Inside Track July 2022

July 2022

July 2022 | Issue 8 railbusinessdaily.com

TRANSFORMING WALES’ RAILWAY CORE VALLEY LINES ELECTRIFICATION AND NEW TRAINS EXPLAINED

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East Coast main line digital signalling railbusinessdaily.com

IMechE Challenge Decarbonising freight yards More new stations for Britain’s railway

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Rail Director Magazine_297x210mm A/W.indd 1

28/10/2020 17:51

Contents

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There is so much going on!

New stations, new technology and new ways of working offer much hope for the rail industry

Tel: 0800 046 7320 Sales: 020 7062 6599

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Managing Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel@rbdpublications.com Editor Richard Clinnick richard@railbusinessdaily.com Designer/Production Manager Chris Cassidy

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Production Editor James Jackaman

Advertising Team Christian Wiles – chris@rbdpublications.com Freddie Neal – freddie@rbdpublications.com Amy Hudson – amy@rbdpublications.com

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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.

railbusinessdaily.com

Scotland’s newest station is connecting communities

Reading station to benefit from digital twin

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Exeter’s £16 million Marsh Barton station taking shape

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First extension of London Overground in seven years opens to passengers

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A day of Rolling Stock Networking

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Improving safety at user-worked crossings

£1 billion funding to support new digital signalling and control system

Inside Track attended an industry media briefing, organised by Network Rail, to find out more about the major government investment in ETCS

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We’ve got the data, now we need to use it

Inside Track was invited to the London Business Conference Group’s 2022 Rolling Stock Maintenance Summit to find out how businesses across the world are optimising their depots

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Interfacing the old with the new

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Facing the service level challenge

Obsolescence is a perennial problem on the railway, as one part of a system becomes outdated before it can easily be replaced

Service Quality Regimes are becoming a key performance indicator for train operators.

Toby Hawkins of mpro5, considers the operational challenges they present and how they can be tackled

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Level-crossing innovation event opens its gates in Derby

The sixth Level Crossing Innovation Day, organised by Network Rail, moved to Derby for 2022

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The best of the rail industry on show at Rail Live 2022 Much of the rail supply industry gathered at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, near Stratford-uponAvon, for the annual Rail Live exhibition, held over 22-23 June 2022

Rail Business Daily’s managing editor Nigel Wordsworth reports back from the hugely popular exhibition and conference

Pedestrians and trains need to be kept apart for safety’s sake. But as footpaths often cross live railways, a solution has to be found that is both simple and safe to operate

East London communities set to benefit as Barking Riverside line becomes operational months ahead of schedule

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Dreams of more electric freight becoming a reality

Furrer + Frey GB’s Moveable Overhead Conductor System helping to ‘transform the railways for the better’

Project to make rail travel easier and more accessible across Devon set to be completed by the end of the year

© 2022 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 InsideTrack please ring 0800 046 7320 or email subscriptions@rbdpublications.com

With three days of industrial action taking place last month and more in the pipeline, how have freight operating companies coped?

Cleaner trains and environment

Today’s environmental awareness precludes train operators from using harsh chemicals to clean their trains. A new line of cleaners, pH-neutral and safe for both users and the environment, are now coming on stream

Innovative project from Network Rail, Atkins and Cardiff University aims to improve energy performance by up to 20 per cent

Published by RBD Media 15 Mariner Court, Calder Park, Wakefield WF4 3FL Printed by Stephens & George

Strike impact on freight

Little more than a year after planning permission was received, passengers are boarding trains at the new Reston railway station

Print Manager Rachael Dean Subscriptions Danielle Burwood

Teams of engineers pit their wits at annual competition

The IMechE Railway Challenge took place in Leicestershire on 23-26 June, benefitting from great weather and intense competition

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Welsh railways get set for new trains and infrastructure Transport for Wales aims to redress investment imbalance and bring network up to date

CAF Class 197 Transport for Wales

The future of travel for Transport for Wales (TfW) passengers was showcased at Chester on 1 July, with the launch of a CAF two-car Class 197 diesel multiple unit

The future of our network

Andy Bagnall, chief executive of Rail Partners looks at the problems facing the rail network and how to solve them

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Building a safer railway

Crossings have long been a source for concern as the rail industry seeks to make itself ever safer

Birmingham gets a helping hand

Volunteers help ensure station in tip-top condition for Commonwealth Games

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

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Introduction

There is so much going on!

New stations, new technology and new ways of working offer much hope for the rail industry

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everything “thatWithis happening in the industry at the moment, it is good to see innovation continues

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elcome to the latest edition of Inside Track, which once again seeks to bring you up-to-date with the latest developments in the fascinating world of rail.

These are interesting times in the sector, with modernisation at the forefront of people’s thoughts. The government says the railway cannot continue in its current form without modernisation, while trade unions argue that more money needs to be invested into the system, and their staff.

But while industrial relations grab the headlines, there is so much more happening.

Almost £1 billion is being spent upgrading the Core Valley Lines in Wales, with electrification and battery-powered tram-trains set to enable a huge uplift in capacity and service provision for an area left behind in recent years. Elsewhere in Wales, a new fleet of trains, built in Newport, is about to be introduced and we look at both schemes.

Crossrail may have opened, but that hasn’t stopped more new stations welcoming passengers for the first time. We report on Reston, in the Scottish Borders, and Barking Riverside. Both are set to transform travel for those living nearby and are further signs of the benefits of rail at a time when the industry needs to make its case for investment and in the decarbonisation agenda.

We also report on progress at Marsh Barton station, near Exeter, which is due to open later this year, while there is an impressive scheme at Reading station that could result in major carbon and energy savings for Network Rail – certainly one to keep an eye on.

Decarbonisation is a hot topic for the industry right now, and Noel Dolphin from Furrer+Frey is making the case for more electrification using innovative solutions such as his moveable overhead conductor system that could revolutionise freight yards in the UK. The Inside Track team has also been out visiting major events including Rolling Stock Networking, the Rolling Stock Maintenance Summit, Network Rail’s Level Crossing Innovation Day and Rail Live, and we have reports on all three events.

Safety is a topic never far from the industry’s thoughts, and sadly the number of fatalities at crossings has increased in the past year. However, we hear from Allan Spence who explains how Network Rail is tackling this issue.

With everything that is happening in the industry at the moment, it is good to see innovation continues. Long may that be the case.

All the best

Image: shutterstock

Richard Clinnick, Editor, Inside Track

railbusinessdaily.com

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July 2022

Andy Bagnall

The future of our network

Image: Rail Partners

Andy Bagnall, chief executive of Rail Partners looks at the problems facing the rail network and how to solve them

the network.

Privatisation has been transformational: restoring our railway’s finances, replacing outdated rolling stock and doubling passenger numbers.

However, the fragmentation created through franchising also brought with it confusion, complex fares and sometimes chaotic timetabling.

The railways have also failed to keep pace with new technologies and changing passenger needs.

The network has been slow to adapt to the rise of leisure travel and the changes in commuter habits as more of us buy tickets online and work from home for at least part of the week.

And all that was before Covid hit, which dealt a hammer blow to the railways’ finances and hastened the need for reform.

While the rail freight sector has largely recovered from the pandemic, the passenger sector is facing an accumulative shortfall of £20 billion in fares revenue by 2025, a gap currently being plugged by taxpayers.

The case to modernise our railways is overwhelming.

July 2022

Which is why, in 2021, the Government outlined the biggest reform of the network since privatisation of the railways was introduced in the 1993 Act. Its plans for the creation of a new public body, Great British Railways, (GBR) will bring the network under a single national leadership that owns the infrastructure, sets fares and timetables and oversees the service.

case to “The modernise our railways is overwhelming

That does not mean, however, that the private sector no longer has a crucial role to play in driving the pace and direction of modernisation on our railways.

Rail Partners supports the Government’s ambition to build a simpler, cleaner and more modern transport system.

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We believe it is vital that our railways become both more efficient and better able to meet passenger needs and the requirements of its freight customers.

Which is why our organisation was formed – to harness private sector creativity and innovation in support of a new era for rail and to develop solutions to systemic problems that will help put the industry back on a financially sustainable footing.

Rising challenges

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hirty years ago, the Government ushered in a new era for our railways through privatisation of

In the wake of the pandemic, our railways face complex and interlinked challenges.

First, we need to attract customers back to the railways, increasing revenue and supporting economic recovery. At the same time, we need to reduce the need for taxpayer support by increasing efficiency and cutting costs.

The current industrial action on our railways shows the complexity of meeting those challenges.

Everyone wants to see rail workers get a fair pay deal at a time of significant cost of living pressures. Staff worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep the country going and help key workers get to their jobs.

railbusinessdaily.com

Andy Bagnall

“A guiding mind” In this, we believe there are five priority areas of reform and actions the Government should take to ensure success.

Firstly, GBR should be a guiding mind, not a controlling mind. This needs to be a strong, independent public sector body at the centre of a reformed system with the necessary freedom from Government.

Ministers need to set objectives for rail, but then give GBR the freedom it needs to act and resist the urge to continually get involved in the day-to-day running of the railway.

In turn, GBR then needs to set the direction of travel but give operators the freedom within their contracts to respond creatively to customer needs and deliver the strategic goals for the industry.

And, to ensure success, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) needs to have all the necessary regulatory powers to hold GBR accountable for its performance in delivering a safe, punctual and reliable railway.

Secondly, new rail contracts are key to an effective public-private partnership.

The new Passenger Service Contracts must harness private sector creativity and entrepreneurialism to grow revenue, reduce waste, make best use of existing assets and drive modal shift.

In order to do this, contracts need to give operators the incentives and the levers they need, including those related to fares and timetabling, to respond to customers and deliver a transformed passenger experience.

But reform needs to be about more than just systems and contracts – it must have at its heart a transformation that delivers real benefits to rail users.

That means, thirdly, a retail revolution with modern products helping to grow new markets, including an acceleration towards single leg pricing and more ‘pay as you go’ fares which can be priced dynamically by train operators to spread demand more evenly across the day and week.

Digital tickets, as in other sectors, should be

railbusinessdaily.com

the norm, available on more journeys for more customers with greater coverage of tap-in tap-out technology across the railway network to make this happen.

We also need to be ambitious for freight – a new target to treble volumes by 2050 is our fourth priority.

This is a vital part of our net zero ambitions as a country. Each freight train takes up to 76 lorries off our roads.

Rail freight also makes economic sense – it contributes an estimated £2.45bn to UK plc every year, with over 90 per cent of the economic benefits occurring outside of the South East.

Not only would a target to treble rail freight volumes by 2050 support decarbonisation it would help spread prosperity to every region in the UK and support export growth through the ports and the Channel Tunnel.

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If we take the wrong track and implement reform in the wrong way, we will only subject the system to more cost pressures

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However, any pay deal has to be fair not just to staff but also to taxpayers who kept the entire network afloat to the tune of £16bn over the course of the pandemic. We need reform to unlock the productivity that will make a pay deal affordable.

Longer term, Rail Partners believes that the right design of GBR and the Government’s proposals for new Passenger Service Contracts that will underpin delivery will be crucial to transforming passenger experience and providing the right framework for freight.

The Government needs to bring in an access and charging regime that supports the delivery of an ambitious growth target by giving private operators the confidence to invest and helping make the best possible decisions on allocating capacity to freight on the rail network.

In the short-term we need to maximise the use of existing capacity so Ministers should prioritise infill electrification schemes and other projects which have disproportional benefits in terms of creating more capacity for rail freight.

For passengers too, the Government and industry must encourage consumer support for a more environmentally friendly form of transport, as a fifth and final priority.

This can be done through fare levels, discounts and new marketing initiatives to bring people back to rail in the wake of the pandemic and a summer of strike action.

The railways also need a sustained programme of electrification as well as the development of a framework that supports private sector investment in innovative green technologies, including hydrogen and battery power.

While Ministers set the framework, private sector innovation will be crucial for delivery.

The private sector is already showing it can help restore financial stability. In those cases where commercial incentives are currently in place,

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operators are recovering revenue much more quickly than those not given the same commercial freedoms.

Expanding those incentives, for example by activating existing mechanisms in National Rail Contracts for the majority of operators, could help address this £20bn deficit at a much faster pace, and accelerate the railway’s recovery.

Our railways are at a fork in the track.

As we recover from the pandemic and reform our network, we must choose the right way forward.

If we take the wrong track and implement reform in the wrong way, we will only subject the system to more cost pressures and ultimately reduced service levels. Decision making would be pushed further away from customers and a decline in their experience of rail could see passenger numbers decline.

Choose the right track, where the private sector is harnessed to innovate and respond to customer needs, then our railways will experience a new era of growing passenger numbers and more freight on the network.

That, in turn, would support Britain’s net zero targets, speed economic growth across the country and restore pride and unity to an industry battered by the pandemic and strained by strike action.

A wealth of experience Rail Partners was formed by major transport business to advocate for a better railway that delivers for passengers, freight customers and taxpayers. Its members have a wealth of experience in operating railways not just in the UK but across the world.

The expertise of Rail Partners will be dedicated to creating a network that will bring improve passenger and freight customer experience – and our prospectus: Working Together for a Better Railway, sets out our priorities for a thriving railway in more detail.

It is time for an improved and reinvigorated public private partnership, where operators are empowered to do what they do best, not only in the interests of the industry but for the benefit of the nation as a whole.

I know the industry faces major challenges ahead, but I am optimistic about the future of our railways and I am proud to lead Rail Partners which will play such a crucial role in the new railway renaissance.

It’s time we moved past old arguments about ownership and harnessed the talent, expertise and innovation of both private and public sectors to ensure a successful and sustainable railway for generations to come.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Balfour Beatty

Welsh railways get set for new trains and infrastructure

Image: TfW

Transport for Wales aims to redress investment imbalance and bring network up to date

government.

New trains and new infrastructure will be introduced over the coming months and years as Transport for Wales (TfW) seeks to modernise its network following years of underinvestment from Whitehall.

Welsh ownership A key part of this will be the Core Valley Lines (CVL). These are lines from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfill, Aberdare, Rhymney and Treherbert.

Ownership of this transferred from Network Rail to the Welsh Government in March 2020 with Amey and Keolis maintaining the railway, and will enable the introduction of a ‘metro’-style service.

This will be achieved by the use of tram-trains on four routes, one of which will be extended to on-street running.

In 2021 the Welsh railways were renationalised.

Amey Keolis had been operating them as a joint venture since October 2018, but following this, Keolis left the JV, meaning it has no part in the CVL and operations.

July 2022

A new organisation called Amey Infrastructure Wales was established and this maintains the CVL network and continues to offer the role of project maintenance office for the transformation.

The plan is for the Valleys to become a turn-upand-go operation with a minimum of four services an hour on each route. That means a total of 16 trains per hour at Cardiff Queen Street at its peak.

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A new organisation called Amey Infrastructure Wales was established

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G

enerational change is on the way for Welsh railways thanks to investment from the devolved

Discontinuous electrification will be installed, with the Stadler Class 398 tram-trains also equipped with batteries. This will be the first time such technology has been deployed at this scale. A lot of the wires will be earthed sections, which means that for certain bridges and structures and areas where you there would otherwise be electromagnetic interference, there won’t be live wires. This also means that

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some structures that otherwise would have to be re-engineered won’t need to be.

Furthermore, this means there could yet be extensions to the existing CVL plans, including into Cardiff Bay and to a new cancer hospital in the capital. TfW CEO James Price told Inside Track earlier this year that there could be a couple of Valley lines where old lines may yet be extended.

The Craidd Alliance consists of Balfour Beatty, TfW, Siemens Mobility, Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd and Amey Infrastructure Wales.

This is responsible for the £738 million CVL Transformation programme.

Collaboration Dr Alasdair MacDonald, CVL project manager at Balfour Beatty, explained that his contractual project manager is Amey Infrastructrue Wales on behalf of TfW, but his contract is with TfW, necessitating a lot of collaboration and alliances.

He said: “Because of the significant complexity of the scheme, because of the overlapping integration requirements of all of the disciplines all happening at once rather than independently, there has had to be a very strong focus on integration.

railbusinessdaily.com

Balfour Beatty

New lines With the loops the work doesn’t just involve installing a second line and a couple of turnouts, everything has to be moved too. This effectively makes both lines new, with track and sleepers also replaced.

Balfour Beatty is also installing a new fibre backbone for the CVL and there is some intent

Image: TfW

“The requirement for us all to work together is very important.”

The project is to deliver infrastructure improvement supporting the electrification of the CVL worth nearly £1 billion. However, the work also includes the upgrade of the Cardiff Bay, Penarth and Barry lines. “They are really are the heart of the south east,” Alasdair added..

“It’s a multi-disciplinary project as it covers every single discipline; Balfour Beatty is delivering the permanent way, the track works which include loop installations, line speed improvements and track lowers. We’re also supporting in terms of the traction power provision. So we’re powering the overhead lines by installing seven sub-stations and all of the high voltage cabling that runs along the network.” to try to commercialise that as well. “We are also supporting all of the enabling civils work, so things like troughing, embankments, stabilisations and retentions,” Alasdair added.

He describes it as a really very comprehensive scope from Balfour Beatty’s point of view but there is support from partners including Siemens, Alan Griffiths and Amey.

Siemens is providing all the signalling control and signalling equipment upgrades right across

the network while Alan Griffiths is doing all the major civils, so bridges, installations and station upgrades, and Amey is covering the electrification element, which involves erecting the overhead line electrification infrastructure.

There are also depot enhancements, with a new facility being constructed at Taffs Well and an upgrade at Cardiff Canton. These are being carried out by Amey and Bam Nuttall. The latter is not part of the alliance carrying out the work.

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Increased capacity Long-welded rail can be transported by rail up the Valleys; Alasdair says it’s much easier to work with that as there is less welding. Track panels are also being installed because of the restrictive access that remains on the CVL. The project also includes the installation of 12 loops on each line across the entire network. This enables the increase in capacity from one train per hour to four on the CVL. Linespeed improvements are also required and this includes a lot of slewing.

One example is a quite significant renewal at Pontypridd where there was almost the need for a major replacement.

Alasdair said: “Some are are more like renewals, where we will probably cut the track and slew it, and others are simply tamping schemes where we’re going through and enhancing, and usually that’s a sort of ballast drop and an enhancement with the tamper to try to achieve that line speed improvement.”

July 2022

“

The interesting thing about this project is there is significantly less track lowers than the main line works from London to Cardiff

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Alasdair said: “So it’s a really complex job, our equivalent to Crossrail or HS2. Obviously, on very different lines, it’s not main lines, the speeds are lower. But there’s all the challenges of having only single line running in some cases, so it is a difficult job from that point of view. And of course we’ve got all of those lineside neighbours to keep happy while we make lots of noise through their region.”

Funding is provided by the Welsh Government, Department for Transport (DfT) and ERDF. The latter has continued despite the UK leaving the European Union while the DfT funding is part of the City Deal. Alasdair explained: “It is obviously an economic redevelopment programme, because it’s heading up the valleys where we’ve seen high levels of deprivation since the closures of the coal mines.”

He describes access to the railway as fantastic, although there are constraints caused by single line working: “Because of the priority of this programme to the Welsh Government, because the power resides with Welsh Government to decide what will or won’t happen with the exception of particular events such as Six Nations or musical events (times when you would see a significant increase in train usage), we are getting very good access through the transformation programme.

“As an example, from January 2023 through until May that year, the Treherbet line will be closed for us to accelerate installation of all of the works we’ll be doing there. That’s just an example of where the government have said this is enough of a priority, this is so important to the success of south-east Wales that we will prioritise completing the work over the use of the line so that the travelling public can get back onto it as quickly as possible.”

Image: TfW

Balfour Beatty

One thing that has been encountered is degraded formation with coal dust often a problem. Getting the formation height correct is therefore sometimes quite difficult because “an awful lot of ballast” has to be dropped in place.

Queen Street is the hub of the network. There will be a remodelling of the station in 2024 and this will involve 26 point ends, which Alasdair calls a “very significant remodelling. It’ll be a major blockade, an awful lot of work and a very exciting piece of work. It will be much more equivalent to your throat of Paddington type work.”

The prime purpose of this will be to enable any train operating in any direction to access any platform while also connecting with the Network Rail infrastructure.

There has been quite a lot of infrastructure that the Alliance has had to work around until it can be decommissioned. One example is location cases where Alasdair and his team have had to install track loops as islands and then leave the signalling case in place until comissioning can be completed and the new system installed, at which point the old technology can be removed.

“The interesting thing about this project is there is significantly less track lowers than, for example, the main line works from London to Cardiff,” said Alasdair.

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He explains that an interesting lesson has been learned here. He points out the sheer number of structures that had to be lifted or lowered on the Great Western Electrification Programme (GWEP) and the sheer cost around that.

“The lesson taken away from that was the use of what they’ve called PES sections,” he said.

“Effectively what they are is sections of electrified line, where it’s actually in an HV cable that runs along the edge of the line. The catenary drops because they’re battery powered as well the pantograph drops, the train goes through the section without electric power, simply powered by the battery, and then the pantograph lifts back up again after the section.

Tunnels and bridges Alasdair said: “What that means is you have continuous HV cable, but you don’t have continuous over line. What it means is you don’t have to have the catenary at the right level through certain bridges. “There are some locations, around nine or 10, where the track will have to be lowered.

But if you imagine the number of assets on a local network like this it would have been economically unviable to proceed, so Balfours will be installing these cables through the tunnels where it’s not possible and also at the bridges where it’s not possible or not economically viable to lift.”

That technology, once proven, would probably make electrifying Cardiff Central to Swansea a viable investment project.

