RailDirector August 2021

Better for Business August 2021

Exclusively for rail industry leaders

August 2021 Issue 12 railbusinessdaily.com

In this issue…

Mick Lynch Tough conversations ahead Michelle Craven-Faulkner Deciphering the rail industry Anit Chandarana Relishing the challenges to come Rizwan Javed Why it’s good to talk

Keith Williams A huge realisation in the industry that things needed to change

12

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Introduction

A very happy first birthday to RailDirector A

very warm welcome to the latest edition of RailDirector – a special one for everyone involved in the magazine as we mark its first birthday.

Print publications can be perceived by some as an anachronism, an old-fashioned throwback to outmoded methods of communication.

So to decide last year to launch a new magazine – particularly as a global pandemic had taken hold – certainly raised a few eyebrows.

But I hope you agree that it has been an excellent decision, proving to be a highly relevant and essential platform sharing key and essential rail business messages, while at the same time highlighting the amazing efforts of individuals and organisations working in the rail industry.

My passion and excitement for the magazine is even stronger today than it was during the early talks ahead of launching it, with what has been produced each month exceeding my initial expectations.

I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved, from those responsible for its production, the contributors and advertisers, and last but by no means least our readers.

We have covered some wonderful stories and companies in the previous 11 editions and it is fair to say this continues in the latest edition of the magazine which features – as its front cover – Keith Williams, the Chair of the root and branch review of Britain’s railway, following the release of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

There are some major changes coming in the months and years ahead for the railways and to reflect that we also have interviews with Network Rail’s Chief of Staff Anit Chandarana and new RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch.

In this month’s RailDirector we also speak to Network Rail’s Programme Manager Chris Howchin on the challenge of lifting a bridge out of a flood zone in a Wales railway first.

Also read our interview with MTR Elizabeth line manager Rizwan Javed, who has helped save the lives of 29 people by talking them out of taking their own life.

So a year down the line and it is full steam ahead for the magazine and the business overall with some very exciting projects on the horizon.

As always, we are eager to hear from you, so please talk to us about how we can help you to tell your story and help your business succeed.

Kind regards

Da vid

David McLoughlin Chief Executive Business Daily Group (incorporating: RBD Publications and railbusinessdaily.com)

It is full steam ahead for the magazine and the business overall with some very exciting projects on the horizon.

When you have finished reading this issue of RailDirector, please pass it to colleagues to enjoy or put it in your reception area.

RailDirector magazine is part of the Business Daily Group of companies, which includes the hugely popular railbusinessdaily.com. We deliver more than 70 stories a week to +50,000 rail industry professionals who now subscribe to our 7am daily newsletter. Please subscribe and encourage your colleagues and team members to do the same. It’s free and it’s easy: www.railbusinessdaily.com. This is the very best way to keep abreast of what is happening on Britain’s railways. There is a digital copy of RailDirector on our website.

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August 2021 | 3

Contents

Williams on Williams: ‘Manna from heaven’?

5

Keith Williams discusses how his review was pulled together and what it took to get it published.

‘Technology is not a barrier, it is an enabler’ 8 Robert Ampomah, Chief Technology Officer at Network Rail, on the vital role of technology for a Great British Railway.

Digital-first supply chain solutions for the rail industry

10

TVS Supply Chain Solutions Chief Technology Officer Steve Clark discusses the important role to be played in bringing world-class technology to the sector.

News 12

Including: Government plans to decarbonise domestic transport by 2050 and the Office of Rail and Road report into the industry’s response to COVID-19.

Bridge over troubled water

18

Network Rail’s Programme Manager Chris Howchin on rising to the challenge of lifting a bridge out of a flood zone in a Wales railway first.

Why it’s good to talk: The power of conversation

20

Meet the MTR Elizabeth line manager who has helped save the lives of 29 people by talking them out of taking their own life.

Driving innovation and building a better rail experience

22

We meet Milena Nikolic, Trainline’s new Chief Technology Officer, talking about the platform’s innovation strategy and tech vision.

Support for rail freight will bring social economic and environmental benefits

24

Andy Bagnall of the Rail Delivery Group, writes on the need for policies to help shift freight from road to rail.

Relishing the challenges to come

26

Network Rail’s first Chief of Staff, Anit Chandarana, on managing significant restructuring.

Tough conversations ahead

30

New RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch on the need for flexibility in future discussions about rail cost-cutting.

The ‘beating heart’ of HS2’s construction activity in the South

34

One million HGVs to be taken off the roads as first train departs from Willesden Logistics Hub.

Challenging the norm

36

National strategy to boost accessibility for disabled passengers

41

Southeastern’s Station Area Manager Natalie Leister on her passion to make the railways the best possible workplace for everyone.

An audit of all railway stations is under way to form a new public database to help shape future investment in accessible rail travel.

Putting smaller and medium-sized parcels on a first-class delivery

46

The Rail Innovation Group’s Director Deb Carson and Founder and Chair Liam Henderson write about their Parcels as Passengers study.

The North’s railways must unlock a 48 Green Economic Revolution for the region

Peter Cole, Principal Environmental and Sustainability Officer at Transport for the North, discusses plans that set targets of near-zero surface transport carbon by 2045.

Deciphering the complications of the rail industry

52

Tel: 0800 046 7320 Sales: 020 7062 6599 Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel@rbdpublications.com Writers Danny Longhorn Dave Windass Designer/Production Editor Chris Cassidy Print Manager Dan Clark

Michelle Craven-Faulkner on the challenges of being a rail lawyer and the need to make it easier for the supply chain.

Distribution Manager Nick Wright

Hotels on rails – a new mythology

54

Connections at Calvert

56

Advertising Team Christian Wiles – chris@rbdpublications.com Freddie Neal – freddie@rbdpublications.com Elliot Gates – elliot@rbdpublications.com Jack Allen – jack@rbdpublications.com Amy Hudson – amy@rbdpublications.com

‘The ideas shown today could transform how we travel in future’

58

Midnight Trains Co-Founder Adrien Aumont on his plans for a new network of European sleeper trains.

Two of the UK’s major railway construction projects come together at Calvert in Buckinghamshire.

The Transport Secretary has announced the winners of the latest round of the First of a Kind competition.

Avanti West Coast begins the UK’s biggest ever train fleet upgrade

60

International news

62

Movers and shakers

66

All 56 of the train operating company’s fleet are being upgraded as part of the £117 million project.

Featuring VINCI awarded €1.43 billion contract, and Respol and Talgo to develop hydrogen-powered train.

A round-up of some of the new appointments in the rail industry.

HS2 archaeologists make a once-in-a-lifetime Iron Age discovery

70

More than 300 small coins have been found in West London in what has been dubbed the ‘Hillingdon Hoard’.

GRP End of Platform Gates and Fencing Solutions

Published by RBD Publications Ltd., Suite 37, Philpot House, Station Road, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 7HH. Printed by Stephens & George © 2021 All rights reserved. Reproduction of the contents of this magazine in any manner whatsoever is prohibited without prior consent from the publisher.

For subscription enquiries and to make sure you get your copy of RailDirector please ring 0800 046 7320 or email subscriptions@rbdpublications.com The views expressed in the articles reflect the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content is published in good faith.

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William-Shapps Review

Williams on Williams: ‘Manna from heaven’?

Keith Williams discusses the William-Shapps Review – the background, the delay and how the rail industry as a whole will benefit from its findings

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he ‘William-Shapps’ review started out as the ‘William-Grayling review’ and was all but complete in 2019. So why did it take so long to hit the public domain and how different did it look when the White Paper was published in May? We spoke to the man himself to get a clearer picture of how his review was pulled together and what it took to get it published.

Keith Williams is refreshingly open and has been quite happy to stand up and talk about elements of his review from its very conception thought to submission to government. But, with some 30 reviews into various parts of the railway over the past 10 years, what motivated him to do yet another?

“Two things attracted me. Firstly that, following the timetabling disaster of May 2018, there was a huge realisation in the industry that things needed to change.

“Secondly, I actually took comfort from the fact that this was going to be a government review, independently chaired, which is somewhat unusual. So, I always felt that that gave it the greatest opportunity to get to a White Paper.”

He saw the review as fundamentally different to those which went before, including the McNulty review. Although that was also independently chaired, its scope didn’t cover the whole industry.

“It was manna from heaven, as the review was to cover everything and everybody wanted change.”

Keith’s background is in aviation, so choosing the team behind him and selecting those inputting to the review were key.

Central government backing was clear and even devolution didn’t seem to pose a problem. Keith had access to everyone he needed.

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“I met the Scottish Government and I met the Scottish minister,” he remembered. “Similarly in Wales, I went to the Welsh Parliament.

I saw and spoke with hundreds of people, organisations, governments and businesses over that first year, and pulled together around me a fantastic panel of experts.”

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He saw his background in aviation as a strength, as he brought no preconceptions to his task. He could pose off-the-wall questions and use his knowledge of the airline model to look at different options for the future railway.

When Keith started to look at rail, ‘network’ was his first big realisation. “A failure of network planning stood behind a lot of the issues with the May 2018 timetable. But it wasn’t confined to this, it was everybody’s failure, a failure to recognise that the network had limitations.”

His second big learning also involved network. Everyone he spoke to in public forums identified network as crucial.

“Whereas I might have thought there would be some sort of localism, actually, even the general public wanted this to work as a network. And I think that that was probably something that was lost through franchising.”

In fact, Keith believes the public didn’t really understand franchising, in the sense that they weren’t concerned whether it was private or national. He didn’t even see this as their debate, which was actually that the railway wasn’t working as a network. He saw the nationalisation debate and structure as an output rather than an input.

“I saw that we needed to get something that works, and then look at the structure to make it work, rather than the other way around,” he continued, “and I know that people were getting frustrated with me, by not coming out with structure. But it was deliberate on my part, because I wanted to devise a network that would work and then wrap a structure around that.”

A number of people in government asked him to look at an ‘open access’ model for the railway, much like the system in aviation, as well as looking at international comparisons which included Japan, Germany and Holland.

“Actually, the UK doesn’t compare unfavourably on the whole, to be honest,” he mused. “When we compare ourselves to international railways, we are tough on ourselves, but that’s not say there isn’t room for improvement.

“It quickly became clear that franchising needed to end, but that was pretty obvious.

At that stage, we all knew that franchising was going to come to an end, as most of them were starting to fail anyway.”

The importance of consultation Consultation was fundamental to the review.

He called on his panel of experts throughout and used the DfT to do a lot of the spade work.

He spent the first year really listening to people.

This was an epic undertaking, as something like 700 different consultations took place in the first in two rounds.

6 | August 2021

Photo: Gordon Bell / Shutterstock.com

William-Shapps Review

This made it what he describes as “an iterative process”, adding that it was this that allowed him to learn and ultimately produce something the public could buy into, as well as the industry.

“My North Star was always getting something that would work for the passenger.”

One of the key factors which came into play was passenger satisfaction. He identified this as having peaked in 2014 when, according to Transport Focus, it peaked at around 88 per cent and then declined every year subsequently.

At that stage, we all knew that franchising was going to come to an end, as most of them were starting to fail anyway “Satisfaction was in decline and the thing I learned in the airline industry is that passenger satisfaction ultimately does stem from the value for money argument. So, when I look at people saying about how expensive rail is, that actually reflects two things – price and value.”

Keith Williams is the first to say that, in his mind, the review was pretty much ready by the autumn of 2019. The commitment was to complete the review in around 12 months, which was what the panel did, and he presented a draft to government in late 2019.

Once it was drafted, two things happened.

The first was COVID-19, and the second was that Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP became Secretary of State for Transport.

Different approaches Once again, Keith’s openness about the differences between Chris Grayling and Grant Shapps is refreshing. He describes Chris Grayling as a “railway man though and though” and recognises that Grant Shapps is very different – but a rail user nonetheless. Their approaches may have been different, but they both brought enormous support and value to the review.

“Chris gave me an open book to look at rail end-to-end,” he commented. “The great thing about Chris was that he wanted a look at the whole thing.

“I think he chose me for couple of reasons.

One is that I came from outside the industry, with a different background. The other was that I was used to dealing with employee issues and trade unionism. He was conscious of the fact that labour relations in rail were falling, so he wanted a view on that.

“What Grant brought was a way of thinking that he and I could meet in the middle on a lot of his questions, which were around technology.

He said, ‘surely we can run a better railway?’”

Grant Shapps brought a new perspective to the review. He wanted to know why his journey couldn’t be contactless/ticketless. People had told Keith during his research not to touch ticketing, but this was one of the areas both he and Grant Shapps saw the need for reform. railbusinessdaily.com

William-Shapps Review

“Retail reform had to be part of the work that we that we did,” he said. “That was a really significant moment for me, because I think the modernisation of rail through really new innovation is going to be a very significant part, not only in customer satisfaction, but also in the efficiency of the railways. I think that retail revolution will actually enable a better customer experience. It will grow the revenue and I also think it will bring greater efficiency.

“Growing revenue is about service and about trust and value for money. In the airline world, most people will pay a different price for their ticket, even though they’re on the same plane.

There’s a recognition that buying a ticket early means getting a better price, but you don’t mind because you had transparency when you bought the ticket.

“I think the direction of travel is going to be set, it’s ultimately going to be about transparent pricing.

“But you also need to provide good customer service, because that’s what the customer really wants from that journey, isn’t it? The review looks to provide a base passenger service contract, March21 Print Half Page v2 copy.pdf which is allVRabout contracting for the quality of the service and rewarding on delivery of that.

“Over time, what we’ll see is, hopefully, a set of steps that will improve the customer experience.”

Keith describes the White Paper as “great” but caveats: “Unless you see signs of change over an ensuing period, things have a habit of reverting to normal. I think one of the things that’s incumbent on us all now is to actually make change happens, because, if we don’t, there’s a danger that we revert to norm.”

He said he was careful to compare his

“My original draft was probably a bit blander than what actually came out,” he commented.

So, what does he see as being next for the industry? “Today, everybody operates under a short-term contract. Hopefully, we’ll change that as innovation comes in. I think we need to bring in more of the private sector to innovate, but that’s the way the public sector works as well. It brings in private enterprise to innovate.”

This shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. We need to acknowledge that we have different railways

Looking forward, not back With all the evolutionary changes growing out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the end of franchising, the two phased emergency agreements and the move to national rail contacts and then passenger service contracts, Keith Williams is keen that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

“This shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. We need to acknowledge that we have different railways, depending on where you are. It needs to work as a network, but also to acknowledge that Cardiff is different from Carlisle and these may well be different to London. So why pick the same solution everywhere?”

original review with the White Paper to ensure all his key findings weren’t lost and he was 1 26/03/2021 11:29 pleasantly surprised that everything was still there, with more technical content.

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August 2021 | 7

Te c h n o l o g y

‘Technology is not a barrier, it is an enabler’ Robert Ampomah, Chief Technology Officer at Network Rail, on the vital role of technology for a Great British Railway

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he supply chain has been challenged by Network Rail to think outside the box to help the rail industry embrace the latest technology and innovation to thrive and deliver safer and more connected services for our passengers in the future.

That’s the message from the organisation’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Robert Ampomah, who is a passionate promoter of developing and introducing new technology and working collaboratively with the supply chain.

“Technology is not a barrier, but an enabler, and it has got such an important role to play in the future of the railway,” he said. “We are investing £245 million of government funding in research and development during Control Period 6 looking for new and imaginative ways to deliver a better railway for our passengers and freight customers.

“My challenge to suppliers is to develop technology or solutions that are cost effective and can help us and the wider industry to access shared opportunities to do things better.”

Robert, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the rail industry, has outlined some of the key areas technology is driving the industry forward and the challenges to be overcome when trying to cut the cost of infrastructure works, reducing carbon emissions and improving train punctuality.

Artificial Intelligence “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is offering a step change in the way we manage asset data and undertake infrastructure inspection, and using it to its full potential we will be able to make really important decisions that will transform how we inspect and repair our infrastructure.

“If we want to use AI to its full potential we’ve got to get down the automation route to measure things more accurately and consistently. We also need to set up the organisation to be more AI and with that I mean having analysts and engineers who have the skills and capability to know what the data is telling us and why.

8 | August 2021

If we want to use AI to its full potential we’ve got to get down the automation route “We are also partnering with universities – as part of the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) – to deliver valuable research and nurture engineering talent; and our well established apprentice programme

continues to develop a competent and skilled workforce alongside our company competence framework.

“These are helping us to create a technology enabled workforce fit for the future. If we lead with technology and leave our people behind, we will struggle to embrace and introduce new technology.”

Data management “We can get the best systems in the world, but if our data is not good enough then it is a wasted investment. Having good, accurate data helps us to make better decisions, so the consistency of the data is one of the key things we need to improve. railbusinessdaily.com

Te c h n o l o g y

“We are looking at scanned components that automatically scan and update systems. That is something the supermarket industry uses very successfully, so we are considering how that can be adapted for the rail industry.

“With the recent government announcement to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 78 per cent by 2035, we have a huge amount of work to do, so energy is definitely going to get a massive take-up.

“The reality is that electrification across the whole network is not sustainable and, in some areas, not necessarily cost effective.

We’ve started work on hydrogen and batteries as alternative sources of energy to power our trains, but we need to be open minded and have different options. We are working with suppliers and our university partnership (UKRRIN) to revolutionise and accelerate research into new technologies as well as other universities such as Cambridge, developing solutions such as ammonia to power vehicles.”

Digital twin “We try to operate a service using a timetable and we do that well, but when you try and link up the asset information itself and asset geolocation, they don’t necessarily align and they are also on different databases.

“We manually input data to enable our systems to interface with each other – there is too much of that, too many manual processes because we have disparate databases and haven’t got the systems architecture that helps to link them together.

“We have started to develop systems that are able to combine and align asset datasets to help us make better decisions.

“There is a huge market in digital twin and digital technologies which can help us. With big data and the ability to store and process multiple data sources in seconds, this can

railbusinessdaily.com

I am positive that in the next five years we will be doing very few inspections on foot and become reliant on vehicle or automated forms of inspection open up a massive market for us and that is an exciting area that will help us in the future.”

“I am positive that in the next five years we

will be doing very few inspections on foot and become reliant on vehicle or automated forms of inspection. Our assets will be measured and recorded through automation with machine learning to detect defects to help us determine what action to take.

“The government has made it very clear that it wants to invest in rail, invest in technology and invest in science as part of its industrial strategy Rail Sector Deal, so it is a really important and exciting time for the railway.

I’m confident Great British Railways will help us deliver fantastic and punctual services for our passengers, but we need to grab the opportunity with both hands and embrace technology to help us get there faster.”

August 2021 | 9

Te c h n o l o g y

Digital-first supply chain solutions for the rail industry TVS Supply Chain Solutions Chief Technology Officer Steve Clark discusses the important role to be played in bringing world-class technology to the sector

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he rail industry is looking to accelerate its use of the latest technology to make working practices more efficient and safer. Digital twin, data management and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are among some of the innovation identified and taken forward by Network Rail.

