Rail Director October 2023

SP O N OT L FR IGH EIG T HT October 2023

EXCLUSIVELY FOR RAIL INDUSTRY LEADERS October 2023

Maggie Simpson Award-winning innovations help deliver freight growth Richard Moody Growing rail freight Mark Wyborn Working together to mitigate significant challenges RBF Taking the charity from strength to strength

38

TIM SHOVELLER

railbusinessdaily.com

Driven to make the rail industry better

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11/10/2023 10:51

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INTRODUCTION

The future of UK rail freight W

elcome to the latest edition of Rail Director, one that is shining the light on rail freight.

At a time when the headlines seem to be dominated by rail strikes and the scrapping of the northern section of HS2, it is heartening to hear of the more positive news surrounding rail freight, a success story which can only be a good thing for the industry and the environment.

Recent research by Rail Partners revealed that if the government sets an ambitious target to treble rail freight by 2050, the sector will deliver nearly £5.2 billion in economic benefits every year and take 20 million HGV journeys off the roads. The industry is ready for the challenge, and driven by a good mix of expertise and passion I am sure it will succeed.

As Tim Shoveller explains in this month’s cover feature “rail freight is the right thing to do for the environment, the right thing for the country economically, and the right thing for the rail industry to diversify, especially with fewer passengers”. Tim joined Freightliner from Network Rail and shares his career journey and aims and aspirations working in freight.

Richard Moody, Programme Director of Freight Reform at the Great British Railways Transition Team, also talks to Rail Director about what has been happening so far, a reflection on a recent call for evidence on how the sector can grow, and how the government might be revealing a growth target by the end of the year.

Innovation is at the heart of the future of UK rail freight with numerous studies underway about how freight trains can be greener and more efficient. In the shorter term Porterbrook has recently seen the introduction of 100 new FEA-G intermodal wagons and 50 new JNA-X box wagons in the UK. Its Head of Freight Mark Wyborn explains how a pandemic, supply chain disruption and a surge in inflation didn’t impact their delivery.

Although this edition centres on rail freight, it was also a real joy to speak with the Railway Benefit Fund’s new Chief Executive Officer Jo Kaye. The charity’s latest impact report revealed that every four minutes someone in rail reaches out to the charity for help and support so it was it was interesting to hear about the journey ahead for Jo. You can read more about her plans in this magazine.

That is just a taste of what is in the pages ahead. Thanks as always to everyone who has played a part in this edition. It can be easy to get caught up in the negative headlines when it comes to the railways, but I hope the latest Rail Director highlights the fantastic work underway and why we should incredibly optimistic about what the future holds.

All the best

Danny Longhorn Editor

The industry is ready for the challenge, and driven by a good mix of expertise and passion I am sure it will succeed

Rail Director magazine and Railbusinessdaily.com are assets owned by the Railway Industry Association. Railbusinessdaily.com delivers more than 70 stories a week to +73,000 rail industry professionals in our daily 7am newsletter. If you have not already subscribed, it’s free and it’s easy to do so at www.railbusinessdaily.com, please also encourage your colleagues to do the same.

This is the very best way to keep abreast of what is happening on the UK’s railways. There is a digital copy of Rail Director on our website.

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October 2023

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CONTENTS

14

6

Driven to make the rail industry better

Tim Shoveller recently joined Freightliner as Chief Executive Officer of Genesee & Wyoming UK/Europe. He shares his career journey and aims and aspirations in his current role

10 A focus on high-end quality, safety standards and innovation

Rail & HS2 Minister Huw Merriman MP said he had a great discussion with the Polish Minister of Infrastructure & Construction Andrzej Adamczyk about what UK industry can bring to the Polish railway to help with its expansion

12 News

30

14 Award-winning innovations help deliver freight growth

Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General of the Rail Freight Group, reflects on a recent awards dinner and the state of rail freight

18 Growing rail freight

Work is well underway to increase the amount of freight transported by rail.

Richard Moody, Programme Director of Freight Reform at the Great British Railways Transition Team, explains more

22 Enhancing rail freight connections to the EU market

John Keefe, Chief Corporate and Public Affairs officer at Getlink Group, explains the importance of going all in with loading gauge enhancements on the conventional railway lines through Kent

54

28 Raising the roof for rail freight

Niall McCarthy, Rail Development and Delivery Manager at Nestlé UK & Ireland, says the FMCG company’s plan to move more products by rail to support its drive to reduce its carbon footprint is gaining steam

30 Taking the charity from strength to strength

The Railway Benefit Fund has appointed Jo Kaye as its new Chief Executive Officer. She has vowed to harness knowledge and contacts gained from her experience to further the charity’s impact

32 Working together to mitigate significant challenges

100 new FEA-G intermodal wagons and 50 new JNA-X box wagons have all arrived in the UK. Porterbrook’s Head of Freight and Route Services Mark Wyborn explains how a pandemic, supply chain disruption and a surge in inflation didn’t impact their delivery

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Winter protection for turnouts October 2023

5

CONTENTS

38 The Railway Industry Association Conference 2023

RIA’s Award-winning Annual Conference is a much-regarded highlight of the UK rail calendar and 2023 will be no exception

42 Cutting-edge advancements in rail operations

Freightliner has opened a brand-new Operational Training Academy in Doncaster.

Jonathan Ellerbeck, ERTMS Operations Specialist, explains more

44 Human performance in the rail freight yard

Rail professionals, stakeholders, human factor experts, technical specialists and academics have come together to discuss the challenges and solutions to safe, high-performance operations. Dr David Golightly explains more

46 PathPlanner: Powering freight through technology

3Squared has developed PathPlanner to help simplify the complexities around how paths can be opened to accommodate for the growth in rail freight. The company explains more

54 Improving wellbeing as one big railway family

Registration has opened for Rail Wellbeing Live. Ruth Busby, Chair of the Steering Board, explains more

58 End of the road for HS2’s northern section

The Prime Minister has said the government will deliver HS2 between Birmingham and Euston, but it will be extended no further, with the money instead invested in a range of alternative projects

64 International news 66 Powered axles are the way to go

New technology currently under development in Derby could cut emissions, increase efficiency and reduce cost for freight operations in the future

72 Slow travel, scenic suppers, and sleeper trains: the future of rail?

In her latest column, East West Rail’s Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain looks at a perception renaissance in rail and the importance of making journeys fun again

74 Never miss an opportunity to network and raise your profile Hundreds of rail industry events are held in the UK each year, combine this with the countless global events and the numbers run into over a thousand, and with good reason

80 Movers and shakers 84 A cut above the rest

Marylebone station barber Demetris Georgiou (commonly known as Chris) hangs up his scissors after 25 years of serving Chiltern customers

www.rmf.co.uk

SP O N OT L F R IG H E IG T HT

EXCLUSIVELY FOR RAIL INDUSTRY LEADERS October 2023

Maggie Simpson Award-winning innovations help deliver freight growth Richard Moody Growing rail freight Mark Wyborn Working together to mitigate significant challenges RBF Taking the charity from strength to strength

TIM SHOVELLER Driven to make the rail industry better

Tel: 01924 665361 Sales: 020 7062 6599 Editor Danny Longhorn danny@railbusinessdaily.com Designer/Production Manager Chris Cassidy Writers Rosie Crampton Fiona Broomfield Nigel Wordsworth Advertising Team Christian Wiles chrisw@railbusinessdaily.com Amy Hudson amy@railbusinessdaily.com Published by RBDMedia (an asset of the Railway Industry Association) trading address 15 Mariner Court, Calder Park, Wakefield WF4 3FL Printed by The Manson Group © 2023 All rights reserved.

Reproduction of the contents of this magazine in any manner whatsoever is prohibited without prior consent from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of the contents of this magazine in any manner whatsoever is prohibited without prior consent from the publisher. For subscription enquiries and to make sure you get your copy of RailDirector please ring 01924 665361 or email info@railbusinessdaily.com The views expressed in the articles reflect the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content is published in good faith.

RMF is a leading provider of railway reservation based international settlement and clearing services, providing sophisticated revenue and cost allocation, including business critical management information.

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October 2023

6

PEOPLE

Tim Shoveller recently joined Freightliner as Chief Executive Officer of Genesee & Wyoming UK/Europe. He shares his career journey and aims and aspirations in his current role

Driven to make the rail industry better I

t was the lure of the challenge that tempted Tim Shoveller to move away from his high-profile role as Network Rail’s Regional Managing Director for North West and Central to become Chief Executive Officer at Genesee & Wyoming UK/Europe.

His task is to continue to drive growth in new markets in both the UK and Europe, as well as continuing to develop innovations already underway that will extend its industry leadership in safety, reliability, and sustainability. But beyond that, he is passionate about championing rail freight and removing the boundaries holding back its potential.

“It’s the opportunity that makes me so enthusiastic about the role; rail freight is the right thing to do for the environment, the right thing for the country economically, and the right thing for the rail industry to diversify, especially with fewer passengers, so I’m enormously excited about the journey ahead,” he said.

“Freight and the railways have grown up together – the railways were invented to carry freight. But we have a passenger-dominated railway in the UK which means that some of the value that freight can bring to the railway and the country’s economy and distribution network we’re not able to currently realise.

“I like the idea of the challenge of growing it, I like the idea of making sure freight does deliver on its potential more so than perhaps it has been able to do in recent years. There are fundamental questions to answer, including are we cost competitive with road and if we’re not, what are we going to do about it? We have to act quickly because otherwise customers will choose road instead.”

Tim’s background in the railways is predominantly on the passenger side of things, which included being Managing Director of Stagecoach Rail, which among other things saw him lead the development of a working alliance between operators and the infrastructure agency to collaborate on capacity enhancement to leverage more room for peak hour services at South West Trains.

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PEOPLE

Although seen as a newbie to the freight side of things, he is keen to stress he has been part of the freight family from a rail perspective both during his role at Network Rail, and previously in his time a decade ago in Wessex doing an alliance job with South West Trains and the route.

“Freightliner was a big customer on the Wessex route down to Southampton, so I’ve been able to see it from the other side of the fence and now I’ve changed side and I can see it from the freight operator’s perspective,” he added. “This current role enables me to bring together all the things I’ve learnt throughout my career about people, safety, economics, and finance.

“There are of course things to learn, especially around new customer commercial dynamics and we’ve got a road fleet of 300 lorries and more than 300 lorry drivers, which is a very different kettle of fish from a train driver.

“There are also the terminal operations, where although there are similarities with stations, there are also differences which I’m excited to learn about.”

When asked about the key to a thriving rail freight industry, it all comes down to one word, ‘collaboration’, an answer he says he’s given every time he’s done an interview.

“Clearly Freightliner cannot be successful on its own,” he said. “We can be more efficient internally, but we’ve got to collaborate better with our partners such as Network Rail and the Department for Transport, and absolutely our customers.

“There is also a perception issue we need to work on when it comes to rail freight. Those who use it like it, those who don’t, don’t. It seems an obvious thing to say, but those who don’t use rail believe it is unreliable, so we need to get the message out there that freight traffic is reliable and has an incredible resilience.

There is an opportunity to be more innovative in how we keep freight trains going even if we might have decided we don’t think it is the right thing to run passenger trains on that line, or at that time of the day, or in that environment.

“Obviously safety is paramount but as long as we are looking after our operational crew and drivers then we can take a different approach to how we keep trains moving than we do passengers. But overall, we need to dispel this myth that we don’t run when the sun comes out, or when it rains or snows. Freight can run when it is hot, when it is snowing, and when it is raining because we have got a very different risk profile. Cancellation is not an option; a train loaded with goods and supplies must reach its destination, so we must have contingency in our plans.”

Freight and the railways Road versus rail have grown up The biggest competitor to rail freight is road. Tim believes that currently there isn’t a level playing together – the field between the two modes of transport. He wants to see this change, particularly given the railways were need to decarbonise and following the success rail freight proved to be during COVID, when with invented to carry fewer passenger services, goods moved quicker and freight therefore rail freight was more economic.

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PEOPLE

Getting GBR up and running would be a good start because clearly there has been something amiss for the last 12-13 years

“There is too much padding in rail schedules, a lot more than trucks have, which is a good example of how the road industry is better at sweating its assets,” he said. “A discussion we need to have is around careful planning and investment so we can make the railway more capable and so we don’t have to have hours and hours of padding in schedules.

An example of what can be achieved is the great work with Network Rail that will see a new, more efficient train plan for the Mendip rail services that is being implemented in December - the first time the timetable has changed in a generation!

Net zero targets Tim added: “Rail freight is a key enabler for the UK to achieve its net zero targets, and unlocking modal shift to rail, including maximising the use of electric locomotives, is the most effective thing we can be doing in the short-term. Longer term we need to look at broader policies and the compromises required for the UK to decarbonise its economy and how rail freight is positioned to support that.

“We need to come up with pragmatic solutions to ensure that rail freight is competitive and we see modal shift. Track access charges is an area to consider. These charges go up by RPI every year and then every five years are recalculated entirely - when was the last time the diesel fuel duty went up for lorries? I’m not anti-road, we have a large HGV fleet, but these vehicles are mainly used to distribute the final mile. It is important to ensure there is a level playing field between the modes so that rail remains competitive. Each mode has its own strengths, and we need policies that seek to leverage those strengths – that is the most efficient way to support UK economic growth and help achieve our environmental commitments”.

“Safety is an interesting one. I am a guardian of rail safety, but if the price of rail safety is we don’t operate trains, or the cost of operating trains becomes prohibitive, all that does is push goods onto the road, which is environmentally worse and less safe.

“I think there is a need for debate within the regulator and indeed government to make sure we’ve got the balance right, because while the legislative regimes are completely different for rail and road, it seems perverse that things happen on road that we would never allow on rail and rail freight. Colleagues have said to me the cost of some of the things we have to do for safety on rail means we are not competitive with road, which doesn’t make sense, so we’ve got to look at that again.”

Reflecting on his career, Tim has always been passionate about working in the railways. By his midteens, he was volunteering at Mid-Hants Railway, prior to being old enough to join British Rail, initially as a guard at Guildford.

“My mother must have got me interested in trains, although both my parents were teachers so there was no link there, but I always wanted to join the railway,” he said. “I did initially go to university, but after three days I had had enough and wanted to join British Rail.

“I never set out with any expectation of getting into senior management. I joined the railway because I liked running trains and I’m happiest when I’ve got my orange on and I’m doing some shunting. But because I have such a deep conviction and support for the industry, I know I can help make the railway better, which is my motivation.

“Taking into account the environmental and societal benefits, if I can help make the railway a bit better using what I have learnt in the last 35 years, then that is great and I’m very lucky to be able to do that.”

A long road His journey has seen him hold managing director roles most recently at Network Rail’s North West and Central Region, but also previously at Stagecoach, South West Trains and East Midlands Trains.

“With the career that I’ve had from starting as a guard and then Eurostar in 1993 before it had opened, I’ve had lots of different railway experiences, but actually it all comes back down to the people and if we get that right anything is possible,” said Tim.

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PEOPLE

“If we focus too much on the logistics, economics or the engineering then we miss the point, which is this is a system that is run for people by people and if we do that well the railways will have a successful future.”

Tim is extremely excited to see what the future holds, both with his new role in rail freight, and also generally for the rail industry, particularly with the proposed transformation for the industry and the rail freight growth target being set by the UK Government.

“I am a huge supporter of the Great British Railway (GBR) concept,” he said. “Getting GBR up and running would be a good start because clearly there has been something amiss for the last 12-13 years.

“Roy McNulty’s independent study in 2011 pretty much hit the nail on the head in terms of what the issues were, but we’ve been caught up in a negative spiral since then and we’ve got to break out of it. I don’t see any other solution than GBR; staying where we are is not an option for the long-term survival of the railway.”

Tim is under no illusions about the hard work needed to ensure freight really profits and grows but believes that with a freight unit and a strategy moving forward, and with everyone pulling in the same direction, it will succeed.

“My one nervousness is that rail freight has massive value for the economy, but it doesn’t make a lot of money,” he said. “That isn’t sustainable, especially with rail costs generally being high, so I think GBR needs to help with some of those structural problems so that we can compete more with road and deliver on the sustainable benefits.

“Passenger trains have got fares revenue attached to them, which is important, but it can’t be the only consideration because rail freight has an essential role in society which needs to be recognised. Growth targets will be an important counterbalance, but we also need effective track access agreements that provide confidence and certainty, so that freight continues to flourish and grow and is not penned in by GBR teams that are chasing every passenger pound.

“The challenge is for the political intent of freight growth to be translated into legislation and codified in a way that means that freight growth is encouraged and promoted, not just tolerated.”

We need to come up with pragmatic solutions to ensure that rail freight is competitive

October 2023

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INNOVATION

Rail & HS2 Minister Huw Merriman MP said he had a great discussion with the Polish Minister of Infrastructure & Construction Andrzej Adamczyk about what UK industry can bring to the Polish railway to help with its expansion

A focus on high-end quality, safety standards and innovation

“W

e have a great reputation as the founder of the railway, and we’ve always been the innovators when it comes to rail offering high-quality safety and innovation and we look towards the future. That is really marketable for the UK rail industry and I’m here to play my part.”

That was the message to Rail Director from the Rail & HS2 Minister Huw Merriman, who was last month supporting UK businesses at the TRAKO Railway Expo, which took place in Gdańsk, Poland. As part of a wide programme of support, the Minister had an in-depth meeting at the Railway Industry Association (RIA) lounge in the UK’s GREAT Pavilion with Andrzej Adamczyk, the Polish Minister of Infrastructure & Construction, before introducing him to exhibitors around the Pavilion.

“We had a great discussion about what UK industry and private industry can bring to the Polish railways as they are expanding with their projects and then it was a great delight when the Minister asked to visit the stands of some of the companies,” added Mr Merriman.

“All three gave brilliant presentations about what they’re doing, not just in the UK, but around the world.

“He was really impressed with what we’ve got to offer with a real focus on high-end quality, safety standards and innovation. That is what they want to hear and that is what we were able to show them so big thanks to the RIA team and the UK Pavilion team for really impressing the Polish government.”

Infrastructure with me then of course I want him to see what we’ve got to offer.

“My job then is effectively sales and marketing of

UK rail. I went from a guest meeting people to being a facilitator so we can win more orders, and hopefully that is what we will do.”

Supporting UK organisations The Ministers met with representatives from Muirhead, a supplier of high-performance, lowcarbon leather to the passenger transport sector, rubber and cork bonding specialist Tiflex Ltd, which demonstrated its Treadmaster fire-safe flooring, and the McCulloch Group, which outlined some of the innovative methods it employs to repair the operational railway.