Alasdair said: “The commissioning of the signalling and permanent way works on the Merthyr and Aberdare lines will take place in January, and electrification will be commissioned on those lines by the end of March. The Treherbet line will follow at the end of May. Then the Rhymney line down through Queen Street will be towards the end of 2024 following that major commissioning.”

railbusinessdaily.com

Balfour Beatty

Once the first lines are energised the new Stadler tram-trains will begin testing on the route. He added: “That is the main reason for bringing it all into service so that we can run the trains through their testing process. They won’t be available for use by the public until they’ve been through a fairly rigorous testing programme. Obviously you need to test them where they’re going to be used.”

The entire modernisation of the Welsh railway system, including the introduction of the CAF diesel trains across Wales, is due to be complete before the end of 2024.

All members of the Alliance are accountable for delivering their own work. Alisdair said: “We try to avoid reaching into each other’s organisation because obviously there are contractual relationships with the client to maintain. But what we have done, for example, is establish a resourcing forum where each of our resourcing managers works together to ensure that we’re not over-

burdening the supply chain, that we’re using the resources effectively.

“But, where a resource issue is identified, we will ask each other to resource in to each other. For example, I’ve got three resources currently seconded into Amey supporting them.

“We have shared processes in the Alliance that we all operate under.”

Ongoing work

Image: TfW

A programme of level boarding is also being included in the transformation – a commitment for the new TfW operation. Alasdair explained: “there is a significant amount of work being done to either raise platforms where necessary, lower them, install new copers or raise the track as required. That will be ongoing through the course of the whole programme.”

Alliancing is very important on this project, which is why it worked so hard to gain formal accreditation. He added: “What’s exciting is we are the first to have achieved the ISO 44001 alliancing accreditation in the world as confirmed by BSI.”

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Railway Challenge

Teams of engineers pit their wits at annual competition

Image: IMechE

The IMechE Railway Challenge took place in Leicestershire on 23-26 June, benefitting from great weather and intense competition

TfL’s entry waits to start its Ride Comfort Challenge

Complex kit These locomotives are not ‘models’ or ‘toys’.

They are complex pieces of kit designed and built to tackle a series of challenges as part of the competition. Weighing in at around three-quarters of a tonne, they are packed full of sophisticated electronics similar to that found in the most advanced full-sized trains on the network today.

Now in its eleventh year, the challenge’s rules are formulated to give teams the maximum design flexibility and the freedom to express their

July 2022

“

They are packed full of sophisticated electronics similar to that found in the most advanced full-sized trains

“

T

he annual Railway Challenge, organised by the Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, requires teams of university undergraduate and postgraduate students and industry-based apprentices and graduates to conceive, design and manufacture a 10¼ inch gauge locomotive in order to compete against other teams in a series of track-based and presentation challenges.

creativity and imagination, so there are very few restrictions on the overall locomotive design.

The challenge to teams is to develop a locomotive that can successfully compete in all the challenges that they will face at the competition itself.

To manufacture their locomotives, teams may use any manufacturing facilities found in a university workshop or small manufacturing company and may take advice from supervisors or mentors or any other source, but they must make all key design decisions themselves.

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For the purpose of the competition, teams assume that they work for a design consultancy producing a design proposal and a prototype for a small locomotive for a large company. The locomotive is to be designed for operation on a 10¼ inch railway but aspects of wider commercial application and transferability to a commercial railway have to be considered.

Track-based challenges The locomotive needs to have very high performance in terms of traction, energy storage, acceleration, braking and handling, and be sufficiently durable to compete successfully in all the track-based challenges they face. It must be fully controllable via a remote-control unit.

The 2022 Railway Challenge took place at its regular venue, the Stapleford Miniature Railway near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, on 23-26 June. With nearly two miles of single-track railway, there is plenty of room for teams to undertake all the challenges they are set by the judging panel.

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Railway Challenge

Traditionally, a new challenge is added to the competition every year. This is so that teams have to keep developing their locomotives year-onyear, which is made more difficult in that at least 60 per cent of each 15-member team must be new to the challenge every year, so continuity is not guaranteed. In addition, all team members must be a registered student on (or a graduate of no more than two years from) a taught engineering course at a UK university or recognised overseas university; a current member of an MPDS (Monitored Professional Development Scheme) and have been registered for no more than two years; or a registered apprentice (or individual having completed an apprenticeship within the last two years).

Key presentations

Business Case Challenge

150

Technical Poster Challenge

150

Innovation Challenge

150

The Design Challenge requires teams to submit a written report on the design of their locomotives, including costings, maintenance and achievement of various milestones including concept design, design approval, bench/laboratory testing, track testing and preparation for the competition weekend itself.

For the Business Case Challenge, teams have to consider themselves as representatives of a manufacturer that has produced a prototype

The University of Sheffield won the technical Poster Challenge

locomotive which they wish to tender for a locomotive procurement competition. The Railway Challenge judges have formed a large company, IMERC Limited, that wishes to procure a number of 10¼ inch gauge locomotives for lease to commercial attraction operators, school/college engineering courses or other applications. Teams have to convince IMERC (the judges) to buy their design of locomotive.

On a lighter note, the Poster Challenge requires teams to create a technical poster that informs readers of the design of their locomotive. These posters are presented at the competition for all attending, including spectators, judges and other challenge officials, to gain an understanding of the design concepts adopted in the locomotive design.

The Innovation Challenge requires a written submission in the format of an academic journal article or conference-style research paper

Image: NW

For 2022, the teams faced 12 challenges, four based on presentations and eight track-based.

The four presentation challenges, and the maximum points available for them, were: Design Challenge 150

Aachen’s winning entry at The Haven.

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that describes a novel and innovative aspect incorporated into the locomotive. During the competition, the judges ask questions about the novel and innovative features of the design when they are assessing the locomotive.

These four challenges, with a total possible score of 600 points, can be completed by teams without actually producing a locomotive. In fact, teams that have had severe technical problems and not managed to run at all on the competition weekend have relied solely on their presentation challenge scores to feature in the competition’s end result.

On-track performance The eight track-based challenges are: Auto-Stop Challenge

300

Ride Comfort Challenge

150

Energy Storage Challenge

300

Traction Challenge

150

Noise Challenge

150

Reliability Challenge

200

Maintainability Challenge

150

Refuelling Challenge

90

Teams have to construct their locomotives, or adapt their design from the previous year, to meet the requirements of these challenges, which are quite onerous.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

The Ride Comfort Challenge tests the effectiveness of the suspension of the locomotive to isolate the locomotive body from track irregularities and other sources of vibration. A tri-axial accelerometer, attached to the locomotive structure, records accelerations while the loco travels around a loop of track (Points D to E) at an average speed of 10km/h, taking about six minutes to do so.

All locomotives are fitted with some form of energy recovery and storage system, though the exact technology used is free for the teams to choose. In the past, everything from mechanical springs to hydraulic cylinders, batteries and supercapacitors has been used.

“

A tri-axial accelerometer, attached to the locomotive structure, records accelerations

The locomotive is braked to a stand at Point F, and energy recovered in the process. That energy is then used to drive the locomotive forward from a

A passenger train departs The Haven, passing the rescue loco as it does so

July 2022

standing start. The team that records the furthest distance is the winner of this challenge.

To test the ability of a locomotive to accelerate a load from a standing start, teams must undertake the Traction Challenge. In this, a stationary train, starting at Point G, has to accelerate and the time taken to pass between a point two metres from the start line (Point H) and another that is 15 metres further on (Point I) is recorded. The locomotive must not exceed 15km/h at any time during this challenge. To make the challenge more interesting, the track runs uphill!

During the Traction Challenge, microphones record the noise emitted by the locomotive, and these results form the basis of the Noise Challenge.

It goes without saying that locomotives must be reliable in service. The Reliability Challenge assesses how reliable the locomotive is at meeting scheduled times and not incurring any undue delay or requiring external assistance. It runs throughout the competition weekend in combination with all scheduled running on each day.

Image: NW

Good vibrations

The Alstom/University of Derby entry is prepared for its run.

“

Often, even subtle changes in the regulations require major modifications to be carried out to existing locomotives.

During the on-track tests, each locomotive pulls a rake of open coaches containing the driver, who operates the remote control device, a judge overseeing the driver and the train’s performance, and a guard with an emergency brake. A rescue vehicle, one of Stapleford’s diesel-outline locomotives, follows behind to pull the entrant out of the course in the event of a failure.

The Auto-Stop Challenge tests the ability of the locomotive to stop a hauled load automatically and in a controlled manner. The test locomotive, complete with load vehicles and the auto-stop function enabled, is driven towards a fixed point (Point A) to pass it at a speed of not less than 10km/h. On passing this point, the loco must detect the lineside distance marker and automatically apply its brakes to come to a stop with its front as close to a second point (Point B), 25 metres along the track beyond the first.

The distance of the actual stopping point from Point B is used to determine the score with the winner being the closest to Point B. If a loco should overrun point B by five metres and reach Point C, the driver must intervene and apply the brakes manually, with the team having failed this test.

Image: IMechE

Railway Challenge

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Railway Challenge

Image: NW

Successful locos must also be simple to maintain. To demonstrate the ease with which their creations can be serviced, teams must remove and replace a powered wheelset against the clock – the Maintainability Challenge. Before doing so, a method statement and risk assessment must be prepared so that judges can be assured the procedure will be carried out safely.

A locomotive must also be refuelled, whatever fuel it is actually using. Therefore, the Refuelling Challenge requires teams to demonstrate the ease with which the locomotive can be refuelled, whether that be the refilling of tanks with liquid (or gas) fuel, recharging or replacing energy storage assets. Again, a method statement and risk assessment must be submitted in advance. and planned what is needed, Christmas is fast approaching. That leaves just five months after the break to design and build any new equipment and then test it.

Some universities have constructed short lengths of 10¼ inch track in car parks and other convenient locations. Others travel to one of the UK’s 40+ 10¼ inch gauge railways to test their prototype – they are not allowed to test on the competition railway at Stapleford.

Overseas entrants are not so lucky. 10¼ inch gauge (260mm) is rare on the continent, so teams mostly have to create their own test tracks.

Undeterred, teams from Aachen and Poznan both arrived. Aachen was in fine fettle, but Poznan encountered problems, first suffering a burst tyre on the way from Poland and then shedding drive belts and having to be recovered from a final test on the Sunday morning. The loco didn’t appear for its competitive runs.

Seven teams So those are the challenges. What about the teams of competitors that arrived at Stapleford to take them on? This year there were seven, up from the behind-closed-doors event in 2021 (four entrants) but down on 2019, when 14 teams entered and 10 actually appeared at Stapleford.

The teams for 2022 were University of Huddersfield, Transport for London, FH Aachen & Reuschling, University of Sheffield, Poznan University of Technology, Network Rail and Colas, Alstom and University of Derby.

Although all seven teams duly arrived with their locomotives, some bought gremlins with them. This is a perennial problem, caused partly by a lack of time and by inadequate testing.

Universities don’t really start work in the autumn until October. By the time the team has been selected, met up with the second-year returnees

A to B must be 25m, B to C must be 5m

D

AB

G to H to be 2m, H to I to be 15m

I

C

H G

F

F approx. 10-15m past tree overhanging lake

E

Auto –Stop: Ride Comfort: Energy Storage: Traction and Noise:

D just before Haven bridge

E approach side of spillway bridge

A to B (backstop is C) D to E Start at E to stop before F G to I (traction is H to I, noise measured at I)

Railway Challenge 2022

Points may be subject to change at the discretion of the judges

July 2022

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Nor did the entries from Huddersfield and Sheffield, which never got running despite desperate efforts from their crews.

Alstom and University of Derby discovered a strange phenomenon – their two bogies were running at different speeds! Suspecting a motor controller fault, and unable to fix it on site, the team continued by simply switching off one bogie and running on half power.

Interestingly, this team was experimenting with bodywork side panels made from different materials to ascertain their cost, weight and sustainability. Panels from carbon fibre (the lightest), flax fibre (the most environmentally friendly), basalt fibre, glass fibre and steel (the heaviest) were all fitted along the two sides of the locomotive.

Loose wire Once the on-track competition got under way, it revealed other shortcomings in the designs.

Transport for London, a past winner, fell foul of the Auto-Stop Challenge. The team was using GPS to pinpoint the loco’s position, reinforced by a signal amplified positioned close to Point A. However, the auto-stop system never switched on, the loco overran – no points. The culprit was later traced to a loose wire and, once reconnected, the system worked well, but too late for the competition.

The Network Rail entry didn’t auto-stop at all – the equipment was still under development and wasn’t fitted. The loco did stop to have its ridecomfort transducer fitted, departed around the loop, and disappeared from sight. It was rescued

by Stapleford’s reliable, Ford Cortina-engined ‘diesel’ and the frustrated team revealed that the batteries hadn’t been charged overnight – a basic error perhaps? Certainly, one they won’t make again.

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Railway Challenge

Alstom and University of Derby also had a recordbreaking event. On the Auto-Stop Challenge, the front of the loco ended up just 16cm short of the line. If the measurement had been taken from the coupler, it would have been bang on! But the team had specified the datum to use, and 16cm was a magnificent result – and another record.

Thereafter, things didn’t go so well. The team opted out of the energy recovery test and was slower and noisier than both TfL and Aachen when getting off the line for the Traction and Noise Challenges.

With the competitive runs completed, it was time to assess the weekend. Although three teams didn’t make competitive runs, they all completed their presentations, so they all scored points. Indeed, Sheffield won the Technical Poster Challenge and came second to TfL on Innovation.

Aachen won Energy Recovery and Alstom won Auto-Stop, both with competition records.

Aachen also placed first for Ride Comfort and tied for both Traction and Reliability with TfL, which also won Design, Business Case and Noise.

Overall, Aachen edged it from TfL and Alstom.

On reflection, Simon Iwnicki, professor of railway engineering at the University of Huddersfield and chairman of the organising committee, said: “The IMechE Railway Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for students and apprentices studying engineering and for those just starting their careers in the railway industry.

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“

I look forward to the Railway Challenge every year, and every year I learn something from the new technology deployed by the entrants

Simon continued: “I am always impressed by the enthusiasm and motivation of the teams and this year was no exception. Despite being smaller than their mainline equivalents, the Railway Challenge locomotives are still very complex and require many different and interconnected systems and technologies. Even the challenge of getting the locos to Stapleford is not insignificant and the teams face very real challenges in getting everything working on the day.

“Congratulations to Aachen, who were deserved winners, but also to all the other teams who overcame many problems and learned a lot in the process.

“A big thanks also to our sponsors (Angel Trains, Network Rail, RSSB, The Young Rail Professionals,

The victorious team from FH Aachen & Reuschling

17

Beacon Rail and The Pamela and David Rollin Foundation) without whom we couldn’t run the Railway Challenge.”

Head judge Bill Reeve, director of rail at Transport Scotland, said: “It is a privilege to meet the teams of young engineers – apprentices, undergraduates and graduate trainees – and be inspired by their enthusiasm and learn from their ingenuity.

“I look forward to the Railway Challenge every year, and every year I learn something from the new technology deployed by the entrants – for example, 10 years ago, the Railway Challenge was the first place I saw a hydrogen-fuel-cell locomotive. Much more importantly, the entrants learn from their projects in a few months what would take years to learn in full-time roles. A successful locomotive requires the team to work through inception and design; then procurement, assembly and system integration; and finally testing and deployment – with all the project management and team-working skills that go with that.

“The purpose of the Railway Challenge is to encourage young people to pursue a career in railway engineering. Some 10 years after the first challenge, I know this works, because I meet engineers and managers in the rail industry with increasingly senior and responsible roles who I first met as Railway Challenge contestants.

Without exception, they all attest to the value of the competition experience.

“And this year was the first year that previous contestants joined the judging team – a big thank you to Alice (Callaghan – TransPennine Express) and Blair (Hutchinson – ScotRail) for joining and really strengthening the team.

“To railway engineering employers and universities who do not yet participate – I invite you to come to next year’s Railway Challenge to be encouraged by the growing diversity of the team members and to learn how the Railway Challenge can attract, inspire and develop your young talent.”

Image: NW

A magnificent result

“The opportunity to design and manufacture and operate a real (albeit miniature) locomotive is unique and allows teams to develop innovative solutions based on the theory they have been studying and, most importantly, to put these into practice.

“For the university students in particular, it provides experience of the so called ‘soft’ skills which is difficult to get from lectures or tutorials. Things like working as a team, sharing tasks, planning their time and evaluating potential solutions. Teams also learn to manage a budget, work within procurement rules and secure sponsorship.

“

Aachen arrived down at ‘The Haven’ – the venue for the various on-track elements of the competition – in fine form, recording a distance for the AutoStop Challenge of -1.7 metres. Ride comfort was marginally better than TfL’s, but it was at the Energy Recovery Challenge that the team really excelled.

Using much of the recovered energy to launch the loco off the line and accelerate hard, the German entry then coasted, seemingly for ever, recording a distance of 116 metres – a Challenge record.

Talking with the team afterwards, it seemed that the Aachen entry was designed specifically with this test in mind. LTO (lithium titanate) batteries were used, compared with most teams that used lead-acid or lithium ion, and the loco was designed to be as friction-free as possible when coasting. Logical explanations which, when combined with the driving style, really showed up the competition.

TfL achieved a distance of just over half that of Aachen. However, the judges noted that, during the run supposedly just using recovered energy, current was passing into the storage medium as well as out. Another electrical glitch, and again this meant no points.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Freight

Strike impact on freight With three days of industrial action taking place last month and more in the pipeline, how have freight operating companies coped?

July 2022

Communication focused on the passenger network. A special timetable was introduced for the full week of 20 June – 26 June which aimed to provide the best service possible for rail users. This also included the freight sector. In its statement, the RDG said ahead of the week: “The special timetable will also ensure key freight services can continue to move around the country, minimising disruption for consumers and businesses and allowing vital goods to continue to be shipped where needed.”

Ahead of the strike action, the Rail Freight Group (RFG) urged the government, Network Rail and RMT to urgently resolve their differences ahead of the planned action.

“

Now is the time to stand up and fight for every single railway worker in this dispute that we will win

“

A

s this issue of Inside Track went to press, the prospect of more industrial action affecting the national network was looming large.

The RMT union staged three days of action on 21, 23 and 25 June, which saw members go on strike. This was the first rail strike since 1989 and RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, speaking on the first day, said: “Today’s turnout at picket lines has been fantastic and exceeded expectations in our struggle for job security, defending conditions and a decent pay rise.

“Our members will continue the campaign and have shown outstanding unity in pursuit of a settlement to this dispute.

“Now is the time to stand up and fight for every single railway worker in this dispute that we will win.”

Ahead of the first strike day, Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), said: “These strikes will affect the millions of people who use the train each day, including key workers, students with exams, those who cannot work from home, holidaymakers and those attending important business and leisure events.

“Working with Network Rail, our plan is to keep as many services running as possible, but significant disruption will be inevitable and some parts of the network will not have a service, so passengers should plan their journeys carefully and check their train times.”

The RFG said that rail freight operators, customers and Network Rail had been working hard on contingency plans to keep as much freight operating as possible, particularly for critical traffic.

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However, there was still expected to be significant disruption to services and customers’ supply chains as a direct result of the action.

Speaking ahead of the first round of action, RFG director Maggie Simpson OBE said: “The pattern of proposed strike action is about as bad as it gets for rail freight, with disruption likely across the entire week and into the weekend.

“Even with the plans that are in place, supply chains will be impacted, and it is really damaging to customer confidence in rail, and to future growth.”

Advantages of freight Rail freight has been seen as a success story, especially since COVID-19. During the pandemic freight kept operating with longer trains able to run due to fewer passenger services, while it was also possible to run trains at short notice carrying supplies to supermarkets as there were fewer passenger trains.

The most recent freight usage figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on 9 June, two weeks before the strikes, compared the usage against the same period (1 January to 31 March) for 2021 and 2020, while the annual figures for 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 were compared against the previous two years.

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Freight

of the strike action and our colleagues worked tirelessly to ensure disruption to our customers was kept to an absolute minimum.”

As freight looks to fight back from the pandemic, Maggie Simpson told Inside Track that during the first round of industrial action the key freight flows were prioritised on the network. She said there was a huge effort from Network Rail, the FOCs and customers to maximise what could run.

“

The pattern of proposed strike action is about as bad as it gets for rail freight

“

The ORR statistics show that the total freight moved was 16.87 billion net tonne kilometres in the latest year, a rise of 11.3 per cent compared with the previous year, and 1.8 per cent higher than April 2019 to March 2020, before COVID-19 struck. ORR added that 78.0 million tonnes of freight was lifted in the latest year, an increase of 13.5 per cent compared to one year ago and 8.0 per cent compared with two years ago.

For the annual figures, construction and oil and petroleum volumes each rose by nearly a quarter compared with the previous year. Domestic intermodal services still dominate the sector with 6.5 billion net tonne kilometres moved during 2021-2022.

In the final quarter measured before the strikes, 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022, there was 4.21 billion net tonne kilometres moved. This was a 4.3 per cent increase on the same quarter in previous year (1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021) and a 3.0 per cent increase compared with the same quarter two years ago, before the pandemic.

One anomaly is that coal increased by 133.1 per cent in this quarter compared with a year ago. The ORR said this due to the rise in global energy prices.

Inside Track contacted several FOCs. Direct Rail Services was the only company to reply and said: “We made plans to mitigate the impact

Network Rail said that around 20 per cent of services were due to run and that trains would operate, typically, between 07:30 and 18:30 on strike days. Which they did. Freight trains that did operate had to run during those times.

Maggie said that across the week some 61 per cent of the normal number of trains ran including strike and non-strike days combined.