But the organisation can’t do this on its own, with its Chief Technology Officer Robert Ampomah challenging the supply chain to “think outside the box” to help the industry embrace the latest technology and innovation.

Confident it has a major part to play is TVS Supply Chain Solutions, a global supply chain organisation providing integrated supply chain solutions, global forwarding and last mile solutions across a number of different sectors, including automotive, beverage, defence, utilities and last but by no means least rail.

“Technology is constantly changing the world and it has shaped the way that industries operate,” said the organisation’s Chief Technology Officer Steve Clark. “With increasing technological advancements in the logistics and supply chain industry, TVS Supply Chain Solutions has evolved as a ‘digital-first’ supply chain solution service provider.

“Our innovation, capabilities, reputation and performance could allow us to transform supply chains, delivering our solutions in the rail sector in areas such as infrastructure, signalling, rolling stock and maintenance support.”

10 | August 2021

TVS SCS has been trading for over 100 years, with more than 18,000 employees in 50 countries managing more than 5,000 suppliers. A key part in its proposition in integrated supply chain solutions is the support it provides to more than 4,000 field service engineers across the UK. “We can’t underestimate the importance in

technology to ensure a rail industry that thrives in the future, particularly its role in helping to enhance the supply chain,” said Steve, who is responsible for the design, development, delivery and support of the company’s Msys Information Systems – developed to provide intelligent and innovative solutions.

railbusinessdaily.com

Te c h n o l o g y

“We need to make sure we are using the best technology to support the engineers in the field whether they are fixing trains or on track.

Our organisation is all about empowering those engineers, providing them with the right technology to ensure they can do their jobs both efficiently and safely.”

TVS SCS has a proven track record when it comes to a supply chain platform and product development driven by a digitally enabled framework and data analytics model.

As the rail industry looks to accelerate its use of AI, this is an area TVS SCS is already well accustomed to in other sectors.

“TVS SCS utilises this distinctive technology to make the supply chain management consistently smarter by combining cognitive intelligence with insightful algorithms that leads to gaining operational efficiency and helps customers to satisfy new-age needs,” said Steve.

“We are deploying ecommerce platforms that simplify order management for the end user. And we are implementing AI in our organisation with drones flying around the warehouse, where we’re looking at storage locations, using vision capabilities to look at locations and detect whether it is as it should be and then providing instantaneous messaging to operations teams. There are things we are doing in other industries that rail could really benefit from – particularly in using the AI capability in forecasting parts demand, as an example.

“AI is game-changing and for me you’ve got to embrace it and those organisations that don’t will get left behind.”

Rail connections TVS SCS is building a strong reputation in the rail industry, supporting transformation, operational logistics, procurement and supply chain management services.

railbusinessdaily.com

But Steve says they have a lot more to offer: “TVS SCS is all about change and lean solutions, we believe there are many innovations that we have implemented in one industry that are absolutely transferable into the rail industry.

“Network Rail’s Robert Ampomah has spoken of the important role that technology has to play in the future of the railway, particularly when it comes to AI, data management, energy and digital twin.

“These are all areas of expertise at TVS SCS – we are using AI with the systems in place to bring benefits and value to our client’s business.

“Data management is what we are all about, and on the topic of energy we have the experience of working with clients on green agendas and moving to electric vehicles.

“With digital twin, we moved away from the traditional warehouse to a data lake some years ago, and our customers are benefiting from this, as are we.

“We use the latest AI tools to visualise the data and so we have moved from writing traditional reports to allow the technology to look at the data and suggest things.

AI is game-changing and for me you’ve got to embrace it and those organisations that don’t will get left behind This sees the company providing support for material and logistics supply chain requirements covering a wide range of general consumables, commodities and rail specific spares for a variety of customers.

Ahead of the curve Steve continued: “Effective data management is often a real problem for some organisations; understanding the data that you have and then using that data effectively is really powerful, and an area where TVS SCS is ahead of the game.

“We are confident in our capabilities so now it is about getting the opportunity to help the industry overcome some of the problems using solutions that we have successfully provided for other sectors.

“Network Rail has challenged the supply chain to think outside the box and embrace technology and innovation. With a proven track record in other sectors we are already on this journey.”

August 2021 | 11

News

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he government has released its Transport Decarbonisation Plan – outlining how the UK will deliver a step change in the breadth and scale of its ambition to reduce transport’s greenhouse gas emissions to reach net zero.

The aim is to decarbonise all modes of domestic transport by 2050, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps saying cleaner transport will create and support highly skilled jobs, ensure the air we breathe is cleaner and reduce time spent in traffic.

He said: “The plan published is genuinely high ambition – technically and feasibly – for all areas of transport and notes that decarbonisation will rely, in part, on future transport technology, coupled with the necessary behavioural and societal change.

“Because of the pandemic, we are already seeing some of these changes in behaviour happen much faster than expected. We’ve seen homeworking change traditional commuter and leisure trips, video

conferencing has changed business travel and we’ve seen a rise in cycling and walking all of which could save thousands of tonnes of carbon themselves.”

The commitments set out include linking local infrastructure funding to solutions that cut emissions – aligning that investment to the government’s net zero programme, improving public transport, increasing support for active travel so mass transit and cycling and walking play a bigger role than ever, a net zero rail network by 2050, net zero domestic aviation emissions by 2040 and leading the transition to green shipping.

The government has also published its rail environment policy statement, which sets the direction for the rail industry on environment issues and informs the forthcoming sustainable rail strategy.

The document looks at traction decarbonisation, air quality, decarbonising the rail estate and a range of other environmentalrelated issues on the railway, including biodiversity and waste.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive

Photo: Department for Transport

Government announces plan to decarbonise all UK domestic transport by 2050

of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “It is really positive to see the Transport Decarbonisation Plan commit to a ‘cost-effective’ and ‘sustained’ programme of electrification, and to support the deployment of battery and hydrogen trains. It is also heartening to see the government recognise the role that rail freight can play in cutting emissions, extending to freight the commitment to remove all diesel-only trains from the network by 2040. “ Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General of the Rail Freight Group, said: “This plan sets out a clear vision for the decarbonisation of

freight transport and recognises the vital role that rail has to play in reducing carbon emissions.

“We welcome government’s commitment to setting a target for rail freight growth, and to the electrification of strategic gaps in the network, allowing more freight to be electrically hauled. Businesses across the country are looking to make more use of rail freight as they work to decarbonise their supply chain.

“This plan should help underpin the investments they need to make to do so – but it must now be backed by the necessary action to deliver on the government’s ambition.”

ORR report into rail industry’s response to COVID-19 he Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its 2020-21 annual assessments of rail safety in Great Britain and of Network Rail’s performance.

Overall, ORR found the rail industry responded extremely well to the COVID-19 pandemic, that Network Rail has continued to deliver its planned efficiencies and train punctuality has been, and remains, very high, mainly due to fewer passengers and services.

However, ORR has highlighted the risk that punctuality will drop as passengers and services return.

Network Rail needs to work crossindustry to retain performance 12 | August 2021

Photo: Transport for Greater Manchester

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improvements where possible.

The reports jointly highlight the need for Network Rail to focus on drainage asset knowledge, structures examinations and track workforce safety. The regulator has also repeated its warning that

Network Rail’s financial risk reserves are lower than may be necessary for the remainder of the control period, particularly in Scotland.

Ian Prosser, ORR’s Chief Inspector of Railways, said: “This past year has been one of the most

difficult for the railway in 20 years, with a mixed picture of health and safety performance, with two track worker deaths and a worker killed at a depot in Eastleigh.

“The year also saw significant failures of a number of structures, and the tragic event at Carmont last August, when three people lost their lives when a train derailed, shows that there must be no let-up in the industry’s focus on safety and managing the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.

“Drainage and earthworks have been the Cinderella assets for too long and we are working to ensure the rail industry takes action.” railbusinessdaily.com

I n sFue raat nu cr e

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Protection against email hacking E

mail hacking could place your business at risk. Cyber-crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated and a common scam is for an email account to be hacked. The hackers will often monitor emails coming in and out of your account for some time before striking, taking careful note of when your suppliers get paid and how much each invoice is for.

They will then impersonate a supplier who is owed money by sending an email copying the supplier’s email style and personality, notifying you of a change in their bank account details just before a large invoice is due to be paid to that supplier.

When the supplier is paid, the money goes to the hackers’ bank account and the money could be lost forever – the theft is only discovered when the real supplier complains of non-payment. This is why it is important to always ring your supplier to check every bank account change. Cyber insurance is still a relatively new concept but it provides financial protection if your business

cyber attack and remedy it by removal of the virus.

The experts will also advise on improved firewalls to stop a repeat attack.

Wider policies can cover your own loss of revenue and third party costs, for instance where the virus may have been sent to a customer.

A cost-effective way to obtain low-level cyber cover can be to purchase an extension to your existing computer hardware insurance. The more your business relies on electronic means of trading, the greater the risk of significant disruption and cost to your business.

Keven Parker, ACII NEBOSH

suffers a cyber attack. A basic policy pays for own business financial losses (first party risk) arising from hacking, viruses and ransom demands; typical losses are theft of funds, theft of data and interruption to your IT systems. Most policies provide a cyber expert response to diagnose the

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August 2021 | 13

News

News

£56 million package for light rail recovery T

Photo: Transport for Greater Manchester

he government has announced £56 million in government funding for light rail operators across England to help ensure they continue to run vital services as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere says the funding will run until April 2022, supporting: Manchester Metrolink Tyne and Wear Metro Sheffield Supertram Nottingham Express Transit West Midlands Metro Blackpool Tramway Baroness Vere said: “This £56 million funding package will allow

operators to keep running these vital services as normal in those initial months, as restrictions are lifted and passengers begin to return in higher numbers.”

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay said: “This funding means that thousands of people

across England can continue to travel on public transport when they need to, and regular services can continue as the country comes out of restrictions.”

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Our West Midlands Metro service has

operated throughout the pandemic and has seen patronage return very quickly each time restrictions have been lifted. This has shown just how important our trams are to commuters and our regional economy.

“It was critical, therefore, that we received this latest funding from government, and by being the longest funding package we have received so far it has given the West Midlands much-needed certainty.”

The funding package announced will be the final tranche of COVID-19 related financial support to be given to the sector.

It comes after the government has already provided around £150 million to operators to ensure services have continued to run throughout the pandemic.

Heritage railways join forces for nationwide campaign six-week national campaign is underway to raise awareness of the many heritage railways across the UK. North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is collaborating with over 35 other organisations from as far afield as Cornwall, Suffolk, North Wales, North East Scotland and Northern Ireland.

‘Love Your Railway’ runs until September 5, shining a spotlight on not only the important work heritage railways do with regards to conservation, education and research, but highlighting how they have all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of reduced capacities and income.

NYMR is collaborating with a host of other famous heritage railways, including The Bluebell Railway, South Devon Railway (SDR), Crich Tramway Village, Severn Valley Railway and Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Chris Price, General Manager at NYMR, said: “There are more than 150 operational heritage 14 | August 2021

Photo: Alison Rawson

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railways, running trains over nearly 600 miles of track, which protect, conserve and bring to life part of the nation’s rich cultural heritage – giving enjoyment and learning to thousands of people every year.

“We want to do all we can to raise awareness of every heritage railway across the country and the challenges we face; all the participating railways will be posting their own social content across the six themed weeks, but we

also want to encourage the public to get involved by sharing their favourite memories and inspiring imagery from their visits, using the hashtag #LoveYourRailway.”

The six themed weeks are: Heritage, Education, Volunteers, Family, Sustainability and Future.

SDR Trust Chairman Jon Morton said: “We’re delighted to support the laudable ‘Love Your Railway’ campaign to highlight the work that heritage lines all over the

country do to conserve, protect, promote, entertain and educate people about Britain’s rich 200year railway history and culture.

“Heritage railways in the South West, and across the country, have all had a rotten time during the COVID-19 pandemic with restricted operations and mounting financial losses, so we need people to visit us now like never before just to survive and keep the wheels turning.” railbusinessdaily.com

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IFnedaut us tr rey S p o t l i g h t

A decade of successful planning for the railways D2 Managing Director David Diesbergen reflects on the first 10 years of the business and exciting plans for the future

I

t was 10 years ago this year that David Diesbergen founded D2 Rail. He started the business after continuously facing the same challenges of a lack of early engagement and dynamic planning in some parts of the industry.

His solution was to create an organisation where realistic and achievable solutions were developed by seasoned experts who could relate to the industry as a whole but specifically in terms of construction and sequencing of works.

“With more than 50 experienced staff and an estimated turnover of over £4.75 million this year I think it is fair to say that the business has exceeded my expectations that were set 10 years ago,” he said.

“But more than that – despite the growth – we are continuing to fulfil that initial vision around making a difference for our clients in everything we do. Today our business is the result of visionary leadership and a high-quality team that helps clients to execute their vision efficiently and effectively.”

A proven track record The business is built on sound multidisciplinary advice and a trusted team of programme management professionals. Just a few of the past projects D2 has been trusted to help deliver are: he Northern Hub, Ordsall Chord – Supporting T Network Rail with option selection at GRIP stage 3 and then providing ongoing support to the Northern Hub Alliance in delivering the multidisciplinary project, which provided rail links across Manchester between Piccadilly and Victoria stations for the first time. osforth Depot development scheme – G providing a working programme for Bam Nuttall to design and develop the depot, incorporating key delivery/decommissioning dates for new/old rolling stock.

3 TWAO – providing planning support to W Network Rail for the delivery of the Transport Works Act Order application covering proposed improvements to the railway between Huddersfield and Westtown.

16 | August 2021

Building on its successful track record, D2’s current key schemes include: ranspennine Route Upgrade West – T supporting the Alliance with planning, project controls, information management, utilities management, operational and TOC/FOC Liaison.

E uston Station enabling works – asset change management. etwork Rail – planning and controls N framework. etwork Rail – capacity and timetable N planning framework.

David said: “Our focus is always on adding value to any project we are involved in. In the past we’ve actually declined work where we didn’t believe we could add the value that we are accustomed to providing.

“Everything we do revolves around collaboration, and so we go to great lengths Advertorial

to integrate ourselves into the client’s team.

Supporting a collaborative environment in this way really does ensure the best outcome for everyone.”

Success should come as no shock. David’s decision to form D2 came during a hugely successful project management and engineering career spanning almost three decades – working with the likes of Network Rail, Bechtel, GTRM/ Carillion, Murphy and Barhale. Experiencing first-hand some of the frustrations that existed between the different industry functions and stakeholders, David resolved to do something about it.

The primary aim of establishing D2 was to fill a gap in the marketplace, supporting clients throughout the lifecycle of their projects, helping them achieve their goals of delivering the projects safely to time and budget. But wrapped around this aim was a desire to put rail users first, by leveraging wider opportunities for the full range of rail stakeholders to realise efficiencies by working together. railbusinessdaily.com

I n d u s t r y S pFoetal ti g uh r et

As David puts it: “The vision has always been to challenge the norm and deliver a proactive and meticulous approach, which provides significant benefits to our clients. Achieving this has been a result of our capacity to provide a fully integrated service, dovetailed to exactly fit the client or project-specific scenarios.

“D2 has specialists in planning and controls, risk and value, information management, digital technology, utilities, and more recently timetable and capacity planning services. This in-house capability makes us highly agile to respond to the widest range of scenarios.

“Ultimately our people are the key to our success – both in terms of experience and the way they operate – adding value in a collaborative manner. Everyone in our business shares those key values.

“We have a vast amount of experience in the rail industry. Our team possess both delivery and operational experience. This means we have an excellent understanding of how the industry operates, and a vision of how it could operate better. Because our business comprises people who understand the industry, we can be confident of challenging existing practices and making decisions that add value.”

Innovation The company also prides itself on thinking outside the box. Each of D2’s innovations have been aimed at addressing common frustrations, automating time consuming tasks, or removing the risk of human error.

One example is its Swiftview™ software development, commissioned in June 2020. railbusinessdaily.com

David said: “Producing weekly possession diagrams is resource-heavy, repetitive work which carries a high risk of human error.

Determined to make access planning easier, quicker, and more efficient, we developed Swiftview, a user-friendly online resource that enables data upload and visualisation of possession information.

“Ultimately our people are the key to our success – both in terms of experience and the way they operate” “Developing Swiftview we overcame many challenges including – but not limited to – inconsistent existing data, multiple data sources in different formats, real-time route analysis and clash detection, and schedule and possession overlays.

“Swiftview has been through several feature developments borne from detailed feedback from both internal and external industry experts.

The current version enables automated analytics and reporting functions, which have been designed to provide efficient data visualisation and analysis.

“I firmly believe it is a digitally efficient way to move away from the labour-intensive process of possession planning, towards a scenario that opens up new opportunities.”

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But D2 isn’t resting on its laurels. David says there are some key appointments, due to be announced imminently, which will accelerate the Programme / Project Management Office (PMO) aspirations. The company is also working towards its Association for Project Management (APM) accreditation.

He added: “A key goal for the business is to set up the PMO organisation and to become the ‘go to’ consultancy for the industry. One with a reputation for adding value in everything we do.

I think we’re well on the way to achieving that reputation, but the plan is to expand to help an increasing number of clients by adding value.

This has been helped by the recent award of two major Network Rail frameworks.

“From a PMO point of view we are largely there but the element that has been missing is the specific function of programme and project management. This has been an area we have focused on and will continue to do in the coming months with some key additions to the team.

“Despite the plans for the future, one thing that won’t change is the aspiration to ascend to the status of the rail infrastructure industry’s most preferred project consultancy with world-class leadership standards. The success of our first 10 years has proved there is a real and tangible demand for our style of collaborative, innovative working. By continually raising the innovation bar and with sustained investment to lead the way in project advancement, who knows where we will be 10 years down the line.”

Visit www.d2rail.co.uk/ and www.swiftview.co.uk for more details.

August 2021 | 17

Infrastructure

Bridge over troubled water Network Rail’s Programme Manager Chris Howchin discusses rising to the challenge of lifting a bridge out of a flood zone in a Wales railway first

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or the first time ever, a railway bridge in Wales has been raised away from rising river waters to prevent flooding on the track.

Following 30 flood closures in the last decade, the completion of the project means Black Bridge, on the Cambrian Line, near Machynlleth, now stands one metre taller than before.

“It’s been a rollercoaster for a lot of people, but it genuinely has been one of the most enjoyable projects that I’ve been involved in in my nearly 20 years on the railway,” said Chris Howchin, Network Rail’s Programme Manager.

“It was less than 12 months ago we were asked to lift the bridge on the Cambrian line one metre out of the flood zone. There were lots of ‘ums and ahs’ when the challenge was set, especially taking into account the timescale with the unknowns of COVID-19, logistics, the supply of materials, resources and access into a water course.

“But everyone has picked up the challenge and we all went with it together, and for the past 12 months everybody has had their eyes on the prize. When you’ve got project delivery and engineering and everybody from all these different areas of the business pulling together, it was a genuine sense of collaboration and achievement to be honest.”