Mr Merriman added: “My role at the event was to support the UK organisations, but also to interact with my opposite number. It was great to tour the UK Pavilion stands and hear what they’ve got to offer, but what they’re all here to do is to be able to sell and export abroad, so if I’ve got the Secretary of State for

October 2023

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INNOVATION

Mr Merriman spent most of his time in the UK’s GREAT Pavilion, but also had a chance to tour the fair and meet other exhibitors at the Expo. He added that, while he had been impressed by what he’d learned about the projects taking place in Europe – and the opportunity they represented for the UK – a team effort was needed to make sure the spotlight was on the UK’s rail organisations.

“Looking at some of the projects in Europe it would be impressive to tap into them, but you also see the competition we have as well and we’ve got to be on our toes,” said Mr Merriman. “That is why the Great Britain and Northern Ireland stand, the marketing of it, and everyone being together as one team is important and why I wanted to be part of that. I’m proud to play my part and do my bit.”

TRAKO is the largest rail industry meeting in Poland and one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a presentation of the state of the art in transport systems and railway infrastructure in Poland, Europe and around the world.

“The UK has always been open for international trade and we are based internationally as well,” said Mr Merriman. “We want to continue to see the inward flows as well as the outward flows. As a country, as an island, that’s what it has been about for our entire history.

“We’re keen to see more investment from outside, that’s another part of our reason to be at TRAKO to attract more, those alliances. But what I really want to see is exports out of the UK, so that we provide more jobs, more for UK plc and also more reasons why the UK taxpayer should always support the UK rail network.

“Because it is not just about creating a railway for the UK, it is about exporting it abroad and making money from it to return to the taxpayer. That is the journey we are on.”

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “It was great to see the minister supporting UK rail exporters at TRAKO. The Railway Industry Association has been working to provide a strong platform for suppliers at these expos for many years, and having the Rail & HS2 Minister attending and promoting UK rail abroad at events like TRAKO really does give a significant boost to these suppliers’ efforts to sell goods and services overseas, ultimately generating jobs and GVA for UK plc back home.”

Above (left to right): Darren Caplan, RIA Chief Executive, Huw Merriman MP, Rail & HS2 Minister; Polish Infrastructure & Construction Minister Andrzej Adamczyk and Tomasz Buczy ń ski, Director, Ministry of Infrastructure Opposite top (left to right): Huw Merriman MP, Rail & HS2 Minister; Polish Infrastructure & Construction Minister, Andrzej Adamczyk; and translator.

Opposite bottom (left to right): Jeremy Oliver and Dan Hassam (Tiflex), Huw Merriman MP, Polish translator, Polish Infrastructure & Construction Minister Andrzej Adamczyk and Tomasz Buczy ń ski, Director, Polish Ministry of Infrastructure

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NEWS

Carousel Logistics teams up with Varamis Rail to electrify cargo route between England and Scotland

C

arousel Logistics has joined forces with Varamis Rail to develop a fully electric rail cargo route between Birmingham and Glasgow.

The partnership was formed in February of this year, and now, following a successful trial, the electric route has officially become part of Carousel Logistics’ pan-European delivery operations.

Andrew Lowery, Managing Director UK, Carousel Logistics, said: “The introduction of this zero-emission route out of Birmingham, our primary UK hub, is a real win-win for us. Not only does this high-speed electric train drive our journey towards carbon neutrality, it is also faster than the diesel-fuelled alternatives.

“We’re looking forward to expanding our partnership with Varamis Rail as they add more capacity to this route, and sustainably connect more British cities.”

Varamis Rail, the UK’s first electric-only express rail freight operator, is utilising former passenger trains and has converted them to carry cargo at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour between the Midlands and Scotland. The trains are powered by Network Rail’s overhead line infrastructure, with all electricity generated from environmentally friendly sources.

Phil Read, Managing Director, Varamis Rail, said: “Carousel Logistics has been instrumental in helping us design a route that meets the needs of time-critical delivery services – for this venture to be successful, it must serve the industry.

“Like ourselves, they’re pioneers – their team is innovative and exploring new, green alternatives in a bid to make cargo transport more sustainable.”

Brand-new Operational Training Academy in Doncaster for Freightliner

GB Railfreight opens £5.75 million maintenance hub in Peterborough

Freightliner, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., has officially opened its second Operational Training Academy, located in Doncaster’s Frenchgate Centre.

The Operational Training Academy will prepare Freightliner’s freight train drivers for the introduction of in-cab digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line – South.

The academy, funded by Network Rail as part of the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), marks another milestone for both Freightliner and ECDP as the second location dedicated to the upskilling of drivers on European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) operations.

In May, this year, Freightliner opened its Ipswich Training Academy to serve its south-based employees.

The opening of this new Training Academy in Doncaster will ensure northern-based employees receive consistent levels of training.

Beyond their role in training, Freightliner envisions these academies as spaces for fostering connectivity and collaboration among ECDP colleagues.

GB Railfreight (GBRf) has opened its state-ofthe-art £5.75 million Maintenance Hub, which is located alongside the East Coast Main Line.

The Hub, which is larger than six Olympic swimming pools, was completed in 10 months and brings back into use a derelict plot of land. The facility will be key to unlocking GBRf’s ambitious growth plans as it aims to run c.80 intermodal services a day by 2025.

The building is fully powered by electricity and has been designed to support electric shunt engines and forklifts to reduce carbon emissions.

By analysing four wagons per shift, GB Railfreight says the Hub will be a strategic enabler that creates a step-change in maintenance for the rail freight

Carousel Logistics is now running freight out of Birmingham on Varamis Rail’s midnight service that departs two miles away from the airport and pulls into Mossend rail hub terminal at around 4am. Varamis Rail says the electric route will save 1,350 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year under the current schedule of a return journey between the cities five nights a week.

industry. It will deliver significant safety and reliability improvements that will allow current and future customers to move an even wider range of goods by rail. As new smart technologies emerge, the Hub will be a testbed that will allow GBRf to identify innovative solutions that will drive continual improvement.

John Smith, Chief Executive Officer of GB Railfreight, said: “It demonstrates our commitment to continued investment and innovation in the rail network. The role of the private sector cannot be understated as a tool to help Britain drive jobs and growth in its regional economies and achieve its net zero targets.

“We are excited for the role we get to play in this important journey as we meet the demands of customers looking to decarbonise their supply chains.”

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13

ADVERTORIAL

Advice from Richard Allen, Dip CII NEBOSH Client Director at Jobson James Rail

D

Cyber Risk Update

uring 2022, Cyber related incidents have increased 38% globally compared to the previous year, with more and more businesses being impacted by these events, it’s crucial to understand how you can protect your business operations.

Last year the most common cyber-crime came from hackers impersonating a supplier who is owed money. This involves sending an email in the supplier’s email style and personality and advising them of a change in bank details, immediately before an invoice is due to be paid to that supplier.

When the supplier is paid, the money goes to the crook’s bank account and is lost forever; the theft is only discovered when the real supplier complains of nonpayment weeks later. This is why we

recommend ringing your supplier to check every bank account change.

Ransom claims, where the hacker denies you access to your IT systems unless you pay a ransom, are becoming more common. Hacker’s approaches are becoming more and more complex.

One of our clients was recently hacked, but the hackers were not interested in that railway business.

Instead, the hacker uploaded 50,000 email addresses into the rail company’s Outlook account and the hacker issued emails to attempt to hack into 50,000 banks using the rail company as a ‘trojan horse’.

Cyber insurance has become more expensive. We see new claims most weeks across our railway-related book of 600+ rail clients. The average claim is getting more expensive, and we estimate 10 per cent of our clients have suffered claims.

Complex claims are now costing up to £250,000 and involve up to 20 insurer technical staff, IT people who deal with the virus and cleanse the client’s data, engage with customers about lost data, advise the FCA, manage the PR, provide legal advice about GDPR and communicate with customers and third parties affected by the hack.

Low-cost cyber policies are now rarely on offer as those policies have suffered

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large losses and have been uneconomic for insurers to continue. So premiums are now more expensive but the market is wider, with new insurers coming in and being offered wide coverage. The average policy premium for robust wide coverage is now £1,500 to £2,500 for an SME business, with coverage typically giving limits of £250,000 or £500,000 and upwards. It is critical that all businesses use multi-factor authentication to access their systems when working remotely and this is now a condition of many insurers’ policy cover.

It is important that as part of your insurance review, you are talking about Cyber Liability and the risk that Cyber incidents may have on your business, any railway company is welcome to come to the Jobson James Rail team for advice.

Richard Allen Dip-CII, NEBOSH Client Director – Jobson James Rail 07973 963350

info@jjrail.co.uk

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October 2023

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14

FREIGHT

Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General of the Rail Freight Group, reflects on a recent awards dinner and the state of rail freight

Award-winning innovations help deliver freight growth A

t the start of September, Rail Freight Group (RFG) held its annual RFG Awards dinner, celebrating the very best achievements in rail freight over the previous 12 months. With over 200 members and guests present, it was a great opportunity to celebrate the individuals and teams who have worked to deliver rail freight growth and to improve the service offered to freight customers.

The dedication of the winners – indeed of all our members – is even more impressive when viewed in the light of current market conditions. Over the last five years our sector, like the rest of the country, has struggled with the impact of the EU exit, the pandemic, soaring inflation, and an economic downturn. Add to that the challenges of the railways, industrial action, poor performance, and a stalled reform programme, and it could be hard to see how any business could thrive. Indeed, these challenges have been making themselves felt, particularly this year. The cost of living crisis has reduced demand for goods – we are all buying less – impacting intermodal rail freight.

Meanwhile, the construction industry is struggling with soaring inflation, meaning that new projects are taking longer to start. In the year to 23 March, over 4,000 construction companies went into administration, and the scaling back of government infrastructure programmes (including road and rail schemes) is a further blow to this sector.

Moving ahead Yet despite these challenges, the rail freight sector is continuing to do well. Traffic levels, whilst lower than most would like, are keeping their heads above water and volumes are ahead of last year. Performance is recovering well now that Network Rail’s industrial action has ended, and the number of freight train cancellations is back close to target. The industry and government remain committed to rail freight growth and new customers continue to be attracted to rail.

However, to deliver that potential, the industry needs to reduce costs, increase productivity, and modernise the service offered, all of which need innovation and investment in technology.

Fortunately, as our awards winners demonstrated, there is no shortage of innovation in rail freight, and

that is supported by investment to deliver results for the industry. Our award winners highlight some of the key developments that are underway.

Knorr Bremse, which won the runner-up award in the Sustainability and Safety category, has created a derailment detector which can be fitted to rail wagons. Working with Drax Power and WH Davis, it has demonstrated how the detector can help improve rail freight safety and modernise wagons. Freight wagons historically have had little technology applied but this is an excellent example of the new systems which are being developed.

Innovation is also changing the way that rail freight supports its staff

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FREIGHT

This has streamlined the arrival and departure process for HGVs collecting and delivering containers for the rail services, reducing wasted time and supporting increased train loading, as there is greater visibility of arrivals. Eco2Loco, which was runner up in the category, has also focused on improving rail utilisation, with a booking platform to help fill unused slots on container trains. This system not only helps trains run more productively, but provides a route for smaller freight forwarders and hauliers to access rail services.

A better railway

The cost of living crisis has reduced demand for goods – we are all buying less – impacting intermodal rail freight

Another wagon project was also awarded on the night, with Porterbrook, Greenbriar and GB Railfreight winning a highly commended in the category for Driving Rail Freight Growth. The new intermodal and box wagons that have been delivered will increase payload, allowing more goods to be moved on each train, increasing productivity and reducing carbon emissions for each tonne moved.

Innovation is also changing the way that rail freight supports its staff. GB Railfreight has equipped staff with body-worn cameras, which is helping improve safety for all. This complex project showed excellent collaboration and good results, and was the winner of the Sustainability and Safety award on the night.

Inevitably, data and systems are playing a major part in transforming rail freight – and with much more to come. Two projects, highlighted in our Innovation and Talent category, show how better use of data is improving outcomes for customers and driving productivity. Freightliner, which won the award category, has developed and implemented a new terminal gate automation and vehicle booking system at its rail terminals.

Innovation also comes through business change and by doing things differently to drive growth.

The rail freight project of the year winners have demonstrated exactly this, working to supply materials by rail to support HS2. Working with industry partners, the team at Fishbone developed new railheads, and evolved the rail solution to meet the demands of the project, ensuring maximum use of rail. Our runners-up, Fox Group, Tarmac, and Freightliner demonstrated how unused rail sites can be brought back to life with innovative approaches, converting more goods from road onto rail.

The winner of the Driving Rail Freight Growth and Business of the Year categories, Solent Stevedores, also demonstrated how innovative investment can drive more goods onto rail. Working with ABP at Port of Southampton, Solent Stevedores has made significant investments to develop and enhance the rail terminal, increasing throughput and efficiency of operations and ensuring increased capacity for customers, both on rail and onsite storage.

The award winners demonstrate how innovation and technology are helping to transform the rail freight offer. These excellent initiatives are only part of a journey that is underway to modernise and grow, with many other projects in development across the sector. To support this, RFG has recently launched a members’ Digital Forum which has met twice, and provides a space for discussion of shared challenges, opportunities to collaborate, and information sharing on new developments. Together, we can help overcome the current economic challenges and drive rail freight forward to growth.

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16

ADVERTORIAL

Serco Rail Technical Services explains how it mitigates risk by collaborating with customers to build tailored packages of work that relentlessly drive to solution and delivery

Ready to tackle the unknowns T

he ‘unknown unknowns’: a pair of words that make any engineer feel a cold chill run through their spine.

Unknown unknowns happen ‘in the moment’, and that moment can be anytime from the birth of an idea, up to completion of a project – even post completion when you (or someone) become aware that something is not right, or something has been missed.

An unknown unknown should act as a catalyst – a decision point where commonly there are two courses of action, one being the correct course and one being detrimental with potentially dire consequences. When an unknown unknown is realised, engineering thought process kicks in to generate a solution, as what was once unknown is now known. Whether the solution is conceived by an individual, a team or an external resource, engineering of some guise will quash the ‘known’ issue and observe the effects of change in readiness n readiness for more unknowns to appear. This is a ‘good place to be’ – it inspires trust, it generates confidence, and it will lead to the ultimate solution.

Following in the footsteps of pioneers Fortunately for us, we live in a time when significant unknown unknowns rarely occur - and when, if they do, the result is rarely significantly detrimental. We live upon generations and generations of experimentation and pioneering actions, where people have exposed themselves to unbelievable amounts of risk as they entered unchartered territory where unknown unknowns can bite. With many historical actions, the rewards were high, but the cost was higher, and we have to be grateful for the daring and selfless actions of those before us. So how is any of this applicable to the work that Serco Rail Technical Services does?

We pride ourselves on being ‘that team’ that industry reaches out to, primarily because of two things. The first is our long history of delivering successfully in our areas of expertise. Secondly, it’s because our customers know that with our depth of experience and knowledge, we are best placed to explore new and novel approaches to ‘pioneering’ packages of work and solving unique problems with minimal unknown unknowns occurring.

Hang on a moment though – ‘minimal unknown unknowns?’ That’s not none!

Correct, but transparency and collaboration is where we overcome unknown unknowns alongside our customers, because when it comes to pioneering works it is virtually impossible to work any other way whilst also ensuring your reputation stays firmly intact. In recent times we have developed our processes and procedures to ‘bake in’ transparency so that we can do more than just work ‘for’ our customers; we work with them.

First and foremost, we are engineers, we are technicians, and we are specialists in what we do. We mitigate risk by collaborating with our customers then we build tailored packages of work that relentlessly drive to solution and delivery. We are different, we are unique, we are there for you, we are the Serco Rail Technical Services team.

To find out if we can help you, give us a call; let’s have a chat and see how we can work together.

For more information, please contact us: 0330 109 8852 enquiries.srts@serco.com www.serco.com/srts

First and foremost, we are engineers, we are technicians, and we are specialists in what we do

October 2023

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FREIGHT

Work is well underway to increase the amount of freight transported by rail. Richard Moody, Programme Director of Freight Reform at the Great British Railways Transition Team, explains more

Growing rail freight M

oving goods by rail in the UK delivers social and economic benefits worth £2.5 billion each year. It is also better for the environment compared to HGVs, producing up to three-quarters less carbon per tonne of goods transported, with every additional freight train representing around 76 HGVs taken off roads.

Despite this, rail freight accounts for just 10 per cent of surface freight moved in Britain, something that is set to change. In response to the commitment from UK Government to setting a rail freight growth target, the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) is developing a range of long-term rail freight growth target options.

“It’s really important to move more freight by rail because it supports the wider transport system in terms of moving to net zero and in reducing congestion on the roads,” said Richard Moody, Programme Director of Freight Reform at GBRTT. “There are also the environmental benefits and a productivity gain for the country as well in using rail freight.

“The government’s commitment to have a rail freight growth target is hugely positive and one that will feed down through organisations and lead to some positive changes in behaviour at a time when we are already seeing lots of enquiries from people that don’t yet use rail freight.”

To drive forward rail freight growth, GBRTT is setting up a Strategic Freight Unit (SFU) which aims to be a guiding mind for rail freight, providing strategic leadership to unlock opportunities for growth in the sector, and with a focus on innovation.

Richard spoke with Rail Director shortly before the team submitted a range of rail freight growth target

options to the government ahead of a decision on a target which is expected by the end of the year.

“We’ve submitted a broad range of options from modest growth to significant growth packaged up in different ways and based on what potential policy choices are available, the investment landscape, but also market conditions as well,” said Richard. “We’re pushing for something which is ambitious, but credible.

“In a broad sense if we don’t do much it is going to be far more modest growth, with this being significantly higher with legislation, a government pro-rail and wanting to grow rail freight, and looking at policy choices against other modes.

“How growth is achieved across all of them is a spectrum of different options including better use of what we have overall today, investment and other policy choices or trade-offs needed to grow freight.

There are also some transformative schemes like Transpennine Route Upgrade which will support rail freight growth.”

It’s really The role of rail important to move The submission to government follows a call for evidence last year to develop an understanding of more freight by rail the current state of rail freight in the UK, how much of the current and future market demand for freight because it supports could be met by rail, and the role rail can play in the nation’s supply chains. the wider transport “We had a really positive response from those who both use and don’t use rail, and various trade bodies, system in terms of with around 88 responses, with everyone supportive of having a growth target,” he said. “Having one moving to net zero leads to a change in behaviours, and we’ve had that in Scotland already where they have one. It leads to more people thinking about rail freight.