However, she added that was an average and that

some customers she had spoken to saw as little as 25 per cent. This meant that 40 per cent of trains did not run and so customers had to resort to other actions, for example stockpiling in advance, using road haulage and having to catch up after the strikes.

The way forward Maggie also said the action is damaging confidence for existing customers who are nervous about committing to new flows before the strikes are resolved.

However, she also said that FOCs are not at dispute with the unions so there was no impact on rail freight staff.

This was further highlighted on 11 July when train drivers’ union ASLEF confirmed that members at eight train operators had voted overwhelmingly for strike over pay. All eight companies are passenger operators. In its statement, ASLEF highlighted: “We have successfully concluded pay deals this year with DB Cargo; Eurostar; Freightliner Heavy Haul; Freightliner Intermodal; GB Railfreight; Merseyrail; MTR Elizabeth line; and PRE Metro Operations. We also have multi-year deals already in place with other companies.”

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Reston station

Scotland’s newest station is connecting communities

Image: Network Rail

Little more than a year after planning permission was received, passengers are boarding trains at the new Reston railway station

The first train to serve the new Reston station arrives to the sound of a piper

July 2022

“

It’s fantastic to see that hundreds of customers have already bought advanced tickets to travel from Reston Station

“

“I

t is part of our commitment, alongside th e S c ot ti s h Government, to expand the rail network and open up Scotland’s Railway to new communities,” said Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, commenting on the opening of Reston station.

Passenger trains resumed serving the Scottish Borders village after 58 years following the formal opening of the new two-platform facility on the East Coast main line.

The original station, opened in 1846, was highlighted for closure in the infamous Beeching Report, published in 1963, and subsequently shut in 1964.

Planning consent for the new station was given

by Scottish Borders Council in February 2021, with construction beginning the following month.

The first train to call at the new station, located 47 miles south of Edinburgh and 10 miles north of Berwick-upon-Tweed, was the 05:29 Edinburgh Waverley – Newcastle, which arrived at 06:16.

This was operated by TransPennine Express (TPE), which will serve the station with 12 trains each weekday. TPE managing director Matthew Golton was aboard the first train and said: “We’re delighted that this service has boosted connectivity

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across communities in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland.

“It’s fantastic to see that hundreds of customers have already bought advanced tickets to travel from Reston Station.

“Our customers – and their communities – are at the heart of everything we do and we’re delighted to be able to connect so many of those communities by rail for the first time in more than 50 years.”

Scotland’s newest station was the first of 10 stations to open in the same week across Britain – the other nine being those on the £19 billion Elizabeth line central section. The Borders station cost rather a lot less, around £20 million.

The population of Reston village itself is around 450 residents, but the station acts as a catchment area for the wider community.

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Reston station

Image: Network Rail

The A1 road passes nearby but is a singlecarriageway and so is often congested the closer it gets to Edinburgh. According to a Transport Scotland feasibility study, the catchment area could include the nearby towns and villages of Ayton, Chirnside, Coldingham, Duns and Eyemouth.

There are also smaller villages and hamlets too, which combined would total almost 10,000 people in the area. The same consultation found that opening such a facility would be considered an important factor in persuading younger people to remain in the area.

Bus journeys between Reston and Edinburgh take around 100 minutes, and the trains have halved this time.

Creating an icon Scottish Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth meets local schoolchildren

“

We learned quite a lot from Reston in terms of shape, size and the bridge’s make-p, from the way it was designed to the challenges the fabricator had

“

The station was designed by BAM Nuttall, which also built and installed the new footbridge and constructed the new facility. Nissar Mohammed, BAM Nuttall operations director – rail, describes the footbridge as iconic, and says an identical structure is being installed at the nearby East Linton station, which is due to open in 2023.

“We designed the station, including the footbridge, which was one-of-a-kind in terms of its feature, the architect and the planning wanted an iconic, bespoke footbridge. We also undertook the construction and commissioning – the latter involved our sub-contractors,” said Nissar.

ScotRail (SR) is the end user of the station, even though none of its trains serve it. Network Rail owns the asset, and SR had to make sure that the work was complete and make sure the station was fit for purpose before it opened.

This new facility features two 270-metre platforms that can accommodate a 10-car Hitachi train. Each platform is four metres wide and is fitted with associated furniture including waiting shelters, seating and ticket machines. A 1.5-metre steel fence has been erected at the rear of both platforms. The existing embankment has also been widened to accommodate the platforms.

A footbridge has been installed at the station, which includes lift shafts and stairs on both sides.

This is the first structure of its type built on the British rail network. The ‘Ribbon’ footbridge design improves both the passenger experience and aesthetic quality.

The north side shaft is 17 metres high and serves three levels: the interchange on the ground level, the north platform and the bridge crossing. The southern shaft sits raised off the embankment serving the southern platform and bridge crossing only and is 13 metres high. The crossing is 6.2 metres above the railway and 13.5 metres above the level of the car park. The largest section of the footbridge, the main span, is 16 metres long and 6.5 metres wide and weighs more than 28 tonnes.

Nissar explains that because Reston station is on an embankment more work was required around the foundations for the platform and lift shafts. BAM Nuttall’s team had to pile through the embankment onto sound ground and carry out more extensive ground engineering.

“The geography in that area is challenging.

Could they have put it in another field a bit further up? Well that would have been in either a cutting or another embankment,” he said.

A wealth of experience BAM has experience in building stations in Scotland. Kintore and Forres are recent examples, while Nissar was personally involved in the Borders Railway project that opened in September 2015 and which featured seven new stations.

He said: “We are always taking lessons from station to another and no one station is the same.

For example, we’re building East Linton and that is on a shallow embankment of a couple of metres, whereas Reston was a good five metres.

Reston station in numbers Station footprint Concrete used Drainage and ducting Concrete reinforcement

Footbridge installation

41,737 square metres

12 crane lifts

1,512 cubic metres

Footbridge length

27 metres

9.9 kilometres

Footbridge weight

123 tonnes

58 tonnes

Precast platform foundation units

93

Platform piles

48

Precast platform slabs

251

Footbridge piles

60

Precast stair sections

23

Piles for electrification masts

10

Station cabling

4.5km

5.5km

Precast culverts

2

Electrification wiring

July 2022

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Working windows The station was built while the ECML remained open, which presented a challenge. Nissar explained: “In terms of effective working windows you only get a good six or seven hours on a Saturday night going into a Sunday. And then Sunday night it’s from midnight until 05:00 on the Monday morning, so you’ve only got two windows per week to do the piling, to build the station, to install the footbridge, to do the overhead line adjustments that we had to do to incorporate the platform within the existing overhead line arrangements.”

BAM had to adjust the overhead wires to make sure that the station was built around the existing stanchions, but some were moved regardless.

The company likes to modularise construction as much as possible. The modular units were able to be delivered having been pre-fabricated and could then be installed during the two operating windows. Tests to see if the modules fitted were carried out either on site prior to installation as BAM had a compound that is now the site for the possible car park extension, or back in the fabrication yard. Nissar added: “If you have a problem during the small window of opportunity then you have to dismantle everything and have another go at it, but you lose a week.”

The platforms came as precast concrete units that were put together on site, with Nissar describing it as a Meccano set.

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As for the footbridge, this was delivered with lift shafts, the main span and the stairs all separate, and this then required half a dozen lifts to build the structure.

Scottish Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth visited the station on its opening day, arriving on the 09:33 Edinburgh Waverley – Newcastle. Prior to boarding her TPE service, she said: “It’s great to see through Scottish Government investment we are supporting the reopening of this station and the opening up of communities in Berwickshire to further transport links.

“It also links our National Transport Strategy allowing communities to reconnect to the railway. It is absolutely vital through public ownership that we continue to support this work looking to reconnect communities to the rail network and supporting our ambitions in terms of decarbonisation and modal shift from car onto rail.”

“

If you have a problem during the small window of opportunity then you have to dismantle everything and have another go at it, but you lose a week

“

“That has the same sort of challenges but we’ve learned a lot of lessons and so we are tweaking a few things on the bridge to make it easier for fabrication and installation. We learned quite a lot from Reston in terms of shape, size and the bridge’s makeup, from the way it was designed to the challenges the fabricator had. The geometry was a bit of a challenge from a fabrication installation point of view.”.

Reston station also features escape stairs and footpaths on either end of the platforms, on both sides. There are lighting columns throughout the site and associated infrastructure and equipment including CCTV. A new mini-roundabout was constructed at Reston Main Street, near the existing junction with the Orchard, which in turn has been closed to vehicles. The new roundabout provides better access for the interchange via a new road and footway/cycle path.

Towards the existing railway embankment there is a new transport interchange. This features a one-way loop road that serves a car park, bus stop with shelter and drop-off space. There are an initial 70 parking spaces, which include provision for priority parking and electric vehicle charging. Land to the north is included within the proposed station site to safeguard any possible expansion for the car park; this would provide an additional 40 spaces potentially. There are also cycle storage facilities.

Image: Network Rail

Reston station

Despite her claim, ScotRail, which is publicly owned, does not serve the station. Instead TPE operates seven trains per day in each direction and London North Eastern Railway, which is publicly owned but by the Department for Transport, operates one train per day in each direction that serves Reston.

Alex Hynes said on the opening day: “This station will create new social and economic opportunities for people in the village and in the surrounding area and we look forward to seeing the positive impact the railway will have in years to come.”

David Horne, LNER managing director, said: “The arrival of our services will transform travel for residents and generate further economic opportunities for the area, with our world-class services making business and leisure travel simpler, smarter and greener.”

Sam Smith, chief officer for economic development at Scottish Borders Council, said: “Easy access to services on the East Coast main line services opens up a world of opportunity for local people but also provides a platform to attract people to Berwickshire and capitalise on its fantastic leisure and tourism potential.”

TPE invited local 84-year-old resident Eileen Anderson to the opening. Eileen had worked in the ticket office of the original Reston station in 1962 and was made an honorary staff member for the day. Further celebrating the opening, TPE introduced special introductory fares from as little as £2.70 for travel between 23 May and 22 August this year from the new station.

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July 2022

Reading station

Reading station to benefit from digital twin

Image: Network Rail

Innovative project from Network Rail, Atkins and Cardiff University aims to improve energy performance by up to 20 per cent

The exterior of Reading station with the Transfer Deck

July 2022

People will dash between platforms to make their connections, while others will have plenty of time and therefore will want to use the retail units positioned around the station.

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A ‘digital twin’ is a virtual representation of an object or system that spans its lifecycle and which is updated from real-time data

“

N

etwork Rail has teamed up with Atkins and Cardiff University to create a digital twin of Reading station that will improve its energy performance by 20 per cent.

Over the past decade, the station has been transformed. Electrification of the Great Western main line (GWML) and the arrival of the Elizabeth line have required the Berkshire station to be rebuilt and remodelled to meet the growing number of passengers passing through the station.

New electric trains operating the Thames Valley commuter services, bi-mode high-speed trains running to the West Country and Wales, and trains destined for cities across the north of England operate for most of the day, meaning Reading station is a constant hive of activity.

This, in turn, means that the station is a constant blur of action. Passengers with large lugagge or buggies need the lifts and escalators.

Passengers with reduced mobility require the same facilities.

All of this activity requires energy and produces carbon. There are downtimes, such as during the night when, other than Great Western Railway’s Night Riviera Sleeper train and freight services, the station is not in use. But, for the vast majority of the day, Reading station is busy.

Figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) last year revealed that during the 2020-

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2021 financial year, when the pandemic affected the railways the most, Reading was still the second busiest station in the south east with 2,963,110 entries and exits; second only to Brighton. This was an 82 per cent drop from the 2019-2020 financial year when the ORR recorded 16,753,368 entries and exits at Reading station.

Now an innovative new project seeks to improve the performance of the station by reducing its energy consumption and improving its carbon emissions.

Network Rail, which manages the station, says the project, which is in its first stage, has the potential to improve energy performance by 20 per cent through the installation of sensors on the Transfer Deck and other areas of the station.

The Transfer Deck is the large structure built to connect the original Brunel building with the rest of the station, providing access to the platforms.

Within the new structure there are retail units, waiting areas and stairs to platform level. There are also escalators and lifts that connect the Transfer Deck to the platforms.

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Reading station

Improving efficiency A number of ways to reduce energy expenditure and carbon emissions with minimal cost have been identified. These include improving lighting controls such as dimming them when an area of the station is not in use, and machinery being turned off when not in use, such as lifts and escalators during the day or overnight when passenger trains (other than the Sleeper) are not operating.

These sensors are able to capture live, realtime data on the energy being used by the station that can be used in a bid to help reduce its carbon emissions and improve overall energy performance. Achieving these goals will also create a financial saving as well for the infrastructure manager.

Clare Rich, Network Rail asset engineer, energy and carbon, says the work will be focused on the Transfer Deck. The data fed into the digital twin has been collected through site visits to the station where the team have examined the performance of the machinery including the escalators and lifts, and other fittings such as the lighting.

Clare says this has proven invaluable because many assumptions that would have been fed into the new digital system would have been incorrect without the visits.

She said: “the idea we had right at the beginning was to digitally monitor the station and have a look at how we could improve the emissions and energy.

“The Transfer Deck is fitted with standard lighting, so what if we put in a lower lighting setting because it’s not needed for that area? That would save energy. What if it was motion sensor activated on the platforms, such as at the end where there are fewer people?

“

This is an important milestone as we look to harness data and technology to improve delivery at every stage of an asset’s life

“

The collaboration between Network Rail, Atkins (a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group) and Cardiff University to develop the ‘digital twin’ of the station utilises the Computational Urban Sustainability Platform (CUSP) created by the university.

A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system that spans its lifecycle and which is updated from real-time data, it uses simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help decisionmaking.

By using this data and computer modelling to create baselines for the station’s energy consumption and carbon emissions, CUSP has been employed to map out ways of improving the station’s performance via energy efficency measures while exploring further possible changes and the potential impact that this could have on making additional energy savings.

“It’s also very much related for the lifts and escalators. Do the escalators slow down when nobody is on them? They should do, but they don’t.

“During the night are the lifts and escalators turned off when there’s no passengers? We turned up one night and they were still working and at one speed.

“At 03:00 do all the lights really dim down like we think they should? We didn’t have real-life data and, actually, they don’t.

“A lot of the information we had was from assumptions and from site visits we found these assumptions were wrong, so that enabled us to create a new model for the station.”

The retail units are separate to the model, however they are on the Network Rail power system and so their energy consumption is monitored.

Some of the monitoring may also have to be redone ahead of the second phase because initially it was undertaken post-COVID, however passenger numbers have continued rising faster than expected, meaning the initial figures will likely need revising.

But this could also be beneficial as Clare explained: “Actually, it’s put real-time monitoring on the escalators. Then you can then get more updated information to GWR through the gate line.

The passenger numbers through the stations and on the trains is growing again, which is great news.”

The benefits for the passengers will be improved performance of fittings like the escalators and the lifts. Many passengers won’t notice any difference, however those working in energy management may do; likewise those who use the station every day may see the change in lighting and perhaps notice the escalators perform better.

Research and development Additionally, as well as the data being collected by the sensors at the station, passenger numbers are being recorded and researched to understand how identified energy savings could impact their safety and experiences when in the station.

Network Rail hopes that once the energy and carbon savings being realised at Reading station are known, the technology can be utilised across the rail network to support the infrastructure manager in its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

“At this point we are working on being able to get the capital expenditure side of the money for what we need to do,” said Clare.

“We are going to see something that I really believe will work, and then we can look to roll it out across the Western. It’s a great opportunity.”

Part of the appeal for Reading was that the station was relatively new, with the Transfer Deck opened in 2015. Other sites, such as London Paddington or Bristol Temple Meads, are listed and so would require additional work.

The Transfer Deck was installed during the rebuild of Reading station

July 2022

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railbusinessdaily.com

Reading station

This is likely to be carried out during Control Period 7 (CP7), which is due to run from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029.

Improved modeling Adam De Benedictis, Network Rail regional energy and carbon manager, said: “we’re delighted to be working with Atkins on this innovative project, which will help us gain a better understanding of complex assets – such as Reading station – and their predicted performance, allowing us to confidently identify and deliver energy efficiency measures and ultimately manage our assets effectively.

“As an organisation we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and playing our part in helping combat global warming while ensuring passengers’ experiences in our stations and on our railways are safe, reliable and comfortable.”

Nick Tune, Atkins technical and techology director, said: “This is an important milestone as we look to harness data and technology to improve delivery at every stage of an asset’s life.

“Digital twins are the centrepiece of this shift, which is giving us the information needed to not

Network Rail could produce a 20 per cent energy saving at Reading station

only identify opportunities to improve an asset’s energy performance but to interrogate future scenarios, explore further recommendations and tell us how those interventions will work with an unprecedented degree of certainty.”

Atkins and Cardiff University have been working in partnership for almost two years on a digital twin programme leveraging CUSP, which creates digital twins of buildings, infrastructure and cities to improve the design, construction,

operation and maintenance of buildings and assets.

The former’s work with Cardiff University and Network Rail adds to the digital twin solutions being delivered in the rail sector across the world.

These include the development of an operational digital twin for the Canada line in Vancouver and in other sectors including a project for Thames Water to undertake a discovery phase for a digital twin for Beckton Wastewater Treatment Works.

Ecus: Trusted Partner to the Rail Industry Ecus is a environmental consultancy that has been an integral part of the Okehampton project team since 2020.

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Marsh Barton

Exeter’s £16 million Marsh Barton station taking shape

Image: Devon County Council

Project to make rail travel easier and more accessible across Devon set to be completed by the end of the year

Infrastructure improvements The aim is to develop cross-city travel in Exeter and for travel further afield, such as to Torbay on the Riviera line or Okehampton on the Dartmoor line (Inside Track 7).

Marsh Barton, along with Edginswell (near Torquay, on the Riviera line) were both included in the joint Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plan,

July 2022

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The stations were planned to help support the increase in frequency between Exeter and Paignton

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M

arsh Barton railway station is a project that has slipped under the radar, but which will play a vital role in the growth of the south west once it opens this winter.

The £16 million station is being delivered by Graham Group for Devon County Council (DCC) and is due to open at the end of this year. Once open it will feature two 124-metre long platforms capable of handling six-car trains.

The station is part of the ‘Devon Metro’ scheme designed to make rail travel easier across the county by improving connections for passengers and making access to education, employment and entertainment easier.

the Exeter Local Development Framework and the Torbay emerging Local Plan. They form important pieces of infrastructure designed to reduce the need to travel by private car and increase the range of alternatives available.

The stations were planned to help support the increase in frequency between Exeter and Paignton to two trains per hour, which was recommended by Network Rail in a Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) document in the early 2010s.

Marsh Barton is one of the largest employment sites in the region with up to 8,000 jobs on the trading estate. This brings a large number of commuters in the peak periods, but poor transport

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links, particularly as an alternative to car use, means the estate attracts considerable numbers of car trips through congested corridors including the A376, A379, Topsham Road, Alphington Road and the junction at Countess Wear.

In addition, around 6,000 houses are planned in strategic allocations at south-west Exeter and Newcourt, which will further increase the pressure on these corridors. Further growth is planned elsewhere along these corridors in south and east Devon which will provide additional pressure on primary routes outside the city.

Growing demand The Devon Metro Appraisal Report, published in the first half of the last decade, forecast that there would be around 360,000 annual trips at Marsh Barton station, and that this would soon grow to 500,000. This equates to 150 passengers in the peak hour.

However, currently the planned growth of the area is restricted by the poor transport links that act as a barrier to development and will increasingly reduce the visibility of existing businesses.

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Marsh Barton

Image: Devon County Council

Marsh Barton station is designed to improve access to strategic employment areas and the hospitals for east, south and mid-Devon. This is deemed particularly important for less affluent social-economic groups where car ownership is lower. DCC says that below average rail fares will assist these groups by ensuring the new travel opportunities are affordable and provide an alternative to relatively expensive bus services on some routes. DCC believes that the existing rail network provides excellent connections to central business districts, particularly in Exeter.

Better travel links Marsh Barton station, which will be managed by GWR, will be unstaffed. The two-platform station will feature a waiting shelter, ticket vending machine, CCTV security system, customer information system, public address, help point, station signage and information boards. GWR regional trains will serve it.

The new station is located west of Exeter St Thomas, on the main Exeter to Newton Abbot line. Its exact location is south of Clapperbrook Lane adjacent to the new energy from waste plant in Exeter.

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Marsh Barton is the city’s largest trading estate and one of the largest employment sites in the region. It covers 1.2 square miles (3.1 square kilometres) and supports more than 500 businesses, including one of Europe’s largest motoring centres, showrooms, builders’ merchants, tool and plant hire.

Along with the construction of the twoplatform station, the scheme will also include the construction of an associated pedestrian/cycle

29

bridge, access, parking and turning area and a pedestrian and cycle path. This is designed to improve active travel links between Alphington, Marsh Barton and the Riverside Valley Park.

Platforms will be four metres wide.

The aim of the project is to improve the competitiveness of the existing businesses while also unlocking further economic growth through development at both the trading estate and also the south-west Exeter area.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Marsh Barton

Image: Devon County Council

Access to the new station is also expected to enhance links from growth areas to the east of Exeter. The current road network in the Marsh Barton area is facing increasing pressure from the sheer volume of traffic during peak periods as there is a lack of alternatives to the private car for travel to and from that part of Exeter.

DCC said: “Improving public transport options will provide a number of benefits. A new railway station at Marsh Barton will improve access to employment opportunities for those from south Devon who do not have access to a car, widening employers’ access to the labour market and supporting the national levelling up agenda.