Working around the clock Network Rail engineers and contractors worked day and night to lift Black Bridge away from the river flood zone. The project – securing the future of the vital transport link between Mid Wales and the rest of the UK – involved 360 engineers clocking up more than 32,000 hours, with the work on site taking just six weeks.

“It was quite daunting at the beginning with the tight timescales, and with the environmental restrictions we knew we couldn’t do it over the winter months,” Chris said. “From the start there were a lot of issues to deal with and some of those we knew we wouldn’t overcome until the actual project was under way.

“One of the live challenges was the logistics of getting around 7,000 tonnes of material in to bring the track up on the gradient. That had to be gradual and brought in by train and was done over several shifts beforehand to stockpile the materials.

18 | August 2021

“When you look at some of the other engineering aspects, with the structure being an early 1900s build we didn’t have any as-builts for it and a lot of it was unknown. Because we couldn’t get into the water over winter, we had to make some assumptions that these abutments and piers were potentially in a poor way.

This success shows that we can do this kind of project when it is required and we can get a benefit and make a big impact when it is needed “We had to adapt the reinforcement for the concrete abutments and pier so there was a lot more steelwork that went into that.

“There was also Mother Nature. Some yellow wagtail birds decided to nest on the girders.

Thankfully they fledged the day before the

blockade started because we couldn’t work anywhere around where the birds were nesting before they left. There was also Japanese knotweed in the area so we had to do a lot of treatment plans around that and keep those materials away, separated out to prevent contamination.”

Other issues In 2020 the bridge had to be closed 10 times for emergency repairs caused by flood water.

The on-site team experienced the issue when, just days into the blockade, the site had to be evacuated because of the rising river levels.

Chris said: “Things have been getting worse in recent years which hasn’t just been causing disruption to passengers and Transport for Wales, but we’ve also had to mobilise teams to go out and do assessments on the bridge – it hasn’t just been a matter of waiting for the water to recede.

“We actually felt the impact of that within the first days of doing the project and when the rains hit in May we had to do an evacuation of the site.

With the volatility of that section of the river if it were to flood it would flood quickly, so we knew we had about an hour to move everything. Fortunately, we had an evacuation plan in place, but it really highlighted the importance of the project.” railbusinessdaily.com

Infrastructure

This just added to an already complicated project in which engineers opted to lift the 80-tonne bridge manually, rather than using hydraulics, to ensure there was no twisting or buckling of the structure. Eight 20-tonne blocks and chains were used in total and for every 10 metres of chain pulled, the bridge was raised just 10mm.

“This resulted in more than 12,800 metres of chain being pulled through the lifting blocks for this challenging lift, which took a lot of strength from the teams on the ground,” said Chris.

“We went through the methodology and considered the use of hydraulic jacking or electronic winching – but none of those alternatives could give us the precision needed. An engineering and safety risk assessment found that the right balance was for people using block and chains. We made regular changes of people to prevent injury from continually pulling on the chains.

“The bridge was being monitored on the way up to make sure there was no twisting, contortions or buckling of the bridge, and the only way to do that was by doing it manually. There were four different lifting points for each deck – eight in total – and we wanted to bring both up together, so we had the temporary works beams in there just to try and keep some rigidity to it. Using the multipliers of block and tackle allowed us to get that up by 1mm each time.”

designs by our Network Rail design engineers and the methodology. I think if you’d separated those two out, we wouldn’t have had the success in this timeframe.

“Having AmcoGiffen on board in the early stages meant they felt part of the solution and we were all in this together. The collaboration has been genuine with everyone showing such a positive attitude throughout the project.

“Rather than people looking at issues as problems too difficult to overcome, everybody’s focus was on what the solutions could be.

“Our Network Rail Design engineers – who made the initial designs – were on site throughout.

Having them there enabled us to make decisions in the moment, and saved us going through so much of the normal processes. It empowered us all to act on site saving time and cost.

“We were all railway people looking out for the passengers and looking at putting those passengers first in the future. The collaboration was really focused and really successful. It was a fantastic project to be involved in and an even better team to be part of.”

Reopening line In the end engineers were on site from May 15 through to June 26, with the line reopening on June 28.

“This success shows that we can do this kind of project when it is required and we can get a benefit and make a big impact when it is needed,” said Chris.

“One of the positives has been the early engagement of a principal contractor – this was really valuable because they helped unite the railbusinessdaily.com

August 2021 | 19

People

Why it’s good to talk: The power of conversation Meet the MTR Elizabeth line manager who has helped save the lives of 29 people by talking them out of taking their own life

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lot can be said about the power of a conversation. Look no further than Rizwan Javed, who in the past six years has helped save 29 lives while working for MTR Elizabeth line.

“Speaking and listening are two of the most important tools and I’m just pleased I’ve been able to use both to help people that are struggling,” said the Duty Customer Experience Manager.

Training course Joining the railway industry in 2015, one of his managers suggested he take part in the Samaritans’ Managing Suicidal Contacts training course, which involved learning how to spot the signs of vulnerable people.

“I’d just come off my five-week training and I was like, ‘not another day in the classroom’, but honestly I went to the training and it was one of the best sessions I’ve ever attended,” he said.

“I wasn’t the most confident guy, and I’m still probably not, but it gave me the confidence and courage on how to identify vulnerable people.

“We had a role play exercise within the training which really helped get questions out and see how people would react to what you were saying. The trainer and the experience were amazing.”

Little did Rizwan know that just two days later he would be calling on that training to help save his first life.

“I was on the night shift and was in the process of closing down the station and doing my security checks when I went to the station entrance and saw a man coming to the station fairly intoxicated and who didn’t seem in the right frame of mind,” he said.

Initially planning to sit him down with a glass of water, it soon became apparent that there was more to the man’s situation.

Rizwan said: “I was monitoring him, and he was drinking and drinking and he was only wearing a T-shirt and shorts despite the fact it was December and the temperature was minus 2-3 degrees.

“When I approached him he didn’t want to talk much, and just wanted to get away, so I sat down next to him and just began talking about the drinks he was drinking, and what he was wearing.

20 | August 2021

“Eventually I built that trust and relationship with him and he started to confide in me about what he was going through and that he was here to end his life.”

My message to other railway workers is to just have the confidence to have that conversation as there is nothing really that you can really say wrong to that person Thankfully on this occasion Rizwan managed to raise the alarm with British Transport Police and the support was available – the first of 29 examples that Rizwan has encountered.

“It is a really emotional experience because some of the people I have come across were probably twice my age and having to manage that emotionally and mentally was really difficult,” he said.

“But after that first intervention and having that training has given me the confidence and courage to go a step further. I literally promised myself from that day that I was going to make a difference to as many people as possible while I’m on the railway.

“Thank God I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the right side of 29 interventions.”

In partnership with Network Rail, the Samaritans has trained more than 2,000 rail staff and British Transport Police officers with the skills to help someone at risk of suicide on the railway.

“The Samaritans’ training definitely gave me the confidence, especially being so new to the railway,” said Rizwan, who received a Samaritans Lifesaver Award in 2018, which recognises people who have used their talking and listening skills to save lives.

“My message to other railway workers is to just have the confidence to have that conversation as there is nothing really that you can really say wrong to that person because they are potentially at the lowest point in their life.

“Whatever you say to engage them or to get their attention to potentially get them out of that sort of thinking is acceptable and could be lifesaving.

“We’re taught ways to help the person who is in a vulnerable state so we can hopefully avoid anything horrible happening.

“When it comes to signs to spot, we are taught to look for anything out of the ordinary and make assessments on whether we need to step in.”

Looking after one another Rizwan says it is also important for staff to look after their own mental health. As well as the Samaritans Managing Suicidal Contacts training, the charity has also trained several thousand people to recognise the symptoms of trauma in colleagues and to help them seek support. railbusinessdaily.com

People

“Because of the emotional impact of it, your own mental health is important as well, so use the relevant support offered to employees by companies like the Samaritans, MTR or TfL,” he added.

“Raising awareness helps you overcome that emotional conversation you’ve had – if you’re not in the right frame of mind yourself it becomes very difficult to help others.”

Moving onward When it comes to Rizwan’s career, he hopes to continue on his journey in the railways and be there to support colleagues and passengers who need someone to talk to.

“A couple of my uncles work on the railway so I listened to their stories growing up, and I’ve always felt within me that I wanted to do that,” he said.

“The rail industry is exciting and although growing up as a kid I always wanted to become a train driver, I’m just happy to be part of the industry.

“The industry seems to be going so far and I’m happy to be able to make a difference with commuters’ lives. It has been an amazing journey so far and no two days are the same.”

railbusinessdaily.com

Rizwan is also supporting Samaritans’ Small Talk Saves Lives campaign in partnership with Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry launched this month, which aims to empower the public to also help prevent suicide on the railways and other settings.

The campaign reminds the public that in trusting their instincts, a little small talk and a

simple question like ‘Hello, what’s the time?’ can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and help set them on their journey to recovery.

For more information, visit Samaritans.org/ smalltalksaveslives

August 2021 | 21

Te c h n o l o g y

Driving innovation and building a better rail experience RailDirector meets Milena Nikolic, Trainline’s new Chief Technology Officer, and discusses the platform’s innovation strategy and tech vision

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ilena Nikolic is passionate in ensuring Trainline launches new features and technology to make train travel as seamless as possible both in the UK and beyond.

Google’s former Engineering Director joined the leading independent rail and coach platform last month, and is responsible for its innovation strategy and tech vision.

“Trainline has a longstanding history of creating industry-leading technology for the rail sector, and with its ambition to build the world’s number one rail platform to put rail at the heart of more journeys, it is really exciting to be part of it,” she said.

“Trainline has a world-class app and website but opening up our platform to our partners, rail carriers and travel companies worldwide means they can also leverage our technology, data and scale to provide a more seamless travel experience for their customers.

“There’s a genuine commitment throughout the business to creating products which empower people to make greener travel choices.”

Technology team Trainline’s technology team comprises over 300 travel tech specialists who manage more than 300 product releases each week, driving ongoing enhancement of the customer experience.

Milena said: “As travel restrictions continue to lift and people settle into their new patterns of working, the priority for the industry is to win back passengers to rail and avoid a car-led recovery.

“So, we’re working to ensure Trainline’s technology is optimised to support the new commuter. This means providing our customers with a personalised experience which ensures they feel in control of their journey.

“As part of this we’re developing our in-app experience to make checking and buying tickets for your commute a frictionless experience and improving how we communicate disruptions on rail services to our customers.

“We’re also developing our ticketing technology so that we can support the wider rail industry in further rollout of digital tickets across the network and all ticketing types.

“Lastly, we are supporting business travel recovery by continuing to evolve our suite of distribution solutions for after-sales servicing.”

Global reach The home-grown British tech company has more than 20 years of deep rail tech expertise and data and currently serves customers in more than 175 countries, selling tickets for journeys in 45 countries.

“Trainline is building the world’s leading rail platform to put rail at the heart of more journeys,” Milena added.

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22 | August 2021

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Te c h n o l o g y

“As a platform business, we’re not only focused on providing a seamless train travel experience directly to consumers, but we also work with our partners to support them in getting smart tech and rail content into the hands of their customers.

“Approximately half of Trainline’s people are focused on creating innovative technology, underpinned by a robust and scalable architecture, to support the rail industry and improve the rail travel experience.”

Milena joined Trainline after more than 12 years at Google, leading the engineering teams in charge of the Google Play app distribution and developer experience.

“Having started my career as a software engineer, I’ve gained considerable experience in designing systems and providing technical leadership across products related to search, mobile services and software distribution,” she said.

“What I hope to bring over to Trainline is an approach to building an engaged and empowered engineering culture that drives innovation and impact.”

Rising sales Milena’s arrival comes as Trainline revealed that ticket sales have reached their highest level since the coronavirus pandemic began – with more tickets sold at the end of May than it had in the same period two years ago.

She is confident this success will continue as restrictions continue to ease, despite it being revealed that a new state-owned body is to sell rail tickets as part of Great British Railways.

“With our world-class technology capabilities and our track record of harnessing data insights to build features that serve real-life customer needs, I believe Trainline is well positioned to support the government in driving innovation and building towards a better rail experience for customers,” she said.

“Our technology teams span multiple disciplines including data science, app development and payment processing to name a few, which in combination with industry expertise across areas not limited to ticketing, live running data and fulfilment methods enables Trainline to lead change.

Around 70 per cent of all digital train tickets sold in the UK are bought by Trainline customers “Trainline has played an important role partnering with the rail industry to accelerate new ticketing technology – around 70 per cent of

all digital train tickets sold in the UK are bought

by Trainline customers. We’ve seen the demand for contactless travel increase significantly over recent months as now more than ever travellers want to be able to avoid ticket machines and queues wherever possible. With the majority of train tickets still being bought offline, we see a big opportunity to improve the rail experience for many travellers across Europe.

“Trainline has more than 20 years’ experience in combining expertise in rail and technology to meet consumer expectations through an in-depth understanding of customer needs.

Through our Carrier IT Solutions, we support our rail operating partners to also meet current and developing expectations of the digital experience in rail travel.

“And, we enable other travel retailers, through our Distributions Solutions business, to sell rail more easily by giving their customers easy access to routes, fares and journey times from carriers in multiple markets via one simple, standardised API connection.”

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August 2021 | 23

Freight

Support for rail freight will bring social, economic and environmental benefits Andy Bagnall, the Director General of the Rail Delivery Group, writes on the need for policies to help shift freight from road to rail

T

he pandemic has shone a light on the importance of transporting goods across all four corners of the country keeping our supermarket shelves full and warehouses stocked. An unsung hero, rail freight has risen to the challenge and delivered.

Our economy relies on quick and efficient supply chains, and the rail freight sector continues to grow and expand to help meet those needs.

Recent news reports on the shortage of lorry drivers and the potential repercussions caused by lockdown restrictions has highlighted the vital role played by all freight operators in the supply chain.

Only recently at the Transport Select Committee, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that, “by far and away the most efficient way and the most climate-friendly way to get goods around the country is by rail.”

To build on these benefits and release the full potential of rail freight – following the government’s publication of the WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail earlier this year – we’re calling on government to adopt policies that will help shift freight from road to rail.

24 | August 2021

Our latest report, ‘Rail Freight: Building a stronger, greener future for Britain’, outlines the case for a modal shift from road to rail freight which will bring considerable economic, social and environmental benefits to the UK.

A single freight train replaces the equivalent of up to 110 lorries and rail freight already removes the need for seven million lorry journeys a year Rail freight supports the government’s levelling up agenda. Our research shows that 90 per cent of the benefits brought by rail freight will support communities and businesses outside of London and the South East.

From power stations in the North West, through the logistics and manufacturing heartlands of England and Wales, to international trade terminals across the south and east coasts, rail freight has been shown to generate economic benefits of around £2.45 billion a year.

The route out of lockdown As we have journeyed through the roadmap out of lockdown over the past few months, we have once again seen our roads and cities becoming more and more congested. Already one of the greenest modes of transports, rail freight can support the government’s target to achieve net zero by 2050 and help reduce congestion on the road network.

A single freight train replaces the equivalent of up to 110 lorries and rail freight already removes the need for seven million lorry journeys a year.

Our economy is now at a turning point as we look to ‘build back better’ from the pandemic and the railway enters a period of reform. railbusinessdaily.com

Photo: Clare Louise Jackson / Shutterstock.com

Freight

The rail freight sector wants to play a central role in the national recovery from COVID-19, supporting the country’s businesses, creating jobs and decarbonising the UK’s supply chains.

This can only be achieved by working in partnership with government and the wider railway to unlock rail freight’s potential.

In order to continue to encourage longterm private sector investment in rail freight

pgrade Britain’s infrastructure to make it U fit for the digital age, which can allow both freight and passenger trains to run more efficiently. overnment to work with the rail industry to G incentivise businesses to switch their goods from road to rail.

E stablish an efficient logistics sector which has hubs and terminals in the right places, with strong rail connectivity to help avoid a road-led recovery. ommit to investing in the infrastructure C required to decarbonise rail freight even further including a long-term programme of electrifying the railways.

to maximise the economic and environmental benefits generated, the following supportive policies are needed:

E nsure that the future industry structure supports rail freight growth and unlocks continued third-party investment.

ake the best use of capacity on the M network, using a benefits-led assessment that considers the relative value of different capacity choices and which maximises the opportunities for getting more freight on each train.

The Transport Secretary’s recognition of the vital role of rail freight is positive. The rail freight industry wants to build on its current benefits and help deliver an efficient and effective railway that brings the maximum benefit to the country.

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August 2021 | 25

People

Relishing the challenges to come Network Rail’s first Chief of Staff, Anit Chandarana, on managing significant restructuring

W

hen Andrew Haines was appointed as Chief Executive of Network Rail in August 2018, he made it clear that what passengers demanded of rail was not being satisfied by the organisation he was joining.

The resultant Putting Passengers First approach, the set of guiding principles that were put in place in 2019, also involved structural changes at Network Rail, with five regions split into 14 routes ensuring that decision-making was more localised, and those with a better understanding of what passengers wanted were empowered to deliver those changes.

Anit Chandarana spent a lot of time working with Andrew Haines on Network Rail reform activity and outlining what Putting Passengers First should be in practice, and the two struck up a good working relationship. So, when the job of Network Rail’s first Chief of Staff was created, a role that would provide the Chief Executive with someone at his right hand to help manage restructuring and the challenges ahead, Anit was quick to throw his hat in the ring.

A Network Rail veteran of 18 years, this highprofile opportunity would be Anit’s first nonfinance role at the organisation.

Anit said: “When the job came up, I didn’t think twice before stepping forward. Up to this point every role I’ve had at Network Rail has been in finance, and before this role if you’d asked me what I wanted I’d have responded that I wanted to be the best finance director that I could be. So, this was quite a departure but an exciting role at a really important moment for the industry.”

First and last Anit was appointed to the role in January 2020.

Ironically, the organisation’s first Chief of Staff might well be its last, with the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail signalling the end of Network Rail.

Anit said: “This is a journey Network Rail started more than two years ago, and I am proud of how much we’ve all achieved in that the time, with the Putting Passengers First changes to how we are set up and ways of working; our efficiency drive which is set to save £4 billion in operations, maintenance and renewals work by 2024; our SPEED work, which has also seen us begin to safely cut the time and cost of building the railway. And our first Environmental and Sustainability Strategy is helping us to make rail even greener than it already is.

26 | August 2021

“At the start of the review, Sir Peter Hendy, Andrew Haines and myself were pretty clear to Keith Williams in saying that whatever the recommendations regarding Network Rail’s future, we will be supportive. And clearly what has been proposed is possibly the end of an era for Network Rail, and the start of something new and exciting for the whole industry, that builds on some of this early work. Collectively we think that’s the right answer.

“Andrew has been asked to put forward his thoughts and opinions to the Secretary of

State for Transport regarding what we can do in the interim ahead of full legislation, which is expected in 2024.”