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FREIGHT

“Looking at the responses there are lots of barriers to rail freight. One is the cost between road and rail, particularly where road prices have come down through some of the interventions due to the HGV drivers’ shortages. Cost is a big barrier, but what can the rail industry do to help or to find efficient paths for freight trains that leads to better utilisation of those assets which hopefully will bring down the costs to customers.

“Another barrier is the fragmentation of the railway. It can be a complex environment to navigate so we have to demystify some of those perceptions people have around rail freight, particularly around what people think are blockers.

“There are also the challenges surrounding capacity and capability on the network. Capability is a hard one because we need to look at investment to unlock some of that. In terms of capacity there are choices that can be made around timetable structures and what is and isn’t in the timetable to provide more capacity.”

Greater connections There is also incapability between Europe and UK rail due to loading gauge restrictions. However, Richard points to Toyota Motor Europe last year starting to transport new cars by cross-channel freight train services between its Valenciennes vehicle logistics hub in northern France and the major UK rail depot at Toton, in Nottinghamshire, as an example of those issues being overcome.

“This success was not reliant on changes to the infrastructure,” added Richard. “Having said that though, GBRTT and Network Rail are working closely together to understand incremental changes to the infrastructure to make the capability better.

“The routes are clear to W9 gauge clearance; what we need as an incremental step is W9A, in which you are talking small differences, which is important when modern equipment has got slightly bigger yet our infrastructure hasn’t. If we can do it as an incremental step to sort of stimulate the market that should help.

The bigger schemes to higher gauge clearance are something we can look to in the future.”

Earlier this year it was reported that officials in the Department for Transport (DfT) had been told that GBR was not a priority for the government and would not be brought forward in the forthcoming King’s Speech, which sets out the legislative programme that the government intends to pursue in the next parliamentary session.

“Changes and improvements for rail freight aren’t dependent on legislation happening, although it would give us more levers bringing track and train together,” said Richard. “But there’s lots we can do in the shorter term to move things forward for freight and we will continue working closely with Network Rail’s freight team and pushing a one freight team mentality, all towards delivering for freight customers and accelerating the shift to rail.”

As well as the call for evidence and submission to the DfT, GBRTT has carried out a commission around why strategic rail freight interchanges are clustered in the middle of the country, which has turned into developing the intermodal rail freight interchange concept in areas of Great Britain that are not served by intermodal rail freight.

“It is a rail freight terminal mainly focused around containers, but it doesn’t have all the associated warehousing, giving the opportunity to interchange between road and rail,” said Richard. ‘‘We are looking at some trailblazer sites across the south west and north east through a public – private partnership. We are hoping to progress forward with these concepts in the coming months. This is all part of the work we are doing to not just do more of what we’ve got, but open up new markets and corridors.’’

“Alongside that we’ve got a lead who works on express freight, covering both parcels as passengers and dedicated parcel trains, and they’ve been heavily supporting growing that sector and getting it moving. They’ve played an active role in supporting the Varamis Rail service, which has started from Birmingham to Scotland.”

Richard was appointed Programme Director of Freight Reform in December last year.

He’s worked in transport for more than 20 years, with more than a decade at Network Rail leading teams to deliver timetables, analysis and strategy, and the last four years focused on freight and decarbonisation.

“It is an exciting role because there’s lot of things we can get on with to support the growth of rail freight and help be an enabler which we are on with and it feels really good to be playing a part in that and helping make growth happen,” he said.

“It is also great to be part of the change of making the overall railway system and industry better, delivering for customers. Yes I focus on freight, but I have experience outside of freight and as part of the conversation we have, I want to make sure I contribute if I feel I can add value.

“Being part of GBRTT is a generational opportunity to make things better. It is not often you get the opportunity to be part of something so transformative.”

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FREIGHT

John Keefe, Chief Corporate and Public Affairs officer at Getlink Group, explains the importance of going all in with loading gauge enhancements on the conventional railway lines through Kent

Enhancing rail freight connections to the EU market

“B

ite the bullet, make the decision and go for the gamechanger that will make rail freight a real contributor to the road to net zero, to growing the economy and levelling it up across the whole of the UK.” That is the message from John Keefe, Chief Corporate and Public Affairs Officer at Getlink Group, who says rail freight’s potential is missing out by a matter of inches on the loading gauge on the conventional railway lines through Kent.

Getlink manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone and Calais, including high-speed passenger services and the Eurotunnel LeShuttle train service for cars, coaches and goods vehicles.

Its LeShuttle services provide a cross-channel link which is used by 10 million passengers and 1.6 million trucks each year – carrying 26 per cent of UK/EU trade at a value of £144 billion.

The organisation also gives passage to nearly 2,000 rail freight trains through the Channel Tunnel every year, carrying a variety of essential goods to and from the UK, including food for supermarkets, cars and materials such as steel for factories.

John explained there is capacity in the tunnel for 8,000 rail freight trains per year, but this is being restricted by the loading gauge on the UK side tracks leading to the Channel Tunnel - the clearance around a rail track such as the height of bridges and tunnels, and width of station platforms.

The tunnel was built to W12 loading gauge, in order to be compatible with the European standard for intermodal rail freight. However, the loading gauge on the conventional railway lines through Kent (which connect the tunnel’s freight depot at Dollands Moor with the East and West Coast Main Lines at Wembley) remains at W9 gauge.

“This is too low and too narrow to carry European intermodal trains” according to John, who explained how W9 allows for trains of a height of 2.74m and a width of 2.6m to pass through, while W12 increases the height clearance to 2.9m, with the width remaining the same.

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FREIGHT

We could more than double the number of trains that we take through the tunnel

“Following the construction of the Channel Tunnel, the UK Government’s intention was to enhance the gauge on these lines from W9 to W12 to enable European compatibility. Thirty years later and despite support from the industry, the project has never been delivered.

“This should have been delivered as part of obligations to provide correct access to the Channel Tunnel and when the two governments signed the Treaty of Canterbury (the original document providing for the undersea tunnel between France and England) to build the infrastructure necessary to promote travel and trains through the tunnel.”

End of the line The high-speed line between the Channel Tunnel and St Pancras, HS1, is capable of carrying European freight trains as far as Barking where containers are unloaded onto lorries. However, the line has a limited timetable for rail freight, weight restrictions and high costs, with currently only one freight train a day travelling on HS1. As a result, the vast majority of freight crossing the Short Straits travels by HGV. “The upgradewofvvthe line always comes out as one w of the top three enhancement projects in Network Rail studies, but it is never the top one so never has the funding to bring to fruition,” said John. “Network Rail has committed to convert the gauge incrementally, initially to W9A, but that isn’t going to be enough to enable European compatibility. It would still mean relying on running on Megafret wagons which aren’t as productive and aren’t what freight transporters want to run across Europe. So you’d either have to accept a non-productive

train across Europe on a less efficient wagon, or you have to run it up on a standard platform and then swap it across to a Megafret wagon in Dollands Moor to take it up the classic line through Kent.

“That’s either lost opportunity cost or its additional manual handling costs and then you are running smaller, lighter, less efficient trains, so we really have to look to W12 rather than W9A.” In 2022 Getlink commissioned Volterra to produce an economic viability study into the gauge enhancement project. It found the project could be delivered for £42 million, which is a significant reduction on previous estimates of more than £200 million.

The main construction work, which would be completed within five years, would involve converting the route via Maidstone to W12 including the boring out and squaring off by around 50mm Saltwood Tunnel near Folkestone, the chamfering of several platforms on the route and the installation of trackside equipment in some areas.

Explaining the reasons for the differences between the two estimates, John said it comes down to rules for new routes and project management.

“In the transition to Great British Railways (GBR), we understand the ambition is to remove a key project management issue which involves compensation pay to other train operators for disruption to their routes. Putting everything under the management of GBR, you can significantly reduce the costs private franchises pay to one another - it would in effect be one government department paying money to another which can be scrapped.

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FREIGHT

“The other change is on the rules for creating a new railway line - or a new business case on a line - in which you have to have an alternative route in case something goes wrong. The Network Rail cost assumed that you would have to upgrade both lines through Maidstone and through Redhill at the same time.

“As identified in the Volterra report, you only need one line and a feasible alternative route which is HS1.

Although you might not have the same capacity, you can run rail freight trains down HS1 in an emergency.

So you don’t need to do double the work, you won’t need to do it under the current project regulations and you won’t need to pay the compensation.”

The report also highlights the strong economic and environmental benefits of enhancing to W12 loading gauge. It is estimated that, apart from the benefits of modal shift from road to rail, this could also increase UK exports to the EU by between 0.2 per cent to 1.3 per cent and would also further reduce the UK’s reliance on HGV drivers and on traffic disruption in Kent.

Considerable savings To put this into context, the value of reducing UK freight congestion by 50 per cent would have a £3 billion saving per year for the industry. Moreover, Operation Brock, the current traffic management system for disruption in Kent, is estimated to cost the UK economy £250 million per day.

“Rail is one of the greenest ways to transport goods, with one freight train taking up to 76 HGVs off the roads, so getting more freight on rail would also significantly reduce the pollution from HGVs travelling through Kent and improve the air quality for local residents,” said John.

“We are looking at a cost of tens of millions to complete this project, and the benefits are calculated in billions.

“The issue for this work not happening is around its investment, but I think this could be raised from a variety of different sources. Ideally the treasury would pay for it because it is a good sensible investment in UK/EU trade. It also brings in world trade if you take the pressure off your ports and bring goods into Rotterdam or Dunkirk and then you transfer onto rail and you take it all the way to the north of Scotland on a train.

“As it stands, nobody dares jump in and the government is understandably nervous about spending. But the benefits are so significant that it is worth a more serious look

and conversations with industry around other ways of financing the project than the current incremental £10 million at a time by Network Rail.”

Following the Prime Minister’s decision to reallocate funding from HS2 to other transport projects, now is the time for the government to be looking at enhancements like Dollands Moor to Wembley. We know that the investment – and increase in rail freight traffic it would bring – would have significant economic benefits for businesses in the Midlands and North of England.

The proposal comes at a time of great promise for rail freight. In 2022, Toyota and DB Cargo announced they would export cars manufactured in the East Midlands to the EU by train via the Channel Tunnel.

Tesco already imports fruit and vegetables by rail freight from Valencia in Spain, delivered by Transfesa Logistics. This includes five weekly train services from Spain to its Barking depot, carrying 35,000 loads of fresh produce such as oranges and lemons, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.

Jaguar Land Rover and BMW also use crosschannel rail freight services to import car parts to their manufacturing sites in the UK. John said: “Our freight customers can’t get drivers in Europe because of the driver shortage, they want to reduce their carbon footprint, they want reliable delivery across orders - all of those things impact on the supply chain, they slow it down.

“Another benefit from rail freight is that you don’t have border controls at the point of crossing. You have them at the departure depot and the arrival depot and in between there’s a lot more security for the goods, because they are in inaccessible locations.

“The goal of net zero by 2050 in transport terms isn’t going to be reached unless we move a lot more stuff to rail. Here’s a relatively modest investment that will provide 6,000 more paths a year through the Channel Tunnel.

“That would be 450,000 trucks off the road so it is a massive transfer. We’ve just upgraded the capacity in the tunnel itself this year. We’ve put a new static converter in to balance the pull on the power through the catenary and giving us the capacity to run up to 1,000 trains a day through the tunnel.

“At the moment our maximum has been around 400, so we could more than double the number of trains that we take through the tunnel so that 8,000 a year could increase. The big number simple maths argument is pretty straightforward and the interest to move more goods by rail is there.”

We are looking at a cost of tens of millions to complete this project, and the benefits are calculated in billions

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ADVERTORIAL

Find out how the VTG iWagon is set to revolutionise freight performance on rail. VTG Rail UK Managing Director, Colin Denman, explains more

VTG Rail UK and Knorr-Bremse Systems UK lead the way with trial of UK’s FIRST digital iWagon

B

ritain’s largest private wagon leasing company, VTG Rail UK, and KnorrBremse Rail Systems UK, the market leader in braking and other systems for rail vehicles, have announced the network trial of the UK’s first digital freight wagon.

The VTG iWagon is set to revolutionise freight performance on rail by introducing new and significant safety capabilities, creating operational efficiencies and increasing availability. The iWagon is capable of powering future technologies using VTG Connect as the gateway, incorporating 12 digital innovations on initial launch.

The first phase of the nine-wagon trial will be focusing on ground-breaking technology developed in collaboration between VTG and Knorr-Bremse.

The first three wagons to be fitted are VTG Rail JPA tank wagons which have been modified at Tarmac’s maintenance depot at Dunbar in Scotland. The further wagons for trial fitment will be deployed on the Hanson and Mendip Rail fleets. The features on the trial include Axle Lock Detection and Wheel Flat Prevention (WFP) technology – a patented system which monitors wheelset slide and brake condition. Each of the wagons has also been fitted with new wheelsets containing four axle end generators which provide power to the WFP system. These will power further digital innovations on future iWagon trials such as digital real-time maintenance, temperature monitoring, harmonics frequency monitoring, and many more.

The trial wagons went into traffic on 2 October to begin four months of testing on Tarmac’s daily return service from its cement plant at Dunbar to its depot at Seaham in County Durham. Initial data from the nine-wagon trial will be available in January 2024 ahead of the first 50 production-ready wagons planned for Q2, 2024.

A decade in development Launching the iWagon at the Rail Freight Group (RFG) annual conference in London on 5 October, VTG Rail UK Managing Director, Colin Denman, said: “The iWagon has been over a decade in development and we are delighted to be at the stage where we can commence countrywide trials of the UK’s first digitalised freight wagon which will enable realtime data to ensure safer railways and better wagon utilisation.

“The launch of the iWagon is very exciting for VTG Rail UK, Knorr-Bremse, and the wider industry. For the first time, we can see how axles perform on the network in real time and see where adhesion issues are occurring. Locked axles, leading to wheel flats and derailment of freight wagons, have caused high profile incidents in recent years in the UK. “Digitisation allows us to prevent wheelset damage and axle locks in real time, ensuring multiple parties are given information quickly allowing appropriate corrective action.”

Sanjay Albert, Director of Engineering and

Innovation at Knorr-Bremse, also spoke at the launch.

He said: “Working in collaboration with VTG Rail UK is very exciting for us at Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK, especially as part of our mission to combine mechatronic expertise with our digital monitoring capability.

“Our patented Wheel Flat Prevention technology increases wheel life and reduces potential deep wheel flats which may result in track damage, or in worst cases, derailment. Our digital monitoring capability will enable valuable insight generation to support our customers to achieve efficient operations and maintenance as well as extend to wider industry benefits.”

The iWagon technology provides further benefits such as brake condition monitoring which will allow VTG to analyse the performance of a wagon’s brake system from its office in Bromsgrove, with the final goal of removing annual brake tests. It will also ensure that a brake system defect is highlighted on the day it occurs and potentially assist Network Rail in identifying low adhesion hot spots on the network.

The new systems have significant advantages but are further enhanced when combined with VTG’s current innovation data platform i-Maintenance (wheelset damage prediction software) and VTG Connect and wagon / bogie imbalance, which will also feature on the iWagon.

VTG Rail UK has been working with key industry partners towards the introduction of various major innovations within the rail freight sector for many years.

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28

FREIGHT

Niall McCarthy, Rail Development and Delivery Manager at Nestlé UK & Ireland, says the FMCG company’s plan to move more products by rail to support its drive to reduce its carbon footprint is gaining steam

Raising the roof for rail freight

I

n August, Nestlé UK and Ireland successfully completed a firstof-its-kind rail trial, delivering a rail container that facilitates double-stacked pallets to Tesco.

The advanced rail container utilises a roof-raising mechanism, allowing products to be double-stacked from floor to ceiling operating at full capacity before the roof is lowered for transit. This means it’s easier to carry up to double the amount of product compared to other rail container types.

Evidence suggests that moving products by rail can have significant environmental benefits.

According to the Rail Delivery Group, each freight train has the potential to take up to 76 heavy goods vehicles off the roads and one tonne of products moved by a rail journey produces 76 per cent less emissions than a diesel road journey1 , making it a worthy pursuit.

Developing this bespoke rail container has been a two-year journey for us. While we aspired to move products by rail, we faced a challenge when trying

to transport them from our Hams Hall Distribution Park. The site wasn’t set up for rear door loading of containers, and we currently load curtain-sided trailers from the side. We needed a solution that was both rail-compatible and curtain-sided.

As a company that manufactures and

distributes a wide range of products, including confectionery, water, cereal, and pet food, Nestle UK & Ireland naturally transports large quantities.

This means we have tall pallets that couldn’t fit onto conventional rail assets. That’s where our bespoke unit comes in.

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FREIGHT

The raising roof of the container may only provide a few extra centimetres of height, but it makes all the difference.

It allows us to smoothly load our tall double pallets onto the container and then lower the roof just enough to fit comfortably on the UK railway’s shared access network. It’s a small adjustment that has a big impact on our transportation capabilities.

Successful test The trial was ultimately a success. We transported Purina petcare products from our Hams Hall

distribution centre to the Tesco Thurrock distribution centre. But this is just the beginning; we see it as an opportunity for further innovation and development. There are still tweaks to be made, training to be done, and feedback to be gathered.

We want to ensure that the container meets our and our customers’ needs.

What happens next? Our goal is to refine the container for future delivery opportunities and see how it fits into our overall distribution strategy. We want to achieve a greener

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distribution strategy, and this rail container is a step in the right direction.

Once we’re satisfied with how it works, we can explore the possibility of moving even more of the Nestlé brands that people know and love around the country by rail. It’s an exciting prospect that aligns with our commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint.

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RAILWAY BENEFIT FUND

The Railway Benefit Fund has appointed Jo Kaye as its new Chief Executive Officer. She has vowed to harness knowledge and contacts gained from her experience to further the charity’s impact

Taking the charity from strength to strength R

ailway workers are facing increasing hardship because of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, with trends showing younger people are most affected, needing help with debt support and feeding themselves or their families.

Continuing to provide a lifeline, as it has done for more than 160 years, is the Railway Benefit Fund (RBF), which provides vital support to current, former and retired colleagues and their dependants across the UK. It is a commitment that is becoming increasingly challenging. For the past five years, demand for its services has more than tripled, with last year the busiest to date in respect of the number of applications received and the number of people supported.