“By improving the rail network, the new station will encourage people to shift to more sustainable modes of transport, helping to tackle congestion, reduce carbon emissions and improve local air quality. This is in line with Devon County Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency, which commits the county to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

“Another benefit of the scheme is in helping to make Devon a place to be naturally active by encouraging walking and cycling. The station is located near the Riverside Valley Park and the Exe Estuary Trail, providing easy access to walking and cycle links for ‘last mile’ connectivity to the city’s major employment sites such as the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and County Hall.”

Access to business and leisure

July 2022

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By improving the rail network, the new station will encourage people to shift to more sustainable modes of transport

“

DCC also says that enabling people to adopt active travel as part of daily commute aligns with the county’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2025, which highlights that DCC’s priorities include “creating conditions for good health, physical activity and social interaction” and “preventing ill health by enabling people to live healthier lives.”

Consideration has also been given to the accessible nature of the station. The project will improve access to employment and outdoor leisure activities for people with reduced mobility, and the design of the station has been informed by consultation with groups representing disabled people and access to the outdoors.

Examples include drop-off bays being provided on both sides of the station.

DCC’s consultation highlighted the fact that many people with reduced mobility travel to and from railway stations using taxis and so there will be step-free access to both platforms, which is in contrast to the stations adjacent to Marsh Barton on the rail network (Exeter St Thomas and Starcross).

Not only that, but DCC says that the new Marsh Barton station is a core element of the Devon

Metro rail strategy for Exeter and is central to the growth plans of places further afield including Dawlish and Newton Abbot.

As well as Marsh Barton, the Devon Metro plans also include new stations at Edginswell (near Torquay), and Newcourt (on the Exmouth branch). The Devon Metro system aims to link the Barnstaple, Okehampton, Paignton and Exmouth branches with a frequent metro-style service.

New stations at Cullompton (between Exeter and Tiverton Parkway) and Cranbook (between Exeter and Axminster) will also support this system.

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The scheme is being delivered by Graham.

During the design work, Graham Group employed Pell Frischmann for stages 4 and 5 of the GRIP process, whilst DCC worked closely with both Network Rail and GWR on the design of the station.

Construction work began in April 2021 and is due to be completed this winter. By May 2021 all the vegetation had been cleared from the site, existing utilities were protected and a site compound with access road had been created.

By the turn of the year the platforms were taking shape with concrete piles and pile caps completed on both platforms.

At the end of February 2022, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge was lifted into place as part of the construction project. The installation of the 16-metre span structure over the two-track main line took place during the early hours of 26 February and was described by the project team as a major milestone.

DCC worked closely with Network Rail and GWR to time the bridge lift to coincide with other pre-planned engineering schemes that required the weekend closure of the line.

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Marsh Barton

Progress made

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Once complete, the new station will provide a key transport link for this part of Exeter

Last winter work began on the footbridge installation, which was finished in late February this year, and the platforms were finished. The platform accesses followed in spring 2022 while the mechanical and electrical works will be undertaken this summer.

Into the autumn and testing and commissioning will commence, with the station due to open this winter. There is no fixed date for this.

Speaking after the footbridge was installed, Councillor Andrea Davis, County Council cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, said: “The development of the railway station at Marsh Barton is a hugely important piece of infrastructure that supports our Devon Metro ambitions. This investment in our rail network will help with the recovery of Devon’s economy and

future growth, while also supporting our carbon reduction targets Karl Tucker, chair of the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “It is exciting to see the latest step in the development of the new railway station at Marsh Barton. As well as being a route for pedestrians and cyclists to access the station, the new bridge offers a safer route for people walking and cycling in the area.

“The station will offer a more environmentally friendly mode of transport to commuters and is a vital part of unlocking development to the south and west of Exeter.

“We are delighted to be supporting the station through our Growth Deal funding and look forward to the opening of the pedestrian bridge later this year.”

Viable travel options Councillor Duncan Wood, Exeter City Council’s lead councillor for leisure and physical activity, said: “We are really pleased to see the investment.

It will improve links between communities and businesses and create options for active travel and leisure. This sort of infrastructure is crucial to make active travel a viable option to car travel, making walking and cycling safer and improving links.”

Councillor Gary Taylor, Teignbridge District Council executive member for planning, said: “This new station at Marsh Barton will be an important sustainable transport link for Teignbridge residents living nearby and for those commuting into southwest Exeter on the Riviera line ‘Devon Metro’ service.

“After years of planning, it is good to see progress now being made.”

Image: Graham Group

On 8 July representatives from various project partners attended an event at the station site to view progress. Graham contracts director Andrew Henry said: “We’re pleased with the progress being made at Marsh Barton, with the new platforms and pedestrian and cycle bridge moving forward well, and it was great to welcome our project partners to site to see the development.

“Once complete, the new station will provide a key transport link for this part of Exeter, with the dual benefits of reducing road congestion and offering more sustainable travel choices for passengers. These outcomes demonstrate the types of lasting impact we aim to have on all of our projects – connecting communities and building a better future.”

A timeline from DCC states that the enabling works, site preparation and mobilisation began in spring 2021. Work on the signalling commenced last summer, while at the same time the platform substructures including the excavation of the foundations, piling and forming of the concrete bases began. Bridge foundation work also commenced.

In the autumn the platform superstructure began to take shape. This included the installation of platform cantilever beams, precast slabs, platform coping and litter guards. The approach ramps also took shape, including the stabilisation of the existing embankment, construction of a retaining wall to build up the new ramps as well as laying kerbs, surfacing material and handrails.

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Since then, work has focused on the approaches to the bridge, as well as access and emergency escape ramps, platform development and mechanical and electrical elements.

The new bridge, which is expected to open to the public in the autumn, is an essential part of the new station. It will provide the access for pedestrians and cyclists away from the narrow Clapperbrook Lane.

July 2022

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A complete M&E solution for rail depots

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M

ulti-disciplinary engineering firm Spencer Group has delivered large-scale and challenging infrastructure projects to the rail industry for more than three decades.

The firm’s in-house ‘M&E’ team delivers mechanical and electrical installations on a wide range of rail schemes, from designing and building new platforms to constructing whole stations and depots.

Spencer Group’s M&E professionals work on projects across a range of engineering disciplines provided by the group including rail, bridges, industrial and building, positioning them at the forefront of key and innovative projects.

Works on rail infrastructure encompass low-voltage and high-voltage (LV and HV) electrical supply and distribution, small power, overhead line equipment (OLE), signalling, power, telecoms, ventilation, data cabling, CCTV and security systems, fire alarm systems, rotating plant, pipework and pipe-racking, heating and water system installations, building management systems, gas services, depot services, CET, Ad-blue, oil and lubricants, sanding and maintenance.

These can be undertaken on a wide range of projects from major rail maintenance projects and signalling control centre work, to state-ofthe-art refurbishments and extensions.

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advance with all stakeholders, including Network Rail.

It also has the ability to book possessions and line blockages, with broad experience in the use of Possession Planning System (PPS), Green Zone Access Planner and Network Rail Online Logistics (NROL).

A turnkey approach to rail depot systems Spencer Group is currently delivering M&E upgrades to several key rail depots in the UK. These include shed enhancements incorporating a five-car underfloor cleaning area and new offices at Etches Park for East Midlands Railway, a train warning system installation at Heaton depot for Northern Rail, depot modifications for the arrival of the fleet of Aventra Class 720/6 trains at East Ham and Shoeburyness depots on behalf of C2C and fuel road improvement works at Tyseley and Worcester depots.

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July 2022

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The Group also specialises in new and refurbished stations, train servicing and maintenance depots and rail control centres, and undertaking designs in HV, LV distribution and signalling supplies The combination of in-house M&E design with civils and building skills ensures that the business is able to cater for any client requirement and also places Spencer Group in a unique position to deliver significant effciencies through Early Contractor Involvement (ECI).

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July 2022

This ECI approach can yield much greater construction cost certainty and a significantly reduced risk /cost profile compared to traditional procurement routes. Construction and mobilisation often commence far sooner due to the efficient transfer of knowledge and significant reduction of the procurement period, resulting from the adoption of an ECI approach.

Project SPEED ahead In recent years, Spencer Group has also looked to adopt the Project SPEED approach, jointly developed by the Department for Transport and Network Rail in summer 2020. The SPEED (Swift, Pragmatic and Efficient Enhancement Delivery) approach was introduced by Network Rail with the aim to halve the timescales and slash the costs of project delivery to provide a better overall experience for service users.

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The project was delivered 18 months ahead of schedule despite COVID-19 challenges.

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“This has been demonstrated on numerous projects where we have taken a client’s vison and brought it from feasibility through the design process and then to implementation and finally handback.

“We’ve developed a team that can, when required, stand on its own. We also enjoy excellent relationships with supply partners, and this has been repeatedly proven with the work we deliver for our clients.”

Dan added: “I believe what sets us apart from our competition is that while some businesses have to buy all of this expertise, we can call on it internally.

“Our investment in M&E systems has given us the edge to ensure that we can work really effectively and provide high-quality M&E services in-house. We’ve seen a huge increase in orders through this growth period and are actively hiring for a range of roles within our M&E department.”

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Barking Riverside

First extension of London Overground in seven years opens to passengers

Barking Riverside station will be located in the midst of a new development alongside the River Thames

M

ore new railway opened in London on 18 July, with trains starting operations on the 2.1-mile (4.5km) Barking Riverside extension.

This is the first extension of the London Overground (LO) network since 2015. Trains run from Gospel Oak, which was electrified in 2018. Essential engineering was undertaken

by Network Rail on the Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside route on 23-24 July, with the line

operating seven days a week after that. Testing on the new railway began the same week that passenger trains were launched on the new central section of the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

The new LO line offers local residents and visitors to Barking Riverside quicker and easier journeys and these are being introduced even sooner than planned – originially the line was set to open this autumn.

Barking Riverside extension timeline August 2017: Transport and Works Act Order granted ecember 2018: Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and VolkerFitzpatrick appointed as contractors to D deliver the project February 2019: Start of major construction works October 2021: Completion of viaduct construction including track slab March 2022: Final signal commissioning completed May 2022: Driver training and route testing begins Source: Transport for London.

July 2022

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Image: TfL

East London communities set to benefit as Barking Riverside line becomes operational months ahead of schedule

Journey times take seven minutes by train instead of the current 25 minutes by bus. Four trains per hour serve the new step-free station built in the heart of the Barking Riverside development.

At Barking there are interchange possibilities with the District and Hammersmith and City lines, and c2c main line services towards the Essex coast.

Further along the Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside route passengers can also interchange with the Elizabeth line at Forest Gate, which is a short walk from Wanstead Park London Overground station. The opening of the extension takes the number of step-free LO stations on the network to more than 60, which Transport for London (TfL) says helps make London a more accessible city for everyone and supports people’s independence when travelling in the capital.

TfL confirmed in mid-June that the LO route would begin carrying passengers “this summer”, before confirming the opening date on 11 July.

The improved timescale is thanks to good progress made in the completion of the station commissioning and testing stages.

railbusinessdaily.com

A number of sub-contractors helped deliver the project ahead of schedule including technology start-up Sensat which created a collaborative digital twin of the Barking Riverside project to help site teams plan work and make better decisions.

The Morgan Sindall Infrastructure VolkerFitzpatrick joint venture (MSVF JV) wanted to understand and minimise risks that could potentially seriously delay the project. The team turned to Sensat’s enhanced visualisation and collaboration environment to combine all the project information as a digital twin. This reduced risk in the form of errors, rework and safety due to existing project data being available for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Improving collaboration Monthly site updates were delivered to the team via Sensat’s cloud-based platform and augmented with additional project data such as track layout designs, HS1 tunnel locations and BIM models. This created an accurate single-source-of-truth, accessible from anywhere, to enhance collaboration and remote working. Using the digital twin, MSVF JV was able to ensure all teams were communicating over the most recent set of data.

railbusinessdaily.com

A London Overground Class 710 enters Barking Riverside during the testing period

In turn, this aligned progress against the schedule of work, even during the pandemic. Delivering remote progress monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) saved teams an estimated 10 site visits per week. The 2D and 3D model of the project also helped to improve site safety by allowing for the identification and marking out of access and egress routes, conventional ground inspections as well as risk identification (open lines, safe working areas, plant working areas).

This took people directly out of harm’s way whilst

39

Image: TfL

Barking Riverside

enabling them to undertake the same tasks digitally.

Sensat CEO, James Dean said: “It was a pleasure working on such a forward-thinking project like Barking Riverside. Its successful delivery is a great example of how safety and productivity can be improved symbiotically with support from new technologies.”

Since 2019, the project received 24 monthly refreshes of content, supporting not only progress monitoring but also earthworks surveys, arranging track layouts as well as temporary works planning.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Route testing Trains had been operating on the extension from Barking while they undertook route testing and driver training, led by Arriva Rail London (ARL), which operates the LO network on behalf of TfL.

Signage at the new Barking Riverside station

The project has also involved reconfiguring Network Rail’s Ripple Lane goods yard so that the extension can connect to the Tilbury Loop. A viaduct was built over the yard with its foundations constructed between tunnels on HS1. The viaduct, more than a mile long, continues over Renwick Road and into the heart of the new dvelopment.

The new station façade has been glazed, as has the lower canopy. Paving has been completed in the station where lifts to platforms, stairs, cycle storage and gateline/ticket machines have all been installed.

Structural steel plates, each weighing more than 100 tonnes, measuring more than 35 metres in length and more than three metres deep have been installed, as have 25 cross means. This work involved rigging up the lifting equipment and installing the steelwork and temporary securing of structural steelwork elements.

Image: TfL

In his report dated 8 June, TfL commissioner Andy Byford wrote that the delivery of the rail systems and station physical works is “now largely complete.”

He said that testing of the Barking Riverside station was entering its final stages while all signalling and overhead line electrification work was completed on 10 April, which meant electric multiple units could run on the railway.

As the station and rail systems testing neared completion, the focus moved to preparing the assurance documentation which was submitted to Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to obtain the necessary authorisation to operate the service between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside.

Before the extension opened on 18 July, LO trains only ran from Gospel Oak as far as Barking.

The commissioner wrote that quality documentation and the operation and maintenance manuals required to support the submission were being progressed with the main contractor.

He added that in January 2022, Network Rail notified TfL of a reporting signal sighting issue with two signals that were installed on the new railway, and that TfL had been working with Network Rail, passenger and freight operators to find a solution. A temporary solution was agreed on 13 April to enable the start of trial operations and passenger trains to run.

Image: TfL

Barking Riverside

Class 710 Aventras will operate on the new line, such as this example stood at Derby Litchurch Lane, where they were built

July 2022

40

The start of the training using four-car LO Class 710 Aventra electric multiple units, built

by Bombardier (now Alstom) at Derby Litchurch Lane, was a major milestone and one of the final steps ahead of passengers using the railway.

TfL claims that investment in transport within the capital benefits the whole country, through supporting jobs and businesses to ensuring supply chains and manufacturers are able to retain the skill base and resources to enable easy and affordable transport projects in other regions.

Nationwide benefit Businesses from across the UK have benefitted from this project, including steelwork from Scotland and the east of England, precast concrete from the north west and Northern Ireland, and slab track from the East Midlands.

The extension is a vital part of the Barking Riverside development being delivered by Barking Riverside Limited, which is a joint venture between housing association L&Q and the Mayor of London. This 180-hectare brownfield site on the northern bank of the River Thames is set to become one of the capital’s fastest growing areas.

The development is founded on an ambitious vision to create a new community, with the plan being to transform a 443-acre former industrial site into a new London district. This has been co-created in close partnership with existing residents and the area is growing to become a vibrant neighbourhood of more than 10,000 homes, commercial and leisure space. New schools and healthcare facilities are being constructed and there will also be public open spaces and riverside walks.

The new Barking Riverside station also provides a direct interchange with local bus services and is a five-minute walk from the riverside, which is already served by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers River Bus services.

railbusinessdaily.com

Barking Riverside

Matthew Carpen, managing director of Barking Riverside Limited, said: “The early launch of this Overground service is due to the brilliant partnership we have had with TfL and the contractor Morgan Sindall Infrastructure VolkerFitzpatrick.

“

The new Overground station will support not just residents but the whole borough and wider east London community

“

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor of TfL, said: “Hot on the heels of the opening of the Elizabeth line, this is more excellent news for east London.

“This new station will help to pave the way for up to 10,000 new homes in Barking Riverside, thousands of which will be genuinely affordable and will ensure residents have the high-quality transport links they need. I am particularly pleased that this station is fully step-free and is opening much earlier than planned.

“Despite the lack of long-term funding from government for TfL, the Mayor is still absolutely focused on building a better London – and this development is a key part of that.”

Stuart Harvey, TfL chief capital officer, said: “The opening of Barking Riverside station, months earlier than anticipated, is another boost for the capital, following the successful reopening of Bank station and launch of the transformational Elizabeth line.

“This extension will effectively deliver on two key priorities as London recovers from the pandemic of providing accessible, sustainable travel to much needed housing for Londoners.

“Residents will benefit from a modern and spacious new station, which is well connected with other local transport links including local buses and River Bus services.”

“We worked through COVID and so the opening is the signal to help reconnect residents and visitors of this area to London.

“Following the successful launch of the new River Bus service, this vital piece of infrastructure will be a major component in the range of transport options for commuters and leisure visitors alike, making Barking Riverside an exciting destination for Londoners as well as a well-connected home for our community.”

Vicky Savage, executive group director of development and sales at L&Q, said: “Alongside

our partner the Mayor of London, we’re proud to be investing to bring vital transport infrastructure, facilities and beautiful homes to Barking Riverside. The new Overground station will support not just residents but the whole borough and wider east London community – yet more evidence that this is one of London’s most important new developments.”

Early delivery Steve Balliston, project director for the MSVF (Morgan Sindall Infrastructure VolkerFitzpatrick) joint venture, said: “It has been a privilege to work on the Barking Riverside extension, and we’re delighted that we have achieved this major milestone ahead of the targeted date through our efficient, safetyconscious and collaborative efforts.

“The team, along with TfL and our supply chain, have worked extremely hard to meet every challenge and deliver a project that provides better connectivity and employment benefits for the local and wider community.”

LO has been a major success for TfL since it began operating and has quickly expanded to new destinations across London. Barking Riverside is very much set to follow previous schemes.

POD-TRAK IS PROUD

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

ETCS

£1 billion funding to support new digital signalling and control system

Image: Shutterstock

Inside Track attended an industry media briefing, organised by Network Rail, to find out more about the major government investment in ETCS

Great Northern trains will be the first to migrate to ETCS on the southern end of the ECML

July 2022

“

The opportunities are profound and they allow us to fundamentally improve the capability of the railway and for a better cost

“

O

n 29 June, secretary of state for Transport Grant Shapps announced that £1 billion was being invested into the introduction of European Train Control System (ETCS) on the southern section of the East Coast main line (ECML).

Work is already well under way on the project, with commissioning of the system progressing on the Northern City line (NCL) between Moorgate and Finsbury Park (see panel), with the next stage being to extend north to Hitchin. By the end of 2029 ETCS will be in use on a 100-mile section of the ECML between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham.

The Minister said: “This will be the first deployment of ETCS on a mixed-use main line in

the UK rail network, increasing punctuality and reliability for both passenger and freight services across the whole line.

“Trains will be able to run closer together safely, enabling more services to run on the same stretch of track. Fewer signalling failures and faster

42

recovery from any delays will make the service more reliable for the customer.”

He claimed that the programme presents a “unique opportunity to enable a positive step change in technology on the network, with a move away from systems of signalling that emerged from Victorian times, and towards a highperforming digital alternative.”

As the rail industry continues to recover from the pandemic, it is vitally important that capacity and reliability are both increased in a financially viable way as demand returns. Recent figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reveal that London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates express trains on the ECML, has seen a return of 83.3 per cent of passengers compared to pre-pandemic figures – the most of any operator.

railbusinessdaily.com

evelopment

ETCS

“This large upfront investment in the rail sector also presents an opportunity for savings in the long run, as maintenance of these assets is more affordable across the whole life of the signals. Furthermore, this programme will create approximately 5,000 highly skilled jobs in the rail industry,” said Grant Shapps.

Speaking at a media briefing on 29 June, Network Rail director, industry partnership digital, Toufic Machnouk, said the announcement of the funding marked an important milestone in the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) journey:

“This marks the approval of the full business case [FBC], which represents the plan that the industry has put together.”

The FBC reflects seven strategic themes: industr y cost; safet y; per formance; system capability; wider socio-economic; decarbonisation; and that the ECDP is an enabler.

The outline business case (OBC) was approved in 2019 and focused on performance, safety and cost. Network Rail said that the world has changed since then because of the pandemic and Brexit transition and there has been a shift to reflect

ETCS timeline 2022: Commission the upgrade of NCL 2022: Full business case approved by government 2023: Start migration to ETCS operation on NCL 2024: Complete migration to ETCS operation on NCL 2024: Complete infrastructure upgrade for Welwyn to Hitchin 2024: Sufficient trains ready to start ETCS migration over Welwyn to Hitchin 2025: Start migration to ETCS operation over Welwyn to Hitchin 2027: Complete migration to ETCS operation over Welwyn to Hitchin 2029: Complete rollout of ETCS on ECML (south)

current government policies including net zero and levelling up. The FBC has a greater focus on system capability and performance, environmental benefits and wider socio-economic outcomes.

Funding The full project investment is £2 billion, with £350 million released for the OBC, £200 million is required for the rolling stock aspect of the project, £250 million for the business change and the rest will be used for other costs.

Toufic says it has been challenging for the rail industry to figure out how best to do digital signalling “given it touches so much of how we operate the railway and requires many of the organisations that operate on the railway to integrate together in a way they hadn’t before.”