Andrew Haines has already put in place a Great British Railways Transition Team to consider these interim arrangements. This team, in addition to Anit and Suzanne Donnelly, Lead Director at the Rail Revenue Recovery Group, includes Michael Clark, previously Head of Secretariat for the Williams Rail Review, along with transport strategy experts Elaine Seagriff and Rufus Boyd. railbusinessdaily.com

People

Those proposals and thoughts will be put to Grant Shapps at the end of summer 2021 and, if given the go-ahead, the transition towards a new common leadership organisation could commence in autumn 2021.

New challenges Anit added: “The plan for rail is pretty clear that when Great British Railways is up and running, by 2024 at the earliest, there will be a very formal appointments process to that body and we all recognise that being involved in the interim running of the railways gives us no guarantee of who that body will comprise and how it will be run.

“Any interim body will have two primary functions. One is making meaningful change, making life better for customers and safer for everyone. Then there will be working with the Department for Transport regarding what the new body will look like, as well as putting the implementation plans together.

“This is exciting to be a part of and nobody can deny that improvements are needed in UK rail, which should really be seen as a passengercentric and freight-centric industry. Clearly the fragmentation across the industry is part of the cause of some of the long-standing issues.

railbusinessdaily.com

“When talking to Keith Williams, he was surprised at how consistent the views were that he received from the industry. He expected much more wide-ranging perspectives and disagreements. Fragmentation, the lack of capacity and an absence of passenger focus were the key messages.

Over the next few years, revenue levels will only return to around 80 per cent of what they were over the past few years “There has been a very positive response to the recommendations. Even where they are not wholly positive there have been very few outright challenges.

“Of course, now the hard work starts and we have to make it happen.”

Anit is certainly relishing the challenges of his strategic role. Equally pressing for him is how the rail industry collectively works to get passengers to return to travel on the 20,000 miles of track across England, Scotland and Wales that Network Rail owns, operates and maintains.

“A unique opportunity” He said: “It is absolutely a concern but establishing the Rail Revenue Recovery Group has provided us all with a unique opportunity to come together with the clear goal, common endeavour and objective of getting people traveling on trains again. What is being considered is a mix of safety concerns for passengers, changes to patterns of travel and whether the revenue drivers we had previously, such as annual season tickets, are the right tools for the future.

“In some ways it’s anybody’s guess but the common view is that, over the next few years, revenue levels will only return to around 80 per cent of what they were over the past few years.

This leaves a significant hole in rail finances so what are our opportunities to get that revenue back? There are some difficult and tough choices ahead.

August 2021 | 27

People

“Having said that, I’m very optimistic about the future of rail, not least because we have such an important part to play in helping level up communities across the country and delivering a lower carbon economy for the UK.” The difficult road ahead There are some harsh financial realities to deal with. Network Rail’s infrastructure budget was cut by £1 billion in the Autumn spending review, while train operators, Network Rail and unions will have to wrestle with the implications of the black hole in the fare-box as it plans for the post-COVID, sustainable future of fewer passengers.

To that end, ASLEF, RMT, TSSA and UNITE unions, along with 15 TOCs and Network Rail, signed an Enabling Framework Agreement in June, committing all parties to meaningful discussions.

Anit added: “The agreement is a really important step. If we go back to the revenue position for the industry, as it is today, the taxpayer is funding a huge chunk of the UK’s railways, much more than was ever envisaged.

28 | August 2021

“Even if revenue were to get back up to 80 per cent of pre-COVID levels there would still be a significant shortfall of more than £2 billion a year, and we need to reset our cost base to match the revenue coming in. Therefore, alongside measures to increase efficiencies across both operations, maintenance and renewals and capital delivery, we are likely to have fewer people working in a smaller rail industry in the future.

We want to work with our unions and our people to look at all ideas to modernise our business “We want to work with our unions and our people to look at all ideas to modernise our business, and we will consider any proposed changes to our organisation very carefully, upholding our commitments to consultation.

“We’ve already received hundreds of ideas from colleagues about where we can make savings, improve safety and provide better passenger service.”

Transformation He added: “Our people know we need to change. The important thing about the enabling framework agreement is that we collectively acknowledge the rail industry is facing a crisis, and that we have the opportunity to work together to create a sustainable future for rail.

The agreement sets out various ways that we could offer employment security, working as one industry, and proposes the introduction of a voluntary severance scheme.

“We hope that, given the work so far, we can create a meaningful dialogue. That doesn’t mean it will be easy but being around the same table makes sense. The level of public subsidy will inevitably fall – we need to work together as the whole industry to set the best plan for the future ourselves. As with the reform agenda more widely, we want to show we can take the right decisions in difficult circumstances.”

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People

Tough conversations ahead New RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch on the need for flexibility in future discussions about rail cost-cutting

M

ick Lynch was elected as General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) in May 2021.

Mick, who succeeds Mick Cash and intends to build the union’s 83,000-strong membership along with its influence and power, has already

sent out a clear message to employers and politicians that the RMT will campaign against pay freezes and cuts to safety and conditions.

Mick has also pointed out that the RMT fully expects to be involved in industrial disputes on the railway this year. This is against the backdrop of the gap in the UK rail industry’s finances,

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estimated at around £2 billion per annum.

Passenger revenue has declined by more than 80 per cent, while government support for the railways has increased to around £800 million per month since the start of the global pandemic – a publicly funded financial commitment that is clearly not sustainable.

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People

As a result, the rail industry is charged with cutting duplication across the network and, in an effort to cut its cloth accordingly, remove inefficiencies.

The RMT, along with transport unions ASLEF, TSSA and UNITE, are part of the newly formed Rail Industry Recovery Group (RIRG), along with employers Network Rail and 15 TOCs, all of which recently signed an Enabling Framework Agreement committing all parties to meaningful discussions to lead to agreed outcomes based on five principles and associated key areas of focus.

A bumpy road ahead Clearly there will be some tough conversations ahead around these principles, which are Employment Security Measures; Investing in People; Modern and Inclusive Workforce; Revising Working Arrangements and Practices; and Enhanced Ways of Working.

As RMT General Secretary, Mick feels there is an obligation for the union to get round the table and talk to defend the members’ interests rather than refusing dialogue based on principle or ideology.

He said: “I’m not as ideological as others in the union. I’m used to doing deals and representing the members’ interests more directly from a shop floor perspective. I know that our members want arrangements to be made with employers, rather than hanging on to a point of principle forever.

That’s where I stand.

“There are direct challenges to be faced in every transport sector right now. In rail, the RIRG is obviously stimulated and sponsored by the Department for Transport and the Treasury and the same approach is being replicated across Transport for London, the Scottish Government’s view of ScotRail and the Welsh Government’s thinking on Transport for Wales. They have all made it clear that they are looking for genuine spending cuts to the cost base of the railway.

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There is a likely indication that the pay freeze will last three to four years and we don’t accept that “Often you can stand still and achieve cuts by freezing your budget but they are looking for real-term cuts across all budgets. We have been told that cuts in staffing might correspond to up to £600 million per year, and that’s consolidated, not just a one off, but consolidated and retained.

“We have been told directly that there will be fewer jobs and less money, so the pay freeze is semi-permanent. There is a likely indication that the pay freeze will last three to four years and we don’t accept that. All workers deserve a pay rise, whatever industry they’re in, that keeps their spending power at pace with inflation, so that they don’t find themselves with reduced spending power. We’ll be looking at the other unions and the TUC to run effective pay campaigns to make this case.

“The message we’ve given to employers, in writing, is that we will not accept wholesale, detrimental changes to people’s terms and conditions. They’ve made it clear to us that they want to shut booking offices, they want to reduce staffing at stations, they may look at cuts to train crew if the timetable remains reduced, along with cuts to catering and cleaning crews.

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August 2021 | 31

People

“It would appear that employers are looking to make direct changes to working practices, which could impact on safety regimes, maintenance schedules.

“That’s a direct challenge to us as a representative organisation and also one that could compromise the safety of passengers. In the mid-80s and early 90s, when staff were cut, women and other vulnerable groups were afraid to travel. Services stripped of staff resulted in people being afraid to travel on trains. We don’t want the railways going back to that. Now is not time to take these risks.”

Before being elected as General Secretary, Mick was twice elected as RMT Assistant General Secretary and has twice served on the RMT’s National Executive. He is also a Trustee Director of the £30 billion Railway Pension Scheme. As Assistant General Secretary he was responsible for Network Rail, Engineering, Bus and railway pensions, and has secured a number of important deals on pay and conditions for those he represents.

A bright spark By trade Mick is an electrician. He left school at 16 in 1978 to serve his apprenticeship and worked in engineering and construction before joining British Rail, maintaining the train fleet at Eurostar. He founded and built the Eurostar RMT branch to one of the biggest in the union.

Mick explained: “There was no union recognition at Eurostar so I got the RMT going there. That was my habit from my time working in construction, to get union shops going on site. My involvement with the RMT developed from there and I moved on through the regional council structures, the union’s AGMs, and then people started to notice me.

“I never had the ambition to be a full-time regional officer or full-time official of the union and didn’t even become a regional organiser because I stayed on my tools until 2015. I don’t think any other union would promote someone or elect someone to be an Assistant General Secretary direct from their tools. Union work can be quite stressful so often it was useful to go back on the tools and forget that union stuff for a while. It keeps you grounded.”

Mick describes the General Secretary role as a unique job, in that it involves being both a negotiator and the face of the union, with TV and media commitments when required. Mick instructs the RMT’s 24 full-time union officers who are engaging with companies and those they represent every day of week. In addition, Mick has to run the RMT staff of more than 120 people.

32 | August 2021

“It can be very hectic,” he added. “It’s a 24/7 job, you’re never not the General Secretary, it’s stressful but stimulating and also enjoyable.

I predict that we will be in dispute with the majority of the rail companies if they don’t change their attitude and be more flexible in future discussions “The RMT membership is growing. During COVID our membership increased by around five per cent, which is a good thing. At the same time, we have lost a lot of members due to redundancies and people leaving transport for something more secure. There’s far more churn in the membership than there ever was in the traditional British Rail era, so people might come into rail for five years then leave the industry.

“So we have to constantly work to recruit and retain members.

“In our opinion, the impact of COVID is being used as a smokescreen to make permanent changes to the structure of the UK’s railways and bring about permanent changes to staff conditions.

“The government has missed a trick by not taking full public ownership of the railways and wanting to keep rail in fragments, with separate companies still running the trains.

I’d rather see a single company, everybody working directly for that company on an in-sourced basis, proper pensions and proper travel facilities for every railway worker on a network-wide system, like we used to enjoy.

Then everyone would be happy.

“As it is, I predict that we will be in dispute with the majority of the rail companies, including Network Rail and all of the TOCs, if they don’t change their attitude and be more flexible in future discussions.

“We’re happy to have some serious conversations on behalf of those we represent but disputes, industrial action and ballots are starting to feel inevitable right now.” railbusinessdaily.com

HS2

The ‘beating heart’ of HS2’s construction activity in the South One million HGVs to be taken off the roads as the first train departs from Willesden Logistics Hub

T

he first train carrying spoil removed from HS2 construction works in London has left the HS2 Logistics Hub in Willesden. Carrying 1,470 tonnes of spoil, the train departed at 03:51 last month and travelled to Barrington in Cambridgeshire, where the spoil is being reused in a disused quarry to bring it back into use as a new housing development.

The logistics hub has been brought into use by HS2’s main works contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV), which is building the HS2 tunnels through London.

The hub will be used by other London contractors, Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA JV (BBVS JV) and Mace Dragados JV (MD JV), which are constructing HS2’s Old Oak Common and Euston stations respectively. The site will be the ‘beating heart’ of HS2’s construction activity in the South.

Emptying the roads Over the lifecycle of the project up to seven freight trains per day will depart the Logistics Hub at Willesden, and will remove one million lorries from the roads in the London area alone.

One train per day will arrive at the hub bringing in construction materials, including concrete segments that will be used to construct HS2’s London tunnels.

HS2’s Project Director Malcolm Codling said: “HS2 is committed to improving environmental standards in construction and the departure of the first logistics train from Willesden is just one of the many measures we are taking to do that.

“The team working at the Logistics Hub will be co-ordinating rail freight movements that will remove one million HGVs off the roads, significantly reducing the project’s environmental impact.”

The first train was operated by GB Railfreight (GBRf), and the start of the logistics service is the result of meticulous planning between HS2, Network Rail, SCS JV and the supply chain.

John Smith, Managing Director of GBRf, said: “At GBRf, we are committed to increasing the amount of material transported by rail. The Logistics Hub has the potential to serve many rail freight journeys from our capital, removing the need for HGVs on our roads and cutting carbon emissions in one of the UK’s most congested areas.

34 | August 2021

The team working at the Logistics Hub will be co-ordinating rail freight movements that will remove one million HGVs off the roads “The first train that left demonstrates the delivery of the government’s net zero target, shifting from road to a more sustainable rail solution.”

One of the next measures to reduce impact on local roads in the area is the installation of

a conveyor system which will remove spoil from the construction of Old Oak Common station and transport it to the Logistics Hub. Plans for the system are being developed and it is due be installed and operational by Spring 2022.

Skanska Costain STRABAG’s Managing Director, James Richardson, said: “This is an exciting moment for the project, seeing the start of a million vehicles being taken off the road. Removing spoil by rail has significant benefits and will greatly reduce vehicle movements on local roads.

“The Logistics Hub will be pivotal in managing all sites in the Old Oak and Park Royal development area and will see co-ordination and collaboration across all delivery partners in the area.”

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Diversity and Inclusion

Challenging the norm

Southeastern’s Station Area Manager Natalie Leister on her passion to make the railways the best possible workplace for everyone

N

atalie Leister isn’t afraid to have those difficult conversations, especially if it could lead to positive change for the rail industry.

She has already had a huge impact – both in her role as Southeastern Railway’s Station Area Manager and as Chair of the Women in Rail Empowerment group (WIRE) – in tackling taboo subjects which in the past have left workers suffering in silence.

Now, she is playing a vital role in the Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Charter, having accepted an invite to be part of the Working Group by its creators Women in Rail (WR) and the Railway Industry Association (RIA).

Committed to change More than 160 organisations have already made the commitment for change, with Natalie part of the group to bring together ideas and drive forward long-lasting change.

“There is a difference between talking the talk and walking the walk and this has to go beyond just signing up to the Charter – those signing up have to be accountable for making a difference,” she said.

“This shouldn’t just be seen as a tick box exercise, there are so many benefits in making sure we have an inclusive and diverse workforce.

But this is going to be a challenge and one that won’t happen overnight.

“But just because it isn’t easy doesn’t mean it isn’t the right thing to do. Making changes will help in keeping workers happy, improve retention rates and make the industry even more attractive to those currently outside the industry – which can only be a good thing.”

The EDI Charter Working Group comprises young professionals in rail chosen by WR and RIA because of the basis of their personal commitment and qualities and the fact that they represent a spectrum of the backgrounds, ages, genders and identities and various grades, roles and companies.

Natalie’s invite comes as no shock. She has a proven track record on change from raising awareness about the menopause, through to her work to help rail passengers with hidden disabilities.

“I am not afraid to ask a question and not afraid to say this is what people are telling me and we need to do something about it,” she said. “It is about being brave and breaking down those barriers.

“The menopause was a big thing and a real taboo subject. Some of the menopause work we did was driven through women saying they didn’t have the support and were suffering in silence, but on having the conversations with men, they didn’t know about it either so it was not just helping them at work, but also outside of work as well.

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Diversity and Inclusion

“It led to us raising more awareness not just on the menopause but making sure conversations about sensitive subjects were part of our everyday practice. At Southeastern we are also doing work on fertility and miscarriage and building our management team and our colleagues to have open conversations. For me a big part of being in the EDI Charter Working Group is to start the conversation about the subjects that we need to talk about and might have avoided in the past.”

A passion for change Natalie has been passionate about making a difference since joining the industry over 11 years ago as a Revenue Enforcement Officer at Southern Railway, fancying a change of career from sales and telemarketing and attracted by the enthusiasm in which her dad spoke about working on the railway.

“I really enjoy working for the railway and that every day is different,” she said. “I came to the railway to make a difference and I want to make it the best possible workplace for people who come to work in the industry. The EDI Charter is really going to help in making a difference not only for today, but for tomorrow for the next people coming through.

“From the number of people who have signed the Charter, it is proof that people want to make the change but there is still a gap between what we want and where we are and how we want to be in the future. This group can only help with bridging those gaps and making it achievable for people to be able to see things from a different angle.”

Hard work is already well under way with the Working Group discussing potential areas of changes and the boundaries that need to be overcome. For Natalie, flexible working is one that needs to change and could have a big impact on the attractiveness of working in the industry.

“I really struggle with the industry’s inability to be able to be flexible sometimes and it is a real passion of mine to have an industry in which everybody can come to work – male or female, of any diverse background – and feel supported when they need to have that flexibility,” she said.

“It isn’t easy and it is a big thing to do as it impacts terms and conditions, but it feels like it’s the elephant in the room, and we actually need to be brave about it.

There is no reason why the rail industry can’t lead the way and be the one other industries look to for the example of inclusive workplaces and how it should be done “We’ve got the technology nowadays and I think we can create the change that is needed, it is just about finding a robust kind of timeframe, do it in stages and bring people along on the journey with us.”

Despite the challenges ahead, Natalie is positive about the railways and genuinely feels there is a bright future, with the EDI Charter just helping to cement that.

She concluded: “We are a great industry and there are so many benefits about working for rail and that is just getting better. In the time I’ve been involved in the railways the policies have come on fantastically.

“I think it is sometimes just about talking and listening. Sometimes really small changes to the business can make a massive difference.

Those working in the railway have been tremendous – particularly during the COVID pandemic – so we owe it to them and to the people coming into our business that we have an inclusive environment.

“Inclusivity is really important to me as well as my son has autism and I want to think that in 10 years’ time he will be in a workplace and feel fully included. There is no reason why the rail industry can’t lead the way and be the one other industries look to for the example of inclusive workplaces and how it should be done.”

The Charter is open for all organisations in the rail industry to sign. Email info@edicharter.co.uk for more details.

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August 2021 | 37

Innovation

Seeking solutions to achieve Net Zero Siemens Mobility’s Sambit Banerjee is optimistic following his company’s calls for government to commit to an accelerated programme of electrification and introduction of hydrogen trains

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nalysis by Siemens Mobility suggests that the UK is in danger of missing its climate change targets if it doesn’t speed up electrification plans and introduce hydrogen railway infrastructure and trains.

Siemens Mobility has now called on the government to commit to an ambitious plan for Great British Railways to electrify at least 300 miles of track every year until 2050 – starting now – and to bring in hydrogen and hydrogen-electric trains and associated infrastructure as soon as 2030.