“It is heart-wrenching to see that people are working so hard in the industry that I love and yet still for reasons way beyond their control, they are struggling to make ends meet and that is what really brings home the value of what we do,” said Jo Kaye, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the RBF. “In some cases, a relatively small sum of money has made a massive change to their lives, saved them from being evicted, and overall transformed their lives. It’s lovely to hear those stories and really makes you keep going.”

RBF has been here for railway people since 1858 and today, thanks to the generosity of the supporters, the charity is able to offer everything from financial grants and confidential advice to online tools and a legal helpline.

Jo said: “We provide a range of services designed to provide support through life’s unexpected events. Our assistance is available to anyone working, or who has worked, in the railway, including passenger, freight, infrastructure, supply chain and ancillary services.

“I am delighted to be taking on this role and look forward to leading RBF through its next stage of growth, harnessing the knowledge and contacts I have gained from my experience to further RBF’s impact.”

Jo joins the charity at an incredibly challenging time for the industry. The charity’s latest impact report revealed that every four minutes someone in rail reached out to RBF in 2022. Other findings revealed earlier this year included:

Carlisle Railway Trust and in education settings, and is currently a Non-Executive Director at Transport for Greater Manchester.

“Having worked at Network Rail for 24 years, a big feature of the railways was the whole family thing and the fact that you felt you were part of something bigger than just the job you were doing,” she said.

“For me, this role seemed like a real mix of the industry that I love and a really important part of looking after the wider railway family, which is what RBF is here to do.”

services year on year and a big change in the demographic as well. Historically we were supporting lots of former railway workers or retired railway workers, but now it is dominated by people who are current employees, especially with the energy crisis, cost of living and inflation issues that we’ve been having across the nation.

“One thing that is certain is the work that we do is so critical because many of the people that we help are potentially facing losing their homes and other issues which have a massive impact on an individual’s health and wellbeing.”

It is heartwrenching to see that people are working so hard in the industry New role Jo was appointed CEO in September, replacing that I love and yet Claire Houghton who has retired after three years, over which time the charity supported thousands of still for reasons railway workers and their families through hardship. way beyond their Initially looking to become a forensic scientist, when there were no trainee opportunities available, “Overall, the aim is to continue to ensure a brighter future Jo joined the graduate training scheme at Railtrack for those involved or who have been involved in the rail control, they are and hasn’t looked back since. Prior to her current role, industry,” said Jo. “One of my immediate priorities is to she was at Network Rail for 24 years, most recently as raise the profile of the charity to increase its visibility in the struggling to make Managing Director of the system operator. She has wider rail network and promote the work we do. previous experience as a trustee of The Settle and “We’ve seen a huge increase in the demand for our ends meet More than 700 applications for financial support were received, a 96 per cent increase on the previous year.

RBF awarded £334,729 in grants, up from £263,037 in 2021.

One in four of all cases were people who faced losing their homes.

There was a 522 per cent increase in referrals to Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

On average, two people came to the charity every month because they couldn’t feed themselves or their families – usually after they had accessed local food banks, meaning that RBF was their last line of support.

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RAILWAY BENEFIT FUND

Overall, the aim is to continue to ensure a brighter future for those involved or who have been involved in the rail industry

The charity relies solely on the generosity of the railway industry and those who donate time and money to look after fellow railway colleagues. Fundraising income required to run the charity increases year on year due to the rise in demand. For 2022, over £450,000 was raised through corporate support and continued growth in community fundraising, with particularly successful fundraisers including Railway Family Week, Heart of Gold Awards and its flagship fundraising event ‘The Royal Charter’.

“It is much more challenging in terms of raising the funds, especially with people struggling to make ends meet, which is why they need our help in the first place,” said Jo. “Those very same people therefore don’t have very much spare to give to charity, but there’s lots of other ways to help such as initiatives with corporate partnerships, but also by way of volunteering for RBF, with your expertise and time as valuable as the cash.

“Overall, the next steps for me are to develop a new strategy for the whole organisation, which includes developing our services to support the railway family even more. Although giving financial assistance is the core of what we do, we’d also like to develop further services that we have started over the last few years to stop people getting into debt in the first place.

“We’re also developing our work with the retired community. I talked earlier about the railway family, and sometimes when people retire they really feel the loss of that family connection, so what we’re trying to do is run some events where people in the industry can come together and share their stories, get to know

each other and reconnect with the industry in a way that perhaps they might have found more difficult in retirement.”

With longer-term plans being developed, the immediate priority turns to the fundraising events over Christmas.

A Christmas gesture This Christmas, the charity aims to send a £50 gift voucher to each child whose family has received RBF support in 2022. This is a small gesture from RBF, but it makes an enormous difference to railway staff and their children who are struggling. This year, the charity needs to raise an additional £10,000 to gift every railway child with a voucher to brighten their Christmas.

Jo said: “We are very reliant on our partners in the railway industry to help us and I hope they will support some of the fantastic campaigns we have coming up in the coming months.

“Christmas is a big push for us. I appreciate it is a difficult time for lots of people, but it is also a real opportunity to help out either financially or in volunteer time with a number of the exciting things we’ve got coming up.

“The support of the industry is vital in ensuring we can support those in rail who are struggling. Overall, I am very excited about what the future holds for RBF, and the difference we can make to so many lives.”

You can get in touch with Jo at jkaye@railwaybenefitfund.org.uk Visit www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk for more details and to view our Impact Report

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PEOPLE

100 new FEA-G intermodal wagons and 50 new JNA-X box wagons have all arrived in the UK. Porterbrook’s Head of Freight and Route Services Mark Wyborn explains how a pandemic, supply chain disruption and a surge in inflation didn’t impact their delivery

Working together to mitigate significant challenges I

t could so easily have been a different outcome. When Porterbrook and Greenbrier signed a contract in 2021 to deliver 100 new intermodal twin wagons to GB Railfreight (GBRf), and subsequently a contract for 50 new box wagons, few could have predicted the myriad of difficulties that would be faced.

Not only was the project impacted by the pandemic. Add to that supply chain disruption, a surge in inflation, and energy price increases due to the war in Ukraine, and it makes it all the more remarkable that the work was successfully completed on time, with the final wagons having arrived with GBRf last month.

Increased capacity The wagons have already increased the rail freight capacity in the UK, encouraging modal shift from road to rail. Today, they are being used by the rail freight company to move an extra 1.2 million tonnes of aggregate every year – with each tonne of freight transported by rail producing 76 per cent less carbon than road haulage.

“I’m extremely proud of what has been achieved especially taking into account how many hurdles there have been to overcome,” said Mark Wyborn, Head of Freight at Porterbrook. “Delivering rail freight growth is the number one priority for us, ensuring we deliver value to our customers, clients and shareholders, which this partnership has achieved.

“The key has been in bringing the teams together and having upfront, honest, and sometimes difficult conversations. Straight away we took the decision at Porterbrook to lead the project on the basis that we were in control of both parties (GBRf and Greenbrier) and overall, everyone was extremely happy with how it went.”

When the contract was signed, it was believed that the worst of the pandemic was over, although heavy restrictions remained in place all over Europe. This was followed by the implications of the tragic conflict in Ukraine, with a number of Greenbrier’s factory workers in Poland called up to fight against Russia.

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PEOPLE

A key supplier based in Ukraine also had to restrict its supply to the factories, and the conflict resulted in a 125 per cent increase in steel prices by March 2022 and a significant rise in energy costs all in all, increasing the cost of producing a wagon significantly in a couple of months, threatening to derail the project.

“We wanted to keep the deal together and ensure we could deliver. Our aim was to be transparent and adopt a solution-based approach,” added Mark.

“There was no way we could have passed the cost increase on to GBRf and ultimately the end customer because the deal would have fallen apart, so it was Porterbrook and Greenbrier’s problem to solve.

A solution Mark added: “We started speaking to our shareholders about what risk we could realistically take on ourselves and what Greenbrier could do, which led to us taking additional commercial risk and providing additional capital funding. Greenbrier in turn absorbed some of the cost, with the remainder passed on to GBRf as this limited the exposure to the end customer.

“The next problem to overcome was the delivery, particularly in sourcing the steel, which Greenbrier managed to achieve largely due to stockpiling and ordering more steel upfront. It was then all about keeping the project on track, holding weekly meetings which delved into the detail and involved open and honest conversations, ensuring we all worked together to overcome any hurdles. It was a true team effort.”

The project is already having a huge impact on rail freight in the UK. The new FEA-G intermodal high-density twin wagons mean that GBRf is able to increase the number of 20-foot equivalent units that can be carried on each service – fitting six in the same space that could previously only fit four.

Meanwhile, the JNA-X box wagons feature additional strengthening on the box without adding any weight. They can each carry 101.6 tonnes, compared to a standard 90-tonne capacity box wagon. They are being used in the movement of construction materials for HS2 from the Peak District to Birmingham.

“The first 25 JNA-X box wagons arrived on schedule at Wembley in London in November 2022 and were followed shortly by the first FEA-G intermodal twin wagons later that month. The full order for the box wagons was completed by January this year, with the delivery of the last of the 100 intermodal twin wagons in August.

“This project has demonstrated our commitment to freight and has positioned us well for future growth in the sector. It is testament to the strength of our partnership with GBRf and Greenbrier that we’ve worked together and agreed ways to mitigate significant challenges.”

It is the latest in exciting projects for Mark, whose extensive railway experience has taken him into roles within operations, engineering, sales, commercial and finance departments with train and freight operators, Network Rail, and for the last two-and-ahalf years at Porterbrook.

Delivering rail freight growth is the number one priority for us, ensuring we deliver value to our customers, clients and shareholders, which this partnership has achieved

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PEOPLE

“My simple motto is that the freight operators are there to run trains and my job and our job at Porterbrook is to give them the assets that they need to run those trains,” he said.

“Looking to the future, I think new locomotives are a little while off (due to market conditions and lack of incentives), so at the present new wagons are absolutely the key thing that is required, particularly with such an aging fleet, so we need to be at the forefront of that.

“More investment into wagons will lead to further investment into the decarbonisation of locomotives if freight growth is to be achieved, as more wagons will require more locomotives.

“To make sure that is the case, my role is to understand what the challenges are for the people that we are selling to, or the people that are expected to run more freight on the rail network and in the case of construction and intermodal in wagons, looking at how they can be sustainable with mainline locos.

“We’re also looking at shunt locomotives. There are about 60 British Class 08 diesel-electric shunting locomotives operating in the UK and we’re looking at how to decarb them.

“These are 60-year-old assets that are operating in all sorts of different terminals, so we are building on some key partnerships.”

A long term view Porterbrook is committed to investing in rail freight for the long term and to providing affordable, innovative, and sustainable rolling stock options to the sector.

Mark is keen to dispel the myth that rolling stock leasing companies are about the profits and the short term, highlighting some of the longer-term projects underway.

“Express freight is an area we are actively trying to pursue,” he said. “If you look at our Class 769s we have bi-modes, diesel, electrics, and some are trimode, which is significant because not a lot of rail freight terminals are electrified. We are in the process of converting some of them for express freight so we can offer a rolling stock solution that can truly go anywhere in the network.

“The next part will be gauging and then it is our job to convert logistics providers by first and foremost proving the reliability of the 769s and then publicising it, and secondly looking at the support we can offer when it comes to property and land connected terminals. Ideally, I’d like to see facilities straddle across intermodal, bulk, and express freight.

“As proven by the project with Greenbrier and GBRf, collaboration is key, and we are working with end users as to what their strategic asset plans look like for the next five/10 years and in coming up with solutions that compete with road from a commercial and performance point of view.

“Looking specifically at Porterbrook and we have proven we have the ability to overcome major hurdles, so as long as we keep delivering on time, showing our value and innovating, and continuing to work with people to achieve that, we should be optimistic about the future. We don’t just hold a short-term view and when it comes to changing the industry for the better nothing is off the table.”

More investment into wagons will lead to further investment into the decarbonisation of locomotives

October 2023

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ADVERTORIAL

Victa Railfreight Ltd provides a support service to rail freight operators and customers across the UK. The company explains more

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The beating heart of rail freight

icta Railfreight plays a key role at the heart of the rail freight industry.

Since it was founded in 1995, the company has adapted to the ever-evolving landscape of the sector and recent business development has seen its valued team and operations grow.

This includes all aspects of rail operations within a rail freight handling interchange, supporting rail freight activity across the UK rail network, and offering and delivering a variety of training support and consultancy services to all its customers. The services in question range from vital rail safety awareness training and safety-critical activity competence assessment to specific development and training for rail operatives and consultancy in developing controls that support risk evaluation.

A licensed freight operating company, supported by regulatory safety certification, Victa Railfreight’s multi-skilled and diverse team provides safe and cost-

effective support in all aspects of operational rail freight activity across the UK for a number of freight operating companies and rail freight ‘end users’.

This can include operations within a rail freight yard or terminal, port, dock and quarry. A team of main line drivers within Victa can also support main line network driving activity on behalf of the customer.

More than 3,900 people across the UK have now received training and development in Victa Railfreight’s ground-breaking Rail Safety Awareness (RSA) course.

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RIA CONFERENCE

RIA’s Award-winning Annual Conference is a much-regarded highlight of the UK rail calendar and 2023 will be no exception

The Railway Industry Association Conference 2023

T

he Railway Industry Association’s (RIA) award winning conference returns in November. A muchregarded highlight of the UK rail calendar, this year’s event will be no exception with the opportunity of meeting face-to-face with clients, industry leaders, influencers, international guests and policy makers.

This year’s event, taking place on 1 and 2 November at Millenium Conference Centre, South Kensington, London, focuses on the theme of ‘Promoting the case for rail and investment in uncertain times’. Over the space of two days, the programme will combine keynote speeches, panel discussions, interview sessions, spotlight exhibitor pitches and unique networking opportunities.

RIA Senior Marketing & Events Manager, Grace

Smithen, said: “The RIA Annual Conference & Dinner will offer attendees the opportunity to hear from a first-class range of speakers, take advantage of unrivalled networking opportunities and enjoy some fantastic entertainment. Alongside the established features of the conference, we’re also introducing spotlight sessions, where exhibitors will be able to showcase their products”.

The Dinner Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, DL is set to be the guest speaker at RIA’s Annual Conference Dinner 2023. The Dinner will take place at the Millennium Hotel, central London, on Wednesday 1 November following the first day of the conference.

Baroness Grey-Thompson has been an independent crossbench member of the House of

Lords since 2010, where she has championed the rights of disabled people, including access to rail. She is a multi-gold medallist in Paralympic sport and has achieved an impressive haul of 11 gold and four silver medals, along with a bronze medal – all in wheelchair racing.

She is a trustee of the Commonwealth Sports Foundation and an ambassador for UNICEF as well as the Chair of Sport Wales.

In addition to Baroness Grey-Thompson’s address, guests will be treated to live music from Miss Kiddy and the Cads, who offer an eclectic mix of Bowie to Beyonce, all with a jazz twist! Afterwards, international DJ Kruel Intentions will keep attendees on their feet until the early hours!

The event is open to both RIA and non-RIA members.

Visit riagb.org.uk/AC23 for more information

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RIA CONFERENCE

Speakers

RIA Annual Conference 2023 James Bain, Chief Executive Officer, Worldline UK&I Promoting the case for rail and investment in John Larkinson, Chief Executive , Office of Rail and Road uncertain times

Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, Network Rail Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive, Rail Partners Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, DL

Lucy Prior, Business Growth Director, HIRD Group

Beth West, Chief Executive Officer, East West Rail

Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General, Rail Freight Group

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive, Railway Industry Association

Nick Hughes, Sales Director, Hitachi

David Camerlengo, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Australian High Commission

Rupert Clubbs, Lead Officer, Transport for the South East

Millennium Gloucester Hotel Claire Mann, Managing Director, South Western Railway 1 and 2 NovemberMartin Tugwell, Chief Executive, Transport for the North London Kensington

Rufus Boyd, Interim Lead Director, Great British Railways Transition Team

David Tonkin, Chairman, Railway Industry Association

Steve White, Managing Director, Southeastern

Emma Porter, Managing Director, Story Contracting

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer, Transport for London

Eoin Gillard, Assistant Director, National Transport Authority

Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester

Huw Merriman MP, Rail & HS2 Minister

2-day conference with inspiring keynotes including: – Huw Merriman MP, Rail and HS2 Minister – Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, Network Rail – Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, DL, Member of the House of Lords – And many more…

Large interactive exhibition area with spotlight pitches presenting services, products and solutions Evening programme including networking drinks, dinner and entertainment

Scan the QR code to register today Or visit riagb.org.uk/AC23 A4 Advert RIA Annual Conference 2023 (PRINT) UPDATE 13/6/23.indd 1

16/06/202

October 2023

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RIA CONFERENCE

DAY

Wednesday 01 November 2023 08:30

Registration, exhibition and welcome coffee/tea

09:15

1

DAY

Thursday 02 November 2023

2

09:00

Registration, exhibition and welcome coffee/tea

Annual General Meeting (RIA members only)

10:00

Opening remarks

10:00

Opening remarks - Hosted by Sam McAlister, TV producer and author Darren Caplan, Chief Executive, Railway Industry Association

10:05

Keynote speech + Q&A session Claire Mann, Managing Director, South Western Railway

10:20

Keynote speech + Q&A session Huw Merriman MP, Rail & HS2 Minister

10:35

11:00

Keynote speech + Q&A session

11:40

Networking break and exhibition

12:00

Panel Discussion + Q&A: Leadership panel CHAIR: Lucy Prior, Business Growth Director, HIRD Group Nick Hughes, Sales Director, Hitachi Rail Beth West, Chief Executive Officer, East West Railway Company Emma Porter, Managing Director, Story Contracting James Bain, Chief Executive Officer, Worldline UK&I Steve White, Managing Director, Southeastern

Panel Discussion + Q&A session: Market outlook Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive, Rail Partners Chacasta Pritlove, Head of Transport, Google Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General, Rail Freight Group Jonathan Edwards, Market Development Leader - EMEA, GHD Colette Caroll, Managing Director, AtkinsRéalis Mike Hyde, Chief Data Officer, Trainline

11:35

Networking break and exhibition

12:10

Panel Discussion + Q&A: International Opportunities CHAIR: Kirsty Dias, Managing Director, PriestmanGoode Corin Wilson, Director Trade & Investment, Department for Business and Trade David Camerlengo, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner, Australian High Commission Eoin Gillard, Assistant Director, National Transport Authority Helena Matos, Senior Project Manager, Infraestruturas de Portugal

13:00

Networking lunch and exhibition

14:00

Keynote speech + Q&A session John Larkinson, Chief Executive Officer, Office of Rail and Road

14:45

Fireside chat Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, Network Rail and Great British Railways Transition Team Lead

15:20

Closing remarks David Tonkin, Chairman, Railway Industry Association

13:00

Networking lunch & Exhibitors spotlights

14:20

Keynote Martin Tugwell, Chief executive, Transport for the North

14:30

Panel Discussion + Q&A: Nations & Regions Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive, Transport for the North Rupert Clubb, Chief Officer, Transport for the South East Shona Clive, Project Lead, Scottish Engineering Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer, Transport for London Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner Greater Manchester

15:35

Networking break and exhibition

16:15

Presentation + Q&A session Rufus Boyd, Lead Director (Interim), Great British Railways Transition Team

16:55

Keynote speech + Q&A session Sir Jon Thompson, Chair, HS2

To see the most up-to-date version of the agenda visit: www.riagb.org.uk/RIA/Events/RIA_Annual_Conference_2023

17:35

Closing remarks

17:40

Networking drinks + cash bar

19:15

Keynote, Dinner and evening entertainment Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, DL, Member of the House of Lords

00:00

After party drinks + music

03:00

Carriages

Tickets are selling fast, so we’d urge anyone who’s interested in attending to book now to avoid disappointment!