However, he added: “The opportunities are profound and they allow us to fundamentally improve the capability of the railway and for a better cost, as well as investing in skills and offering a better railway for passengers and for freight users that’s fit for the 21st century.”

ETCS works by replacing trackside signalling with in-cab train control and traffic management.

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16/02/2022 12:16

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

ETCS

Key elements

Govia Thameslink Railway Class 700s will operate on the ECML using ETCS during the second-half of the decade

“

This is about improving the fundamental cost base of the railway capital expenditure and operational expenditure

“

Already 70 per cent of trains operating on the southern end of the ECML are fitted with ETCS, and various projects are beginning to get under way to fit those not yet equipped.

Toufic said that as well as the £1 billion announcement from central government, there were two other key elements to ECDP: “One is that this is not just for East Coast, it’s fundamentally part of a strategic view because it unlocks many other parts of the network and enables investment in other areas. Something like 70 per cent of the investment is non-exclusive to the geography, meaning you’re fitting trains, you’re training drivers, you’re building capability with the industry and knowledge that goes beyond that geography, particularly trains like the national freight fleet.

“It’s also a catalyst, and it is demonstrating how to do something like this of the scale. It’s the first time that we have had to solve that challenge and there’s a lot more to go through and learn and develop in the coming years.

“In that way it’s not a fixed thing but an evolving thing we have to deliver and keep learning and developing and building the capabilities for the industry, and make it easier for onward schemes.”

Image: Inside Track

The system recognises the different types of trains and both track and train can communicate to make the best use of capacity.

This creates a more dynamic railway says Network Rail, one that is more responsive, more resilient and one that can recover much quicker when things go wrong and because train speed is continually supervised by the system, the railway is also safer.

He adds that in trying to solve the challenge for how to deploy digital signalling at this scale there has been the need to tackle how the industry works together to build a credible plan and model. “It has become a role model and kind of building the experience of how the industry would work better together under Great British Railways [GBR]. That has been recognised by government by virtue of bringing the industry together in a unique way,” he said.

The southern end of the ECML features several operators, all the freight companies and heritage operations. “It’s obviously a substantial inter-city, economic and socio-economic route,” said Toufic.

“That’s why it is such a catalyst.”

ETCS partnership approach eal proximity between R industry partners and technological provider to co-create solutions

Image: Network Rail

Eac h o r g ani s ati o n retains its own delivery responsibility but works in partnership to deliver the shared vision

July 2022

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railbusinessdaily.com

Around 1,600 signalling equivalent units will be replaced, which translates to around 1,000 signals. About 3,000 drivers will need training, which is around 15 per cent of the total number of UK train drivers.

He said: “What underpins the difference that unlocks the potential is the fact that we have a system today, the classic conventional system, which has evolved from the inception of the railway and not fundamentally changed in terms of how it works.

It’s evolved from mechanical electromechanical to electronic, but it relies on the driver looking out the window and being protected by the train detection that short circuits or detects the train and reverts the signal to red and therefore a sequence of yellows and greens, and that underpins the whole system.”

Systems update Toufic said that the natural reality is that it’s intermittent: “It’s fixed infrastructure. A driver may have a view of 600 to 700 metres. When you’re building modern conventional signalling the big challenges of taking systems that were designed for the 1970s and 1980s and bringing them into the 21st century is making them as safe as possible, positioning signals.”

Image: Shutterstock

ETCS

Network Rail says 70 per cent of trains operating on the southern section of the ECML are already fitted with ETCS

This can be challenging and limiting because it fixed all the worst case scenarios. In-cab signalling moves that into the train and is designed around the train and the train’s capabilities. He explained: “You give the driver the view in the cab, they’ve got continuous communication, continuous speech to speech supervision, a roughly 20-mile planning area so they are able to see much further than looking out of the window.

“It’s weather agnostic so no longer affected by

climatic conditions. It really unlocks the potential of the railway in that way.

“We’ve also deepened our understanding of the programme, the technology, the business change, having mobilised the business change community and understood much better the opportunities that the programme is pursuing.

“Beyond safety and performance, and cost, the business case has gone into how we will unlock capability and flexibility.”

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

ETCS

Upgraded The Rail Innovation and Development Centre (RIDC) at Melton Mowbray has also been upgraded and can be used for testing retro-fitted vehicles. Already two Network Rail Class 43 High Speed Train power cars have been fitted with in-cab signalling supplied by Thales and tested at RIDC, while a Grand Central Class 180 has been fitted with a system supplied by Thales that has also been tested at the site. These will be used for First in Class (FiC) testing with approvals expected before the end of the year.

“Also really exciting and interesting is the first heritage pathfinder project,” said Toufic, which involves fitting ETCS to a Class 55 Deltic diesel locomotive, the 2008-built Tornado steam locomotive and a Black 5 steam locomotive. “I always stress no one has solved this before, and it’s a technically challenging enterprise to bring digital technology onto legacy mechanical vehicles.

“But we’re quite excited about this because it’s such a challenging thing to address that we’ve created a very special team around that, and about how we tackle some of these challenging problems.

Northern City line progress The Siemens Class 717 Desiro City electric multiple units, which were introduced by Great Northern in 2019, are pre-fitted with ETCS level two, and were tested on the Thameslink core in 2021. The first test train ran on the Northern City line (NCL) in May this year. There is now ongoing intensive testing to ensure the EMUs work well with trackside and control centre technology that communicates with the cab. Testing will be undertaken overnight and at weekends and the process will continue through 2022. Driver training and migration to digital signalling operations is due to commence in early 2023 and the NCL is expected to operate solely using digital signalling in 2024.

“We’re learning a lot about how to work across complex technical problems with the operating environment, and how we can push the design and the solutions to do that. That’s kind of partway through its design now and towards the end of the year, hopefully, we will complete that design and go to the next stage.”

“

We are working hard to start that migration in 2025

“

He explained the aim is to create a railway that works better for those who run it and also those it serves: “This is about improving the fundamental cost base of the railway capital expenditure and operational expenditure; a huge step forward in safety and train protection and system performance.”

Toufic sees 2022 as the year ECDP moves into delivery. “Most notable is the Northern City line, which in the past two years has gone from nothing to commissioning,” he said. He says Network Rail did not pursue NCL as an infrastructure scheme and instead waited to mobilise the industry partnership to then work with Great Northern, which operates the line, and the supplier, Siemens, to come up with the best plan for delivery, and he highlights the speed in which this had been undertaken considering the legacy assets and tricky tunnel environment the route covers.

Work is under way to enhance the railway operation centres (ROCs) ahead of migration of systems. Once the section to Hitchin is complete, which is the next phase for Siemens, the ECDP team can then unlock the rest of the route into the no signals configuration.

The plan long term is for migration to no signals on NCL by 2024 and complete no signals migration by 2027. Toufic said: “We are working hard to start that migration in 2025 because that’s our commitment and we’re driving hard to do that, but also there’s a really symbolic moment for us in the industry in 2025.

That is the bicentenary of the first public railway in 1825, so the industry will be celebrating, and we really want this to be a year where we can look at the past and be excited about the pioneers of the past, but also look at where we are today as an industry and, hopefully with GBR coming into place, migrating a major intercity railway to ETCS will be a huge moment for the industry.”

He provided statistics surrounding the scheme – delivering no signals ETCS reduces the cost of signalling units by 42 per cent.

There is less disruptive access to the railway by roughly 40 per cent. System performance is improved by a third and 39 per cent of embodied carbon is removed by taking out the physical infrastructure.

Reducing stress There will be a progressive migration, which Toufic believes is really important because it reduces the stress on the operator in terms of how that work is completed.

As for freight, there is the national freight fitment project and that the ECDP will take the first big chunk of this, around 200 vehicles, but the plan is for the fitment to continue. Network Rail is working on that plan. The project currently focuses on FiC design, with the first Class 66 to be fitted by the end of the year with DB Cargo UK is leading this.

“This will be a very important point for us because that starts to unlock the dominant vehicle type. There’s a high variability in vehicle types, even in the same classes, there’s some variability in vehicles. So getting the design has been challenging,” Toufic said.

He explained that experience taken from Netherlands and Denmark shows that because there are differences within such fleets, it could take the first three to 10 vehicles to really start productionising the design and its efficiency.

Testing will be undertaken at RIDC.

Image: Shutterstock

Heritage locomotives are being trialled with ETCS to allow them to operate on the ECML

July 2022

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Rail Live

The best of the rail industry on show at Rail Live 2022

Image: RBD

Much of the rail supply industry gathered at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, near Stratford-upon-Avon, for the annual Rail Live exhibition, held over 22-23 June 2022

July 2022

“

Visitors were able to enquire about everything from insurance to huge on-track machines

“

T

he show is no longer organised

by Network Rail – that ended when the company was reclassified in 2014 – but it still attracts a large number of Network Rail engineers who are anxious to see the latest tools and equipment they can use on site. Many are released for a day specifically to attend the show, though having a rail strike on the second day rather complicated things.

Britain’s largest outdoor rail show is always at the mercy of the weather. This year, exhibitors and visitors alike suffered scorching temperatures on the Wednesday and cooler weather and sprinkles of rain on the Thursday.

There was the usual range of exhibits, from the smallest components through to huge road-rail plant. Differing ways to build station platform extensions featured on several stands,

as did large piling attachments for excavators.

Visitors were able to enquire about everything from insurance (Jobson James Rail) to huge on-track machines.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was the larger plant that caught the eye. Displays by QTS and Van Elle, as well as machine converters RailAbility, GOS Engineering and Allan J Hargreaves, were popular.

48

Piling attachments seemed to be a recurring theme.

One of Linsinger’s huge rail milling machines was also there, along with staff from the German factory to explain to visitors how the system worked and the benefits that Network Rail and others are deriving from using their machines.

Smaller vehicles could be seen on the Aquarius/ Permaquip stand. The announcement that the two companies would get together was made exactly one year earlier, at Rail Live 2021. This year, the combined companies were showing off both a road-rail converted Isuzu D-Max pickup and smaller tools and trolleys, including features that are so new they are still awaiting Network Rail approval.

An Aquarius Land Rover conversion was also being used by Fugro as a mount for its rail survey scanner.

railbusinessdaily.com

Image: RBD

Rail Live

Rail Adventure’s Class 43 power cars

The main ‘street’ at the show was lined with stands on both sides. VPplc had a Rail Village, with separate displays from various group companies, including Torrent Trackside, Brandon Hire Station, ESS, Groundforce, MEP Hire, TPA and UK Forks.

Smaller equipment Selectequip also had a large stand, on which it displayed the Baselight MX-600 Rail, claimed to be the world’s most advanced, portable all-in-one

area lighting system that is newly approved for the rail industry.

There was plenty of innovation on display, as well as kit that everyone needs. Personal protective equipment was much in evidence, visitors all had to wear hi-viz tops, but suppliers such as Safeaid Supplies also had attractive stands.

Shame there were no bright orange sun hats as everyone suffered from the high temperatures on the first day!

The bright sun benefitted one stand –

Ninehundred Communications Group had a solar-powered CCTV-camera tower on show.

There were plenty of familiar faces. Peli showed both lighting and safety cases. Hilti was on its regular corner stand, displaying its latest batteryoperated tools, and Husqvarna also had a display of powered equipment. Whitmore featured both its usual rail lubricants, friction modifiers and rail lubrication equipment and its OilSafe lubrication management system for train depots, with every fluid in a different, colour-coded container.

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Image: RBD

Rail Live

British Transport Police had its own liveried rail vehicle

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A display of various species of hawks, used to drive pigeons and seagulls from railway stations

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On show was its AIVR product range which consists of intelligent video capability including forward facing, OLE and thermal imagery used to inspect and manage trackside assets and the surrounding infrastructure.

AIVR Focus, the company’s line-scanning product, is a good example of its collaborative approach in response to the rail industry’s need to

Revolution very light rail vehicle

July 2022

automatically conduct safe, rapid and regular track inspection. All AIVR footage also has machine learning and AI applied directly to it, allowing users to see what they need to see the most.

Surprise!

There were a few unexpected surprises. The Revolution very light rail vehicle was there on a joint Eversholt Rail/Transport Design International stand, giving rides to interested passengers.

Although the distance was short – around 800 metres – and the speeds low due to the site speed limit, the ride was comfortable. It is easy to see how this vehicle could be a useful addition to the railway, especially those branch lines that the Department for Transport wants to reopen to passengers under its Restoring Your Railway scheme.

Image: RBD

Everyone walks on trackside cable troughing, even when told not to. It’s one reason there are so many broken lids alongside the railway. Now the TTS system from Hird is designed to be walked on – it even has a non-slip coating to make walking safer!

Concrete Canvas may no longer be innovative – it has been around too long for that – but it is still a really neat idea that can save drainage teams stacks of time and make environmental projects much simpler to deliver.

Scott Parnell had a small station platform on its stand. The Footprint low-carbon modular platform is constructed using blocks of recycled rubber made by Rosehill Polymers and originally used for protecting military equipment in war zones.

Bristol-based One Big Circle provides intelligent video solutions to customers across the rail industry.

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Rail Live

British Transport Police had its own liveried rail vehicle, but this turned out to be not a new training aid (though it could be) but a redundant ex-West Midlands tram reliveried for the occasion.

It was used for demonstrations of how armed police can subdue an offender and remove them safely from a rail vehicle. BTP was also showing off its use of drones to locate and identify threats to the railway.

Two of Rail Adventure’s Class 43 power cars were sitting in a corner of the site, looking resplendent in the sunshine. The Munich-based company, which manages special transport and test runs with new trains in Europe, has acquired the British company Hanson & Hall Rail Services and has purchased eight Class 43 power cars.

Formed into double locomotives, these will be the future backbone of the company’s British domestic services.

Not every stand featured large chunks of metal.

A display of various species of hawks, used to drive pigeons and seagulls from railway stations, was interesting to see, but the unexpected exhibitor involved was Rentokil, perhaps better known for more mundane types of pest control.

Industry A range of industry-leading figures spoke to the Rail Live audience, including Transport Scotlands rail director Bill Reeve and Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy. Ian Prosser, HM chief inspector of Railways, spoke on behalf of rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road, and there were other speeches by Network Rail executives, train operators, the supply chain and site owner Porterbrook.

Network Rail had its own village at the show, complete with blue rectangular ‘gateway’ into the area, with staff on various stands explaining the company’s latest programmes and initiatives. One Big Circle’s AIVR Focus’ line scanning capability was showcased at Network Rail’s innovative Class 153 Measurement Train, and a virtual cab-ride game was made available in the Network Rail Village in support of Network Rail’s SIG, Track Worker Safety and AIS Groups.

In fact, it is networking in its widest sense that Rail Live is all about. As much conversation was held with people met on the roadways and in the aisles as on defined stands. Where else can one bump into the chief inspector of railways, the director of rail for Transport Scotland, professors of railway engineering from several leading universities and directors of railway operators, all on the same day?

All in all, it was a welcome event. Visitor numbers seemed good on the first day, a little lower on the second, perhaps due to the train strike. Plans are already being made for Rail Live 2023, so Inside Track will see you there on 21-22 June next year.

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

C A F Tr a i n

CAF Class 197 Transport for Wales The future of travel for Transport for Wales (TfW) passengers was showcased at Chester on 1 July, with the launch of a CAF two-car Class 197 diesel multiple unit

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igures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in October 2021 revealed that TfW Rail’s average train fleet age is 29.9 years making it the second oldest train fleet in the UK, behind Merseyrail.

However, that is set to drop dramatically by the end of 2024 as 148 new trains built by CAF and Stadler are introduced as part of an £800 million investment.

This equates to 445 new vehicles and means that eventually every train will either be new or refurbished.

The new fleets were announced as part of the new franchise awarded to Amey/Keolis in 2018 and, despite the operator being renationalised, the trains remain on course to begin entering service before the end of this year.

The CAF fleet will operate across Wales and into England, while the Stadler trains will be based on the Core Valley lines (CVL) and on some services in South Wales. While the Stadler Class 231 diesel electric multiple units, Class 756 tri-modes and Class 398 tram-trains are being built in Switzerland and Spain respectively, all 77 Class 197s are products of CAF’s factory in Newport, South Wales.

TfW director of transport operations Alexia Course says that the CAF fleet is an entirely Welsh fleet, made in Wales. “That was a key commitment,” she said.

Initially the CAF trains will be introduced on the Conwy Valley line from the autumn before being rolled out onto the Chester to Liverpool route, followed by the North Wales coast. From there they will be gradually introduced on routes further south. The plan is that by the start of next year

Image: TfW

Delivery on target

All 77 Class 197s have been assembled in Wales

there will be seven trains in traffic, with TfW Rail planning a gradual fleet replacement rather than a ‘big bang’ approach.

CAF took over operation of the former Alstom depot at Chester on 1 June, the first time the Spanish company has operated a rolling stock maintenance depot in the UK, and eventually the entire 77-strong Class 197 fleet will be based there. New trains are already operating from the Chester depot and Arriva TrainCare Crewe for a mix of testing and driver training, and this is why TfW is focusing on the North Wales introduction first. There are 51 two-car and 26 three-car Class 197s. Of the two-car DMUs, 21 will be equipped with European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) for use on the Cambrian line from Aberystwyth/Pwllheli to Shrewsbury and on to Birmingham International.

TfW has been working with Network Rail and the Department for Transport (DfT) to upgrade the signalling software system to accommodate the latest-era ERTMS that is required for modern era trains. This was completed earlier this year and is now operational on the older Class 158s currently used on the line. Alexia says that the plan is that the Cambrian line will be one of the last routes to receive the new trains, and this will be towards the end of 2024.

There have been challenges as you would expect with a new train fleet, however the delivery into service of the Class 197s remains largely on schedule. COVID-19 and the impact on the global supply chain have had an effect but the driver training programme remains on course and the two-car train on display at Chester has already accumulated 30,000 miles during testing.

Mike SURVEY CONSULTANCY LTD Chartered Land and Engineering Surveyors

July 2022

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railbusinessdaily.com

C A F Tr a i n

“We’ve tested the trains extensively around our network in preparation for operation. There are still engineering checks to be completed before we accept the new fleet,” Alexia said.

The quality of the train is something she is proud of: “A major improvement for this fleet is that we have invested heavily in more comfortable seats.”

They boast leather headrests and leather armrests, laptop foldable shelves at the back of the seats, built-in information screens and digital reservation systems.

There will also be catering facilities. Primarily this will be a trolley service but there are plans to introduce an app allowing passengers to order at their seat and have food brought to them, which is being developed over the next six to 10 months.

Alexia added: “There are going to be considerable differences for our customers and at TfW we are constantly striving to improve the customer experience and encourage more people to travel using public transport.”

A Class 197 stands at Blaenau Ffestiniog.

This is expected to be the first route where they will be introduced

Fourteen three-car Class 197/1s will be fitted with a slightly enhanced standard class offering, which will give customers a choice of seating-type. The operator is limiting its premier dining offering to

New TfW fleet

Image: TfW

Improving customer experience

the Mk 4 coaches, however the CAF fleet operating on the same routes will feature a variation of the standard class seating that will be slightly larger and feature more legroom, and TfW is currently working on the pricing differences between the two.

Other improvements

Train

No of trains

Passenger vehicles per train

Builder

Mk 4

15

5

Metro-Cammell (cascaded from LNER)

Class 197/0

51

2

CAF

Diesel

Class 197/1

26

3

CAF

Diesel

Class 230

5

3

Vivarail

Diesel/battery hybrid

Class 231

11

4*

Stadler

Diesel with electric traction

Power

Class 398

36

3

Stadler

Electric

Class 756/0

7

4*

Stadler

Diesel, electric, battery

Class 756/1

17

5*

Stadler

Diesel, electric, battery

Note: * these trains also have a non-passenger carrying power car.

Capacity-wise there will also be an improvement.

Away from the CVL, TfW has 188 vehicles and this increases to 256 with the introduction of the CAF trains and other fleets including refurbished Mk 4 coaches. “The investment into rolling stock being made by TfW will provide an uplift in capacity across the network,” said Alexia.

Speaking specifically about the new CAF trains, she explained: “The introduction of the Class 197 fleet will mean that we have consistency across our network with the same train across every line of our route, apart from the CVL. This provides us with more flexibility and resilience in our service delivery.

“We recognise we have challenges, particularly on event days and when there’s high demand for our service.

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

C A F Tr a i n

To facilitate the introduction of the CAF fleet, the Network Rail-owned infrastructure needs to be adapted in places to reflect the requirements of the new trains that will be operating on the Wales and Borders route. TfW is working collaboratively with the infrastructure manager to deliver these infrastructure changes and Alexia said: “We’re working with our colleagues in Network Rail to ensure the relevant infrastructure changes are made for the new fleet. There’s a detailed programme of works and we’re currently working to schedule.”

More work will be required for the Stadler trains, but because they are being delivered later in the programme the focus is currently surrounding the CAF fleet.

The new trains afford TfW a great opportunity.

“We’re on a transformational journey at TfW and these new trains are a major milestone within our plans. This is the first time Wales has had brand new trains on its network built solely for Wales and the Borders. They will provide improved connectivity, transform the customer experience and encourage more people to use public transport,” said Alexia.