It is a big and confident ask given the backdrop of an industry charged with reducing the £800 million monthly subsidy from taxpayers propping up the 80 per cent decline in passenger revenue, and the £1 billion cut to rail enhancements investment over the current five-year funding period. However, given that the Climate Change Act, as amended in 2019, commits the UK to ‘Net Zero’ by 2050, the expectation is that the government will react positively and prioritise moves to ensure that climate change targets are hit every step of the way.

That’s certainly the thinking of ‘eternal optimist’ Sambit Banerjee, Managing Director Rolling Stock and Customer Services at Siemens Mobility, who is absolutely of the mind that the ask is a realistic and essential one.

Sambit said: “Well, yes, I am an eternal optimist and I want to stay that way. I am very optimistic that what we are talking about can become a reality. There is an urgent need for a response to our analysis, while tackling decarbonisation is a challenge for all of us in leadership positions right across the industry.

“One way of dealing with that challenge is to talk more, and to have more conversations together. The government has consistently said don’t come to us with just a problem, come to us with a problem and a solution. So we’re clear that it is very important that as an industry we present the government with solutions that work, that are affordable and don’t create a hole in the taxpayers’ pocket.”

Missed target Figures in the analysis highlight a 10-year discrepancy for railway decarbonisation plans.

Using data produced by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and Network Rail, Siemens 38 | August 2021

Mobility has calculated that the current railway electrification proposals could take until 2060 and beyond to complete. This means leaving diesel trains on the network for at least 10 years beyond the UK’s legislative Net Zero date.

In addition to the rapid provision of full or discontinuously electrified routes to enable the introduction of new electric trains, is Siemens Mobility’s call to supplement this with the introduction of new self-powered trains utilising

It is very important that as an industry we present the government with solutions that work alternative power sources, such as hydrogen or battery, to replace ageing diesel and diesel bi-mode fleets.

The company has also identified a number of major routes, currently operating diesel trains, for replacement and upgrade by 2030. They include the Cross Country line from Aberdeen to Penzance; the Chiltern line to Birmingham; the

Norwich to Liverpool route and the Waterloo to Exeter route. It claims that using a combination of new electric infrastructure and/or new hydrogen trains on these routes would remove diesel fleets and support the government’s plan to achieve 78 per cent of its Net Zero obligations by 2035.

Ultimately, Siemens Mobility wants to change the narrative that suggests train solutions should use either hydrogen or electric technologies. Their thinking is that both can be used in tandem to offer a well-rounded solution to transport challenges.

Hydrogen solution Where electrification is not a practical option initially, due to the low traffic density, the remote nature of terrain, the time taken to convert the line, or prohibitive cost implications, new hydrogen or hydrogen bi-mode trains can accelerate the ability to meet legislation.

As for the preconception that hydrogen trains are a mode of transport with short-range and lowspeed, Siemens Mobility is keen to remind anyone who asks that its solutions can travel at 100mph+, have similar acceleration to an electric train and have a hydrogen-only range of up to 600 miles.

Sambit said: “Electrification will happen, is happening and it is very important to electrify routes. railbusinessdaily.com

Siemens Mobility is shaping the future of UK rail Graeme is committed to decarbonising the UK railway through innovative electrification solutions and sustainable rolling stock using hydrogen and battery technology. siemens.co.uk/sustainablemobility

Innovation

“We have identified these routes as viable and cost effective to electrify. In some cases, some terrains mean that it is not feasible to electrify as it would be too expensive, in which case hydrogen-only trains are the solution. Depending on the route and the range of the discontinuous electrification we can introduce hydrogen bi-mode for longer ranges or battery bi-mode trains for shorter distances.

“Range and speed are no longer an issue.

What is important is that the business case fits the cost model. We can work on a route-by-route, case-by-case basis to ensure that the whole cost model flies. However we look at this, what is needed is a total solution otherwise the long-term delays to achieving net zero will remain.”

Siemens Mobility and Siemens Energy are partnering on hydrogen for rail, signing an MoU to invest in solutions for the whole system from the trains, refuelling infrastructure and supply of hydrogen. There is already a project with Deutsche Bahn in Germany for an entire hydrogen railway system, where the hydrogen trains will be refuelled in 15 minutes – the same time it takes to refuel a diesel train. Siemens Energy is also investing in a large scale green hydrogen production process of offshore wind-to-hydrogen solution.

New trains Siemens Mobility is recommending new build hydrogen trains rather than retrofitting existing fleets, which is problematic due to train layouts and the cost implications.

Sambit explained: “Hydrogen is complex and doesn’t come without its share of risk. Retrofitting hydrogen is challenging as hydrogen should be stored on the roof of the train so it does not use up passenger space inside the train. That means a lot of change in existing trains as they are not designed to have storage space there. In our calculations this is a very expensive solution and therefore it’s better to design a new train around hydrogen. Looking to how the life of mid fleets on the network today can be extended, Sambit added: “We are currently working on a battery retrofit solution for our existing installed base, which is a response to demand from the market from our customers.

40 | August 2021

“They see this as an option to give their assets a longer life by 15-20 years. Battery has its place on urban routes with short areas of discontinuous electrification, with hydrogen trains making up the other side of the equation on the longer routes in need of self-powered trains.”

Siemens Mobility’s commitment to the decarbonisation agenda can be evidenced at its new £200 million train manufacturing plant and supply chain ‘Rail Village’ in Goole, East Yorkshire. The plan is to make the site, which will create employment for 700 people, carbon neutral, and the company is working with local authority the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) and the Wildlife Trusts to work on what it calls ‘biodiversity net gain’.

We are involved in frequent and ongoing discussions regarding innovation in rail Sambit added: “With our supply chain we are also looking at what we can do more smartly and what we can we do in a more carbon friendly way. Our internal target for decarbonisation is quite steep – we are committed to zero carbon emissions at Goole and as a global company by 2030.”

Siemens Mobility’s commitment to the town of Goole and innovation is equally clear.

The company will occupy the top floor of the £8.1 million RaisE (the Rail, accelerator and innovation solutions hub) being developed by ERYC and also part of the Rail Village. Phase two will follow on the same site and will be a £50 million centre of excellence for rail, research and innovation developed between Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham, focusing on digitalisation in rail and furthering the understanding of battery and hydrogen technologies.

Sambit explained: “Our ambition is to make Goole the centre of competence for digitalisation. We are offering help to our colleagues in the Far East, the United States, and elsewhere, so the UK is leading digitalisation globally.

In collaboration with the University of Birmingham, along with the University of Huddersfield and University of Hull, we will serve not only the UK market but also the rest of the world.

“What is going on in Goole is not just huge for us as a company, but also for the UK rail industry.

We are saying to SMEs in the supply chain, come and co-locate with us. There is a space for small and medium companies to collaborate with us and the universities.”

Government backing Sambit added: “We have been working very closely with the Department for Transport (DfT). With the Prime Minister visiting our facility in Goole last summer, it is clear that the UK Government is behind us as an industry. We are also working closely with the other devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland around how we can help them achieve their decarbonisation targets.

“We are involved in frequent and ongoing discussions regarding innovation in rail.

Ultimately, we can go to the DfT in a consistent and unified manner to say, here is the problem, this is our solution, this is how much it will cost and this is how much we will be investing in this solution.

“The public will get the clean mode of transport that it demands and deserves and, to that end, we will keep working with our partners, upstream and downstream. It is critical that important decisions need to be taken now to meet rail decarbonisation goals – we need to speed up electrification and make strategic decisions about introducing hydrogen – which could have wide benefits for the whole economy and job creation. It is vital that we all stay positive as we work towards the UK’s net zero date.”

railbusinessdaily.com

Accessibility

National strategy to boost accessibility for disabled passengers Audit of all railway stations under way to form new public database to help shape future investment in accessible rail travel isabled passengers will have better access to public transport and a bigger say in how they travel under a new strategy to boost inclusivity across the entire network.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled a range of initiatives to remove barriers and improve confidence for disabled people as they return to trains, buses and taxis after the pandemic. An audit of all UK train stations, originally pledged in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, is now under way – helping to identify improvements and highlighting existing areas of excellence. The findings will form a new public database so people can better plan their journeys and, along with input from disabled passengers, will shape future investment in accessible rail travel.

DfT will also work with Network Rail to improve safety with a new programme to install all station platforms with tactile paving. This comes on top of work to develop a Passenger Assist App to simplify communication with rail staff and encourage better customer service.

Accessibility Minister Chris HeatonHarris said: “Disabled passengers should be empowered to use all forms of transport with the same confidence as everyone else – whether by taxi, train, bus or ferry. The measures will have a positive, real-life impact and double-down on our promise to build back fairer from COVID.” The government will bring forward new regulations to force bus companies to provide audible and visual on-board announcements. To help smaller companies achieve this, government grants will be boosted to £3.5 million. New research into the designs of bus stops and stations will ensure they are accessible for all.

New legislation The Department will also support new legislation for taxis and private hire vehicles, protecting disabled passengers from being overcharged and to better ensure they get the right help from drivers. Anthony Smith, Chief Executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “It’s important that transport operators seek the views of disabled people to make sure services better suit their needs as the country recovers from the pandemic. railbusinessdaily.com

Photo: Vicky Jirayu / Shutterstock.com

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“These measures will help remove barriers and improve access for all transport users.”

Disabled passengers should be empowered to use all forms of transport with the same confidence as everyone else Robert Burley, Director of Campaigns, Care and Support at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “We regularly hear from people living with muscle-wasting conditions who have had to cancel or cut short days out, or don’t consider them at all, because of poor accessibility.

“The strategy announced today is a step in the right direction to helping tackle the exclusion that so many disabled people face on a daily basis.”

The measures are part of the government’s National Disability Strategy – the most ambitious endeavour to remove barriers to disabled people’s everyday lives. It makes solid commitments and sets out immediate practical steps to create a society that works for everyone. These include building more supported housing, providing £300 million to improve accessibility in schools and improving access to cultural venues.

Train journeys for all Responding to the news, Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We want disabled people to feel confident on their train journeys and the measures to improve customer information and install tactile paving will help to achieve that.

“We will support the government’s strategy while continuing to develop our new Passenger Assistance app as part of our ambition to make train travel accessible and inclusive to everyone.”

August 2021 | 41

Rolling Stock Networking

Bringing the rail industry together Rolling Stock Networking (RSN) – a vibrant, free-to-attend, exhibition complemented by the railbusinessdaily.com conference, which provides a major networking platform for suppliers and customers

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n 30 September 2021, visitors to RSN at Derby Arena will have the chance to meet companies large and small from as far afield as Austria, Canada, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Italy, as well as from around the UK. Many will be innovative, entrepreneurial organisations, offering new products and services that will transform both the industry and the passenger travelling experience.

42 | August 2021

What to expect In total, RSN will showcase 140 diverse exhibitors, many of which are not normally seen on the exhibition circuit, adding an exciting and fresh perspective to the event.

A number of rolling-stock manufacturers will be exhibiting. including Vivarail, and CAF. Major equipment suppliers taking part will include LPA Group, FISA, Westermo, Depot Rail, Garrandale and many more.

Innovators, engineering companies and the services sector will be strongly represented at RSN, so visitors will be able to see first-hand both the dependable services and the exciting innovations needed to transform the passenger and freight industry.

A wide range of exhibitors Companies of all sizes, both large and small, will be represented amongst the exhibitors and visitors to the show, giving all participants in the passenger and freight rolling-stock sector an unmissable opportunity to meet customers and suppliers, to learn from industry leading speakers and to engage and network.

Located in Deby, at the heart of the rail industry, RSN is easy to get to by car or by train. The venue has a large car park and is a just a mile from Derby station, and the freeto-attend event has been carefully timed to avoid clashes with other rail industry events, despite the crowded railway calendar that has resulted from the ending of COVID-19 restrictions.

Safeguards will still be in place, following government guidelines, so exhibitors and visitors alike will be safe in the knowledge that their safety and wellbeing is paramount. railbusinessdaily.com

Rolling Stock Networking

Gold Sponsor AEGIS is delighted to be exhibiting at RSN 2021 During this much anticipated event, we are also hosting a technical seminar from 10am – “The future of railways, standardisation and legislation in the UK” – that will be of key interest to all those operating in the Rail industry.

The technical seminar programme consists of eight topics hosted by AEGIS technical specialists: Brexit – The new regime: Authorisation of vehicles and infrastructure yber Security, the railway and CENELEC TS50701: Railway cyber C security challenges and the CENELEC technical specification he Independent Verification of Modifications to Rolling Stock: What T types of modification can be verified using the RIS-2700-RST process, how does it work, how is the verification undertaken and what are the outputs?

RSN follows on from the huge success of its sister events, Rail Infrastructure Networking (RIN). Lead Sponsor Keven Parker of Jobson James Rail said: “This event is unlike any other because we wanted to do something which was totally different, and we have succeeded.

“We decided to host this after we were inundated with requests from rolling stock organisations to provide a similar event to RIN for their businesses.

Digital Railway Signalling: ERTMS and the Future E lectromagnetic Compatibility (EMC): EMC standards and how they apply to the UK railway RAMS Standardisation 2021/22: What the future might hold utomation: A holistic approach to achieving higher levels of A productivity through automation L evel Crossings: Suitable and sufficient risk assessments forlevel crossings.

For more information: https://aegisengineering.co.uk/rsn-2021-technical-seminar-programme/

“So, we have listened and have now established RSN to give them the same great opportunities for growth and collaboration, whilst offering some of the lowest exhibitor costs available at a large scale, full-day event.

Industry Conference The event is complemented by the railbusinessdaily.com conference, where an impressive array of industry-leading experts will

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is delighted to be back supporting Rolling Stock Networking (RSN), particularly after so long not being able to meet face-to-face. We’re excited to be organising the ‘meet the buyer’ sessions at the event, bringing rail companies together, supporting business opportunities and helping rail companies build new supply chains that can go on to support our fantastic railway network. It’s never been more important for the rail industry to come together to attract passengers and freight onto the network and support the government’s aims for an economic recovery, so we hope to see suppliers there in force. Make sure you come along and take part in this essential event!

Gaynor Pates, Operations Director, Railway Industry Association

railbusinessdaily.com

deliver engaging presentations, sharing their knowledge, experience and innovative working practices during a series of sessions throughout the day.

With speakers from throughout the rail industry, the presentations and topics will undoubtedly have something of interest to everyone.

The conference, which will include panel discussions and Q&A sessions, will give both delegates and exhibitors the opportunity to learn about projects, innovations, successes and real-life railway experiences that will help their businesses to grow and prosper – all delivered in railbusinessdaily.com’s simple but impactful style.

David McLoughlin, CEO at railbusinessdaily. com, said: “RSN is already drawing the crowds and we are really pleased that the organisers have agreed to let us play our part in what promises to be a fantastic day.”

August 2021 | 43

IFnenaot u va r et i o n

Energising the electrical sector

Quartzelec Rail Operations Manager Derek Chekansky on how the company has the experience to safely and cost-effectively deliver critical infrastructure solutions

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ecognising electrification is the answer to many carbon footprint reduction problems has resulted in a massive boom over the past year in large investment projects across the sector.

But to meet obligations, rail operators are increasingly reliant on specialised and knowledgeable suppliers to deliver critical elements of their infrastructure projects – particularly when it comes to high voltage and low voltage systems.

A key sector supplier in delivering these electrical installation and maintenance services is Quartzelec, which operates as a flexible and single-stop resource for rail electrical systems.

Active across a range of inter-related industry and utility sectors, it also offers the added benefits of holding Distribution Network Operator (DNO) connection capability status in respect to supporting the licensed distribution of UK electricity as well as holding Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) status.

With an enviable legacy and proven track record, gained over decades while working collaboratively alongside most of the UK’s premier rail network and infrastructure providers, Quartzelec’s service provision ranges from substation and associated high voltage equipment works, embracing cable routes, containment and termination, through to final low voltage circuits in depots, stations, rail businesses and public areas. These comprehensive services are also backed up by full project life cycle management services with associated and certified design, test, inspect, maintenance, commissioning, and support services.

“Our long heritage means we have the experience to safely and cost-effectively deliver critical infrastructure solutions,” said Derek Chekansky, recently appointed Rail Operations Manager at Quartzelec. “Leveraging our in-house specialist services means we can co-ordinate delivery and provide rail sector clients with a premium, reliable and safety-focused service for any electrical based remit.”

Recent Quartzelec delivered projects have included: Great Western Rail (GWR) sleeper trains relocated to Reading The supply and installation of infrastructure elements in support of the relocation of Great Western Rail (GWR) sleeper trains to its Reading 44 | August 2021

Traincare depot following the closure of the 100-year-old Oak Common Depot – necessary to make way for the new HS2 line.

The sleeper train fleet operates at an unusual voltage and requires specifically prescribed power supply facilities. Quartzelec, acting as principal contractor, provided both the civil and electrical requirements to complete the project, which included provision of HV/LV electrical switchboards plus an 11kV RMU / 3PH 11kV- 2PH 850V transformer and shore supply lineside panels.

Installation along with all associated civil trenching and troughing to accommodate cabling met the tight delivery schedule, with the completed system commissioned and tested before client handover.

Major modifications to the new Caledonian Sleeper rail service The new Caledonian Sleeper rail service rolling stock required major modifications and improvements to ensure electrical stability and here again Quartzelec played a key role in delivering this upgrade. The scope – the redesign and commissioning of existing shore supply protection systems at multiple locations, earthing resistors modified along with earth fault relays, voltage relay settings and track bonding – all delivered within a two-week window.

Help getting new ‘InterCity’ trains moving Quartzelec has also played a part in delivering the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Advertorial

Programme (IEP) initiative across the East Coast main line (and Great Western main line). The new fleet of Azuma ‘bullet’ electro-diesel and all-electric trainsets required modifications to be made to the existing ‘high speed train’ (HST) electrical infrastructure for connection, integration and operation.

The most recent elements of the project were centred on Inverness Station, Aberdeen Clayhills and Crewe train maintenance depots.

This included delivery of trackside operations and the installation of new HST to IEP electrical changeover systems, along with associated cabling, IEP line side pillars, plus new IEP train plug connections. Additionally, some track signalling changes were required at Inverness to meet initial performance requirements and track bonding works delivered to ensure trains were adequately earthed while stabled.

And to the future All Quartzelec engineers are at minimum Personal Track Safety (PTS) certified and are highly experienced at professionally and cost-effectively delivering safety and time-critical projects that must comply with stringent safety requirements expected of the rail supply chain.

For further information and to discuss possible projects please contact Derek.Chekansky@Quartzelec.com / call 01788 512512 or visit www.Quartzelec.com

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Innovation

Putting smaller and medium sized parcels on a first-class delivery The Rail Innovation Group’s Director Deb Carson and Founder and Chair Liam Henderson write about their Parcels as Passengers study

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s the UK recovers from the mobility and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no better way to support the government’s ambition to build back better than through the utilisation of one of our most valuable national assets: the railway network.

The Rail Innovation Group (RIG) is an independent community established to help build the tech ecosystem in rail. The group’s mission is to support positive change in the rail industry, whether that’s by encouraging diversity and culture change, promoting innovation, building digital supply chains or developing a data-driven, consumer-focused approach.