Sponsors Platinum sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Lunch Sponsor

Gold Dinner Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

October 2023

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RIA Annual Conference 2023 Promoting the case for rail and investment in uncertain times 1 and 2 November

Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington

2-day conference with inspiring keynotes including: – Huw Merriman MP, Rail and HS2 Minister – Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, Network Rail – Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, DL, Member of the House of Lords – And many more…

Large interactive exhibition area with spotlight pitches presenting services, products and solutions Evening programme including networking drinks, dinner and entertainment

Scan the QR code to register today Or visit riagb.org.uk/AC23 038-041_RIAconf_RDOCT23.indd 41

11/10/2023 11:42

42

TRAINING

Freightliner has opened a brand-new Operational Training Academy in Doncaster. Jonathan Ellerbeck, ERTMS Operations Specialist, explains more

F

Cutting-edge advancements in rail operations

reightliner’s freight train drivers are receiving bespoke training at new academies in preparation for the introduction of in-cab digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line.

Rail Director was invited to the official opening of Freightliner’s second Operational Training Academy, located in Doncaster Frenchgate Centre (the first opened earlier this year in Ipswich).

The site is one of two dedicated centres funded

by Network Rail, through the East Coast Digital programme, for the upskilling of train drivers on the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

Jonathan Ellerbeck, a Freightliner ERTMS Operations Specialist, works on the East Coast Digital Programme providing operational input into ERTMS functionality and its embedment. Involved with the fleet fitment and input into the cab design, Jonathan is part of a wider team which is preparing Freightliner for the introduction of ERTMS. “It’s the most exciting time to be working in the rail industry. I joined the ERTMS team at a point where I could be part of a programme which will make a difference for the future, while at the same time allowing me to do something completely new,” said Jonathan.

When speaking about the academies, he added: “The facilities in Doncaster and Ipswich are fantastic training centres. The simulators allow drivers to experience the European Train Control System (ETCS), a component of ERTMS. This enables the drivers to apply their knowledge of rules and procedures in a blended learning style while providing them with the confidence to drive under ETCS operations.”

Improved visibility Jonathan, who maintains his train driver competence, shared an experience during his train driving years where his visibility was restricted when approaching a signal. He said: “With the new in-cab signalling, drivers will have much better visibility of the line ahead.”

Jonathan also advises: “There are many industry benefits from the introduction of ERTMS.

“The system fully supervises the driver and will issue signalling information to trains in accordance to their braking characteristics, improving performance, energy efficiency, and result in less wear and tear on the train. There will also be improvements in journey planning allowing for cost saving on fuel. For the driver, it is that situational awareness of having advance knowledge of the line ahead which adds another layer of safety.

“We are more than 50 per cent of the way through our ERTMS foundation training, which provides an initial one-day course introducing drivers to ERTMS. There has been some apprehension from attendees, as some drivers thought it would change the enjoyment of driving from looking out of the cab window to just staring at a DMI, but they are realising now that is not going to be the case.

“Once you are used to the system any time you need to observe the DMI and take action, you receive an audible tone. It is not as complicated as some people might first think, and drivers soon see the benefits the system is going to bring.”

The facilities in Doncaster and Ipswich are fantastic training centres

October 2023

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44

FREIGHT

Rail professionals, stakeholders, human factor experts, technical specialists and academics have come together to discuss the challenges and solutions to safe, high-performance operations. Dr David Golightly explains more

Human performance in the rail freight yard T

here are around 200,000 train movements across the UK every year, with just one incident having the potential to ruin the whole rail network and put people at risk. That is why the role and conditions of those working in the rail freight yard are vital to the smooth running of the whole network.

But in the past, there have been few studies on human performance and the hurdles faced by workers, with each freight operating company having a slightly different method of working and training. In a bid to change this, the industry has recently come together to better understand the role of the people working at the front-end of operations, the ground staff and the wagon fitters.

“If we are going to upscale operations within the rail freight industry, we need to start to think about what the impact of that will be on freight yard operations,” said Dr David Golightly, lecturer in Human Integration at Newcastle University.

“The rail freight yard is a complex and challenging environment. It’s physically demanding work relying on quick decisions.”

Improving safety Dr Golightly specialises in human factors, looking at how people use technology, and how technology is designed with the end user in mind, so it makes it safer for them to do their work and supports their wellbeing.

For the last two years, he has collaborated with David Ethell from the National Freight Safety Group (NFSG) and James Lonergan from the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), looking at human performance in the rail freight yard.

“I was very surprised that despite the importance of rail freight and getting trains safely out on the network, human performance aspects of operations in the freight yard (as opposed to driving) have, up to now, received little research attention,” he said.

“Knowledge relating to tasks, competencies, and immediate and wider work environment pressures due to cultural, commercial or policy constraints have not been widely available, which is why this study is so important. The observational work over the last few years and shared knowledge of freight yard practices has evolved the understanding of how freight yard work may contribute to freight train incidents on the network.”

The work aims to understand human factors influencing freight train preparation and the Condition of Freight Vehicles on the Network (CFVN) and builds on recent work to understand site complexity, wagon maintenance and freight planning, capturing the human challenges and solutions for safe and high-performance freight operations.

It has culminated in The Human Performance in the Rail Freight Yard seminar, hosted by Newcastle University, the National Freight Safety Group (NFSG) and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) to deliver insight and risk management practices into safety and performance in the UK’s rail freight yards.

Presentations and discussion first focused on the practicalities of working in the rail freight yard, the challenges for ground staff and the impact on the wider railway, with contributions from Dougie Hill (NFSG / RSSB), Marc Binney (DB Cargo), Rob McKittrick (Victa RailFreight), Peter Williams (Network Rail), Phil Hibberd (RSSB) and Devon Johnson (Freightliner Limited).

Left to right: Dr David Golightly, David Ethell and James Lonergan Images: Gravity PR

The rail freight yard is a complex and challenging environment.

It’s physically demanding work relying on quick decisions

October 2023

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FREIGHT

The theme of the event then turned to insight from passenger rail and other sectors to understand technical, organisational and behavioural solutions, both for current work and the future freight railway, with presentations from Brian Wilkinson (Siemens Gamesa), Jayne Yeo (European Agency for Railways), Cristian Ulianov (Newcastle University) and Paul Davison (PPWD).

“We have spoken to a lot of people from different freight operating companies and a lot were saying ‘we’re doing things like that’, or ‘thinking about that’, or ‘we’ve got concerns’, so this event was about getting everybody together and thinking about things from a human performance standpoint,” he said.

“It’s not about the engineering or the business side of the operations, it is about what it is like for people working in the rail freight yard, what the challenges they are facing, and how we can address any issues.”

Incidents under analysis Dr Golightly has conducted the work on behalf of Newcastle University, alongside the NFSG and RSSB and it has been running in tandem with the CFVN project which is endorsed by the Office of Rail and Road and Rail Accident Investigation Branch. It is funded by Network Rail’s £22 million FNPO Safety Improvement Programme (FSIP).

“We did an analysis where we looked at a number of incidents that happened on the network – a mixture of rail accident investigation reports and internal reports – and found that even though these things were happening on the network, you could trace them back to what was happening in the freight yard,” he said. “Issues with train preparation included workers leaving handbrakes on and connecting up the couplings incorrectly – issues which then reveal themselves when the trains are out on the network.

“On the back of that, we’ve been on a series of observations and tours of freight yards to see how they work. It is a challenging environment out in the open, facing the weather, track conditions, with workers walking tens of thousands of steps every day and a lot of squats to prep the trains, all this done while often working on trains at quite short notice and to tight deadlines.

“As well as this, the ground staff and supervisors are juggling lots of deadlines and tasks together at the same time, so while I expected it to be a physical task, I didn’t quite anticipate the complex, cognitive task aspects, with staff constantly balancing things off in order to get the job done in time.”

It is hoped the work will lead to the development of a new, collaboratively agreed rail industry standard for train preparation activities in the form of an NVQ at level two or three to ensure a standardised way of working across the industry. The work and subsequent full research paper also give an insight to anyone looking at human performance in freight and logistics and will also be of specific relevance to those looking at digital technologies such as ETCS and digital coupling.

Dr Golightly added: “The work will help those people delivering standards which are more procedural, around train prep, for example, and making sure they are designed in such a way that they are reflecting the realities of how people do their work – or when they implement those standards and

procedures that they are done in such a way that the ground staff have got the capacity and opportunity to do those things well.

“This is not just a challenge facing rail freight but a fundamental human challenge. You can give people processes, but unless you give them the tools, the capacity, the resource and the opportunity to do it, people will feel under pressure to take what looks like shortcuts, but they are just trying to get the work done in time.

“This work aims to design the worksite better, better walking routes for example, and we are working with RSSB, which is coming up with a number of projects to look at how we can delve down in real depth here to understand how work is being performed and think about how we can improve that and make it safe and take some of the risk out.

“One area that I am really interested in is the longterm prospects of freight. If we are going to increase the amount of freight that is going to run through some of these yards, what does that mean for work?

There are also the likes of ETCS and the changing weather, which could lead to trains needing to be prepped differently to prepare for the network. We need to future-proof rail freight by thinking about the human operators and ensuring they are ready for what is coming along.”

We looked at a number of incidents that happened on the network and found that even though these things were happening on the network, you could trace them back to what was happening in the freight yard

October 2023

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INNOVATION

3Squared has developed PathPlanner to help simplify the complexities around how paths can be opened to accommodate for the growth in rail freight. The company explains more

PathPlanner: Powering freight through technology F

reight transport is undoubtedly the greenest and most environmentally friendly means of transporting goods across the country. According to the Rail Delivery Group’s (RDG) ‘Levelling Up Britain’ report, each tonne of freight transport by rail produces over three quarters (76 per cent) less carbon emissions when compared to road. Furthermore, rail freight cuts Britain’s carbon footprint by preventing seven million HGV journeys per year.

RDG also estimates that rail freight contributes £2.45 billion to the economy each year. Logistics is one of the largest sectors worldwide, worth $8.43 trillion in 2021 as a vital mode of transport for moving commodities on behalf of practically every part of the UK economy daily.

Exploring opportunities through technology While it is positive to see the increased opportunities for the freight market, there are many complexities around how paths can be opened to accommodate for this monumental growth, and how to effectively balance the varying needs of both freight and passenger operators.

After identifying these industry-wide problems, 3Squared developed PathPlanner – bolstered through a win at the Department for Transport and Innovate UK’s First of a Kind (FOAK) competition for innovation in freight.

In essence, PathPlanner aims to assist freight operators to better manage their Very Short-Term Planning (VSTP). As it stands, VSTP currently operates under Control Conditions – i.e., additional trains that are needed are entered manually into operational systems by control staff.

PathPlanner has been designed with freight operators in mind, as it finds grey space in the timetable to add previously validated schedules at short notice, therefore maximising freight movement, productivity, and asset optimisation, whilst improving fuel efficiencies and reducing idling.

For example, 3Squared has worked closely with Network Rail and Solent Stevedores (with crucial input from Logistics UK, Stobart, DP World and GB Railfreight) to help them realise the benefits by finding available paths to run more frequent and longer trains to and from Southampton.

3Squared also recently developed and published an industry-led whitepaper on the topic, ‘The Future of Freight: Unlocking Potential to Transform Freight Operations’. Featuring input from industry leaders, such as Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General at the Rail Freight Group (RFG) and Nick Graham, Head of External Networks at Eddie Stobart, amongst others, the whitepaper aims to showcase how vital freight is to the future of the UK rail sector, and why the shift to rail freight matters now, more than ever.

has worked with a range of companies from across the rail sector, taking the time to get to the heart of their operations and understand the problems they encounter within freight. This has equipped them with in-depth knowledge to identify a solution that would have a real-world impact on its day-to-day users. From this, PathPlanner was born.

transporting passengers or goods from A to B. With the net zero goal front of mind, it is hard to understate the rich benefits that freight transport provides, and when supported by innovative tools such as PathPlanner, the opportunities for growth are endless.

For more information on 3Squared, please visit https://3squared.com/

PathPlanner has been designed with freight operators in mind, as it finds grey space in the timetable to add previously validated schedules Collaboration is key Looking ahead Cross industry collaboration has been a driving The rail industry of the future must be able to adapt to force behind PathPlanner’s development. 3Squared a diverse range of needs and demands, beyond purely at short notice

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Supporting the efficient, greener movement of freight Utilising over 7 years of historical data, PathPlanner seeks out unused paths across the network to unlock capacity and generate new opportunities for the freight sector to transport more goods seamlessly and sustainably.

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48

ADVERTORIAL

After swapping living in the jungles of Papua New Guinea for exploring and enhancing Britain’s railways, James Morrow, director of SEP Geotech discusses his unique career journey alongside why the company is quickly becoming the go-to company for all things ground investigation

From jungle adventures to ground-breaking rail solutions S

ince its establishment in 2021, SEP Geotech has experienced a rapid growth trajectory, and Director James Morrow attributes this success to the team’s collaborative approach and ability to provide a complete one-stop-shop service.

Part of the wider SEP Rail Group, SEP Geotech is led by engineering expert James, whose team works hand-in-hand with the group’s design, surveying, engineering and culant arms, building client partnerships underpinned by trust and honesty.

Identifying a gap in the market SEP Geotech was formed in 2021 following the launch of SEP Design in 2020. Backed by decades of experience, SEP Design’s in-house team covers every stage of the project lifecycle, helping consultants and contractors solve even their most complex of challenges. But something was missing that James felt could be developed to strengthen the group’s offering even further.

A key driver for SEP Geotech’s launch was the identification of a gap in the surveying market, where traditional survey companies often lacked an understanding of the designer’s requirements, explained James. Similarly, a weakness of designers is that they often don’t understand how difficult it is to actually obtain survey information, or what it costs.

“With SEP Rail Group we provide all the different elements – the survey company, the design company, and the engineering company that carries out the installation. Having it all under one roof makes more sense, particularly from a client perspective, because it de-risks their programme and their costs.” James explained.

“When launching SEP Geotech, our unique selling point was that very few survey companies have access to a ground investigation business or civils design support. To subcontract that out and not have control of it is quite a big risk to a project.

“The competition in the existing market wasn’t as strong as we felt we could be. They didn’t necessarily invest in innovation, whereas at SEP Geotech we pride ourselves on investment, in both our people and equipment.”

As the SEP Rail Group developed a bigger client base there was an increase in demand for additional services, including ground investigations, surveying, utilities and de-vegetation.

This led to the formation of SEP Geotech, which employs professional geotechnical engineers and drilling teams providing specialist ground investigation support for some of rail’s largest and most recognisable projects.

“It was an open goal for us really.” James explained. “We were working in conjunction with

other businesses in the group and we identified Kieran Moran – Director, who now leads our Geotechnical team. He has been outstanding at leading our delivery and really growing the businesses’ capabilities.”

SEP Geotech’s unique offering has resulted in rapid and impressive growth, with a wealth of projects delivered and relationships forged with some of the biggest names in rail – including construction engineering specialist Colas and leading rail contractor QTS Group.

October 2023

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Geotechnical support for the UK’s railways From initial consultation and investigations to testing and the production of factual reports, we help you predict, expose and mitigate risk, keeping your projects on track and your stakeholders on board.

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In-situ testing Cable percussive and rotary drilled boreholes Window sampling and dynamic probing

Trial pitting and trenching Hand pitting Geotechnical monitoring services Structural coring CBR & plate load testing Health and safety supervision

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Need geotechnical support on your projects? Get in touch JAMES MORROW, MANAGING DIRECTOR

01904 403 322 048-050_SEPRAIL_RDOCT23.indd 49

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ADVERTORIAL

An Englishman abroad Before launching SEP Geotech, James enjoyed a unique previous career path forged in the oil and gas industry, which finished with him managing a 600man crew in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. After initially studying electronic engineering in Sheffield and securing a job in the rail industry, James transitioned into oil and gas, working first as an electronic engineer, and later, as a senior client project coordinator.

“I’m an electronic engineer by trade and became a civil engineer after university and a plain line track designer. But I became a bit disillusioned and applied for several jobs in Papua New Guinea and within six months I had moved over to become a seismic exploration oil and gas supervisor. Despite the 41 degrees, 95 per cent humidity weather I loved it and ended up spending 12 years over there. Even now I still get calls from that region as one of a few people in the world that can deliver seismic exploration over there.”

Adapting and overcoming Now back in the rail industry, James says there are many transferable skills when transitioning from the oil and gas sector and this has helped with the formation of SEP Geotech’s team: “In rail, like the oil and gas industry, you need to be able to adapt and overcome when things go wrong. Kieran had worked in both sectors and had a list of people from his drilling days that he knew he could rely on, so we brought them in. To work in both industries, you need to be reliable and have a strong work ethic. We’re fortunate to have built a great team of people here that is steadily growing.”

A standout recent project for SEP Geotech was delivered in collaboration with SEP Design, working together on a resignalling project for Colas, with SEP Geotech’s team changing over 60 different assets, including 40 bespoke and generic retaining walls and platforms.

“We changed the methodology scope of ground investigation to suit track access and allow the team to get a full data set,” James explained. “Some subcontractors won’t challenge, but we were able to challenge our design house because it was internal to us. On other sites the services team could fully map out the utilities in the area, working with the buried services search and onsite physical search, rather than just utilising a cable avoidance tool. This is just one example of how we can change our scope to suit access requirements, saving time and money for clients.”