“We understand that our plans are extremely ambitious with the amount of new rolling stock being added to the network in a relatively short space of time. However, we are also conscious that the investment into the railway in Wales has been sadly lacking for decades and we want to change that as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“TfW wants to improve the rail service for

July 2022

H o l y h e a d - M a n c h e s t e r/ B i r m i n g h a m International

Birmingham International-Aberystwyth/ Pwllheli

Cardiff Central-Holyhead

Ebbw Vale-Cardiff Central/Newport

Llandudno-Blaenau Ffestiniog

Maesteg-Cheltenham

Wrexham-Bidston

Manchester-Milford Haven

Chester-Liverpool

Cardiff Central-Fishguard

Cardiff-Manchester Piccadilly/Liverpool Lime Street

Swansea-Pembroke Dock

everybody who uses our network, regardless of where they live and where they travel. The only way we can do that is to introduce new trains and better services across the whole network – which is what we’re in the process of doing.

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We’re on a transformational journey at TfW and these new trains are a major milestone

“It’s a massive challenge and there is a great deal of work to do but we are working closely with the Welsh government, Network Rail and the DfT as well as CAF and Stadler, and the financiers of the trains.”

While the Stadler trains are a mixture of tri-mode and electric trains, the CAF fleet is currently diesel only. With decarbonisation high on the agenda, is there a plan yet for how this will be tackled with the Class 197s?

Alexia said: “The Class 197s have a very fuel efficient diesel engine compared to the older

diesel trains and are therefore make a significant improvement to our emissions.

“Our priority at the moment is to introduce these trains to our network, improve public transport and fundamentally encourage people to use our trains rather than their cars, which will help overall with decarbonisation.

“However, we’re also working on a decarbonisation strategy for our whole fleet on our network to determine what we need to do to evolve our fleet to meet the targets set by Welsh Government.”

Built in Wales CAF UK director Richard Garner said: “We are immensely proud of our key role in delivering TfW’s vision to transform rail travel for passengers.

“The manufacture of our trains is taking place at our state-of-the-art facility in Newport. We see ourselves as a local manufacturer, supporting highly skilled jobs and bringing employment opportunities to the local area while focusing on sustainability issues and addressing the needs of the Welsh economy.

“Our trains are being built in Wales to serve the Welsh communities.”

TfW is also taking delivery of trains from Stadler. The first have arrived in Wales for testing and training purposes

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Image: TfW

Adapting the infrastructure

When in service, the Class 197s will operate on the following lines:

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“By having this consistent fleet we’ll be able to couple our units together. So, a two-car train could become a four-car, a three-car could become a six-car and we’ll have a lot more agility to be able to adapt our fleet to the demands of our customer needs, and we acknowledge that’s a lot more difficult to do at present because we have such a mix of different fleet types for different lines.”

Currently the TfW fleet contains Class 67s hauling Mk 4 coaches, Class 150, Class 153, Class 158, Class 175 and Class 769s. While the locomotive-hauled trains and Class 769s operate on certain routes, the rest of the fleet operates across Wales and into England. The Class 15x trains can operate in multiple but have restrictions, while the Class 175s can only operate within their own design. This makes timetabling harder.

Once all the new trains are in traffic, CAF Class 197s will operate across the country, Class 67/Mk 4s will operate the long-distance services between Cardiff and Manchester/Holyhead, Stadler Class 398s and 756s will operate CVL services supported by the Class 231s, which also will operate across parts of South Wales.

railbusinessdaily.com

Tr a i n p r e s e n t a t i o n

Cleaner trains and environment Today’s environmental awareness precludes train operators from using harsh chemicals to clean their trains. A new line of cleaners, pH-neutral and safe for both users and the environment, are now coming on stream

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stablished in 1977, Gard Chemicals has been leading the manufacture of industrial chemical cleaners for the rail industry ever since.

The family-operated business was created by the father of current sales director Jim Knox, who had worked initially in the chemical industry before working closely with British Rail.

Over those 45 years, Gard Chemicals has been able to build-up knowledge and expertise of what the rail industry requires, which products were used and those which are currently offered within the market.

Based in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, the company has a dedicated UK-based rail division which provides industry-leading products that are supplied throughout the UK and abroad. Gard Chemicals also has a 100 per cent vendor rating for the quality, environmental impact, health and safety and security of its products, as well as the technical support it offers to all customers.

Rail specialist Gard Chemicals operates using a highly knowledgeable and dedicated team that works solely within its rail industry division and is experienced in the various areas of chemistry and the differing applications associated with rail industry cleaning and maintenance. The team also offers a full on-site evaluation service to assist companies in selecting the product or products best suited for their own requirements.

Furthermore, fully trained technical staff are available to assist in the development of any new products they may need, including the implementation of cost-saving operations and product and safety training.

Gard Chemicals is an approved supplier to Network Rail as well as more than 100 rail organisations, including principal contractors, underground infrastructure companies, construction companies and all the major train and freight operators. It has been awarded national and international accreditations for both Environmental Management (ISO 14001) and Quality Management (ISO 9001) systems for the manufacture and supply of maintenance chemicals, accreditations that help the company to maintain its 100 per cent vendor ratings from blue chip organisations.

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Jim Knox

Environmental issues The use of chemicals, and their impact on the environment, is now high on the agenda of companies throughout the rail industry. Gard Chemicals is acutely aware of this enhanced emphasis on the sustainable disposal of such materials, as well as their potential harmful effects on the trains themselves and the surrounding environment.

Historically the rail industry has used hazardous chemicals for both internal and external cleaning processes. For example, acid-based cleaners are still used in a pre-soak before an alkaline wash is applied for the external cleaning of carriages, the theory being that the alkaline wash would lift and neutralise acid from the unit.

Jim explained that the older technology was not only harmful for the environment on disposal but would cause corrosion on pipes within the train wash facility at a depot. This meant an expensive replacement of parts and equipment every two to

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three years. He said: “We looked at the rail industry as a whole and it was apparent that people were still using the old technology for cleaning and degreasing on new trains within depots.”

Following an approach from an international manufacturer, Gard Chemicals’ research and development team worked with other laboratories and universities to test various surface cleaners. “We managed to formulate the pH-neutral cleaner, which is still in use to this day,” Jim said.

Gard Chemicals is proud of its research and development department, which enables the company to formulate and create new products to suit the needs of individual customers or prospects.

This, Jim said, sets the business apart in the market.

The rail industry is changing, and Gard Chemicals has sought to change the thinking regarding traditional chemical cleaners and working practices.

This has been achieved by developing cleaners that are safer for the user and the surfaces to be treated.

New formulas have been created that cover pH-neutral cleaners for automatic and manual washes at depots, hand-bash cleaners used by staff to carry out cleaning during maintenance, pit-road degreasers used in depots where heavy maintenance is undertaken, water-splitting degreasers, acid replacement cleaners and unit internal scents.

Gard Chemicals has a continuing commitment to ensure good communication with its customers regarding the importance of meeting user needs and all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements, including it’s own quality objectives as laid out in its quality policies.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Decarbonisation

Dreams of more electric freight becoming a reality

Image: Furrer+Frey

Furrer + Frey GB’s Moveable Overhead Conductor System helping to ‘transform the railways for the better’

The Moveable Overhead Conductor System demonstration at Wellingborough

July 2022

Network Rail issued its plan to reach net zero through its Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) in September 2020. This revealed that 76 per cent – 7,270 miles of the remaining 9,659 miles of unelectrified railway in the UK – will need electrifying. This would be alongside 559 miles for hydrogen trains, 248 miles for battery trains and 1,429 miles where multiple options are available.

Most people in “the rail industry are very keen on electrification

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D

ecarbonisation has risen to the top of the agenda when it comes to the railway. Transport is reponsible for the highest percetage of all emissions, and while rail may be the greenest form of transport, it cannot rest on its laurels as other modes will be looking to vastly improve their credentials.

An oft-repeated statistic is that one freight train removes 76 lorries from the UK’s roads. Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) have nine times the emissions of rail freight, per tonne kilometre, making shifting goods from road to rail is an important pillar of the government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

For many years, rail freight operators have called for various schemes. GB Railfreight CEO John Smith has repeatedly made the case for the 15.5-mile Felixstowe branch to be wired. There are also much smaller infill projects such as the 0.5mile line connecting the electrified North London line (NLL) with the electrified Great Western main line (GWML) that could open up opportunities.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines has spoken of ‘no regrets’ electrification projects across the country, and although these have not been named, most industry experts can reach a conclusion about where they may be.

However, even with electrification there are still issues surrounding access to ports, terminals and sidings for rail freight. This could produce a first for the UK with an electrification system for terminals which would enable the roll-in roll-out of electric-hauled freight trains that could also reduce delays to passenger services.

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The innovative moveable system also overcomes the conflict between loading freight trains and overhead line equipment (OLE).

A demonstration of the system took place at Wellingborough in March, and this could prove the answer for those looking at how they can tackle the issue of siding access.

The Decarbonisation and Electrification of Freight Terminals (DEFT) project, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Innovate UK, allowed project partners Furrer+Frey GB, Tarmac and GBRf to demonstrate the system using an electric locomotive in a non-electrified yard.

A new mindset Freight trains are typically loaded and unloaded from above, which prevents the use of OLE. Instead, diesel shunting locomotives are employed, or diesel locomotives hauling the train have to move it in and out of the yards, holding up passenger trains on the main line.

However, Furrer+Frey GB have designed the Moveable Overhead Conductor System where overhead equipment supplying electricity to the locomotives can safely move away once the train is in place and return when the train needs to move again.

railbusinessdaily.com

Decarbonisation

Going green John Smith said: “Rail freight is already a greener alternative to moving goods by road but innovations like the Moveable Overhead Conductor System, and electrification more broadly, will allow us to go even further.

“At the same time as combatting climate change, they also bolster operations, and the reliability and efficiency of rail freight.

“We continue to work with the UK Government to fulfil our industry’s potential and this is a great example of what can be achieved when the industry and government work together effectively.”

The system demonstrated at Wellingborough is based on one developed by Furrer+Frey for passenger train depots used by Eurostar and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) and was installed by SPL Powerlines.

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Making rail freight even more environmentally friendly helps us leap forward in our plans to build back greener

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This was displayed at an aggregates facility in Wellingborough operated by Tarmac in partnership with GBRf. Furthermore, this yard joins the Midland main line (MML) which is to be electrified as part of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).

Rail Minister Wendy Morton said of the trial: “It is fantastic to see winners of our First Of A Kind competition getting out there and helping transform the railways for the better.

“Making rail freight even more environmentally friendly helps us leap forward in our plans to build back greener and make the whole UK net zero by 2050.”

At the time, Noel Dolphin, head of UK projects at Furrer+Frey GB, said: “The electrification of freight terminals is the biggest technological hurdle to net zero rail freight and we have just overcome it. The demonstrator shows how we can plug freight yards into electrified rail lines and operate them safely and efficiently with the locomotives we already have – meaning greener, cleaner and better journeys.”

Noel spoke to Inside Track at the beginning of July to explain more about the project, and what it can bring to the UK. “Most people in the rail industry are very keen on electrification. Everyone I meet in DfT is very keen on electrification in that you cannot decarbonise the main line railway without electrifying it.”

Electrification plans However, the issue remains that the Treasury holds the purse strings. The railway, in recent times, has performed poorly on major projects such as the Great Western Electrification Programme (GWEP), north west electrification and Crossrail in terms of delivery and cost managament.

Noel added: “There is definitely electrification happening,” before clarifying that these future scenarios are dependent on how affordably the the electrification can be delivered. However, he makes the point that when this will be delivered is the question that cannot be answered, which remains an issue for freight companies.

This is why operators including GBRf have bought bi-mode locomotives because there is uncertainty surrounding what will happen.

Robust, rapid, pivoting, retractable, elegant & highly conductive — Furrer+Frey’s Rigid Overhead conductor Rail system ROCS is renowned throughout the world for its superior standards of quality & reliability.

In tunnels, in stations, in the open, on bridges, in workshops and depots, ROCS can easily adapt to any structure.

Furrer+Frey has supplied its groundbreaking ROCS system for more than 3400km of track across the globe and it is currently tested up to 302kph line speeds.

schweiz@furrerfrey.ch

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@furrerfrey

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www.furrerfrey.ch

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Looking at freight Some 60 people attended the demonstrator. Noel added: “I think in the long term the biggest issue for deploying it right now is electrification schemes don’t consider freight schemes. The Midland main line was for passenger trains. If you electrified the yard at Wellingborough, which is relatively small, there’s no connection onto the main line.

“So if you wanted to connect it onto the main line, you would have to remodel the electrification that has literally only just been built because there was no consideration for connecting freight yards.

“Part of the discussions we had at Wellingborough, where we presented to all the people who came, was actually the biggest thing holding back electric freight is just freight not being considered.”

Noel believes that that mindset has changed for the better now. “I think that’s the most positive thing that’s come out is we’ve had lots of discussions afterwards with Network Rail who have said ‘actually, we are now considering freight’.”

The sector’s success during the pandemic has also helped. Noel explained: “Three, four years ago, freight just wasn’t a priority, whereas now it is mentioned all the time. When the strikes were announced Boris Johnson discussed it.”Network Rail was also key to Wellingborough. It is a big owner of freight yards across the country and everything at the Northamptonshire facility had to be approved by the infrastructure manager.

July 2022

The yard at Wellingborough seen as ideal for the trial due to its accessibility

This is being taken further with Network Rail now actively considering the need for electrification as part of wider projects, such as TRU. “That is, I think, the biggest shift in mentality,” Noel said.

He says commitment is needed regarding when routes will be electrified. There have been lots of discussions with Network Rail identifying certain flows, for example. Noel said: “These have included ‘well, we have a large volume of trains going from these three yards here in Manchester to over here, actually, how could we enable those as a electric freight?’

“

There is definitely electrificaton happening

“

DB Cargo UK COO Neil Ethell, speaking at the World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) in Birmingham on 7 June ( Inside Track Issue 7) made a similar point, when stating: “We need to understand what is the plan for electrification, because then we can start to see what locomotives we need.” He also highlighted the suggested deadline of 2040 for the end of diesel-only operation.

The concept of the Moveable Overhead Conductor System came from a Rail Forum scheme featuring a Dragon’s Den-style pitch with all the freight operators in a room in December 2020.

The operators backed the project and the initial plan was that it would be trialled at Tarmac’s site in Dunbar, adjacent to the East Coast main line. Four cement trains per day serve the facility, including one that runs to Leeds and, once the Transpennnine Route Upgrade (TRU) is complete, would be completely under the wires. However there was construction work planned over a six-month period and so this was transferred to Wellingborough.

“It’s actually really good. It’s an HS2 aggregates yard and HS2 have a huge interest in decarbonising as well. It’s next to the Midland main line as well so it’s a lot more accessible,” Noel explained.

“They are definitely looking at the busier freight routes as specific routes.”

As for when the Moveable Overhead Conductor System can be deployed, he explained: “One of the advantages in a freight yard is that you have a lot less restrictions. Then it’s only the connection onto the main line.

“The section in Wellingborough, which is relatively small, was installed in under under a week.

Structures took a day, the cantilevers were a day and then it was a day for finishing it off and another for commissioning. You can also have a lot more access.

When we were at Wellingborough, the last train left at 11:30 so you could work all afternoon, which you can’t really on a main line railway.

“I definitely think there’s a lot more flexibility to build it quickly and a lot more cheaply because if you’re only installing on a Saturday night, that’s conceivably the most expensive way to build electrification.”

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Image: Furrer+Frey

Decarbonisation

The system connects to the main line via a fixed bar. At Wellingborough, the fixed bar would be connected to the MML electrification and would then connect with the Moveable Overhead Conductor System. The fixed bar is the same as in tunnels across the country and on the Elizabeth line.

Setting the bar The bar being able to move is simply to allow the loading and unloading of the train. When it moves out of the way it earths itself, meaning it is instantly safe. Noel said that it only needs to be installed where there is loading and unloading so it’s not needed across a whole facility. “You don’t need several miles of moveable bar; most places we looked at actually only load at very specific points so it might be 100 yards or 50 metres, and as the train is only going at perhaps 10mph there doesn’t have to be the robust equipment you see on the MML or Great Western,” he explained.

In terms of the affordability of electrification and the need to bring down costs, he said: “At the moment, electrification costs probably on Midland main line for the most recent packages were £2.5 million to £3 million per kilometre.

The real target in the UK needs to be about £1.5 million.

“So if you really wanted to have an effective programme, it needs to be about £1.5 million.

I think you could easily do a freight siding or electrification for £500,000 per kilometre. But it has to be a lot less than those main line costs.”

The mood around rail freight is changing, and the desire to electrify is clearly there within in the industry. Furthermore, both the DfT and Network Rail want more wires erected, and if the Treasury can be convinced of the benefits of rail freight to the country, then it won’t be too long surely before the Moveable Overhead Conductor System is being installed at sites across the country.

railbusinessdaily.com

RSN Review

A day of Rolling Stock Networking

Image: RBD

Rail Business Daily’s managing editor Nigel Wordsworth reports back from the hugely popular exhibition and conference

Derby connection Derby, of course, is one of the cities shortlisted to become the site of the new Great British Railways headquarters, so there was a Destination Derby stand and many Derby lapel badges in evidence.

The Mayor of Derby opened the exhibition, wishing exhibitors a successful event, and the visitors streamed in. Companies small and large were there, showing off everything from washers to electrical connectors to carpets and flooring to complete train cabs.

Indeed, the structure of a cab graced the entrance to Derby Arena, courtesy of Greenbank

July 2022

Group, while Datum Advanced Composites displayed a generic cab moulding that would normally be fitted to Greenbank’s frame.

Connector manufacturer Harting had a steady stream of visitors calling at its stand, while data communications specialist Westermo not only had a busy day but also provided the lanyards around every visitor’s neck.

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The Mayor of Derby opened the exhibition, wishing exhibitors a successful event, and the visitors streamed in

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he Rolling Stock Networking (RSN) exhibition and conference, which took place recently in Derby, has been adjudged an “unqualified success”.

Since its launch in 2018, RSN has grown to feature more than 145 exhibitors, all from the railway’s rolling stock and depot supply chain. The show’s one-day no-frills format is also appealing to the industry at large, as hundreds of interested delegates descended on the Derby Arena velodrome on a glorious summer’s day.

Several experts were on hand from specialist insurance broker Jobson James, advising existing and potential clients how to make sure they are covered for the particular risks that are inherent in the rail industry.

Companies looking for a single source for products to enhance their trains were seen

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speaking with On Train, specialists in the maintenance and installation of DC Airco heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and Infodev EDI passenger information systems.

Most of the parts needed to build a train were on show. From small fasteners such as NordLock’s washers and Southco’s latches to windscreen wipers (B Hepworth & Co) and even the windscreens themselves (Dellner).

Intangibles were on ‘display’ too. Apart from Jobson James’ insurance, there were assurance services from RISAS (Rail Industry Supplier Assurance Scheme from the Rail Safety and Standards Board) and Achilles, ways to digitalise documents from Semcon, engineering solutions from Jones Nuttall and recruitment services from RBD Rail Recruiter.

In short, there was something for everyone.

i-conference Running alongside the main exhibition, on the balcony overlooking all the stands, the i-conference attracted a great deal of attention, with delegates often finding there was standing room only if they wanted to hear the industry’s leading experts.

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A joint presentation on HS2’s new trains followed.

Maria Griffin from the Alstom Hitachi joint venture and Bernie Rowell of HS2 explained the scope of the new high-speed line’s rolling stock plans and its overall vision. The trains’ bodyshells will be built at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant then sent to Alstom in Derby for final assembly and fitting out before being tested in the Czech Republic. When asked about possibilities for the supply chain, potential suppliers were urged to register their interest on the HS2 portal and to attend the next supplier conference, likely to be held in a few months’ time.

Siemens Mobility’s head of business development Graeme Clark had prepared a short talk on his career to date, hoping to enthuse the youngsters in the audience to join the rail industry.

More experienced listeners were interested in what he had to say about Siemens’ plans for the near future, including building London Underground trains in the UK, the development of battery and hydrogen propulsion systems and even export work for the Goole production facility in East Yorkshire.

Returning partly to the topic of Great British Railways and the future, Neil Ovenden introduced the new Rail Partners – an offshoot of the Rail Delivery Group – that will act as a trade association for train operators. Neil is head of engineering and he discussed his views on what a post-COVID railway could look like and what that could mean for the rolling stock industry.

July 2022

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Potential suppliers were urged to register their interest on the HS2 portal and to attend the next supplier conference

Finally, in this digital age, Tim Robinson, founder of Doddle and DigiRail, gave a fascinating insight into how the retail market had first been overwhelmed by the digital capabilities

of companies such as Amazon but had then bounced back, with some of the traditional highstreet retailers now equally advanced in their digital approach.

Can the rail industry do the same? And what does a digital and paperless future look like? Tim feels that it can, but it needs to grasp the nettle to do so.

With the conference over, there was just time for a quick walk around the stands on the exhibition floor before closing time. It had been a useful and informative day, and no doubt most of the exhibitors and delegates will all be back for Rolling Stock Networking 2023 on 6 July next year. It’s in my calendar already!

Image: RBD

Industry presentations

Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North

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On a turbulent day for British politics, Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North and a whip at the Department for Transport, opened the conference. She too mentioned that she hoped Derby would be chosen as the new GBR HQ and, on the day the Prime Minister stepped down, declined to answer questions, but it was good of her to make the effort to come along.

The i-conference – organised by Rail Business Daily and named after its theme of ‘Inspiring rail people by inspiring rail people’ – commenced with a presentation by Tony Howard, the RSSB’s director of assurance, who explained what RISQS (the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme) and RISAS are all about and how they can help suppliers to gain business.

Paul Harwood, the programme director for industry with the Great British Railways Transition Team, covered an introduction to the GBRTT and its recent activity and how GBR will be a strong commercial partner in the future. He also considered how the rolling stock market could change in the future and the opportunities and challenges those changes could present.