The group has recently published a report that sets out how our rail network can become the backbone for an integrated, green and efficient distribution system.

Rail, both passenger and freight, is already the most carbon efficient means of mass transport – as a high proportion of the rail network is already electric and the UK has among Europe’s greenest power supply.

The report explores, through a number of insightful contributions, how the rail network might be better utilised for the sustainable delivery of parcels, including the opportunity to use rail both as primary distribution and as urban hubs, and with micro mobility options such as e-cargo bikes enabling faster, cleaner, and more efficient last mile deliveries.

Old ideas, new techniques In the modern European context, putting packages onto a train might not sound very innovative to some readers, who might even recall British Rail’s Red Star parcel service. It’s true that railways have been moving goods since the very start; however, somewhere along the way, and we’re sure for the best of reasons, it was decided to specialise – there would be freight trains, and there would be passenger trains. So that’s where we are…

There are examples of where mixed services have continued to take advantage of the speed or geographic benefits of the ‘passenger’ rail network.

46 | August 2021

While we don’t have passenger areas on freight trains, the report notes many examples where goods have been carried on passenger trains.

The COVID-19 period has increased the number of small packages being delivered to homes and businesses across the country Whether it’s fresh fish or biomedical samples, passengers have been unknowingly sharing their services across the network. When you think about it, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s sat on an aeroplane and watched the cargo being loaded underneath.

RIG commenced this study to consider whether, during a time of suppressed demand and significantly increased financial support through the COVID-19 period, there might be more efficient operational concepts to help rail meet the needs of the real-world economy as a relatively clean mode of transport, with both parkway and city centre nodes. In addition, the expected permanent reduction in the five-day commuting pattern may have a lasting effect of relieving the capacity challenges seen in the past decades.

Equally, the COVID-19 period has increased the number of small packages being delivered to homes and businesses across the country, this need being met in the most part by a fleet of light goods vehicles that has increased traffic in conflict with government policies to reduce road transport.

Increased role We wanted to explore if rail could play a bigger role in deliveries and help reduce these motor vehicles on the road. railbusinessdaily.com

Innovation

Our study has looked at how goods can get to the rail hub, and how they can get from their destination station to delivery without being loaded onto a van. We have been keen to exploit the existing growth of e-cargo bikes into our rail logistics proposal.

Achieving and expanding this bike-railbike-home concept would help to decarbonise the wider logistics sector, and it would reduce congestion and air pollution in towns and cities across the country. Who else but the rail network could speed your fresh goods to your customers at up to 225km/h?

We have found existing examples of parts of this end-to-end model, but this is just the start, we want to work across the rail sector to help build an attractive offer to the logistics sector that makes commercial sense and helps them to meet their corporate commitments.

As our cities adapt to support active travel and meet their net zero ambitions and responsibilities to reduce air pollution, with the introduction of cycle highways and low traffic neighbourhoods, an e-bike can access areas both quicker and far more sustainably than current delivery vans.

Parcels as passengers will accelerate the delivery of a low carbon distribution network.

In advance of COP26, many organisations are making commitments to reduce their contribution to climate change. Strong crossindustry leadership is needed to work across traditional silos and work towards a ‘train-based delivery’ accreditation, with retailers who use the bike/train-based delivery service recognised for their sustainable delivery choice.

Rail will be a central plank of meeting net zero targets and that will require innovation in freight and logistics to create and connect new networks Rail operators could help by making the network more available to potential logistic customers, including through the creation of inventories of space available onboard.

Station managers could welcome carbo bikes and create safe physical routes to transfer goods in the station.

New innovation is needed As Alan Braithwaite, Chair of CILT’s Freight and Logistics Policy Group and a key contributor to the report, said: “Rail will be a central plank of meeting net zero targets and that will require innovation in freight and logistics to create and connect new networks.

The CILT’s Freight and Logistics Policy Group is constantly scanning for innovations and parcels as passengers is one as it brings significant potential to make our cities more liveable while improving customer experience.”

The Rail Innovation Group says now is the time to work together.

Parcels as Passengers is the first of our initiatives published as we align our activities to match the outcomes proposed in the WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail.

You can find out more about the Rail Innovation Group and access the full report by visiting www.railinnovationgroup.com

The first stop for all your industry news and updates – railbusinessdaily.com

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August 2021 | 47

Innovation

The North’s railways must unlock a Green Economic Revolution Peter Cole, Principal Environmental and Sustainability Officer at Transport for the North, discusses plans that set targets of near-zero surface transport carbon by 2045

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Decisive action As the voice of the North, we have already taken decisive action to address the decarbonisation challenge. We’re putting in place a bold vision and an action plan to ensure decarbonisation is at the heart of transport investment in our region. Importantly, all the North’s leaders are signed up to our vision – one that aligns entirely with what they are doing in their own areas.

Our draft Decarbonisation Strategy went out to public consultation in June 2021. Our ambition for the North is to travel faster and further than national policy and maximise not only the carbon reductions, but also the clean growth opportunities that decarbonisation can provide for the North.

Ultimately, we want future generations to have a sustainable transport network that not only gets them where they need to be within our region and beyond, but does so in a green way. The achievement of our overarching vision – “a thriving North of England, where worldclass transport supports sustainable economic growth, excellent quality of life and improved opportunities for all” – is contingent on how we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions across everything that we do.

48 | August 2021

Photo: Mark D Bailey / Shutterstock.com

limate change is a global emergency – one which none of us can afford to ignore. It’s no secret that the way we get around – whether driving to work, taking the bus to school, or hopping on the train for a weekend away – all generates greenhouse gas emissionss. Surface transport is the UK’s largest contributing sector to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 22 per cent of all emissions in 2019.

For us, it’s non-negotiable. The North’s transport system must be at the heart of a Green Economic Revolution. By that we mean not only must we forge the path to net zero, but it must be seen as economic opportunity.

Of the emissions stats I’ve mentioned, more than 95 per cent came from road transport, but that’s not to say other modes don’t have a critical role to play in reaching net zero and boosting productivity.

Collaboration across the North, with government, and with other sectors (such as energy generation and digital connectivity) will be the key.

There’s no arguing that cars and HGVs are the biggest producers of carbon dioxide (CO2) when we look at a vehicle type comparison.

In 2018, cars emitted more than 14 million tonnes of CO2, followed by HGVs at just under eight million tonnes. For rail, that figure was one million tonnes, but that doesn’t mean the industry can sit back and relax.

The rail network in the North, and the people and goods that travel on it, are already suffering the effects of decades of underinvestment.

Pre-COVID, the Victorian infrastructure was creaking under the strain.

Overhead electrification also helps to improve rail journey times and reliability, making rail a more attractive mode of transport and encouraging mode shift.

Plans for the project have sat on desks for too long, and we need the funding commitment and spades in the ground to ensure we hit ambitious date targets.

Moving freight off our congested roads and on to the rail network will have a significant impact. However, it cannot be done to the detriment of passenger services.

This is why high-speed rail projects such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail are so important for our region, helping to free up capacity and make the whole network run much more reliably.

The opportunities for rail There is scope to develop a plan that cascades rolling stock as electrification develops to push out the worst polluters. It’s something I’m proud to say the North is pioneering and should rightly be a UK leader on. Route electrification is the most efficient way of reducing rail emissions in the long term. Not only does it remove tailpipe emissions on those routes but it supports the use of bi-mode trains on other routes.

Looking to freight Our Freight and Logistics Strategy, set to be published later this year, will look at the many opportunities to decarbonise freight on our roads and rails and increase the share of freight moved by rail.

Electric-only trains are a known quantity and low-risk, but other zero emissions technologies – battery-electric and hydrogen – will need further testing to understand their viability. railbusinessdaily.com

Innovation

The North is primed to host tests and trials of alternative fuels and places like the North West and Teesside are actively establishing hydrogen clusters to capitalise on its use as green fuel to rival diesel. Supporting this growing industry will create jobs, boost skills, and provide longterm sustainability for our transport network – the building blocks of that Green Economic Revolution.

Passengers must be at the heart of our rail industry if we are to encourage them to choose, and keep choosing, to travel by train. They have put up with considerable disruption in recent years – not least the May 2018 timetable problems – and as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic it is imperative that we tempt them back out of the cars and on to an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective rail network.

Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is a transformational investment in the North’s rail network between six major cities, the North’s largest airport and other significant economic centres. It will deliver substantial changes in journey time and frequency using fully electrified rail services, giving passengers and freight reliability and confidence.

It will take 58,000 car trips off the road every

day. It will also add up to 35,000 more train seats at peak hour into the six core cities of our region and Manchester International Airport, and increase productivity in better connected places, with GVA benefits of up to £3.4 billion per year by 2040, rising to £14.4 billion per year by 2060.

Moving freight off our congested roads and on to the rail network will have a significant impact What happens next?

We believe that acceleration towards a zerocarbon transport network must be at the heart of public policy-making and investment decisions.

The recent transport decarbonisation plan from the Department for Transport, and commitment from the Prime Minister to boost the levelling up agenda by devolving more powers to local leaders, are fantastic aims.

You r e

ted R

edica D r

Projects that will support decarbonisation goals in our region are already set out by TfN – in our Strategic Transport Plan and our prioritised Investment Programme – determined and agreed by our northern leaders. When we adopt our Decarbonisation Strategy later this year it will be the first of its kind, one that has already drawn praise from environmental groups for its approach and ambition.

We now need investment decisions to be made and policies to be agreed, so those schemes can be brought to life. As we await the publication of the Integrated Rail Plan and funding commitments in the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review, it’s essential that government gets on board with our plans to decarbonise rail and sets us on the track to build back greener.

The government can be assured that the North is up to the challenge of making this a reality. With the right support, collaboration, and investment, we can deliver a greener North for the benefit of our 15 million people.

To find out more and respond to the Transport for the North consultation, visit transportforthenorth.com/decarbonisation/ The consultation closes on Tuesday, August 31.

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August 2021 | 49

IFnedaut us tr rey S p o t l i g h t

Shannon Rail Services – two decades of progress

The leading provider of site access control solutions to the UK rail industry

I

n January 2022 Watford-based Shannon Rail Services will celebrate 20 successful years providing the rail engineering sector with a range of solutions relating to site access control, site welfare, site transportation, heavy haulage, and training and medical services.

The milestone is one owner and Managing Director Pat McAnulty is justly proud of. “We have seen it all, built many good and lasting relationships, and seen some difficult times as well with the collapse of Jarvis and then Carillion,” he said. “But we have come back stronger than ever due to hard work, innovation, and a good measure of old-fashioned customer service.”

The story of Shannon Rail is one of ingenuity and variety. From its inception the company has pioneered the use of mobile units to provide site access control offices and welfare facilities for transient worksites, and has been a provider to all the major renewals contractors under Railtrack and then Network Rail.

While static site villages work for major projects, the need to rapidly set up and demobilise in order to comply with strict and ever costlier land agreements means that the mobile solution continues to grow in popularity.

In the beginning most vehicles were conversions from box vans or in some cases were adaptions of mobile banks and even a police control room – but this era is rapidly fading in favour of new builds on brand new chassis, with the majority of the fitting out being completed in the company’s own workshops.

The latest DAF based 7.5T vehicles incorporate a SAC office with fully glazed-in counter, and ES/Works Manager office with display space for charts, HSEA board, first aid station and AV screens. Externally an awning provides for a briefing area with AV screen built into the side of the vehicle. There is also an external dispenser for hot and cold drinking water with pre-mixed hot drinks provided. A flush toilet is also part of the design.

Innovative thinking Apart from the high standard of accommodation there is a great deal of innovative thinking in the power system.

Compressed hydrogen gas powers a fuel cell while the batteries are topped up throughout

daylight hours via solar panels which take up almost all of the roof space. A solar heat pump is also used to heat water. Once set up on site the unit is entirely fossil fuel-free.

Over the past year the company has extended its production facilities to produce towable toilet trailers for the rail market. The first type to enter service, a compact 1+1 unit ideal for track access points where there is little space to set up anything more permanent, has been very well received by clients and a further production run is planned.

The company has gained VCA National Type Approval to cover these and further designs including a four-toilet configuration with all cubicles accessed from separate external doors.

The equipment is impressive, but Shannon Rail is about more than vehicles, it is about the people who drive them, operate them, clean them, and generally supervise the whole site set up for core works across the network. Drivers for tool lorries, drivers for minibuses, drivers for welfare vehicles, gate marshals, traffic marshals, COVID marshals, facilities managers and site access controllers – all working together as one team.

SAMS Site access controllers use Shannon Rail’s own web-based time and attendance and site reporting tool SAMS (Site Access Monitoring System) that is widely appreciated for its simplicity and reliability, and which represents excellent value for money in today’s challenging business climate.

50 | August 2021

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I n d u s t r y S pFoetal ti g uh r et

Shannon Rail can justifiably claim that there is no other single company able to offer this sort of comprehensive service offering a full site set-up, all the ancillary staff roles that go with it, and transport for staff, tools and materials – vehicles and drivers. But the service does not stop there as the company is also involved in long-term planning, identification of suitable sites for site access and welfare, and developing comprehensive plans for prep and follow-up works as well as the core site set-ups.

This has been particularly important as part of the framework agreement with Network Rail that covers High Output Track Renewals – but the potential to work along the same lines with the major rail systems alliances is something that the company is actively pursuing.

Maintining efficiency Aside from its largest business activity area, Shannon Rail continues to operate an efficient heavy haulage division. The largest client is DHL as part of that organisation’s supply chain providing Network Rail with a nationwide logistics service.

Principal loads include rail, S&C components, OLE structures, ballast, scrap and terram. Here again new investment is evident in Euro6 tractor units with HIAB cranes, new rear-steer trailers, and all the latest technology to comply with FORS road safety regulations and to assist Shannon Rail’s drivers in delivering safely across the network.

Looking out from his office towards the busy West Coast main line that passes through Watford Junction, Pat McAnulty reflects that the division has potential for significant growth.

He said: “If only the company can somehow address the critical shortage of HGV drivers that is affecting the whole economy at the present time.”

The problem is not of course confined to Shannon Rail and is due to multiple factors partly relating to Brexit, but also because of the difficulty in obtaining HGV training and tests during the pandemic.

“We will do everything we can to speed up recruitment and secure the training we need in order to unlock the great potential of our transport division,” added Pat.

We will always need to think quickly and react swiftly in order to provide essential facilities in support of our clients’ vital operations At an early stage in its development, Shannon Rail added approved railway training courses and medical and drugs and alcohol screening as part of its overall offer to the industry. The division is based at the company’s Watford offices and one advantage is that it offers a one-shop stop for new entrants to the industry. Currently this part of the business is reacting to the post-COVID challenge as the backlog of Sentinel competency renewals needs to be addressed.

In the years ahead, despite all the uncertainties facing the rail industry forced by new patterns of commuting and changing work practices in almost all parts of the economy, and by the transition to Great British Railways, Shannon Rail is looking forward to a period of steady and sustainable growth.

Maintaining client realtionships Programme Director Carl Shillito believes the key to this is to build longer-term integrated relationships with its principal clients. He said: “We all know that the railway has an unpredictable side due to the complexities of possession planning, the web of interrelationships between Network Rail and the various PCs, and the way in which the failure of one task can affect the next one, and the next one after that.

“After all, we do have one of the densest and busiest railways in the world so you can never quite predict what may happen. For this reason, we will always need to think quickly and react swiftly in order to provide essential facilities in support of our clients’ vital operations.”

However, he also added: “The major alliances and projects all work to programmes that are projected years in advance, and most of the time – certainly over 12-24 or even 36 months – the work bank can be safely predicted.

“By collaborating in a much closer way with our colleagues within client organisations we are developing our own equally sophisticated planning tools so that we know what we are doing next week, next month, next year, and even the year after that – and have the human and physical resources in place to meet demand and deliver a consistent service to the highest standard week in week out, month in month out, year in year out.”

For further information, email info@shannonrail.co.uk or visit www.shannonrail.com

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August 2021 | 51

Legal

Deciphering the rail industry

Michelle Craven-Faulkner discusses the challenges of being a rail lawyer and the need to make it easier for the supply chain

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ichelle Craven-Faulkner had only planned to work in the rail industry for a year. Graduating from De Montfort University with a law degree, she had turned down a training contract to be a criminal lawyer to pursue commercial business law instead.

“I got into my head in order to do that properly I needed to work in a business first, and it was just by chance that a Commercial Advisor job came up at Alstom working within RMS as it was known then,” she said. “I didn’t know much about the industry, but it was working in a commercial team which I thought would be a good path to follow with wanting to go along the commercial business law route.

“It was never intended to be long term and being quite forthright I even said in the interview that I would be there for a year – which quite frankly if someone said that to me in an interview they wouldn’t get a look in.”

Expanding role One year turned into nearly six years, which included being the company’s contract manager for the Northern and Jubilee lines, as well as being involved with the West Coast main line.

“During my time at Alstom I was also involved with all the sSRA (shadow Strategic Rail Authority) tendering process and then worked predominantly for Alstom Transport doing everything on First Great Western, First North Western, ScotRail, South West Trains and Gatwick Express as well as projects further afield.”

Although Michelle left Alstom and the rail industry to go into private practice, it was only a matter of weeks before she was lured back to the sector.

52 | August 2021

“It was about that point I got involved in the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum back in 2004/2005 and it has just carried on from there,” she said. “I was doing work for other industries but I carried on doing the rail work before settling, thinking I’ll stay here, I like this.

“I’ve been involved with the Rail Forum ever since, and I’ve been Vice-Chair for just over 12 years now. When I look at my current order book in terms of the work I do now it is probably 70-80 per cent rail work and I’m good with that and being a rail lawyer. I adore trains and drive my family absolutely bonkers that every time we

go anywhere in the world I’ll be looking to see who designed the train and make sure we go on a train somewhere while we are away.”

A passion for trains Her passion for the railways is as strong as her passion to create change for the better for the railways. Over the past two decades she has built up a wealth of contracting experience in the industry, while acting for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and various members of the industry supply chain, with a focus on both rolling stock and infrastructure.

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Legal

“I joined the rail industry just after privatisation so it was new and people were still trying to find their way around what it was supposed to look like,” Michelle said.

“It is an incredibly document heavy, complicated, lawyer-driven industry and I don’t agree with that – it is not something that makes me go ‘woohoo I’m needed’.

“Funnily enough regardless of what people might think, trawling through depot access conditions really doesn’t get the juices flowing. I do think the industry is quite rigid in that respect and it is incredibly difficult for members of the supply chain in particular to be able to navigate it effectively.

“It is almost as though the bigger guys have continued to get bigger and the smaller guys smaller and we need the Principals and Tier 1s in particular to engage and communicate to a greater extent with the supply chain and make sure it is commercially ok for them to contract with tier 1s.