Looking ahead With its five separate but interrelated companies, SEP Rail Group can provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ service, managing rail projects from their survey stage through to construction.

SEP Geotech is currently supporting QTS Group’s geotech team on multiple sites and continues to enjoy a healthy pipeline of work.

So, what does the future of the rail industry look like from James’s perspective?

“Everything now is geared towards boots off ballast, trying to remove people from site where possible.

Contractors are looking to award contracts to a single source, with the onus back on where the majority of the margin is. Which is the correct place really. If the end client has a 10 per cent margin on a project, why should they hold all of the risk? It should be with the contractor that is getting a 20-30 per cent margin.”

At SEP Geotech we pride ourselves And what about the future of SEP Geotech? on investment, in “The future will see us continually investing in equipment to remove risk and people from highboth our people risk situations. We’re developing some innovative kit that will be bespoke to us and make our offering and equipment even stronger.

“All of the profit we’ve made as a business so far has been reinvested into equipment. We want to have the best equipment but also redundancy of equipment so that our client’s projects are not at risk.”

For more information, please contact us: seprail.co.uk/service/ground-investigation/

October 2023

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52

ADVERTORIAL

How a UK nano-technology company has solved the problem of hydrogen permeation on hydrogen trains and ancillary infrastructure

An absolute game changer for Hydrogen in rail

I

n an innovative move towards a sustainable future, the UK rail industry is turning to green hydrogen as the linchpin of its decarbonisation mission. This approach aims to usher in a new era of emissionfree transport, poised to eclipse conventional trains that rely either on dirty fossil fuels or infrastructureintensive overhead lines.

In a decisive move toward cleaner transport, the UK government unveiled a visionary plan in 2018: the phasing out of diesel-only trains by 2040. This ambitious commitment holds great promise for emission reduction, but its delivery is not without challenges. Currently, a staggering 29 per cent of all trains, and a massive 90 per cent of freight trains, rely on diesel propulsion. According to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, only 42 per cent of track is electrified. Whilst increasing the electrification of the network would seem to be the obvious solution, it would be prohibitively expensive to install overhead electric lines across the entire country. The physically restrictive nature of the world’s oldest rail network and disparity in usage of different lines brings additional complexity.

Transport currently accounts for around a An alternative to electrification quarter of the Hydrogen-powered trains have emerged as a leading solution and one of the best alternatives to UK’s greenhouse electrification. One of the main benefits of hydrogen is the ability to replace trains with no change in gas emissions, service quality to passengers, the ability to meet existing timetables, and with minimum disruption to and hydrogen services, all while reducing emissions. Hydrogen is passed through a fuel cell, and through a chemical represents a major process, electricity is generated. There are no greenhouse gas emissions, and the only by-product opportunity to is water. If the hydrogen is sourced from electrolysis powered by renewables, then the whole solution reduce this becomes “zero emission”.

The imperative now lies in identifying sustainable green alternatives to seamlessly replace these fossil fuel-dependent units without the need for expensive and complex overhead infrastructure.

However, this solution is not without its challenges.

Hydrogen trains still need refuelling and therefore hydrogen production facilities and refuelling infrastructure will be needed.

October 2023

53

ADVERTORIAL

The routes that are likely to be optimal for hydrogen are likely to be in more rural regions, suffer from restricted grid capacity or have other existing or physical constraints that make OHLs unviable.

The major challenge with hydrogen as a fuel to date has been its storage and distribution. Due to its small molecular size, hydrogen escapes by permeating through gaps in the molecular structure of steel tanks and pipes. This process also causes embrittlement of the steel, eventually leading to product failure. These challenges often mean that hydrogen needs to be produced close to its point of use to reduce losses in storage and transit.

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UK innovation Now a UK-based nano technology company has solved this problem. Their Tritonex coating uses nanotechnology to effectively seal storage tanks, pipework and valves – both on board the trains and in the supporting supply infrastructure – reducing costs and improving safety performance. The barrier coating can be applied by OEMs or retrofitted to existing products and surfaces, meaning hydrogen pipes and storage vessels can run with increased pressure without any losses, and the hydrogen can be transported over long distances in the same way that natural gas currently is.

“We need to change our mindset to realise we now can treat hydrogen as any other fuel, utilising buffer storage and long transport lines,” said Triton Hydrogen CEO Henning Syversen.

“Transport currently accounts for around a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and hydrogen represents a major opportunity to reduce this. Tritonex overcomes the biggest hurdle of gas transport and storage, allowing for the development of cheap, safe and efficient fuels cells and ancillary

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October 2023

orders of magnitude cheaper than installing OHL equipment – and with much fewer track possessions required. And with the major challenge of hydrogen permeation overcome, hydrogen could be the way to power the UK’s green railway of the future.

54 52

RAIL WELLBEING LIVE

Registration has opened for Rail Wellbeing Live.

Ruth Busby, Chair of the Steering Board, explains more

Improving wellbeing as one big railway family

M

ental health-related absences have cost the rail sector more than £1.3 billion since the start of 2019.

But more important than that is the impact a busy and demanding railway is having on the wellbeing of workers in the industry.

A recent report from suicide prevention charity Samaritans has revealed one in five rail workers suffered physical abuse at work, two-thirds had experienced a change in their mental health which had impacted their ability to carry out their work, and 65 per cent did not seek help for their mental health through their organisation.

“It’s really hard when you see these stats, but it highlights that it is a difficult industry to work in and that is why it is so important to provide the support for people,” said Ruth Busby, People and Transformation Director at Great Western Railway and Network Rail Wales and Western.

Increased anxiety amongst rail workers The research was gathered last summer from 1,773 staff, and was conducted by Samaritans and Mental Health at Work. It was funded by Great Western Railway with support from the Department for Transport.

“The study was commissioned because we were really concerned about the traumatic nature of incidents on the railway,” added Ruth. “The findings included that the rate of anxiety of workers in the rail industry is 1.5 times higher than that of the general population and that nearly two-thirds of railway workers said they had a change in their mental health that affected their ability to work.

“Collectively we have to do something to address this as apart from the wellbeing of colleagues, it also makes commercial sense with figures from Deloitte saying that employers receive an average £5 return for every £1 spent on wellbeing support.”

The industry is doing just that with a three-day online event offering everyone in the rail industry the opportunity to come together and connect with colleagues and high-profile speakers to get inspiration, tips, and guidance on how to tackle a wide range of health and wellbeing issues.

TV personality and campaigner Davina McCall,

Olympic rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave, and physician and mental health ambassador Dr Alex George headline the fourth annual Rail Wellbeing Live (RWL), from 7 to 9 November.

Ruth, who recently took over as the Chair of the Rail Wellbeing Live Steering Board, said: “I’m so proud and excited to be a part of this year’s event which gives us all the opportunity to take a proactive approach to health and wellbeing. We always talk about the railway family, but part of

October 2023

being a family is that you have to look after each other, and that is not just when something has gone wrong, it is looking after yourself before it goes wrong.

“All too often, we put ourselves to the bottom of the pile and forget to look after ourselves. Taking part in one or more of these fantastic sessions will give you the tools to make a positive change – whether that be mentally, physically, emotionally or financially.”

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56 54

RAIL WELLBEING LIVE

RWL aims to address all aspects of health and wellbeing in an engaging, fun way. Joining the three headline speakers includes Owen O’Kane (How to be your own therapist), Poorna Bell (Finding strength), Dr Megan Rossi (Gut health), Gelong Thubten (Living in the present), Angie Belcher (Laughter as medicine), Dr Michelle O’Sullivan (Strategies for coping with trauma), Nina Finlay (Wim Hof breathing method), Vidyamala Burch (Living with pain) and Dr Nerina Ramlakhan (The art of deep sleep).

Choose your own path Pick ‘n’ mix sessions allow attendees to create their own agenda and attend topics that interest them most.

There will be sessions in the evening on Wednesday 8 November, focused on colleagues on the frontline working evening shifts.

Ruth said: “The last three engagement surveys we have done in Great Western Railway have found that the two biggest drivers of whether colleagues feel engaged are if they feel valued to be themselves at work and if they believe the organisation cares about their wellbeing.

“The biggest causes of absence are poor mental health and poor musculoskeletal issues so it isn’t just morally the right thing to do, it is right to care about the wellbeing, with events like this making a big difference.

“This year we have a really good mix of sessions with a variety of speakers to reach as many people as possible. The rail industry has felt a bit heavy over the last few years and this will hopefully be a little bit of joyfulness bringing people together on something everyone cares about. This stuff also showcases why the rail industry is a brilliant place to work as well.”

RWL is fully funded by organisations Alstom, Angel Trains, Arriva, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Eversholt Rail, FirstGroup, GTR, Hitachi Rail, Keltbray, Keolis, KPMG, LNER, Network Rail, Octavius, Office of Rail and Road, RSSB, Siemens and West Midlands Railway.

This year’s opening session ‘Welcome to Rail Wellbeing Live 2023’ will feature Network Rail Chief Executive, Andrew Haines, SYSTRA Assistant Engineer and Young Rail Professionals Apprentice of the Year, Lucy Davidson, and Siemens Mobility Engineer, Henda Moreso Grion.

It will be hosted by broadcaster, journalist and author, Kate Silverton. The focus of the discussion will be around young people in the industry, and the future of rail.

“RWL has had an impact and it has opened up the ability to talk about wellbeing and stopped it being a taboo subject,” said Ruth.

“It changes the narrative about wellbeing and makes it ok to talk about it and talk about it openly.

It also brings people together and last year we saw a really high level of chat activity during the live sessions so that was a massive benefit, as well as the speakers.

“I’d especially like to ask line managers to encourage their team to join a RWL session. Even if you can’t join live, sessions are available for two

weeks afterwards so please register and watch at a time that is convenient.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the rail industry, we all have similar challenges. I very much look forward to everyone coming together to improve wellbeing as one big railway family, as well as showcasing the industry to the wider population as such a special industry to work in.”

Visit www.rwl2023.co.uk for more details

October 2023

All too often, we put ourselves to the bottom of the pile and forget to look after ourselves

58 56

HS2

The Prime Minister has said the government will deliver HS2 between Birmingham and Euston, but it will be extended no further, with the money instead invested in a range of alternative projects

End of the road for HS2’s northern section

“T

he current HS2 project is preventing us from spending on the forms of transport that matter most to people.

By scrapping it, every penny from the Northern leg of HS2 will go to the North and every penny from the Midlands leg to the Midlands.”

That was the message from Rishi Sunak on the news that Phase 2 of the HS2 project, which would have taken the high-speed railway from Birmingham to Manchester, was being scrapped, with the £36 billion in savings being reinvested in hundreds of transport projects across the country under the Network North banner.

“Network North is a new programme of transport improvements that will benefit far more people, in far more places, far quicker,” he added.

“Every region will have as much or more transport investment as a result of this decision.”

On making the decision he said that costs have more than doubled since forecast, with Phase 1 increasing from £20 billion to an estimated £45 billion.

“The project has been repeatedly delayed,” he added as another reason why he had scrapped the project.

“It was supposed to be operational by 2026 and opened in full by 2033, but now the line to

October 2023

Manchester is forecast to be opened in 2041, in 18 years’ time.

“And the pandemic has completely changed the way we travel. While road travel has recovered to prepandemic levels, train journeys are still down by 20 per cent.”

The news has been met with widespread criticism among the industry. Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission said: “High Speed 2 was part of a long-term strategy with clear objectives to link up some of the country’s largest cities. It had been planned for almost 15 years and under construction since 2017.

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HS2

“The decision to stop the legs north and east of Birmingham is deeply disappointing, leaving a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy around which a number of city regions have been basing their economic growth plans.”

Squandering the benefits of Phase 1 It was a view shared by Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, who said: “Scrapping HS2 Phase 2 is simply unnecessary and squanders the full benefits of Phase 1.

The government can work with metro mayors, the railway industry, rail suppliers, and other stakeholders to agree a cost-effective way forward, including encouraging private investment to take pressure off the public purse.

“Whilst we in the railway industry are of course concerned at the announcement made by the Prime Minister, we now need to ensure the HS2 Phase 2 scheme can be taken on by future generations and that there will be rebuilt trust in government rail announcements given the recent history, and provide more certainty generally, to enable rail businesses to plan their workforces and resources in the weeks and months ahead.”

The government has said that £12 billion will be set aside for links between Liverpool and Manchester to ensure the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and £36 billion invested in hundreds of projects in towns, cities and rural areas across our whole country, and in roads, rail and buses.

Over £3 billion will help deliver faster and more frequent trains between Hull, Leeds, Sheffield, and Manchester, including bringing Hull into Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). It will also be used to upgrade and electrify the line between Sheffield and Leeds, and upgrade the route between Sheffield and Manchester.

Bradford will be given a new through station and new line linking to the NPR route near Huddersfield, with a Bradford-Manchester journey time of around 30 minutes once the new high-speed line west of Marsden is open.

The Midlands Rail Hub will be delivered in full, with £1.75 billion of increased investment to speed up journey times, increase capacity and boost frequency of services across the region.

Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Connect, said: “We are disappointed and disheartened by the HS2 announcement. We must not start from scratch; we must work at pace to deliver HS2 Phase 1 all the way to Euston. There are also lessons to be learnt from the HS2 story so far.

“The Midlands Rail Hub and road programmes including the A5 which have been announced resonate with us, these are our transformational EastWest priorities for the region, which we recommended and have been progressing with government.

“We are now calling for more detail on timescales and a plan of action, and asking for a high-level urgent meeting with ministers, to ensure these plans and the benefits for the Midlands are delivered as quickly as possible.

“We will now work, like we always do, crossparty and in an open and collaborative way with all involved.”

Among the projects being funded are plans to establish a Development Corporation in London to create a transformed ‘Euston Quarter’ and look to leverage private sector investment in the process. The government says this will unblock £6.5 billion to invest in projects that people and communities really need around the country.

Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair of the Euston Partnership, said: “I welcome the certainty of HS2 terminating at Euston, and the proposed Development Corporation to take the station and regeneration forward to deliver connectivity, growth, jobs, and homes.

“This is a real opportunity to create a transformative Euston quarter with as many as 10,000 homes, echoing the regeneration success stories of Battersea and nearby King’s Cross. I am sure the partners will work collaboratively with the government to work through the financial and other mechanisms to make this work.”

October 2023

The decision to stop the legs north and east of Birmingham is deeply disappointing, leaving a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy around which a number of city regions have been basing their economic growth plans

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62

ADVERTORIAL

Baker Rose specialises in bringing developer and infrastructure together.

Writing for Rail Director, Partner David Baker explains how now is the time for “a grown-up conversation with the adults in the room”

“Action not words is what we need” T

he Prime Minister has admitted of net zero “…motivated by short-term thinking, politicians have taken the easy way out. Telling people the bits they want to hear, and not necessarily always the bits they need to hear.”

And so it is for major rail projects, and housing developments, and power generation, and so many other critical pieces of infrastructure this country needs to become fit and remain civilised in what is rapidly becoming a very different world.

As a country we are apparently ahead in making policy commitments setting out where we should be by 2030, 2035, 2050 or whenever seems far enough away to not require immediately painful action.

What those of us responsible for bringing forward major infrastructure and development projects know is that from idea to spade in the ground is generally a 10-year minimum run-in with planners and politicians. This is followed by a five year build out before anyone is likely to see significant long-term benefits. For major heavy rail projects, you can add a lot more years… HS2 is in its 15th year already.

The scourge of clickbait journalism and shortterm thinking whip up protest and protectionism, which is leading to growing confrontation with those who actually have long-term vision and a capacity to think strategically. I hope the latter are prepared to stand up and take action, speaking the truth to those who need to hear it, because that is what our children need.

Roadblocks To be frank, though, having an honest conversation is simply not enough. Our planning, decision-making, procurement and delivery are stuck in a quagmire of obfuscation, driven by a fear of being held accountable by an evergrowing army of perfectly hindsighted auditors and copywriters masquerading as journalists. It has become easier to say no, or construct tiers of governance to ensure an opaque liability for making a decision is, ultimately, offset by making a contractor responsible. Or alternatively announcing a new policy statement…

Our country and indeed industry are short of skills and desperate to improve productivity, never mind renew and develop critical infrastructure.

Focusing on rewarding achievements and forgiving errors (not in health and safety), getting things done and identifying how they can be delivered quicker – and acting on this - has to become the new mantra.

Action not words is what we need. Let’s be honest – time is running out. We need practical activist leadership at a senior level.

I am lucky enough to have worked for years across different sectors. These have included commercial and residential property, infrastructure development and logistics , including shipping, and with lots of experience with rail and rail freight in particular.

And the variations in approach have been stark.

Since John Prescott first introduced the Strategic Rail Authority as a buffer between the Department for Transport and the rail industry, through to the latest iteration of (possibly) the Great British Railways, there has been a growing plethora of publicly funded thought, a bit of hesitant action, followed by a rethink – and another thought – and possibly another plan to replace the previous thought, interlaced with countless audits.

Only the private sector push of commercial realities and customer focus has ensured that the UK’s railways have been transformed. And since privatisation, the rail freight industry has been entirely driven by private business and commercial customers, with some grant funding and the much-appreciated support from Network Rail’s freight team.

Corporates are running ahead of government policy now and looking beyond the brand impacts of going ‘green’, to the absolutely critical reality that energy will be expensive in whatever form it takes for the foreseeable future. Consequently, their supply chains must move to maximise efficiencies. Rail freight, at 76 per cent less carbon emissions per tonne moved compared to HGVs, has to be grown.

Targeting net zero The government knows this, the strategists know this, but most people in the supermarket or shopping on their smartphones for a next-day delivery haven’t got a clue how anything gets produced and delivered to them; it’s a miracle! They really don’t begin to appreciate or vaguely comprehend the infrastructure changes needed to get us to net zero.

As directors and senior influences in the industry, we have to step up and not just lead the conversation, but provide practical activist leadership, to make a difference, quicker.

David Baker is a partner of Baker Rose, a Chartered Surveyor, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport and a mediator member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He has been involved in the gestation of schemes such as DIRFT and London Gateway and is currently advising Tritax Symmetry on its Development Consent Order application for Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange, which is in examination

October 2023

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20/10/2023 16:07

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64 62

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Europe’s first retrofitted hydrogen freight locomotive I

arnród Éireann Irish Rail, operator of the national railway network of Ireland and provider of passenger and freight rail services, and DIGAS, a global trailblazer in decarbonisation solutions for the railway sector, have signed a contract to retrofit a freight diesel locomotive from diesel fuel to hydrogen as a proof of concept.