Image: RBD

RSN Review

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Level Crossings

Improving safety at user-worked crossings Pedestrians and trains need to be kept apart for safety’s sake. But as footpaths often cross live railways, a solution has to be found that is both simple and safe to operate

July 2022

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One of the big issues we found with userworked and miniaturestoplight crossings is that things tend to be looked at in isolation

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ho in their right mind would build a public footpath that crossed over a 125mph railway? One where the visibility of those using the path was obscured by vegetation and the railway was on a curve so train drivers cannot see the crossing until they are right on top of it?

Health and safety inspectors would have a fit, walkers’ and ramblers’ associations would complain their members were being put at risk and local planning committees would never approve them.

But there are around 2,000 of them, all around the country, many of them legacies of the railway’s Victorian past.

Known as user-worked crossings (UWC), because users have to work the barrier or ascertain whether it is safe to cross on their own, they are unsurprisingly dangerous as it is too easy to make a mistake.

Also, as many UWCs are, by definition, tucked away from oversight by signallers and the like, they get abused. Children play on them, people walk their dogs over them, photographers even pose their models on them. Many are an accident waiting to happen.

Despite a growing consensus that the safest level crossing is no level crossing, many are so popular with their local communities that they cannot be closed due to heavy use.

It falls to specialists like Schweizer Electronic to secure these crossings, providing innovative systems that protect both goods and people.

Now, at what manging director Neil Bradbury calls an “exciting time for the industry”, Schweizer is responding to a need for safer, streamlined, and more cost-effective solutions – particularly, at UWCs.

Integrating technology “In CP6 alone, 37 crossings have been closed by Network Rail,” Neil explained, “but we’re still seeing a demand for our products in areas where it’s simply not cost-effective to close crossings.

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“One of the big issues we found with user-worked and miniature-stoplight crossings (where users are advised whether it is safe to cross by small red and green ‘traffic’ lights) is that things tend to be looked at in isolation,” he added. “There’ll be a crossing with a standalone solar or wind-powered telephone; it’s as if nobody is talking to each other.

“We’re looking at integrating complementary technology to create a single system; using our crossings to power a standard, pre-approved Network Rail Infrastructure phone, for example.”

Neil added that, once connected to crossings, these phones could be used for condition monitoring, sending reports directly to crossing managers in the event of a power failure.

“We wouldn’t need to wait for a member of the public to call in the issue, asking why there were no lights and if it was safe to cross,” he explained.

“This would obviously improve safety and reduce response times.”

With many UWCs defaulting to ‘dark mode’ when not in use, Schweizer is also keen to introduce ‘waking-up’ systems, which would respond to approaching pedestrians as well as passing trains.

The cameras integrated into these crossings could even capture CCTV footage, helping to improve safety and deter vandals.

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Level Crossings

“The technology is already out there,” said Neil.

“It’s being looked at, but in isolation. We want to bring these separate elements together.

“We’ve already done a demonstration using a phone produced by DAC. We’ve got a productionised model, which we demonstrated at the National Level Crossings Innovation Day last year and had connected earlier this year. It’s been put forward as a suggestion, and just needs to be approved as a system.”

Schweizer also hopes to make use of existing camera technology.

“We’ve been speaking to a company called Commend, which supplies pinhole camera modules,” Neil added. “These cameras could be mounted and, using existing circuitry, could ‘wake-up’ crossings when users approach.”

By bringing together separate technologies to create a single responsive system, Neil is confident that Schweizer can improve security at these problematic crossings.

“What we’re trying to do is prove to the industry that we can make things safer,” he said. “If the best solution is to close a crossing, that’s fine – we’ll hold our hands up.

“But if it can’t be closed, then what can we provide that is a safe and an approved solution?”

Keep it simple As the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBR TT) prepares its strategy for industry-wide revenue recovery, Schweizer’s focus is also on developing more cost-effective solutions.

“We’ve been challenged to reduce the overall cost of bringing in user-worked crossings,” Neil continued. “Supplying crossings with integrated telephones would certainly reduce installation costs.

Less concrete, and fewer bases, would be required.

“With an integrated system, it would also be a one-team, rather than multiple-team, installation.”

The benefits aren’t just financial. Bolting products together could help to simplify the approvals process, leading to faster, smoother installations.

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“The question is whether we’re ready to push this technology through the approvals process, or if we want to adapt and improve it.”

In addition to providing complete systems, Neil added, Schweizer is also exploring the possibility of supplying its controls to other manufacturers.

“It’s not just whether we can provide the complete solution, but what can we provide that forms part of a solution,” he said. “We’re completely supplier agnostic and are talking to a range of potential partners.”

Neil believes that collaboration between suppliers will drive innovation, making for safer, more efficient products.

New installations “With separate products, we have to go through separate channels before installation can take place,” Neil added. “But, with one system, we should just need one standard and one process.”

Schweizer is also looking to Europe for inspiration.

“In Ireland, sensor cables are clipped to the tracks,” Neil explained. “That reduces costs dramatically, as there is no need for troughing.

There’s a newly approved clip on the market that would allow us to do this kind of clipping.”

He added that ultimately, Schweizer’s goal is to provide “safer solutions at a lower cost.”

Barrier machines While Schweizer is synonymous with user-worked crossings in the UK, the company supplies and installs larger barrier drives across continental Europe. Now, Neil revealed, they may be looking to introduce this technology to the UK market.

“We’ve got a lightweight barrier drive solution,” he explained. “We’ve installed three of these systems on heritage lines here in the UK: one at Swanage, and two at Dean Forest. “We’ve provided both manually controlled and automatic barriers, so it’s something we know we can deliver.

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In the meantime, Schweizer continues to enhance and optimise user worked crossings in the UK. A newly installed pilot system at the Globe Inn level crossing in Stonehouse, Stroud, Gloucestershire, is a case in point.

The system, which was taken from Schweizer’s innovative Flex range, features an interactive signalling system and unique speed-detection axle counters from Frauscher. These sensors can gauge the speed of approaching trains, helping to establish whether signals are working effectively.

Prior to the upgrade, the crossing used an audible-only alarm system to alert pedestrians of an oncoming train. However, they faced inconsistent and lengthy waits as the alarm would sound for anywhere between 30 seconds and five minutes because it could not differentiate between a train calling at Stonehouse station and a fast train passing non-stop. This meant some people would take dangerous risks, crossing the line while the warning was sounding and into the path of an oncoming train.

The new system uses a red light and alarm when a train is due that has a more consistent warning time of around 18-25 seconds, giving users a more reliable warning. When it is safe to cross, a green light is shown.

Richard Pedley, Network Rail’s Western route level crossing manager, said: “We’re pleased that this trial has proved so successful and provides a great example for roll out at similar level crossings nationwide where trains are likely to stop close by.

“The red/green light system, with its consistent warning time, will improve the confidence of users who need to cross the railway and reduce the amount of safety incidents.”

There are other benefits too. “If the train slows down as it approaches the crossing, we know the signals are working,” Neil explained. “But if the train doesn’t decelerate, there’s obviously a problem with the signals, which can then be addressed. It’s just another way of improving safety on the line.”

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Rolling Stock Maintenance Conference

We’ve got the data, now we need to use it

Image: RBD

Inside Track was invited to the London Business Conference Group’s 2022 Rolling Stock Maintenance Summit to find out how businesses across the world are optimising their depots and using technologies in a smarter way

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These new trains now have the digital infrastructure

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he railway industry’s digital renaissance is gathering momentum. An emerging theme over the last few years in the Rolling Stock Maintenance Summit is that data is good, and we need to be working smarter and invest in new technologies that reduce downtime and help us work faster.

Over the years, those working in the rolling stock sector have listened, taken best practice examples from across the world and are implementing those same technologies into their own depots – investing in new practices and innovations that help them maintain trains and prolong lifespans.

Now, those conversations and hot topics are changing. In years past, at the start of this digital renaissance, it was about how we gather data to tell us how we improve what we do and, as a result, the industry is drowning in a pool of big data. At this next stage of the renaissance, we are now focusing on how we use that data, turn it into information and analyse it in ways that will truly make a significant difference. On top of this, a new challenge of onboarding absolutely everybody involved to embrace these new working practices and adopt these new technologies into their daily working patterns has arisen.

These changing conversations are exactly what the Rolling Stock Maintenance Summit aimed to tackle. Through its exploration of these varying themes, it focused on how we can use these optimisations to reinforce predictive and preventative maintenance.

From 28 June until 30 June, delegates from across the world were able to attend, physically and virtually, the conference, which was held at Hilton London Paddington.

Being smarter with data Digitalisation has been a hot topic in the railways for the last couple of decades. From a rolling stock perspective, this move has supported diagnostics on every single part of the train, while collecting key information that helps depots to truly understand the nuances of the rolling stock they maintain – from the train cab through to the toilets.

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This has been particularly useful for UK train operators with most operating new fleets rolled out over the last few years. These new trains now have the digital infrastructure to work smarter and improve reliability, compared to the previous fleets with retrofitted digital systems.

Digital maintenance strategy Fleet director Darren Willshire and commercial director Justin Southcombe, from the conference’s main sponsor Hitachi Rail, attested to this and demonstrated how, through a digital maintenance strategy which combines remote condition monitoring, fleet management software and maintenance management, it can use both real-time data and digital twin data to influence how it maintains the new trains it has rolled out across many operators, such as Great Western Railway (GWR), Hull Trains, TransPennine Express (TPE) and Southeastern, in its depots.

Through Perpetuum, a combination of sensors, such as the vibration-powered Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSNs) on bogie components, and Data Concentrators, allows Hitachi to define algorithms that has reduced resource on maintenance by 64 per cent and increased asset performance by 76 per cent on Southeastern’s fleet.

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Rolling Stock Maintenance Conference

This did not come without its challenges.

Through machine learning, SNCF discovered that too few failures, or a lack of precision in predictions, did not allow for effective predictive maintenance and, in some cases, could lead to over-maintenance which could impact lifespan of various parts. Interpreting this data too was also essential and using people with the right skillsets is essential in getting the desired outcomes.

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It can anticipate when components will be damaged months in advance

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By simply using this data in a way that provides actionable information, it can anticipate when components will fail months in advance – using preventative maintenance to reduce lost time for Southeastern, while increasing maintenance availability by reducing the need for overhauls where it is not appropriate. It is also conducting pilot studies on the East Coast main line to identify where there are opportunities to reduce overhead line damage and repair time through early identification of faults through the use of optical hardware focused on the pantograph to identify any potential alerts as the train travels along the track.

One of the most important facets in Hitachi’s success is combining its technology and the different streams of data it collates into one Digital Asset Monitoring Ecosystem to inform decisions.

The key to sustaining this approach, as demonstrated by SNCF research and development manager Philippe de Laharpe, is using historical data wisely and not averaging any effects, which may mask errors and defects in the system.

SNCF has undergone a significant digital transformation and, as demonstrated through a series of presentations as part of this conference, has investigated how it categorises its data and reuses it to implement predictive maintenance in a smarter way.

Getting people onboard With this big data comes the need for the right people to analyse and interpret it, while building algorithms and programmes which support maintenance schedules and optimise depots as much as possible. That comes through attracting new talent, a problem the wider railway faces, and upskilling and onboarding its current workforce into new ways of working.

Rail Engineering Solutions are here to provide Turnkey Technical support within the rail and rolling stock industry.

We offer a 24/7 emergency call-out service across the UK from mainline failures to incidents and derailments.

While rail is undergoing its digital renaissance, so are other industries across the world.

This competition means that, as ÖBB digital innovation manager Gerald Schinagl confirmed, rail has to make itself more attractive to those that have the digital knowledge and skills to continue to optimise the railways.

One way of achieving this is through awareness. ÖBB itself is engaging with children at a young age to show them the benefits of working as an engineer in rail and some of the technologies they could work when they embark on their careers.

Culture shift As many speakers pointed out, we are now at a stage where there is a shift in culture. Whereas before the process was to rely on the manager for information and direction, an increased reliance of data and the interpretation of that data is now resulting in those younger, more digitally enabled individuals telling managers what they need to do.

An increase in the number of apprenticeship opportunities will also contribute to alleviating this and businesses have an obligation to provide various paths into the industry to support these digitally knowledgeable individuals.

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Maintance Optimisation

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

To sub-contract or not?

Pulling from that digital talent pool will be a topic of conversation in the rail industry for a few years yet. For train operators, there is a need to use the resources that rail has now in order to reduce lost time and use different maintenance delivery models to optimise how its trains are maintained.

A solution to this was addressed by Transpennine Express’ (TPE) fleet, safety and service director Paul Staples, in his speech Comparison of Maintenance Delivery Models (to work in-house or sub-contract). In this presentation, Paul discussed the considerations TPE had around outsourcing its trains compared to completing maintenance in-house – taking into consideration its mix of four different train models, three from different manufacturers.

The crux of this came to Control vs. Risk – in-house increased control, but there was a greater risk where maintenance would not be its core business. Outsourcing generally maintained a sustained link to the manufacturer, while simplifying the supply chain management.

Despite this, outsourcing creates additional commercial costs, and the issue of competing for attention with other customers could increase the risk of lost time – a factor in which the TOC would have less control.

Southeastern’s head of major contracts, Steve White (not the managing director, he hastened to add! That’s another Steve White…) addressed the same issue. In his presentation, Steve discussed his preferences of maintenance contract – from Train Services Agreements (TSA) (outsourcing) through to Spares Agreement (SA) (in-house) only.

July 2022

Pantograph monitoring

His preferred outcome was the middle ground – a Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA) which contracted out cost risk and relied on the knowledge, skillset and improving innovations from the manufacturer, while retaining control and upskilling the operator workforce.

Mastering growing demand Turning the data into information that can be used is key in improving the safety of the trains while improving productivity and increasing the throughput of a depot.

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These systems included a consistent approach, so that information was retained in a way that was easier to interpret

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While that remains an underlying challenge, many speakers spoke of the challenges they faced upskilling and getting all colleagues on board with these new systems. Change itself can bring concerns, and the age-old anxiety of ‘machines replacing the need for human labour’ is always in the back of many minds.

Philippe Laharpe spoke about how, through early engagement and the use of early adopters to influence the rest of the team, SNCF supported the transition towards a data-led maintenance operation as smoothly as possible.

An essential component of this was through understanding day-to-day challenges of the teams to ensure that any new systems help teams, rather than burden them further. By using a centralised team of expert repairmen, who intervene in workshops to support local teams and generally have respect of others around them, supported the change. Alongside this, continued co-operation through the collation of continued feedback allowed SNCF to improve the digital systems and give these teams a sense of ownership.

Image: Hitachi

Rolling Stock Maintenance Conference

However, heavily relying on data to complete predictive maintenance can come with some disadvantages. Completing diagnostics on certain components of a train, such as the bogie, for example, can lead to over-maintenance – which in turn creates unnecessary maintenance schedules and a quicker deterioration of the part over time due to continued configuration. As TfL maintenance performance improvement manager, Muthu Thiagarajan discussed, the need to develop Minimum Acceptable Criteria (MACs), a suitable Vehicle Maintenance Schedule (VMS) and use of Asset Management Systems (AMS) has changed the heavy overhaul schedule from 800,000km to

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1,200,000km on its fleet, reducing interventions across the life of a train from nine to six. This was achieved through the development of robust decision-making tools, systems and processes, which included a mix of data and human input to ensure only optimum data was captured.

These systems included a consistent approach, so that information was retained in a way that was easier to interpret and supported the teams to complete maintenance without affecting train availability. Through understanding the data, TfL ascertained that by increasing exam tasks by 2,000km, it would equate to a saving in the depot of 217 hours per year – reducing resource constraints and facilitating better shift patterns.

And what did we learn?

After more than 30 varied presentations, this is certainly a positive era in depot-based maintenance.

We have come a long way as an industry; we are implementing new technologies that give us the data we need to inform the right decisions and reduce downtime while improving the amount of space available to maintain more trains in the depot.

But these new technologies do not mean the industry automatically starts working smarter.

Companies are investigating how they correctly analyse data to give them the right outcomes to be able to work as efficiently as possible. Without the right resources in place, this presents a new challenge. Data may support in learning about failures, predict failures before they happen and understand the effects if they do happen - but the need for human intervention is still essential.

Most importantly, all speakers acknowledged that we have all made great progress, but there is still more to do to make the most of the digital renaissance we are currently in.

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Innovation

Interfacing the old with the new

Image: John Chaddock

Obsolescence is a perennial problem on the railway, as one part of a system becomes outdated before it can easily be replaced

Technician’s Terminal at West Midlands Signalling Centre

New solutions The biggest problem is the early electronic systems of the 1970s and 80s. Their constituent components are often obsolete and unavailable, so new solutions have to be found.

A particular challenge is interfacing new equipment with old, so that modern digital rail operating centres can control earlier signals, track circuits and level crossings.

July 2022

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We offer exceptional knowledge and vast experience, a pioneering approach to problem solving

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lthough the railway certainly employs some of the latest technologies, it also has its challenges with old and outdated systems.

There are many reasons for this. The sheer scale of the network - 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and thousands of signals, level crossings and stations – means that obsolete equipment cannot be replaced overnight, even if the funding could be found.

So, while in some areas the latest signalling and control equipment is in operation, in others, engineers have to cannibalise redundant equipment to keep in-service systems running. It’s not ideal, but it works.

Park Signalling specialises in this complicated field. It delivers safety-critical engineered solutions for the railway signalling and telecommunications industry worldwide, along with Industrial control system solutions globally.

Formed in 2000 by key staff from the former Manchester office of Alstom Signalling when it closed, the company now employs 40 people, predominately experienced engineers who are specialists in their field. These are supplemented by a similar number of part-time associates who provide additional resource and/or specialism and who contribute as dictated by workload requirements.

Business development director Ian Allison commented: “We offer exceptional knowledge and vast experience, a pioneering approach to problem

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solving, an innovative design and development capability, coupled with an extensive range of products and services.”

Now owned by Unipart Rail Holdings, Park Signalling is a business unit within the Unipart Technologies Group.

Technologies group “The reason the Technologies Group was created was that there are a number of small companies like ourselves which have been allowed to retain both their brand and their autonomy because of the specialist work that they do,” added managing director Andrew Wright.

“Unipart recognised that certain parts of the organisation needed to continue to be agile, able to react quickly to get investment in order to generate the business that they want to pursue.

So, we are part of the group which includes Instrumentel, which does data capture and very clever telemetry with the rail industry, Formula One and defence, Comms Design, which we work very closely with on some signalling projects, and Metlase, which is a joint venture between Rolls Royce and Unipart.”

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Innovation

It is designed to reduce risk at User Worked Crossings by encouraging good user behaviour while also providing basic maintenance diagnostic information. Another, and totally different, current development is an optical datalink module that will allow SSI data links to go over fibre optic cables instead of twisted copper pair cables.

“By using fibre optics, there’s not the interline side interference from high-voltage power supplies,” Ian explained. “The signal strength is a lot better along the fibre optic cable, so we’re developing the equipment itself and will be soon moving that forward to site trials.

“The condition of old copper cables is greatly degraded these days and they are always at risk of lineside theft. Using fibreoptic cables, the signals between the optical data link modules are going to be clearer, and there is less risk of interference and therefore ultimate failure.”

Optical Datalink Module

A major project for Park Signalling has been the updating of the RETB (Radio Electronic Token Block) system in Scotland. A system declared obsolete elsewhere in the UK, it has been retained as it is ideal for controlling the long, single-track lines in the Scotland – the West Highland line that connects Glasgow Queen Street station and the ports of Oban and Mallaig and the Far North line between Inverness and Thurso/Wick.

Park Signalling worked with sister-company Comms Design and installer Telent to upgrade the existing RETB system and develop a new radio interface, complete with base station and on-train equipment.

However, this work is just one example of Park Signalling’s current portfolio.

“We have many, many strengths and strings to our bow,” Andrew Wright continued. “We extend the life of legacy signalling assets, depending on what they are. We’ve done reverse engineering to overcome obsolescence, where we’ve had the relative permissions to do so, and we design, develop and build supporting equipment and tools for legacy signalling systems.”

Best sellers A number of products are already past the development stage and in production. Park Signalling’s Technician’s Terminal is a replacement for the Solid-State Interlocking (SSI) Technician’s Terminal, manufactured by Alstom and Westinghouse, the components and hardware for which are now obsolete.

Using standard Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, chosen with consideration for their longevity, Park Signalling has developed a modern, graphical user interface which is more intuitive, easier to use and displays information more clearly.

“We have developed products that allow engineers to get information pulled to them rather than physically having to go out into the lineside looking in location cases,” Andrew Wright explained. “That’s very much the direction that the industry is going, extract information out of the system and then remotely putting it in front of the people who need to know it.”

Styling Another ‘direct replacement’ item is Park Signalling’s Digital Block Controller (DiBloC).

This is designed to function in a similar manner to conventional key toke n instruments; using the normal type of key token with the usual four configurations.

“We deliberately made it look like an old-type machine,” Andrew said, “because drivers and signallers are so used to it that there were hardly any issues in terms of their acceptance and ability to use the new instrument. It was a very specific design decision that was made because sometimes, however good something is, if the users decide they don’t like it or it’s too alien, that can cause an awful lot of friction over its introduction.”

These are all good examples of Park Signalling’s important work. Improving legacy signalling equipment, making sure it interfaces well with current systems and using the latest communications techniques, while at the same time considering the users and how they will be asked to change the way they work to accommodate these changes.

New developments An important part of this work is the development of new products that can act as links between modern and legacy signalling equipment and so extend their life.

“We’re developing our GateLock solution for user-worked crossing,” Ian Allison gave as an example. “We have one demonstrator already built, now we are working on the next demonstrator and moving the whole product forward.”