“I still think we are far too contract heavy and I think some of the documentation is incredibly and unnecessarily complicated. I perhaps shouldn’t be complaining about that as it is my day job, but it doesn’t sit well with me. I hope that through Great British Railways changes are made so we’re not seen as being such a difficult industry to deal with.”

Great experience Michelle’s experience covers all aspects of contract work relating to rolling stock, light rail projects and underground projects within the UK, ranging from manufacturing and renovation, freight, service and parts supply functions.

She also provides advice on regulatory matters including management of depot licences, track access agreements, depot access agreements, depot leases, connection agreements, depot access conditions and annexes and general liaison with the Office of Rail and Road and Department for Transport.

Alongside her role as Vice-Chair of Rail Forum Midlands, she also sits on the East Midlands HS2 Strategic Board, the HS2 Business Advisory board and the Steering Group in relation to the Midlands Pilot of the Rail Sector Deal.

“What I enjoy most about the rail industry is the challenge and that you are involved in something that makes a difference to so many people,” she said.

I hope that through Great British Railways changes are made so we’re not seen as being such a difficult industry to deal with In January, Michelle took on a new challenge – joining Shoosmiths as a Partner as part of the firm’s ambitious growth strategy in the rail industry, and also part of the firm’s intent to grow its commercial practice within the East Midlands.

“I’m loving the job and the full service the organisation is able to offer from colleagues who have got experience in dealing with trade unions, through to those who specialise in station work, rail-related construction matters, and health and safety,” she said.

“Shoosmiths truly is at the forefront of innovation in the legal sector and I’m thrilled to be given the freedom and autonomy to go off and create something.

“I’m working on three different products at the moment and two of them aren’t even legal offerings – they are products that will help clients – with rail clients being at the forefront of my mind.”

Michelle’s role also involves bringing together the newly formed rail team.

“It is strange to say it is a new team because actually we’ve had people in the firm working in rail for years, but it is about pulling those people together,” she said.

The route ahead Looking to the future and Michelle sees it very much in rail, building the rail team at Shoosmiths, continuing her work at Rail Forum Midlands, and playing a role in attracting more people into the industry – including with her position as ViceChair of Governors at UTC Derby Pride Park.

“I want to ensure the supply chain understands what their rights are and the fact there are ways to get access if they want it to Westminster,” she said.

I think SMEs collaborating – strength in numbers – is something I’d like to see an awful lot more of, as well as recognising that export is something we still should be doing notwithstanding some uncertainties post-Brexit.

“We’ve also got a real skills shortage coming up and we need young people coming into the industry – their fresh ideas and their enthusiasm.

I’m going to continue rocking on that platform as I want people to be engaged with rail as a mode of transport, but also engaged with rail as being a really, really important sector.

“I can see real opportunities for the industry, and it has got to be bright for rail. There is so much more that can be done and as the green agenda becomes more and more important, I think we can really come into our own with the right messaging.

The most pressing challenge though is working on the public perception, particularly after the pandemic, to ensure that everyone knows how safe rail is as a mode of transport and just how environmentally friendly it is too.

“With newer trains, more flexible ticketing arrangements, and new and innovative ideas relating to carbon reduction, rail really is a win-win for everyone.”

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Our core services cover technical advice, consultancy services, feasibility studies and concept, outline (AiP) and detailed design (AfC) of both signalling and telecommunication systems.

We can provide all Signal Sighting activities and signalling risk assessments, including SORA and Suitable and Sufficient Risk Assessments for Level Crossings. We also provide EMC and E&B studies to complement our core services.

We very much look forward to working with you.

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railbusinessdaily.com

August 2021 | 53

Infrastructure

Hotels on rails – a new mythology

Midnight Trains Co-Founder Adrien Aumont discusses his plans for a new network of European sleeper trains

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Destinations across Europe Among the 10 destinations are Edinburgh, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Rome and Berlin.

“From Paris to Europe, Midnight Trains is a company created by Parisians to re-enchant travel in Europe,” said Adrien, previously the Co-Founder of KissKissBankBank, who had the idea of Midnight Trains during dinner in Athens.

“Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, the point of arrival for many international travellers, will be its hub. Departing from the French capital, we will ensure a trip to where high-speed trains do not go.

“Today, to travel in Europe, the plane remains in a virtual monopoly situation, while the traveller’s experience is nothing but stress and discomfort. The speed sold there is an illusion, as a one-hour flight actually takes its passengers four hours of their time, door to door.

54 | August 2021

Photos: Midnight Trains

rench railway start-up Midnight Trains is on a journey to re-enchant night trains in Europe with its hotels on rails. The organisation has revealed details of its plans in 2024 to launch its first line from its hub in Paris – setting the foundation of a proposed network of more than 10 destinations with distances from 800km to 1,500km.

“We are launching our hotel company on rails because we are convinced that the 21st century must create a new mythology of night trains,” said Co-Founder Adrien Aumont, who explained they have rethought the traveller experience.

“At a time when more and more travellers are looking for a lasting and quality alternative to air travel, the revival of night trains is a pragmatic response to meet this major challenge.”

The aim is to provide a new way to travel, in complete privacy and safety “The aviation sector is also hitting carbon emissions records, and Midnight Trains was born from this observation – it is time to invent a more harmonious, more fluid, more environmentally friendly alternative.”

Midnight Trains aims to be a reinvention of the old-fashioned luxury of the Orient-Express, with private rooms for passengers travelling on their own, in pairs, or in groups.

“With soft bedding and movies on demand, the aim is to provide a new way to travel, in complete privacy and safety,” said Adrien.

“Because the stakes are high, this is a longterm project that the team is working on. The aim is to have our first passengers in 2024, with the coming years dedicated to recruiting the team and setting up the operational plan for the launch, in particular the acquisition on rolling stock, access to infrastructure and the partnership with a railway company for traction.”

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HS2

Connections at Calvert Two of the UK’s major railway construction projects come together at Calvert in Buckinghamshire, 12 miles due south of Silverstone grand prix circuit

H

ere, HS2, driving north from London Euston to Birmingham, crosses East West Rail, the project to join Oxford with Cambridge.

As it doesn’t make much sense for both project teams to be on site, digging up the countryside in this rural area, the civil engineering is being undertaken by HS2 and its contractor EKFB, a joint venture of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall. Once they have finished the ground works, East West Rail contractors will install the railway tracks, signalling and communications, cables while a separate HS2 railway systems contractor, yet to be awarded, will do the same on the high-speed line.

EKFB has been appointed by HS2 to deliver civil engineering works across an 80km length of the new high-speed rail link, between the Chiltern Tunnel and Long Itchington Wood.

This includes 15 viaducts, 6.9km of green tunnels (cut-and-cover tunnels), 22km of road diversions, 81 bridges and around 30 million cubic metres of excavation.

The 80km of EKFB’s contract is divided up into five sections, of which Calvert is the central one.

It lies in an area of farmland and is fairly flat. The existing railway line from Bicester to Bletchley, currently mothballed, runs almost east-west.

The path of HS2 runs southeast-northwest, and at this point parallels the old line that branched off the Bicester-Bletchley line and ran down to Aylesbury.

Flyover The plan is for HS2 to go through the area in a shallow cutting. The East West Rail line will ramp up and go over it on a flyover.

In addition, the HS2 formation will be wider than normal, wide enough so that, at a later date, the line to Aylesbury can reinstated alongside HS2’s tracks. This enhancement does not yet have confirmed funding but is in the longterm plan.

There will be a chord off the HS2 line as well, crossing East West Rail just to the west of the Aylesbury junction, giving access to the HS2 Infrastructure Maintenance Depot which is to be built adjacent to and to the northeast of the flyover.

The Infrastructure Maintenance Depot will provide a base for planning and managing all 56 | August 2021

DB Cargo is trialling a freight locomotive running on hydrotreated vegetable oil

infrastructure maintenance work, be a central point for taking deliveries and storing all replacement parts before they are used and provide sidings where maintenance trains can be stored when not in use. It won’t be used for maintaining trains, that will take place at rolling stock maintenance depot at Washwood Heath in Birmingham.

Having the Infrastructure Maintenance Depot at Calvert will allow it to be connected with both HS2, for access for maintenance, and to the national rail network, either along the East West route to Oxford or Milton Keynes, or down the proposed Aylesbury line.

DB Cargo has been experimenting with fuelling its locomotives with HVO – hydrotreated vegetable oil In the Calvert section alone, EKFB has to build 42 structures. One of these is a batmitigation structure, 850 metres long, alongside Sheephouse Wood, an ancient woodland and a designated site of Special Scientific Interest.

Sheephouse Wood, and the wider Bernwood Forest, provides a home for several species of bat, including the rare Bechstein’s bat. This colony is at the most northern extent of their range in Europe, which makes it particularly important.

The Sheephouse Wood Bat Mitigation Structure will provide a physical barrier to prevent bats coming into contact with high-speed trains.

A wider strategy The structure is part of a wider strategy designed to reduce the railway’s effect on bats along an 8km stretch of route through Calvert.

The strategy will provide links between areas of existing woodland with new woodland planting and provides safe crossing points at existing flight lines with green overbridges.

There will be five green overbridges, out of a total of 14. These are conventional bridges, carrying a road, footpath or cycleway over the railway, but they are around 30 metres wider than they would normally be. The extra space, which will be planted with vegetation typical of the area, is intended to give wildlife a safe path across the railway.

The works at Calvert involve both digging out the cutting in which HS2 will run, but also building up the embankments for the flyover that will carry East West Rail, preparing the foundations for the depot and landscaping the area. The net result is a need for fill material to be brought onto site, some 448,000 tonnes of it. railbusinessdaily.com

HS2

To bring that all in by road would have needed about 45,000 tipper-lorry movements. Instead, the project has been able to bring its supplies in by rail. 300 freight trains have been hauled to site by DB Cargo, taking the route of the former Aylesbury branch which still exists. Once deliveries are complete, the old railway will be dismantled back to the FCC Environment landfill and waste site, just south of Calvert village.

Hydrotreated vegetable oil As a trial, and to further protect the environment, DB Cargo has been experimenting with fuelling its locomotives with HVO – hydrotreated vegetable oil. 100 per cent biodegradable, this is synthesised from waste fats and vegetable oils. Its use can result in a reduction of up to 90 per cent in net CO2 greenhouse emissions and additional cuts in notifiable particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.

Freight trains to Calvert are being hauled by locomotives fuelled with HVO and also by conventional diesel locomotives, so the costs and benefits can be evaluated like-for-like.

On site, excavation of the HS2 trackbed has been carried out and piling to reinforce the

Having excavated down to the approximate level of the HS2 track, piles have been installed ready to support the bridge abutments to carry East West Rail over the high-speed line

flyover abutments is now complete. The road bridge, that currently takes Gawcott Road over the East West Rail alignment, will be removed so that the railway can be lifted up onto an embankment and then over the flyover across HS2. It will then let down again and continue on its current level.

The rest of the HS2 cutting needs to be dug

and the trackbed prepared. 1.7 million cubic metres of excavation will be needed, but that compares with four million cubic metres of fill, hence the 300 freight trains that have been unloaded at the site railhead.

So, there is still plenty of work to do for EKFB and its subcontractors, but it was good to see both projects making substantial progress.

+44 (0)1332 343 585 enquiries@signet-solutions.com www.signet-solutions.com

railbusinessdaily.com

August 2021 | 57

Innovation

“The ideas shown today could transform how we travel in future” The Transport Secretary has announced the winners of the latest round of the First of a Kind competition

T

he Department for Transport, in partnership with Innovate UK, has funded 30 ground-breaking projects a share of £9 million to make the railways cleaner, greener and more passenger friendly.

The First of a Kind (FOAK) competition winners were announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps last month and published on the Department for Transport website. It focused on developing pioneering technology and exceptional ideas that can improve journeys for travellers, encourage passengers back onto the network and reduce the environmental impacts of rail.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I am delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 First of a Kind competition. These winners will hopefully play a role in putting passengers at the centre of our railways as we build back better from COVID-19.

“The competition always throws up surprises and the ideas shown today could transform how we travel in future.”

Among the winning ideas is a virtual reality immersive journey planning app for trains and stations that could soon make journeys easier by reducing passenger anxiety and helping passengers to understand their journey ahead of travelling.

Another revolutionary app connects rail travellers to the world outside their window and brings the route to life. As passengers travel, the app uses geo-location to immerse passengers in the history and stories of the places they travel through, making even the morning commute a train ride back in time.

Other winning projects include: system to monitor people flow, congestion A points and behaviour at stations so operators can remover bottlenecks and deploy countermeasures, helping people avoid crowds and restoring passenger confidence in the rail system post COVID-19. scheme that provides an interchangeable A interior train carriage for quick, deep cleaning and allowing operators to rejig a train’s seating layout at short notice, reacting to demand, keeping passengers safe and freeing up space.

58 | August 2021

Not only will passengers benefit from these great innovations but business prospects are bright in this sector too project that uses electromagnetism to A deliver safe and predictable braking in harsh conditions, while improving acceleration. scheme which aims to deliver a train A running on hydrogen and a hydrogen gas blend promising low emissions and an even greener railway.

Simon Edmonds, Deputy Executive Chair and Chief Business Officer, Innovate UK, said: “As we move ever closer to getting past the pandemic, passengers are returning to the railway. To give them ever greater confidence that rail is safe and sustainable, we called on UK innovators to come up with fresh ideas.

“Yet again the response has been fantastic.

Not only will passengers benefit from these great innovations but business prospects are bright in this sector too.”

All are welcome Now in its fifth round, the competition was open to inventors from across the nation, regardless of the organisation’s size or stature, allowing small companies with bright ideas to be recognised. railbusinessdaily.com

Innovation

Avanti West Coast begins the UK’s biggest ever train fleet upgrade All 56 of train operating company’s fleet upgraded as part of £117 million project

A

vanti West Coast has kicked-off the UK’s biggest ever train fleet upgrade, as the first Pendolino was taken out of service for work to begin on the £117 million project.

The programme will transform all 56 of Avanti West Coast’s iconic Pendolinos. The trains are widely regarded as one of the UK’s hardest working train fleet, clocking up more than 270 million miles since they were launched – enough to go to the moon and back more than 500 times.

The Pendolinos have served routes between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh for close to 20 years and the upgrade will return the whole Pendolino fleet to an ‘as new’ condition.

Customer improvements include: Replacing 25,000 Standard Class seats; onversion of one First Class carriage on each C of the 35 11-carriage Pendolinos to provide more than 2,000 extra Standard class seats; he introduction of a new Café Bar for T customers to meet and enjoy refreshments; Improved lighting and new interior carpets; reater use of technology with customerG friendly passenger information screens; Additional luggage space; Power points at every seat; Refurbished toilets.

60 | August 2021

Phil Whittingham, Managing Director for Avanti West Coast, said: “The Pendolino is a real workhorse which has helped to transform services on the West Coast main line.

“This investment will take them to the next level and they’ll feel like new trains with state-ofthe-art technology and brand new seats. I can’t wait to see the reaction from our customers.”

Rail manufacturer Alstom will oversee the refurbishment at its new depot in Widnes in the North West, securing 100 skilled jobs.

The first train, set number 390125, is due to re-enter service in late 2021. The upgrade programme will run until February 2024 when

the last of the 56-strong fleet is expected to leave Widnes.

Peter Broadley, Managing Director, Services, Alstom UK & Ireland, said: “We were delighted when our friends at Avanti West Coast entrusted our team at Widnes with the upgrade of the Alstom-built Pendolino, one of Britain’s most reliable, popular and sustainable trains.

“Alstom is the nation’s leading train services provider and train refurbishment is a major part of our offering, so we can’t wait to get cracking on this landmark project.”

UK suppliers will benefit from 80 per cent of the £117 million investment, which is financed by Angel Trains, one of the UK’s leading train asset management companies.

“Investing in the refurbishment of rolling stock is crucial for advancing the UK rail industry and supporting the wider supply chain,” said David Jordan, Chief Operating Officer of Angel Trains.

“This project is a huge milestone, and we are proud to work with our customers Avanti West Coast to upgrade the Pendolino fleet, to create modern train interiors that are fit for future passengers’ needs.”

The refurbished Pendolinos are just part of the changes taking place on the West Coast. The ground-breaking Standard Premium has already been introduced, as has at-seat ordering and a brand new fleet to replace the diesel Voyagers is coming in 2023. railbusinessdaily.com

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rainline is partnering with OUIGO España, the new rail operator offering lowprice high-speed train journeys between Madrid and Barcelona with stops in Zaragoza and Tarragona.

The partnership sees OUIGO and Trainline coming together to encourage more sustainable travel in Spain, making greener journeys even more accessible via a simple and seamless online booking experience on Trainline’s app and website.

It also means that Trainline provides its customers with a wide range of train options in Spain, including new entrants.

Commenting on the

partnership, Jody Ford, Trainline CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with OUIGO España to give our customers simple, seamless access to a low-cost high-speed option between Madrid and Barcelona.

“The partnership is another important step in our purpose to encourage more greener journeys.

By bringing together the routes, fares and journey times for more than 270 rail and coach operators into one seamless experience – including a wider range of train options in Spain – we’re making greener travel choices easier.”

Hélène Valenzuela, General Manager OUIGO España, said: “We choose our partners very

Photo: olrat / Shutterstock.com

Trainline partners with OUIGO España to provide more sustainable journey options to customers

carefully as we are always working to offer the best quality service to our customers. That is why we are very happy to be working with Trainline in this new journey for

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VINCI awarded €1.43 billion contract for tunnel A consortium led by VINCI Construction Grands Projets has been awarded a €1.43 billion contract covering the construction of 46km of tunnels between Saint-Martinla-Porte and Modane, in Savoie (France).

The work is part of the construction of the 57.5km tunnel that will connect Saint-Jean-deMaurienne (France) and Susa (Italy).

The contract for works package two has gone to the consortium led by VINCI Construction Grands Projets, Dodin Campenon Bernard and VINCI Construction France, subsidiaries of VINCI Construction (50 per cent), and the Italian construction company Webuild.

It covers a 23km section of twin tube tunnel between SaintMartin-la-Porte and Modane, in Savoie (France). The works involve

digging 25km of tunnel using three tunnel boring machines and 21km of tunnel using conventional methods, and creating 71 safety tunnels and several galleries. The project will take over five years and employ up to 1,650 people.

VINCI Construction’s teams have been active on the Lyon-Turin rail line since September 2020, handling the preparatory work on the Avrieux shafts, perpendicular to the future safety site at Modane.

The Lyon –Turin rail line is part of a programme designed to expand trade in Europe and upgrade passenger travel. It is setting in motion a sustainable transition in transport by shifting long-distance freight from roads to rail lines.

By 2030, it will replace a million heavy vehicles on Alpine roads and lower greenhouse gas emissions by about three million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

ARE WE

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railbusinessdaily.com

I n t e r n a t i o nFael aNt u ew r es

Alstom to test Régiolis Crossborder hybrid unit train on VUZ test circuit in the Czech Republic T ests are under way on a hybrid unit train from Alstom, which combines two alternate-current power systems with a diesel engine for tracks without an overhead line.