The purpose of the €1.5 million project is to help decarbonise the operations of Iarnród Éireann diesel locomotives, assist the company in meeting its goals as a Sustainable Development Goal champion, increase its competitiveness, and reduce carbon exhaust emissions.

Based on the agreement, Iarnród Éireann will provide the 071 Class Diesel Locomotive for the conversion as well as make the workshop available for the installation, testing and commissioning activities.

Jim Meade, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, said: “Iarnród Éireann has 18 071 class diesel locomotives in railway operations, 12 of which are used to support freight operations. If the

conversion tests are successful, these locomotives can be converted to greener and more efficient alternatives.”

DIGAS will manufacture, deliver, and install a Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2 ICE) retrofit kit to convert the diesel locomotive to a hydrogen-powered locomotive.

Petro Dumenko, Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder of DIGAS, said: “We see the same challenge over and over again with all railway

operators – the need to decarbonise their operations but having an extremely long lifecycle of their assets which still run on diesel fuel. This project will showcase a cost-effective and practical way for operators like Iarnród Éireann to decarbonise their existing fleet of diesel locomotives.”

The conversion will allow the locomotive to run on renewable, emissions-free fuel instead of diesel fuel. As part of the agreement, the two companies will share technical and commercial information necessary for DIGAS to design, manufacture, install, and support the commissioning of the hydrogen conversion kit and allow Iarnród Éireann to properly test a retrofitted locomotive.

The project is currently in the design process and scheduled for two testing phases across 2024 and 2025. Phase one will be focused on static testing of the locomotion to check power and emissions output. Phase two will follow in 2025 and focus on service trials of the locomotion out on the rails.

All designs and testing standards are subject to approval from the Commission for Railway Regulation (CRR).

Take Rail Director wherever you go READ THE LATEST EDITION ONLINE NOW

October 2023

66 64

FREIGHT

New technology currently under development in Derby could cut emissions, increase efficiency and reduce cost for freight operations in the future

Powered axles are the way to go

T

he UK Government has made its decarbonisation strategy for the railway industry clear, although there are many who doubt that the intended timescale can be achieved.

To reach net zero by 2050, all diesel-only trains will be banned from 2040, and all diesel-hybrids by 2050.

As a result, the passenger train market has already started looking at solutions. The simplest one would be to electrify the whole network by 2040. That is unlikely to happen, so trials are taking place with hydrogen and battery-powered trains that can run on non-electrified lines.

Hydrogen will be used to generate electricity using fuel cells and this will charge batteries that will power the train. Battery-powered trains will charge similar batteries, either from the conventional electrification on the main line parts of the route, or at charging points located at stations so the train charges up while it is at the platform.

The weight factor Neither of these solutions will work with freight.

The Class 66 diesel locomotive, workhorse of the UK rail freight industry, has a power output of 2,400kW (3,200hp) and 1,850kW (2,480hp) at the rails. The more powerful Class 70 produces 2,750kW (3,670hp) and has hauled a train weighing 4,624 tonnes. In contrast, the hydrogen fuel cells that power Alstom’s iLint two-car

passenger train are rated at 314kW each and are supplied by hydrogen fuel tanks that each have a maximum capacity of 94kg.

A two-car iLint, without passengers, weighs just 107 tonnes, although even that is nine tonnes more than the diesel version due to the extra weight of the batteries and hydrogen tanks.

By simple mathematics, a hydrogen-powered freight train would need nine such fuel cells, complete with their associated batteries and control gear, and storage for 846kg of hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel tanks are heavy due to the pressures involved, though lighter versions that use composite materials are being developed. Currently, a tank to contain around 5kg of hydrogen at 350-700 bar pressure weighs around 100kg. The correlation is not linear, but tanks to store 840kg of hydrogen would certainly be very heavy!

So are the batteries. An iLint carries around five tonnes of batteries, meaning that a freight locomotive using similar technology would need 45 tonnes of batteries.

So, it’s not impossible – a locomotive with nine fuel cells, 45 tonnes of batteries and another 18 tonnes of hydrogen storage could certainly be built, particularly if it was configured as a two-car unit. This, though, would reduce the train’s overall capacity, as the length of a freight train in the UK is limited to an absolute maximum of 775 metres and on many routes can be as low as 520 metres.

October 2023

Different solution Some alternative thinking is needed, and that is precisely what engineers at Wabtec have been doing. Working at the company’s Derby offices, they are developing solutions that will certainly see the rail freight industry through until 2050 while markedly reducing emissions.

Their plan is not to add heavy batteries to the locomotive, but to add them to each wagon in the consist (or pair of wagons in an intermodal train, where two flat-bed wagons are permanently coupled into two-wagon units).

The technology employs the concept of regenerative braking, widely used on passenger trains. Under braking, the functionality of the traction motors is reversed, utilising the motors as generators.

The resistance of the generator applies braking forces to the wheels while generating electricity that is then routed back to the train’s pantograph and returned to the network, to be used to power other trains or to go back to the grid and reduce the train’s net power consumption.

Under Wabtec’s plans, one bogie on each wagon would be fitted with a small electric motor that can both drive the axle and also regenerate power that will be used to charge a battery. The electricity generated would therefore be free, replacing the energy normally lost in heating up brake pads and discs.

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FREIGHT

When extra traction effort is required, such as starting from a stand or powering up an incline, the stored energy in the batteries can supply power to the axles via the motor that is now in drive mode, reducing the demand on the freight locomotive. That will also reduce fuel consumption, and hence reduce emissions.

Combined with a switch of fuel to power the locomotive from conventional diesel to HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), which itself reduces emissions by some 90 per cent, and emission from freight trains will be well on the way to zero before 2040.

Simon Evans, Wabtec UK Group Innovations Director, explained that his team has been working on the concept for several years. Much of that time has been dedicated to feasibility studies on developing the technology and lifecycle costing, to determine the freight operator’s return on investment.

That has now been calculated to be within an industry acceptable level, which has got several freight operators very interested.

Future development On the design front, a number of simulations have been carried out. The data has been checked by third parties and their results closely correlated with Wabtec’s.

“We are confident the models and the simulations are robust,” Simon Evans told Rail Director. “We have overhauled a lot of freight locomotive engines, so we know all about their fuel consumption. We were therefore in a good place to work up those costs and benefits.”

Some of the funding for the project came from an Innovate UK competition. The challenge was initially to demonstrate feasibility and, with that successfully completed, the Wabtec project was one of two taken forward to the next stage – trialling the system on a live railway by the end of 2024. Although the original concept was very much aligned to freight projects, the demonstrator will be a passenger vehicle, which shall prove the benefits for passenger applications as well as freight.

“We have to demonstrate that our concept works,” Simon continued. “We’ve done the simulations, we did the modelling, we’ve done the feasibility. When we run this in real life, we will find out whether we are seeing the energy recovery we’re expecting. Will the acceleration performance be as we’re expecting? Will the efficiencies? Once we have that real life data, then we can check against the simulations we’ve done, and validate that, technically, it’s doing what we said.

“We also need to reduce pricing for the equipment.

It’s all about cost and return on investment, so we’re looking at standardising the motors and the battery system to get economies of scale.”

Incidentally, the system will work just as well on a passenger train as on freight – and the payback is potentially even better!

In developing the technology, Simon and his team will need to keep an open mind. If the system won’t be ready for full production for another five years, where will battery technology be then? Will supercapacitors, another type of electrical storage device, be a better solution than batteries?

The initial set of batteries will likely need changing or overhaul every 10 years, because, currently, that’s the minimum life of tractionpower batteries. But what will the replacement technology be? In fifteen years, what batteries will the industry be using? Lithium-ion batteries, as used today, didn’t go into mass production until 2010 and the big boom occurred after 2016, with output increasing by 2,700 per cent between 2016 and 2020. So, it’s a new technology – what will be on the market in 2039 when the first set of batteries need changing?

Supercapacitors are already fitted to locomotives to power starter motors. They have better reliability than batteries, and the internal resistance is low, so there is no drop in voltage, especially in cold weather.

As with all new technologies, it’s a bit of a guessing game. But, if the numbers stack up using today’s technology, then having better storage devices that are more efficient, last longer and hold more charge can only improve the figures.

Several freight companies are already asking for more details and expressing an interest. It’s not just about fuel saving either. Having the electric motors on the wagons available when high traction forces are needed can mean that they only have to use a single locomotive on a train instead of two, and that’s much bigger saving than just fuel.

The availability of onboard power from the wagons will also improve acceleration, reducing journey times and allowing freight trains to clear pinch points on the network more quickly. The onboard power can also be used for other purposes – powering refrigerated containers for example.

As a by-product of this technology, it may even be possible to move wagons around a freight yard using only the onboard electric motor and a remote control, saving on shunting costs too.

The future looks bright for Wabtec’s new poweredaxle technology.

October 2023

We have to demonstrate that our concept works.

We’ve done the simulations, we did the modelling, we’ve done the feasibility. When we run this in real life, we will find out whether we are seeing the energy recovery we’re expecting

68 66

ADVERTORIAL

Mike Stallard is a Non-Executive Director at Express Medicals.

He left school at 15 to join the railways and hasn’t looked back since. Now he is an esteemed expert, particularly around the non-clinical aspects of drug and alcohol policies and testing

Passionate in ensuring railway workers are kept safe

October 2023

69 67

ADVERTORIAL

E

xpress Medicals is an expert in drug and alcohol services, providing 100 per cent legally defensible results exactly when and where you need them.

It also delivers the best in corporate training, equipping managers with an understanding of the potentially damaging issue of substance misuse in the rail industry, helping to identify usage by individuals, and providing support in managing the repercussions.

“If you’re operating in a field where safety is critical, it is vital that your drug and alcohol policy protects your employees, the public and your business,” said Mike Stallard, a Non-Executive Director.

“Staff working under the influence of intoxicating substances are more likely to cause accidents. These can be dangerous, even deadly, and may make you liable to costly lawsuits and significant reputational damage.”

Keeping everyone safe Mike is driven by a passion for ensuring the rail industry and its workers are kept safe. He worked for London Underground for nearly 40 years, holding various senior management posts. There, he developed mandatory category one standards for safety. He also worked in Brussels as an expert in passenger information systems and services on an EU-commissioned project.

“I left school at 15 and went immediately to work on the London Underground as a rail operating apprentice, starting in signal boxes until 18. After that, I worked as an underground guard and driver and then went into management,” he said.

While working as a customer information strategy manager at London Underground, he went to Brussels for 18 months to work on an EU commission project looking at customer information for the railways, roads and shipping.

On returning to England, he was appointed business services manager for TFL’s occupational health department, involving both strategy and service delivery across the organisation’s 25,000 plus employees.

This included being responsible for the dayto-day contract management of drug and alcohol testing within the system.

“I had gone from operational management to information management to suddenly managing people in a clinical side of the business, but my previous experience gave me a good understanding from the operator’s point of view of what they need from the medical side of things,” he said.

Mike is a fountain of knowledge on developing and delivering training courses for organisations that want to introduce a drug and alcohol policy. He is also a co-author of “A Practical Guide to Drug and Alcohol Testing”.

In 2013 he was elected to the board of the European Workplace Drug Testing Society, an organisation formed to provide a focal point for the exchange of ideas and information from within the drug and alcohol field. He organised two international conferences for the society during his tenure.

He said: “I am a career railwayman, an operator, and also have a background as a trade unionist, as I was a trade union tutor for three years when I worked on the Underground. So I am able to bring all those experiences together when it comes to occupational medicine.

“If you have got a train driver and you want them back into work as quickly as possible, you want your occupational health to give you the advice immediately. Similarly, regarding drugs and alcohol, you want the results as soon as possible.”

Mike started working for Express Medicals in 2005 as a consultant, developing and delivering training courses for managers in the areas of change management, occupational health services and drug and alcohol service delivery.

“I give advice to doctors on what managers are looking for and on top of that I have built up quite a bit of knowledge and experience from the 1990s when it comes to the general drug and alcohol policy side of things,” said Mike, who became a non-executive director of Express Medicals in 2016.

“Thinking about it, it has been some journey from a 15-year-old boy in a signal cabin making tea for the signalmen, to now being a little older, a lot more experienced, and still providing a service for the railways. It is an industry I continue to thoroughly enjoy being involved in.”

Express Medicals has supported the rail industry for more than 25 years and Mike is part of a team that has a strong understanding of the stringent requirements of the sector. All its doctors are registered as practitioners with the Office of Rail and Road and are experienced in railway medicine.

In regard to drugs and alcohol, its sample collection services are available nationwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Its tests can be tailored to the standards required of any industry or sector, including those of National Grid, Network Rail, Transport for London, Crossrail, HS2, Docklands Light Railway and others.

Visit expressmedicals.co.uk for more information

October 2023

Staff working under the influence of intoxicating substances are more likely to cause accidents

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Rail, shipping, and transport law firm Myton Law established its specialist rail team in 2016 when former Head of Commercial Law at DB Cargo Chris Thornes joined as Director

Rail Law profile: Myton Law

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ince Chris Thornes joined, Myton Law has advised rail industry clients on matters ranging from straightforward rail freight agreements to complex, multi-faceted rail projects.

The team has hands-on freight and rail law experience not only in the UK but across Europe.

Rail team lead Chris Thornes said: “We

understand the way both domestic and international trade operates, from the perspective of the seller, the buyer, those who get the goods from A to B, and the insurer.”

Logistics contracts, carriage of goods by rail, transit, warehouse, and transport chain agreements are all dealt with by experienced lawyers, along with international trade law,

insurance, and customs matters. Myton Law also has a strong track record of managing multi-modal disputes, with seasoned litigators grasping the nettle for rail industry clients.

Myton Law is an associate member of BIFA and a member of the RFG. For more information, please contact us: www.mytonlaw.co.uk

The Myton Law rail team includes:

Chris Thornes Director Chris Thornes spent ten years as Head of Commercial Law at DB Cargo and eight years providing general counsel support to Schenker Limited before he took up the role at Myton Law. Experienced in negotiating rail freight haulage contracts, procurement contracts, including rolling stock, and documentation in relation to major rail projects, Chris also provides advice on logistics facilities contracts. With an earlier background as a commercial property lawyer, he is qualified to provide guidance on property transactions ranging from landlord and tenant transactions up to largescale property acquisition, disposal, and redevelopment.

John Habergham John Habergham focuses on commercial disputes within the rail sector and the wider logistics industry.

Rated as one of the leading practitioners in transport law in Chambers and Partners UK Solicitors Guide, John drafts commercial agreements, such as sales/purchase conditions and agency agreements, and advises on disputes arising out of carriage of goods by rail, road, sea, and air, including freight forwarders’ rights and obligations and insurance coverage work.

Recommended by a logistics industry body for problem solving, whether it is drafting commercial agreements or dealing with disputes, John applies that same acumen to the rail sector with regard to the sale and purchase of locos and rolling stock and maintenance agreements. John is currently advising a rail freight operator regarding a rolling stock maintenance dispute with a sevenfigure sum at issue.

Scott Yates Scott Yates advises on a wide variety of commercial, insurance and regulatory matters in the transport sector.

A seasoned investigator of transport related accidents, Scott is often appointed in the aftermath of an incident to undertake the initial investigation, preserve evidence, liaise with authorities, and manage any ensuing civil or criminal litigation.

Scott regularly assists and represents clients involved in shipping related disputes and he has considerable experience of Admiralty & Commercial Court proceedings.

Having worked with specialist marine insurers and brokers for over 30 years, Scott has extensive knowledge of marine insurance policies and often advises on coverage issues.

October 2023

Amy Jackson Specialising in commercial property law, Amy Jackson deals with all aspects of non-contentious commercial propert y work, including acquisitions, disposals, and redevelopment. She advises on leases and other agreements relating to the use or occupation of railway property and land and on property transactions involving logistics warehouses.

Amy recently supported a major global logistics company with the property law aspects of its investment in a seven-year lease of a strategically located logistics and distribution centre, with an area of over 150,000 sq ft.

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JUST THE TICKET

In her latest column, East West Rail’s Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain looks at a perception renaissance in rail and the importance of making journeys fun again

Slow travel, scenic suppers, and sleeper trains:

the future of rail?

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et me set the scene; the year is 2017, and it’s a Monday morning. You’ve woken up at 06:00 and are out of the front door by 07:00. Bag in hand and umbrella inevitably open, you race for your commute. You cram onto a packed, overly hot Class 150-something and hope that delays don’t prolong your time onboard, reflecting that you have four more days of this scrum remaining in the week.

Yet, in 2023, rail (in some spaces) seems to be undergoing something of a perception renaissance.

Putting aside industrial action, staffing in stations, and many other (admittedly crucial) negatives, people are flocking to rail’s leisure options, especially the more unique ones.

Fine dining Take Great Western Railway’s (GWR) Pullman dining service. A superbly unique and wonderfully executed offer, the dining offered on selected services between Paddington, Plymouth and Swansea is almost always fully reserved, offering silver dining service on the main line – a rare offer anywhere in the world.

Having experienced this myself, I can testify that it is unparalleled, with the views only matched by the quality of the food. Would more distinctive offers of this type serve to boost passenger experience elsewhere in the country?

Also from GWR, the Night Riviera sleeper train, which offers comfortable overnight travel between London Paddington and Penzance. Recently refurbished in 2018 with new seating and a new lounge bar (with interesting mushroom-shaped seats), the sleeper remains highly in-demand, and is often sold out.

The resurgence of sleeper trains can also be seen across Europe; from the refurbishment of ÖBB’s Nightjet service, to the establishment of multiple newer organisations and operators looking to meet sleeper demand and enable innovation/growth (including European Sleeper, International Sleeper Trains Ltd and Midnight Trains), it is evident that this is a rapidly growing market. According to ÖBB, passenger demand has massively outstripped supply, with passengers even assuming that the ÖBB website is broken because every sleeper train is shown as sold out.

But what is fuelling this demand? Sleepers can be experiential and enchanting ways to travel; in some cases, they can even be cost-effective, as they combine the cost of both travel and accommodation for a night.

There is a growing ‘slow travel’ movement which may also have an impact. It’s an ethos which prioritises experience over speed of journey, usually referring to travelling by rail or bus instead of by aeroplane, with companies such as Byway offering ‘100 per cent flight free holidays’.