Park Signalling’s new GateLock product is a GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) gate and post fitted with an electronic gate locking system.

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Park Signalling’s Digital Block Controller (DiBloC)

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Tr a i n p r e s e n t a t i o n

Facing the service level challenge Service Quality Regimes are becoming a key performance indicator for train operators. Toby Hawkins, sales director of the managed service provider mpro5, considers the operational challenges they present and how they can be tackled

Penalties Audits are now being carried out using a variety of approaches, and it’s a safe assumption to say that most operators understand what their initial scoring will be. But aggressive rectification penalties, which are effectively service level agreements (SLAs) for closing down failures, pose a big challenge. Operators may now have just 24

July 2022

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Operators may now have just 24 hours to clean a dirty bathroom in an unstaffed station

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ust a few months ago, Rail Reform was imminent but uncertain – nobody was entirely sure how it would impact operations day-to-day. This was nothing new, new systems often don’t reveal their true complexity until they are being used on the ground.

Now, however, operators are starting to discover the wrinkles, problems and ambiguities in SQRs, because they have brought about a massive change in working practices. While they have helped identify issues, closing faults out effectively and understanding their cause is still problematic.

hours to clean a dirty bathroom in an unstaffed station or to replace an out-of-date poster.

This becomes even more of a headache when one considers that the new Department for Transport-mandated SLAs may well not line up the SLAs that passenger operators will have previously contracted with third party facilitiesmanagement providers.

Further, in order to prove that they have met the Service Quality Regime (SQR) requirement, operators have to get their FM provider out to the scene, resolve the action, collect the data to prove

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that it has been resolved and then also prove that a reinspection was carried out.

It seems like luck, not judgement, is going to determine success in such a complicated scenario.

Tackling the problem Some non-compliances may be difficult to close out. For example, if a station ticket office wasn’t open for the required hours on the Wednesday that the audit was conducted, how can it be rectified? It is impossible to fix that fault – that time is past – the office was closed when it should have been open.

So, should a second audit be carried out on the next Wednesday, to show that the office is now open at the appointed time? Or should an explanation such as ‘staff sickness’ just be logged?

Operators are going to find the new process tough to get to implement. There are many gaps in the logic of SQRs as they stand, and some requirements will be, arguably, impossible to fulfil.

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Tr a i n p r e s e n t a t i o n

able to fix any issues and get the evidence back? In short, how does the management team know what is going on?

The sad truth for many passenger operators is that they don’t. Too often, processes are stitched together through online messaging just to try and get things done.

Consolidating data

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As a service provider, mpro5 focuses on making data accessible to the right people in the right contexts

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This isn’t anyone’s fault – both the DfT and the passenger operators have the best of intentions to improve the passenger experience – but the devil is always in the detail and that won’t be truly revealed until the new requirements go live.

It’s not just a rail problem. Whatever the industry mpro5 is working in, the expectation of what will happen when a new process is launched is always wide of the reality. That’s why we put such a huge emphasis on both an agile and iterative implementation process and a service delivery method that includes the ongoing changes so that there are no nasty surprises in the budget.

While this may sound like a situation in which passenger operators will inevitably lose out, this can be mitigated, to a large extent, by more effective data management. Availability of data in a single location is critical to minimising the impact of harsh SLAs, while also giving management the information to improve.

How does the person responsible for a station, for example, get the information they need to be

The implementation of the new SQRs have brought this problem into sharp relief, exposing just how unconnected operations really are.

PDFs, Excel sheets – it’s all far too disparate and there are too many systems operating as silos.

One train operator may have as many as a dozen different systems, from engineering to ticketing, facilities management (FM) to train presentation.

Worse still, some of the solutions the data resides in will not be under the direct control of the train operator but of a third-party – its FM and maintenance providers. So, it’s not realistic to say that it can all be brought into one system.

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It is a daunting, prospect – customer relationship management (CRM), passenger information, station presentation, communications and social media – the list goes on.

As you will have read in previous articles, data consolidation has to be considered seriously by all operators. They might not tear down every silo, but even going from twelve systems to just three would dramatically improve the situation.

Focused data It would be facile to say that any provider can fix this problem entirely, but the mpro5 platform does offer data consolidation, it is flexible and can be modified as the process of implementation exposes more flaws.

As a service provider, mpro5 focuses on making data accessible to the right people in the right contexts, in visualising this for an immediate understanding of where operators are in their SQR scoring, what issues need attention and what’s being done about it. The field application can be used to carry out works and remedial actions, push out notifications to teams and keep everyone on the same page.

While the current situation will prove unsustainable for operators, they need to start looking at the options for data accessibility, legibility and practicality as soon as possible. SQRs will no doubt be refined, but they will probably never be perfect, and the challenges around effective SQR compliance and improving the passenger experience will remain.

Rail Reform has, structurally speaking, been about standardisation of processes across the UK, providing an elevated and consistent passenger experience. This is the watershed moment for passenger operators to do the same.

Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Level Crossings

Level-crossing innovation event opens its gates in Derby The sixth Level Crossing Innovation Day, organised by Network Rail, moved to Derby for 2022

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Anyone who is anyone in level crossings was either working on a stand or walking round the hall

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he Derby Arena velodrome is becoming a significant venue in the rail industry. Not only does it host the annual Rolling Stock Networking event, reviewed elsewhere in this issue, and Rail Infrastructure Networking (22 September 2022), but it was also the venue for the sixth Network Rail Level Crossing Innovation Day (LXID).

This is very much a working show. Senior Network Rail engineers rub shoulders with installers, designers and safety professionals, all looking at how level crossing technology is improving as the railway strives to keep pedestrians and motorists safe at these dangerous intersections.

For 2022, the exhibition moved from York to Derby, and it really benefitted from the extra space. A total of 66 trade suppliers had stands, along with five Network Rail teams.

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Stands large and small Atkins had managed to shoehorn most of a level crossing onto its stand. Two barrier machines, albeit with shortened barriers, three control cabinets and various other bits of kit demonstrated the ‘Level Crossing in a Box’.

Working in conjunction with Unipart Rail and Newgate, the entire crossing took only three hours to put together and get working for the show.

While the real thing may take a little longer, that’s an indication of how collaboration between leading industry players can improve efficiency as well as safety.

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Level Crossings

Newgate and Unipart had their own stands at the innovation day – one on each side of Atkins.

Another large stand was that of Selectequip.

While most exhibitors had one table on which to display their wares, Selectequip had grabbed a row of them to display a vast assortment of products. Two of the new Lith-Ex fire extinguishers, specially formulated to tackle burning lithium-ion batteries, were on show, and seemed a good buy after the recent scares with burning electric scooters on London Underground trains.

In contrast, Aquarius Railroad Technologies had only one table and only one family of products. Oxifree TM198 is an organic thermoplastic coating that provides full encapsulation of metal assets such as signal posts and poles on which CCTV cameras, telephones and other items are mounted at level crossings.

The coating blocks the ingress of contaminants, moisture and oxygen.

This is then wrapped in Oxitape, a moistureactivated composite tape that cures to form a hard, protective shell that is chemical, UV, abrasion and impact resistant. The system is intended to cover and protect damaged and at-risk poles where corrosion is a problem.

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Level Crossings

A simple solution that can be applied quickly and easily to prevent an awkward problem where otherwise the entire pole might need to be replaced.

Multiple suppliers Many products used on and around crossings have more than one supplier, and they all seemed to be there. Cubis, better known for plastic drainage products such as catchpits, was showing its Protrough lightweight, fire retardant cable trough system. Made in Stoke on Trent, this modular GRP

July 2022

cable protection system features a simple slide and drop mechanism for fixing lids firmly onto troughs.

Ibstock subsidiary Anderton Concrete was also at the exhibition, with a traditional concrete trough that is both lighter and more ecological than previous versions, and Hird had another lightweight system.

Alstom and Schweizer were both showing off miniature stop light systems for user-worked crossings, DAC and Gai-Tronics were promoting their telephone systems and DW Windsor demonstrated its LED light heads while the

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Aluminium Lighting Company had the folding poles to put them on.

Chevron Traffic Management and Highway Resource Solutions can manage traffic flows while crossing works are carried out, Rosehill Rail, Polysafe and Strail will supply the panels that make up the road surface, and Premier Rail Services will put them in.

Amey had a joint stand with Sella Controls, on which sat a large and impressive HIMatrix level crossing controller, while Park Signalling’s stand included a very short gate for user-worked crossings.

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Level Crossings

In short, anyone who is anyone in level crossings was either working on a stand or walking round the hall. There was a lot of networking going on too – the coffee stall at the end of the hall was doing a good trade and as many people were renewing old acquaintances as were discussing the latest products with stand holders.

It was good to see the team from Ilecsys again, as well as Concrete Canvas. Duvine and DMS Technologies – battery chargers and batteries – reminisced about a very soggy outdoor plant exhibition at Peterborough three years ago.

Surreally, while this was all taking place, the Canadian and GB cycling teams were circulating around the track above everyone’s heads, preparing for the Commonwealth Games.

At the end of the day – and it was an excellent day – exhibitors were asking what will happen next year? The National Level Crossing Programme Management Office (NLX PMO) team has been disbanded, with some members leaving Network Rail. Discussions are ongoing with industry partners to determine the feasibility of the event continuing. The sixth LXID could well be the last.

But it went out on a high…

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Building Britain’s Railways - MajorJuly projects 2022

Safety

Building a safer railway

Crossings have long been a source for concern as the rail industry seeks to make itself ever safer

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atalties and near misses still occur at many different types of crossing across the UK, with the number of deaths rising in the past year from two to seven.

The pandemic is believed to have played a part in the rise, with people’s behaviours changing as a result of the lockdown, the rise of personal technology such as earbuds and smart devices and even the British people’s love of pets all contributing to the rise in deaths.

Concern over safety at crossings is not just confined to the UK, with the Internatioal Union of Railways (UIC) hosting event across the world highlighting best practice from various countries, enabling infrastructure managers such as Network Rail to learn from other operators, but also share its own success stories, because despite the increase in fatalities in the past 12 months, there are many successes to highlight.

Safety first

July 2022

These accidents are not happening on road crossings, instead they are on passive crossings, often in a rural environment, where the user must make a decision to cross based on what they can see and hear.

These crossings are not fitted with the usual lights and warnings but they do tend to have miniature stoplights (MSL) as Network Rail refers to them.

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Crossings remain a risk area across the world, and Britain is no exception

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Network Rail director of regulator liason Allan Spence spoke to Inside Track from Denver, in the United States, where he was attending a conference marking International Level Crossing Awareness Day. Allan chairs the global level crossing network, part of the UIC working groups.

“Crossings remain a risk area across the world, and Britain is no exception. Last year we saw the number of fatalities go up quite significantly.

“We had two years where we had just two deaths in each of those. It’s never a success if anybody died but it’s far better than when we were in double digits, which isn’t that long ago. Then last year, for a variety of reasons, not all of which we understand, we went back up to seven deaths.”

Allan also said that during the pandemic there was a change in pattern of near misses as well.

User distraction is certainly part of the reason for the increase. “Sometimes it’s technology, whether people are staring at their screen or just listening to stuff; so many people nowadays have conversations using earbuds as they walk past you in the street.”

But there is also another common feature Network Rail has seen in a number of recent deaths and that is people with digs. Sometimes people are putting themselves at risk to help retrieve the animal from the railway, he said, and in one instance it is believed that the person was pulled back into the path of an oncoming train by the dog.

MSLs are integrated with the signalling system, however this is a costly process.

Once Network Rail delves into the interlocking with the signalling systen on an issue with a very high Safety Integrity Level (SIL) then there is instantly a large amoount of cost to install the equipment and it is this which makes MSLs often prohibitely expensive he explained.

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This sitiation has forced Network Rail to develop alternative systems and currently there are two in use; one is a Bombardier product, the other from Schweizer. These products rely on their train detection system and are entirely independent of the signalling system which means Network Rail can use them at a much cheaper cost. “We’ve actually got much more to do to drive down the cost further and one of the things that my international work has told us is that some countries can deploy exactly the same technology more cheaply than we can.

“Ireland uses an identical system and the cost for installing on the Irish railway is somewhere around 50 per cent of the typical cost that we would pay in the UK. That is an area that we’ve got to keep focus on and doing these things at the right price.”

A matter of power Network Rail needs to learn how to undertake such work more efficiently said Allan, who said one of the bigger cost elements is installing a proper power supply and that is what often can make or break such a scheme.

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Safety

Currently Network Rail has deliberately not looked at an SIL four system, which is the highest safety integrity level, instead the pitch is use the system at SIL level three. “We’re now in the latter stages of development specifically for footpath and roadway crossings, which is a lower safety integrity level.

Network Rail is developing this plan with IE and when installed will be known as the Meercat Crossing. Allan explained that the thinking behind the name came from a desire to stop using acronyms and instead use names. The meercat principle of century, which involves sitting up and taking stock of the situation before making sure the community is aware of any imminent danger, is one that the crossing technology will deploy.

Cost issues

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Our campaign messaging is widely recognised as really successful

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Costs remain an issue said Allan, who explained that the cost of the system straight out of the box would be similar to today’s costs. However, where the price currently increases is during installation and whether this is because of the design, the specification used or the size of the cube of concrete installed at the base at the post that holds the warnings. Allan suggested that overengineering any of these can add a lot of extra cost and that the new sign offers Network Rail the chance to make significant savings.

Allan also confirmed Network Rail is also exploring technology that monitors crossings automatically, which work by detecting somebody where they’re not supposed to be and then announcing to them that they’re being watched.

Whilst all this new technology will be useful in Network Rail’s bid to make the railway safer for all its users, there remains the fact the organisation needs to ensure users also recognise they should be doing better themselves.

In comparison to the rest of the world, the figures tend to either be similar to the UK or much worse.

For example this could be due to societal reasons Allan explained, highlighting that in the US there is a huge problem with trespass deaths while level crossing numbers are much bigger than here in the UK. “We’re in a much better place than many countries, but we are lagging behind Ireland, and one or two other European railways at the moment,” Allan explained.

Another area of concern is deliberate misuse of crossings, often highlighted by Network Rail and which have in the past included children playing on the railway.

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Education is key to changing this, and Network Rail is recognised worldwide for its campaigning regarding safety as well as its various programmes designed to highlight the dangers of crossing misuse.

“We use the sort of campaign messaging trying to influence behaviour to stop people thinking that the crossing is a point where you go from A to B, from one side of the railway to the other, it’s not a place to get on the railway for a wander.”

Reducing risk Some road crossings remain an issue for Network Rail, such as half-barriers where people can still walk onto the railway even when the barriers are down and lights are flashing, but this is not where there the bulk of the business’ focus is. RAIB recently reported that it believes the greatest scope to reduce risk at crossings are the passive or user worked crossing (UWC), and this is something Allan said Network Rail agreed with.

Back on 21 January 2021 a Greater Anglia train narrowly missed colliding with two cars at a UWC at Coltishall Lane on the Norwich to Sheringham line during a period when traffic along that stretch of road was higher because of a diversion following an earlier incident on a nearby road.

The train passed over the UWC at 58mph after its driver applied the emergency brake having seen car headlights. Using this crossing relies on telephones to warn road users of approaching trains but RAIB found that the car drivers did not telephone the signalling team before using the crossing, and this may have been due to unfamiliarity with the crossing because signs were ineffective in prompting users on how to cross safely, and because the crossing gates had already opened.

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Safety

RAIB also found that Network Rail, and its predecessors, had not taken measures to close or upgrade the crossing despite being aware of the risks it posed, and it was suggested that this was possible because processes for assessing and controlling risk did not take account of some of the factors present which led to an incomplete understanding of the risks involved. Furthermore, the status of the UWC was not acknowledged within relevant statutory provisions and industry guidance, and this may have affected how safety at these crossings was managed RAIB found. The ORR had taken regulatory action previously but this had not resulted in action by Network Rail to address the risk at this crossing by the time the incident occurred.

RAIB made three recommendations, one of which was that Network Rail should assess and, if necessary reduce, the risks of incidents and accidents at vehicular UWCs which may see significant use by unfamiliar users, consistent with current industry best practice. RAIB also said that Network Rail, in consultation with the ORR and Department for Transport (DfT), should improve signage at UWCs which may share features identified in this investigation. The final recommendation is that the DfT in consultation with Network Rail and the ORR should evaluate the extent to which recent guidance on the drafting and making of level crossing orders will better enable the implementation of improved safety measures at level crossings.

Allan described the Coltishall situation as: “frankly, it just isn’t the right sort of crossing technology on a public road,” and added that that is an area that will require more focus.

Sucessful campaigns

“But, while there are lots of findings and performance that can be shared about what has worked well for Network Rail, Allan is also keen to highlight that there is more work to be done and that Network Rail should be doing even better, stating that until there are zero fatalities then there is always a problem.

There is also the human factor, the tragedy in any fatality, to consider as well says Allan, citing the Elsenham accident in December 2005 when two teenage schoolgirls were struck and killed by a train on a crossing at the Essex station. “We often talk about numbers, but there is the ripple effect on all friends and families. That double fatality brought it home; two teenage girls who set out to do some Christmas shopping and never got home, never got to the shops, let alone home to their families.

“It’s a massive set of tragedies, so whether we talk anonymously, about location, or even just about numbers, it’s always important to bring it back to the human element that has effects on so many more people.”

Allan says that 10 years ago he introduced a new policy at Network Rail regarding the human element when it came to fatalities.

This was used following a track worker death at Surbiton in February 2021 when the wife of the deceased requested that Network Rail used pictures of her with her husband in order to make it real and human.

“It’s much more likely to influence somebody to do the right thing and avoid being the next statistic, so that was the approach I brought into Network Rail and it is widely recognised in the company as something which it feels the right thing to do.”

The work by Network Rail is rightly being highlighted across the world by Allan, however as he points out, there is much more to be done.

Thankfully, Network Rail is learning and developing all the time, and so, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, crossings will not be the safety issue they currently are.

The situation is not all doom and gloom for the UK rail industry and crossings said Allan, who highlighted that in the past decade some 1,300 crossings have been closed. “We’ve had huge success in developing new technology and other countries have picked up what we have developed.

Our campaign messaging is widely recognised as really successful, and the appointment of level crossing managers is one of those things we did some years ago, which is still seen as best practice.” Network Rail will risk assess every single level crossing he explained, which will enable the organisation to ensure that the right controls for the right crossing are in place. “It’s no good saying it’s a user worked crossing or it’s a miniature stoplight crossing, you actually need to look at the specific characteristics,” Allan explained, adding that level crossing managers have played a huge role in the success Network Rail has enjoyed over the last 10 years.

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A n d f i n a l l y. . .

Birmingham gets a helping hand Volunteers help ensure station in tip-top condition for Commonwealth Games

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Preparation

installing them at the station, while refreshing existing planters and reviving the station gardens between the platforms. The team also added ‘Daycation’ posters across the station, which promote local attractions and destinations.

Facilities management company Mitie also contributed to the transformation at the station by taking part in a thorough deep clean and refreshing painted platform markings and vintage benches.

The Chiltern Railways team on site worked with everybody involved in the makeover and the operator has placed on record its thanks and appreciation for the new-look station.

Eleni Jordan, commercial and customer strategy director for Chiltern Railways, said: “We are delighted to have worked with the Friends of the Shakespeare Line on this energetic transformation of Birmingham Moor Street station.

Image: Richard Clinnick

Birmingham Moor Street was shut for a week during June due to engineering works taking place in the nearby Tyseley area in preparation for the Games. During that same week industrial action also took place, and so it was seen as the ideal time to ensure the station was thoroughly cleaned ahead of what is expected to be a busy period for the rail network in Birmingham.

The team from Chiltern Railways, which manages the station, were joined by the community group The Friends of the Shakespeare Line (FOSL), which is a community station partnership formed at the outset of the pandemic by friends and neighbours of the railway stations between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon.

FOSL was instrumental in building 11 custommade ‘platform-scale’ garden planters and

Image: Richard Clinnick

he Commonwealth Games are being held in Birmingham as this issue of Inside Track is published.

The railway has been working hard to carry out upgrades ahead of the two-week event held between 28 July and 8 August.

But it’s not just the likes of Network Rail getting ready for this major event – volunteers have worked alongside the infrastructure manager to ensure the region is ready.

One such example is at Birmingham Moor Street station, which has undergone a deep clean and replanting programme in a collaboration between Chiltern Railways, a local community group and Network Rail.

More than one million additional passengers are expected to travel on the West Midlands rail network, according to Chiltern Railways.

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“The results are a credit to the group’s superb can-do attitude and their professional approach to working in a railway environment.

“The tireless efforts of everybody involved in the project shows just how much people care about their railways, and we greatly appreciate the time, energy and professionalism that was brought to Moor Street for the benefit of our customers.”

Immeasurable benefit Patrick Power, head of customer strategy and performance (Central Route) for Network Rail, said: “We are very grateful to the FOSL who volunteer tirelessly to bring local character and uplifting landscaping to stations in central and south-east Birmingham.

“Their work brings immeasurable benefit to the railways and makes the stations a much more attractive place for passengers, greatly improving the customer experience, which is one of the main aims of the new Great British Railways.”

Fraser Pithie, chair of FOSL, said: “We had a great day as a team of volunteers, and we have shown what can be achieved by a group of people who bring their volunteer energies to the railways.

“We have certainly given Moor Street station a visual boost. We are also pleased with the new ‘Daycation’ posters, promoting local attractions and destinations. When passengers return, we hope they will enjoy the colours, the sentiment and the glory of a natural green environment installed at one of Birmingham’s key main line stations.”

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