It arrived at a test circuit operated

by Výzkumný Ústav Železniční in the Czech Republic at the end of June. It was commissioned by the Grand Est metropolitan region in France in 2019 and will be operated

by SNCF, the French national railway company.

Martin B ě lčík, General Director at Výzkumný Ústav Železniční, said: “We are honoured that Alstom has chosen Výzkumný Ústav Železniční in the Czech Republic to test its unit train. Not only can we simulate railway systems of many European countries, but also are able to host rail vehicles with all types of alternative drives.”

Alstom announced in 2019 that it will deliver 30 units for

cross-border passenger transport between France and Germany.

These four-car trains, which are dual mode-dual voltage 25 kV / 15 kV and comply with German safety requirements, will run at 160 km/h, serving the German states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg.

“Alstom is proud of this new sign of trust from the Grand Est region. The expertise and innovation capacities

of our French teams are mobilised to support the region in developing cross-border mobility. This order also contributes to the activity of Alstom’s Reichshoffen site,” Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom in France, said at the time.

The typical customers choosing this Central European test circuit include manufacturers that need to completely prepare their vehicles for a market launch.

Martin B ě l čík, from Výzkumný Ústav Železniční, said: “We prepare a comprehensive turnkey test package for manufacturers so that they do not need to transport their vehicles from place to place across Europe for different types of tests.

“We offer a full range of tests, from individual components, such as bogie frame tests on the Dynamic Test Bench, to comprehensive stationary and in-motion tests, to ETCS tests as well as an assessment of compliance with key standards and regulations.”

Over the past three years, Výzkumný Ústav Železni č ní expanded its facilities so that up to five customers can perform their test there simultaneously. Over the next five years, the company is also planning to invest in a circuit for the testing of autonomous rail vehicles.

The investment is expected to reach approximately €10 million.

Respol and Talgo to develop hydrogen-powered train

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epsol and Talgo will jointly develop projects to promote the creation of renewable hydrogen-powered trains and promote emission-free rail transport in the Iberian Peninsula.

The agreement has been signed by Juan Abascal, Repsol’s

executive director of Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy, and the Chairman of Talgo Carlos Palacio Oriol.

The alliance between the two companies provides a comprehensive solution to making renewable hydrogen-powered

trains a reality. Talgo will handle the design, manufacture, and commissioning of the new selfpropelled trains for short and medium distances, while Repsol will offer up its renewable hydrogen generation infrastructure and the company’s logistical means

to supply the railway network.

This collaboration will promote the achievement of one of the objectives set in the Hydrogen Roadmap approved by the government last October — to have two lines of hydrogen-powered commercial trains by 2030.

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PBH Rail Group is a market leading survey and design consultancy specialising in railway infrastructure projects. We have extensive experience in all aspects of survey and design. enquiries@pbhrail.com www.pbhrail.com 01904 655666

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Movers and Shakers

Three key appointments at AmcoGiffen mcoGiffen has made three key appointments to support growth and structure as it prepares for building back better.

Bryan Kennedy joins as HS2 Operations Director. Bryan previously worked for Knights Brown Construction and Galliford Try and has widespread civil engineering experience. Bryan will be responsible for strategy and delivery of AmcoGiffen’s HS2 offering, which includes providing specialist technical partnering services in relation to civil engineering interventions.

Peter Ritchie joins as Regional

Photo: AmcoGiffen

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Managing Director for Scotland after several successful years working for Balfour Beatty, latterly as Framework Director for the

Scape civil engineering framework.

Peter will be leading operations north of the border, building on the current high performing

frameworks in both rail and non-rail markets.

Gareth Armishaw has been appointed to Operations Director as part of the Wales, Western and South team. Gareth was previously Head of Regional Projects for Balfour Beatty and will be responsible for leading the Western Region.

John Booth, AmcoGiffen Managing Director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Bryan, Peter and Gareth to AmcoGiffen, enhancing our team in what is set to be an exciting and transformational time for us and our industry.”

ivil engineering and infrastructure specialist Barhale has appointed Martin Brown as its new Chief Executive.

With more than 29 years’ experience in civil engineering and rail infrastructure, Martin joins Barhale after nine years as Managing Director of Keltbray’s UK rail infrastructure business.

Prior to that he was a project director for Balfour Beatty on several high-profile rail and infrastructure projects.

He takes over in September from Julian Ripley who has led the

business as Interim Chief Executive since June 2020. Julian will resume his former role as Chief Financial Officer.

Martin said: “My priority will be to lead Barhale into its next phase of growth, building on the strength of its family-orientated core values and existing client relationships and expanding its operations within the infrastructure sector.

“Barhale’s direct delivery model and proven project delivery provides a solid platform for sustainable growth.

“I look forward to joining the

Photo: Barhale

Barhale appoints Martin Brown as Chief Executive C

Barhale team, building on the existing momentum and focusing the business and it teams on

engineering and operational excellence to deliver sustainable growth.”

Keltbray announces Neil Thompson as new MD for rail

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eltbray has announced the appointment of Neil Thompson as its new Managing Director – Rail.

Neil, who will report to Phil Price, Managing Director – Infrastructure, will carry out a transition period with Martin Brown until September when Martin will depart to Barhale.

C o m m e nt i n g on the 66 | August 2021

appointment Darren James, Chief Executive Officer at Keltbray, said: “I am thrilled that Neil is joining Keltbray at this exciting time for the Group. Neil brings a wealth of experience and considerable knowledge to Keltbray from his time at Network Rail in particular, and his appointment will further strengthen our ability to deliver the very best service to our clients.

“I look forward to working with Phil, Neil and the rail team as we progress with the implementation of our strategy for sustained growth. I would also like to thank Martin Brown for his contribution to Keltbray to date and wish him all the very best for the future.”

Phil Price said: “I am delighted Neil has chosen to join Keltbray as our new Managing Director – Rail.

His knowledge of the challenges facing our rail customers, and his experience implementing major programmes will be key to delivering the next phase of the Keltbray strategy.

“I am looking forward to working with Neil to develop solutions which address the carbon reduction and productivity challenges that face our customers.” railbusinessdaily.com

Movers and Shakers

Tim Bruce joins NYMR as new infrastructure manager he North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has announced the appointment of Tim Bruce as its new Infrastructure Manager.

Tim joins NYMR postretirement from infrastructure and engineering specialists Amey and brings with him more than 40 years’ experience of working on mainline UK railways, the last 20 years of which were in asset management.

His role sees him take overall responsibility for all aspects of NYMR’s infrastructure along its 18 miles of track – which covers 36 structures and additionally stations, buildings, track and signalling.

As well as his day-to-day duties, Tim has been overseeing a number of long-term projects at NYMR, include the new carriage stable (opening soon) and the

Photo: North Yorkshire Moors Railway

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introduction of controlled emission toilets (CET).

The next big project is the delivery and installation of two new bridges at Goathland in February 2022, as part of the

NYMR’s Yorkshire Magnificent Journey Project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund aimed at ensuring the future of this popular visitor attraction.

“If it doesn’t move, apart from

SLC brings together people from the world of rail that provide projects, investment, engineering, operations and property services to help third-party scheme promoters develop strategic plans, win industry support, secure necessary investment and deliver aspirations.

IT, we’re responsible for it,” Tim joked. “It’s been a real eye opener – I knew NYMR as a visitor, but to get a full understanding of everything that goes into running the railway is fascinating. In some respects it’s going back 40-50 years; in other ways it’s very modern.”

Tim had originally applied to be a volunteer, but when he attached his CV to the volunteer form, bosses at NYMR called him “for a little chat”.

Chris Price, General Manager at NYMR, said: “Tim is one of the many specialists we’re employing at the NYMR; his key focuses will be to modernise the infrastructure department, introduce new technology to help maintain the railway, and thus help safeguard the future of the heritage railway for the next generations to enjoy.”

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August 2021 | 67

Movers and Shakers

68 | August 2021

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afer Travel has welcomed three new team members into brand new roles created to tackle antisocial behaviour on the public transport network.

Three Transport Safety Officers (TSOs) are the first of their kind in the UK to operate across all three modes of public transport. In their first three weeks on patrol they have engaged with more than 5,000 passengers as well as issuing 15 verbal warnings and safeguarding a vulnerable young person.

The team of Joseph Hawkes (left), Justas Vasiliauskas (centre) and Mohammad Abid (right) are tactically deployed across the West Midlands bus, rail and tram network specifically to deal with low-level nuisance and antisocial behaviour based on reports that have been received from transport staff or the public through the See Something Say Something text service.

The trio of officers have completed the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) which provides them

Photo: West Midlands Safer Travel Partnership

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he Tyne and Wear Metro has appointed a new Operations Director, who brings three decades of railway industry experience to the role.

John Alexander has taken over the responsibility for managing day-to-day services on the Metro network.

John, who began his railway career as an apprentice engineer aged 16, has taken on the new challenge after spending the past 10 years as manager of Northern Rail’s Heaton depot in Newcastle.

He said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for me to test myself working for such an iconic mass transport network.

“I’ve got a fantastic new team who are extremely knowledgeable and have a great deal of pride in the services that they deliver every day.

“I want to bring a disciplined approach to the role, and also let people develop so that I can get the best out of them. The most critical resource is the people that we have working for us.”

John began his career as a British Rail apprentice in 1991, at a train depot in Gateshead.

It was from there that he went on to secure a full-time career in railways, going on to work in engineering and then leadership roles for Northern Rail.

He added: “I am making a move from rail engineering into the operations side of things. That is the challenge I was looking for and the skills are transferable given that the two disciplines are so closely connected.

“I am really proud to take this on with the Tyne and Wear Metro. I can remember I was five years old when the Metro first opened and since then it has become embedded in the communities that it serves.”

Safer Travel team tackles antisocial behaviour

with powers to issue fixed penalty notices, obtain personal details and proactively deal with nuisance behaviour that can significantly affect passengers’ journeys. Fines can be issued for behaviour such as smoking, littering, disorder, damaging property and throwing fireworks.

The team use a three Es approach to dealing with antisocial behaviour: engage, educate and enforce. Passengers behaving inappropriately will be engaged with by the officers and enforcement will be used if the behaviour

continues, such as issuing a fixed penalty notice, directions to leave or surrendering alcohol.

Paul Franks, Civil Interventions and Police Liaison Manager for Safer Travel, said: “The TSOs will be deployed to areas and routes where they are needed most, therefore if you experience antisocial behaviour that is affecting your bus journey, please report it to us using our See Something Say Something service and texting reports with the words ‘SeeSay’ to 81018.”

Simon Cartwright joins Mott MacDonald’s transport planning team in Dubai

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imon Cartwright has joined Mott MacDonald’s transport planning team in Dubai where he will focus on projects across the Middle East.

Simon has 20 years’ experience in mobility and transport planning. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation, holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Aided Engineering Design from Strathclyde University and a BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Glasgow.

Over the past 12 years, Simon has gained invaluable experience delivering projects throughout the

Photo: Mott MacDonald

John Alexander set to be Tyne and Wear Metro’s Operations Director

Middle East where he managed clients’ regulatory and authority requirements.

Simon joins Mott MacDonald from WSP in Dubai where he was regional sector lead for transport planning and worked on the Red Sea Airport Masterplan, Emirates Tower Development Masterplan,

Etihad Rail Freight & Passenger Forecasting Models and the Dubai Expo 2020.

In his new role Simon will concentrate on advisory and future mobility, deliver professional and technical excellence liaising with other leaders internationally, as well as advising on key future trends in the industry. He will be responsible for project directorship and delivery, team development and management, business development and customer liaison.

Simon said: “I am excited to join Mott MacDonald as it holds an enviable reputation working within the transport and mobility planning space.” railbusinessdaily.com

Movers and Shakers

CITB appoints Chairs to Nation Councils onstruction Industr y Training Board (CITB) has announced the appointment of the Chairs of its Nation Councils for England, Scotland and Wales.

Angela Forbes (left), from BuildForce, has been appointed Chair for the Scotland Nation council.

Angela Forbes (centre), from BuildForce, has been appointed Chair for the Scotland Nation council.

Leigh Hughes (right), from Bouygues UK, has been reappointed Chair of the Wales Nation Council.

All three Chairs are appointed for three years.

Angela, Sharon and Leigh will work with Council members in each nation to support the CITB Board, by providing insight into industry challenges across nations,

Photo: CITB

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regions and sectors and acting as a sounding board for Trustees.

CITB Chairman Peter Lauener said: “Our Nation Councils provide a vital role in making sure that CITB priorities match what industry needs so I am delighted to welcome Sharon SwitchPoint Heating Ltd Llewellyn and Angela Forbes, and to Industrihuset S-430 64Leigh HÄLLINGSJÖ, SWEDEN reappoint Hughes. They each Phone:of+ experience 46 (0)301-418 50 bring a wealth to the Mail: info@vkts.se www.switchpointheating.se

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CITB has also appointed Jackie Ducker as the organisation’s new Customer and Product Director, replacing the outgoing Braden Connolly.

Jackie has held a range of business

improvement, collaboration, growth and customer experience leadership roles. She was most recently at Ordnance Survey and until 2020 with Kier Group.

Her career started in specialist contracting, including asbestos removal, demolition, and structural repairs. She then moved into regional contracting with Llewellyn Group and property repairs and gas maintenance with Connaught plc.

In 2011 Jackie joined Kier Group and enjoyed responsibilities across the support services, group functions, construction, and infrastructure divisions as customer experience director. This included working with their joint venture to deliver civil engineering works for HS2.

Jackie said: “This is a great time to be joining CITB and I am very proud to have the opportunity to play my part in its future success.”

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August 2021 | 69

A n d F i n a l l y. . .

HS2 archaeologists make a once-in-a-lifetime Iron Age discovery Over 300 small coins have been found in West London in what has been dubbed the ‘Hillingdon Hoard’

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rare set of Iron Age potins – an early version of the coin dating back to the 1st century BC – have been discovered by archaeologists working on the HS2 project in West London.

The ‘Hillingdon Hoard’ of more than 300 potins dates back to the late Iron Age, during a period of change as the Romans began to establish themselves in Britain and create Londinium.

The potins – the name referring to the base metal silver-like alloy used in coins – are based on coins struck in Marseille, France, about 2,175 years ago, which bear the left-facing head of Apollo on one side and a bull charging right on the other.

The use of these early coins spread across northern Europe and in England their use was commonly linked to Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire.

Preserving the past HS2’s Head of Heritage Helen Wass said: “At HS2 we are not only building for the future, we are also preserving the past. This is an exciting find for our team of archaeologists and provides us with more information about how our ancestors lived and settled in London.

“HS2’s unprecedented archaeological programme has enabled us to tell the stories of our history and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Historians are unclear what the potins were used for during the Iron Age particularly as the exchange of goods and service, or bartering, is thought to have been the main method of commerce at that time, nor why the coins were deposited where they were found.

70 | August 2021

Archaeologists analysing the discovery believe the potins may have marked the boundary of a property or been an offering to the gods in a woodland clearing or near a sacred spring. It is not unusual for a hoard to be found in an apparently isolated location and they may also have been buried as savings or for emergency use in times of crisis.

A hoard of a similar size, the ‘Sunbury Hoard’, was discovered in 2010 but the potins were dated much earlier in the Iron Age. Potins from late in the Iron Age, similar to the Hillingdon Hoard, have been found previously but in much smaller quantities, making this find very significant.

The site in Hillingdon was undergoing archaeological excavation and analysis led

by HS2’s enabling works contractor, Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CS JV).

Describing the discovery, Emma Tetlow, now working as Historic Environment Lead for HS2’s main works contractor Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture, said: “We were coming to the end of our archaeological work on the site when we found a patch of soil that was a very different colour from what we would have expected.

“The patch of soil was dark greeny-blue, which suggests oxidized metal, and when we checked more closely, we could see loosely packed metal discs. This is a once-in-a-lifetime find and allows

us to expand our knowledge of what life could have been like in Hillingdon many centuries ago.”

Because of the significance of the find and the high number of coins, the local coroner was alerted. The coroner will determine whether the discovery amounts to ‘treasure’ after considering specialist evidence from the British Museum.

The potins were removed from site for specialist cleaning, conservation and assessment. Records have been sent to a specialist for cataloguing and further assessment to determine their origins and significance.

An unexpected discovery Duncan Wilson, Historic England Chief Executive, said: “They say that money talks so what can this unexpected discovery tell us? It takes us back to the tumultuous time of Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. Reaching Britain in 55 and 54 BC he observed the locals using bronze coins, an innovation they had adopted not long before through cross-channel migration and trade.

“Hoards like this are now protected by law so that they can be studied to learn more about how these early coins were used, and perhaps shed light on why they came to be hidden in a seemingly remote place. Extensive projects like HS2 will always bring about archaeological discoveries which is why Historic England works with HS2 to ensure thorough surveys and investigations.” railbusinessdaily.com

Executive Director – Railway Heritage Trust Salary: £80K pa based on 4 days per week Contract: 2-year fixed term, extendable Location: Home-based, with travel throughout UK (estimated 2-3 days’ travel per week) Benefits: 28 days annual leave, Pension Britain’s railway heritage is the world’s richest. It includes a wide range of types of buildings and structures, many of which were first devised in this country to meet the needs of the new railways. Every style and material are represented in its architecture and engineering. This heritage is still growing with railway buildings completed as recently as 1966 have now been listed. The 681 railway buildings, structures and Ancient Monuments listed in 1985 in England, Scotland and Wales, has increased to over 1700 in the same period, while numerous parts of the railway estate fall within Conservation Areas. Along with churches and government departments, the railway industry is one of the most significant owners of historic premises and structures. Of particular interest is the extent to which the industry’s infrastructure is still in use for its original purpose.

Established in 1985, the Railway Heritage Trust (RHT) was set up to assist with the operational railway companies in the preservation and upkeep of listed buildings and structures, and in the transfer of non-operational premises and structures to outside bodies willing to undertake their preservation.

The RHT supports a wide range of projects each year, with a balance struck between buildings and structures, and

between large projects and small. The RHT currently delivers around 60 projects a year, with a turnover of some £2.7m pa.

The RHT believes that the need for a consistent and sustained focus on Britain’s historic railway premises and infrastructure is proved, and looks forward to continuing to work with like-minded partners in this rewarding field.

There is a now a fantastic opportunity for someone to lead the RHT as its Executive Director. You will be responsible for maintaining relationships with external parties, attracting funding contributions, and overseeing projects on the ground. One of the exciting parts of this role will be visiting the variety of projects that are taking place across the country, so you’ll need to be available to travel regularly.

Ideally, you’ll have a real passion for the railway and how we preserve and use this great legacy for the future. Knowledge of the railway industry would be beneficial but not essential, more importantly will be your excellent communication and influencing as stakeholder engagement will be key to this role.

Closing Date: 8th October 2021

To apply please send your CV to recruit@railwayheritagetrust.co.uk

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