will increase the opportunities to run more
trains through the city centre. Clearly this
offers potential advantages to the commuter
network, but the same routes are also used
for the trains that go through to Belfast. A
major objective of mine is to get to an hourly
frequency for trains between Dublin and Belfast
and the investment in resignalling is a key
component of that,” elaborates David.
It’s not only in the passenger sector
where Iarnród Éireann is looking to grow its
figures though. Although freight makes up a
relatively small amount of the business, the
company sees the scope to increase this
and to encourage more businesses to shift
to rail. “In the years prior to the banking crisis
large amounts of investment were placed in
things like modernising level crossings and
centralisation of signalling,” notes David.
“Likewise the ability for us to operate longer
and into the night in a cost-effective way is
there now where it perhaps wasn’t in the past.
This means we are in a very good position to
grow our freight operations, and again deliver
more revenue to the business.”
With a strong operational capability and
good performance results, Iarnród Éireann
bears all the hallmarks of an effective rail
business, and now looks to leverage the
benefits of its modern fleet and renewed
infrastructure to improve profitability. “The
other aspect of my forward plan is a cultural
change programme,” concludes David. “Having
spent time in both the public and private
sectors I want our thinking to move away
from considering ourselves as a public service
and more towards delivering to the customer.
This is a fairly significant shift, but one that is
important going forward.” zz
Web: www.irishrail.ieRobe
rt Pr
itcha
rd
30 September – 2 October – European Transport Conference 2013FrankfurtOrganisers: Association of European TransportTel: 020 7348 1970Email: [email protected]: www.aetransport.org
8-10 October – Intermodal Europe 2013HamburgOrganisers: Informa ExhibitionsTel: +44 (0)207 017 5112Email: [email protected]: www.intermodal-events.com 9 October – Rail in the city: the capacity challengeBirminghamOrganisers: IMechETel: +44 (0)20 7973 1245Email: [email protected]: www.imeche.org/events/S1750
This listing represents a selection of the events about which we have been notified. It is strongly recommended that direct contact should be made with the individual organiser responsible for each event before booking places or making travel and accommodation reservations. Cancellations and other last-minute alterations are liable to
occur. The editor and publishers of RAILWAY STRATEGIES are not responsible for any loss or inconvenience suffered by readers in connection with this guide to events.
zzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Conferences & Exhibitions
96 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
6 November – Vehicle re-engineering – matching performance to today’s railwayDerbyOrganisers: IMechETel: +44 (0)20 7973 1245Email: [email protected]: www.imeche.org/events/S1753
12 November – Life Cycle ManagementFrankfurtOrganisers: Europoint Conferences & ExhibitionsTel: +31 (0)30 698 1800Email: [email protected]: www.lifecycleconference.eu
13 November – Track Access Charges 2013FrankfurtOrganisers: Europoint Conferences & ExhibitionsTel: +31 (0)30 698 1800Email: [email protected]: www.trackaccesscharges.eu
14 November – Wayside Train Monitoring SystemsFrankfurtOrganisers: Europoint Conferences & ExhibitionsTel: +31 (0)30 698 1800Email: [email protected]: www.waysidemonitoring.eu
20-22 May 2014 – Infrarail 2014LondonOrganisers: Mack BrooksTel: 01727 814 400Web: www.infrarail.com
23-26 September 2014 – InnoTrans 2014BerlinOrganisers: Messe Berlin GmbHTel: +49 (0)30 30 38 - 2376Email: [email protected]: www.innotrans.com
1st October
Introduction to rolling stock
Key design principles affecting the
performance of railway systems
2nd October
Traction & braking
Principles of traction and braking for
railway engineers
15th October
Vehicle dynamics and vehicle track
interaction
Understand the dynamics of railway vehicles
to improve safety, comfort and asset life
16th October
Fleet maintenance
Improve your processes and fleet
maintenance processes
17th October
Vehicle acceptance and approvals
Introduction to acceptance procedures
which apply across the rail network
11th – 15th November
Introduction to railway
signalling technologies
An overview of railway control systems,
subsystems and technologies used on
UK main line and metro railways
19th November
Train control and safety systems
Learn of the systems used on UK
fleets that provide safety and train
operational control
20th November
Train communication and
auxiliary systems
New and existing systems in use on
today’s rolling stock fleet
26th November
Train structural integrity
Structural integrity, fire and
crashworthiness systems found on
today’s rail fleets
27th November
Optimising fleet maintenance
efficiency
Understand the issues affecting rail
vehicle performance and cost of
maintenance.
A downloadable brochure is available at:
www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/
learning-and-professional-development-
documents/l_d_railway_training_web.
pdf?sfvrsn=2
For more information, please contact
Lucy O’Sullivan, learning and
development co-ordinator:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7304 6907
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.imeche.org/learning/courses/
railway
A listing of courses currently available from the IMechE (Unless stated otherwise, all courses are in London)
Institute of Mechanical Engineers Training Courses Technical training for the railway industry
EditorMartin Collier
Sales ManagerRob Wagner
www.railwaystrategies.co.uk
Schofield Publishing10 Cringleford Business Centre
Intwood Road Cringleford Norwich NR4 6AU
T: +44 (0) 1603 274130F: +44 (0) 1603 274131
RAILWAYS T R A T E G I E Szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
FOR SENIOR RAIL MANAGEMENT