Carbon awareness almost certainly plays a role; in October 2021, ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, 75 per cent of adults in Great Britain said they were worried about the impact of climate change. For younger people, the Children’s People and Nature Survey found that 78 per cent of 8- to 15-year-olds agreed that looking after the environment was important to them, and 81 per cent said they wanted to do more to look after the environment. With rail’s eco-friendly credentials well-known, passengers flocking to sleeper trains is perhaps no surprise.

The Culture Train Other experiences by rail are less immediately recognisable as ‘rail’ offers than fine food, comfortable beds, or classic heritage journeys. The Culture Train, funded by the German city-state Berlin and Brandenburg and run by state-owned Kulturprojekte Berlin, travels between Berlin and Wrocław every weekend and features live music, book readings, DJs, performance artists, dancing and much more. The project aims to strengthen cultural ties between Germany and Poland and bring art to the general public. In Japan, it is even possible to travel in a Shinkansen featuring foot spas – onboard the Toreiyu Tsubasa train, operated by JR East.

Enjoyment extends to stations as well; community rail in the UK is an invaluable movement which boosts passenger enjoyment of a journey through hundreds of unique initiatives. Community rail is largely supported by volunteers who work to make stations and trains more beautiful, usable, inclusive, and community-linked all across the country; think everything from flowers blooming at stations to refugee-friendly rail travel programmes.

The evidence is clear that experiences (alongside cost, of course) are increasingly a priority for travellers as we move away from a commuterfocused world. Alongside working on the key challenges referenced at the top of this article, we must focus on making journeys fun again – filling trips often viewed as mundane with wonder, beauty, and comfort. It is only with a combination of the practical and the extraordinary that we will be able to grow a flourishing rail network that is not only accessible, affordable, and usable, but is considered the very first choice for travel by all.

October 2023

With rail’s eco-friendly credentials wellknown, passengers flocking to sleeper trains is perhaps no surprise

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74 72 Hundreds of rail industry events are held in the UK each year, combine this with the countless global events and the numbers run into over a thousand, and with good reason

Never miss an opportunity to network and raise your profile

A

s a rail industry entrepreneur, business leader, sales or business development team – you already know the importance of connections. A new connection made at a conference, exhibition, seminar or webinar can make the difference between where your business currently stands and your next big contract win.

But how, in this huge sea of networking opportunities, do you identify exactly which are worth your time and investment?

Find your next networking opportunity The Ultimate Rail Calendar was created with this in mind. And you can use it in several ways. It’s an easy to use online calendar set out by month and year that’s packed with conferences, exhibitions, webinars, seminars, meetings, award ceremonies and dinners.

Anyone in the world can access it, and you can easily scan it for events of interest and plan what you want to attend, or where you want to exhibit, and click through to find out more or register. It’s excellent for your forward planning, especially when looking at your budgets and determining cost vs expected ROI.

October 2023

75 73 Key upcoming events include: RIA Annual Conference Tec Talks Rail Freight Group Awards UK Construction Week RailStaff Awards RIN regional events Intermobility Expo TransCityRail

Special offer for RBDC members All RBD Community members are being offered RIA Annual Conference tickets at RIA member rates.

RIA’s Annual Conference is a highly-regarded highlight of the UK rail industry calendar, and takes place in London from 1-2 November.

This year’s theme is “Promoting the case for rail and investment in uncertain times”. You’ll be able to meet face-to-face with members, industry leaders, influencers, international guests and policy makers, attend the exhibition and keynote speeches and panel discussions.

The RBD Community team will be attending too.

What does it cost? Here’s an example: RBDC members with UK rail turnover less than £1 million, can get the following deal:

International Railway Summit

Two-day RIA Conference (not incl Dinner) pass for £219 (usually £849 for non-members).

Rolling Stock Networking

Full 2-day RIA Conference and Networking Dinner pass for £429 (usually £1,099 for non-members).

Promote your events to millions But The Ultimate Rail Calendar isn’t just a valuable resource to find your next networking opportunity.

You can use it to your brand’s advantage.

It’s also designed to help companies and organisations in rail to promote events they are hosting to a large pool of potential visitors.

You can add your webinars, seminars, conferences and exhibitions to it, free of charge.

And the team behind it at RBD Community will also promote community member events to their

RIA Networking Dinner only pass for £279 (usually £540 for non-members).

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audiences – helping you reach even more people.

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IMPROVING FLEET PERFORMANCE FOR NORTHERN NORTHERN FOR

Loughborough-based Flotec, a trusted and leading supplier of reliable hose and engineering solutions to the rail market, is upgrading the entire fleet of Northern 15x DMU trains.

This high value investment highlights Northerns commitment to offering a best-in-class service to the passengers who rely on its network.

MARKET LEADING AND AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTS. Flotec’s modification includes its own branded RailtecTM hydrostatic hose, which has been proven to last three times longer than other alternatives. The coolant hose used is a Gates EPDM Blue Stripe product, accompanied with the PowerGrip clamp. Flotec is also upgrading the Northern DMU fleet to its award-winning variable pitch fan which helps keep the radiator and engine cool and running to optimum efficiency.

Flotec is EN 45545-2 fire safe compliant.

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October 2023

Scan the QR code to read the full feature.

76 74

DIRECTORY

Acorel specialises in real-time passenger flow intelligence solutions incorporating automatic people counting delivering the most accurate technology for analysing the passenger analytics since 1989. phil.linnecor@acorel.com www.acorel.com/en +44 (0)780 878 8785

Dywidag work to make infrastructure safer, stronger, and smarter with data-driven systems extending the lifespan of new and ageing track, roads, tunnels, and bridges. sales.uk@dywidag.com https://dywidag.com/ 0161 797 5511

HR Kilns is the premier supplier and manufacturer of GRP/FRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) products, Embankment Steps, Walkways, Gratings, Stair treads, Handrails and ATP Panels. sales@hrkilns.com www.hrfibreglass.co.uk 01695 557711

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WorkfloPlus by Intoware transforms paper based forms into digital workflows with access to documents, videos, pictures, weblinks and remote experts to improve safety, accuracy & productivity. hello@intoware.com https://www.intoware.com +44 (0)115 977 8969

Jobson James Rail is a national specialist railway insurance broker, the market leader in the UK by a huge margin with over 550+ rail clients across the UK, Middle East and Australasia. keven.parker@jjrail.co.uk jjrail.co.uk 07816 283949

Specialty lubricants from Klüber Lubrication for train maintenance and infrastructure prove their worth worldwide every day. From lubrication of traction systems and doors to many other components. info@uk.klueber.com https://www.klueber.com/uk 01422 205115

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Mattei Compressors Ltd is the UK subsidiary Ing. Enea Mattei SpA – global pioneers in rotary vane air-compressor design and manufacture, and related products and services. muk.info@matteigroup.com https://www.mattei.co.uk 01789 450 577

McCulloch Group are transforming rail infrastructure projects with a fleet of bespoke and patented machines that eliminate manual handling and improve the efficiency of installations. enquiries@mccullochgroup.com mccullochgroup.com +44 (0)330 0130 010

We are a UK based provider of wellbeing consultancy, training and coaching who support organisations that want to help their staff thrive at work. If we can help, we will. wendy@thementalwealthcompany.co.uk www.thementalwealthcompany.co.uk 07305843993

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October 2023

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78 76

DIRECTORY

As the UK’s No.1 Rail Recruiter Morson is the UK’s leading provider of railway jobs. enquiries@morson.com https://www.morson.com 0161 707 1516

Offering a range of rail training courses, we can bring the classroom in a mobile technical training bus, saving time and costs of travelling to do their training but also saves on your business’s carbon footprint. enquiries@pmtanda.co.uk https://www.pmtanda.co.uk 01874 620 704

Since 1961 Rittal has been a global leader in innovation for its products, including enclosures, cooling solutions, power distribution, and IT infrastructure. Rittal’s robust enclosures are a functional solution for the rail environment. information@rittal.co.uk www.rittal.co.uk 01709 704000

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Rail Manche Finance is a joint venture established in April 1992 by the National Rail Companies of Great Britain and France and provides managed service solutions. rail@global-rg.co.uk https://www.global-rg.com/jobs 0121 796 5344

SatSense identify and alert asset owners, managers and engineers of areas at higher risk of ground or structure movement, using satellite-borne radar. contact@satsense.com www.satsense.com 0113 306 1688

Schweizer Electronic is the market leader in Europe for on track automated protection on busy railways for both passenger and freight lines. info.seuk@schweizer-electronic.com www.schweizer-electronic.com +44 (0)1827 289996

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Stadler builds trains with customers in mind.

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October 2023

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has appointed Mark Pavlides as Chief Customer Officer. This new role is at the heart of decision making for GTR. Mark brings a wealth of experience to the position, including more than a decade leading customer service, distribution and technology for British Airways and Qantas Holidays

“My personal aim for GTR is for it to become associated with the word ‘pride’”

Reaction to your appointment in the new role?

Excited, naturally. I’ve still got that new job buzz – learning new things every day, meeting talented colleagues and stakeholders, and still in a position to ask the tricky questions. From my early days, I see lots of opportunities to go after in rail and I can also see good similarities between this industry and other leading customer organisations that I have worked in previously. Although this is my first stint in the world of rail, travel has always been close to my heart. I’m looking forward to learning about how things work at GTR, but equally excited to bring my own experiences to the business in this newly created role. The fact that GTR has created this position and evolved the structure shows they are committed to making rail travel better for customers, and I’m eager to work with the business to make this happen.

be better, I wanted to get on the pitch and be part of that change. GTR was particularly attractive to me as the largest rail operator in the UK. Millions of customers travel on GTR services each week, which means millions of opportunities to reach people, get them engaged with our brands and ultimately deliver a positive experience. Our trains genuinely help to connect people and communities and as such, we are a vital service.

Although I’m new to the industry, I can already identify opportunities to explore. We need to be capturing the customer voice and putting customers at the heart of every decision we make. People don’t always choose to travel with GTR – our brands are sometimes the main choice for train travel in certain areas. I don’t want people to view buying a train ticket with us as a ‘grudge purchase’, so it’s my job to build the value for our customers.

What attracted you to the position?

What are your aims and aspirations?

As a customer using train services, I wasn’t always enamoured with the experience, which I think reflects how others feel about the industry. Trains are a vital part of Britain, but they provoke huge emotions. Our industry often gets a bad reputation despite how convenient and sustainable it is. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and thinking about how things could

We are an extremely complex business and our operational team do an incredible job of getting trains safely around the network every day, especially in the face of challenges. As well as focusing on performance, punctuality, and the general movement of our trains, we need to pay attention to the customers who are on each of those trains.

October 2023

I’m passionate about the end-to-end experience of a customer journey. That’s not just where someone gets on one of our trains and then gets off, it’s about getting in the minds of customers before they even book and then staying with them until the very end of their journey. That could be the office, the theatre, or an important appointment. Thinking about the entire journey and how we can remove all the customer pain points will involve all parts of our business but is a challenge that we are up for.

My personal aim for GTR is for it to become associated with the word ‘pride’. I want our colleagues to be proud to work for us and have customers who are proud to travel with us. To achieve this, we need to listen to the customer and make changes based on genuine feedback. A great example of this is the recent consultation on the West Coastway, where we are refreshing the timetable based on the needs of customers and stakeholders.

How do you hope to enhance the customer experience - what are the quick wins and the longer-term wins?

The fares system in rail is far too complicated for customers to get their heads around. After 10 years of being a regular commuting rail customer, I still struggled to understand it.

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82 80

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Airlines and hotels struggled with similar complexity of their fares 25 years ago, but they transformed to simplify their offerings. If you want to book a flight now, it’s pretty simple; you go online, choose economy or premium and pick one of three fares depending on your luggage and how much flexibility you need.

Once customers understand your simpler offering, and you make the experience of buying quick and easy, you can reach wider markets, and generate new revenue streams.

Simplifying the fares system isn’t something that will happen overnight, and I know that all our stakeholders want this as well, but it’s good to join the industry at a time when modernisation is a real talking point and we’re changing things to better suit today’s customers.

There are many decisions that will need to be made at a national level, so of course, some ambitions will need to be longer-term. However, there are lots of changes that we can make independently and that are in our control; these areas will definitely be my priority.

What can be learnt from your previous experience – particularly British Airways and Qantas Holidays?

Well I know for sure that businesses that don’t put the customer at the heart of what they do won’t succeed.

Customer service is something which runs in my veins, and has done ever since I started working in my first client role at British Airways. And over the last twenty years, I’ve developed a mass of experience listening to customers and improving organisations.

I think my airline experience has taught me that you need a simple and compelling offer, and you also need to think about what your customer wants next before they even know what that is.

It’s not just about knowing what sort of customer base you have; it’s about really getting to know your customers. Where are they travelling? When do they travel? Why do they travel? Once you get under the skin of customer behaviour you can be more tailored and personalised with the value you offer them.

Hotels and airlines know who’s turning up to stay or travel with them, regardless of how the customer booked. We don’t.

We live in a world where third party apps are increasingly popular, meaning we can’t always get our hands on the data we would like to drive up customer improvements. I want to work on getting better data from our customers and harnessing it to offer a better service.

We hear from customers so much more now we’re in the digital age. The power of social media enables people to share their experiences at the precise moment they are experiencing them. For us, that means the world could easily hear about a particularly special train journey – but it also means the same for poor customer experiences and we need to be quick to react to that.

Are you optimistic for the future?

Absolutely. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I wasn’t! I completely acknowledge that it’s a challenging time for the industry, and for many of our colleagues. I feel though that our mostly analogue business is quickly

turning digital and with that comes change and also new opportunities. GTR is already doing great things and my early observations of the business have been positive.

We have dedicated staff who go above and beyond for our customers, and I hear praise about one staff member or another every day.

It’s exciting to join an organisation that has an amazing focus on accessibility and is truly committed to making rail accessible to all. From ‘Try-A-Train’ initiatives with customers who have additional needs, to the launch of an app to offer better support to individuals who are visually impaired – we are listening and innovating.

Something to capitalise on moving forward are the sustainability benefits of train travel. We need to better market ourselves as a green, value for money alternative to car travel. Climate change is something we know our customers care about, and train travel is a popular way for people to get to where they want to be whilst having the satisfaction of being environmentally responsible.

The industry is already acting on this with carbon calculators and scrapping diesel fleets, but there’s a lot we can do in our local communities too. Such as the work we’re doing with The London Wildlife Trust to protect and enhance biodiversity levels at selected sites across the GTR network.

There is no doubt that I will face many challenges in this role, but GTR has a strong foundation on which to grow and create opportunities, so I think there is plenty of scope to build a strong and proud railway.

Image: Jobson James

Jobson James Rail recruits engineering and plant specialist

Jobson James Rail has recruited engineering and plant specialist Kerry Parnell.

Coming from a senior position in underwriting, Kerry has previously worked at a range of engineering insurers and a major internationally recognised insurance broker.

She said: “Working with a wide range of rolling stock and infrastructure-related rail businesses and with a highly technical, close-knit, the Jobson James Rail team really appealed to me.”

RIA London & South Leadership Group announces new Chair and Vice Chair The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has announced the appointment of its new Chair and Vice Chair for the London & South region. Ryan Anderson, from Ricardo Rail, has been appointed as the new Chair of the RIA London & South Leadership Group.

Ryan said: “The railway sector plays a vital role in shaping the transportation landscape of our region and supporting many people in either their daily commute, leisure activities or visiting with friends

October 2023

Image: RIA

and family, and I am eager to work in partnership with my fellow industry leaders and stakeholders to drive positive change and foster innovation throughout the rail network.”

Assuming the position of Vice Chair alongside Ryan is Bryony Goldsmith from Arcadis.

Bryony said: “I look forward to playing a key role in shaping the future of rail transportation in the region, enhancing connectivity, connecting communities and promoting sustainability.”

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AND FINALLY...

Marylebone station barber Demetris Georgiou (commonly known as Chris) hangs up his scissors after 25 years of serving Chiltern customers

A cut above the rest L

ast month marked his last day at the shop before a reluctant retirement at 78 years old. Three generations of the Georgiou family have cut hair at railway stations, with his father working at London Bridge station.

It just so happens that the founder of Chiltern Railways, the late Adrian Shooter CBE, was a regular customer. Years later, Adrian encountered Chris cutting hair at Paddington Station, where he was based for three years, before being ‘headhunted’ by the Chiltern Railways chief to work at London Marylebone instead, only a short time after the franchise began.

“I find the people at Marylebone station to be very pleasant, kind and a pleasure to serve,” he said.

“It really didn’t take much persuading from Adrian Shooter when he asked me if I would like to work at the station.

“I didn’t really want to retire, but I’m 78 now and my family have told me that I have to.

“My plans are to spend time with my wife and my oldest son, who has cerebral palsy. We will go on holiday at some point, but nothing planned yet.”

A family business Opening on 16 February 1998, this year marks 25 years of haircuts at Marylebone station. Since then, Chris has been joined by his son, John, meaning that three generations have provided barber shop services to rail customers over the decades.

Spectacularly, his estimate of haircuts over his time at Marylebone station is around 75,000.

Rob Brighouse, former Managing Director at Chiltern Railways between 2011 and 2015, said: “Having joined Chiltern in 2000, I soon became aware of the unique character of Marylebone Station and the individual tenants on the station that created that ‘special feel’.

“Chris, and his son, John, always stood out as exceptional, and their focus on the customer over many years was, in a way, an exact reflection of all that we stand for at Chiltern Railways.

“When I took over as Managing Director in 2011, I developed an increased appreciation of how Chris and John were a real part of the company and its presence at Marylebone.

“They have done us proud and will be missed. I wish them both the very best for the future.”

To bid farewell to Chris and John, Commercial & Customer Strategy Director Andy Camp visited the shop for one final trim after over a decade of visiting the shop, also presenting Chris with a framed pair of golden scissors that have been used at many Chiltern events since 1998, including when former Prime Minister David Cameron cut the ribbon at the opening of Oxford Parkway station in 2015.

Andy Camp, Commercial & Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said: “Chris and John’s shop has left a lasting impression on customers and colleagues at Chiltern, both past and present. We’re sorry to see them leave Marylebone, and as a longtime customer of over 10 years, I didn’t want to see Chris retire without visiting one last time.

“They encapsulate the friendly, familiar, reliable service that we aim to provide to our customers and have been a real asset to Marylebone station for the last 25 years.

“We’d like to wish Chris all the very best in his retirement and thank him and John for their continued service to Chiltern customers.”

October 2023

Chris and son John Images: Chiltern Railway

I find the people at Marylebone station to be very pleasant, kind and a pleasure to serve

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