RailStaff June 2017

JUNE 2017 | ISSUE 235

Staff

STAND TOGETHER INDUSTRY UNITES IN THE FACE OF TERROR

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MCGINLEY RE-LAUNCHES THE SAFETY BUS The McGinley Safety Bus is touring the UK throughout 2017 For more details or to book the Safety Bus contact 07815 or email safetybus@mcginley.co.uk

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CONTENTS JUNE 2017 | ISSUE 235

RAIL RUGBY SUPPORTS HERO COP | 07 RailSport Rugby to donate half of its entrance fees in support of BTP hero from London Bridge attacks.

SCHOENE REISE FOR SHENFIELD | 14 Upgrades to the Great Eastern Main Line between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield have been completed ahead of schedule and the line is back in action.

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SHOULD THE REGIONS RUN BRITAIN'S RAILWAYS? | 24 As regional authorities become more involved in running Britain’s trains, we look at what it could mean for the future.

CULTURE ALONG THE LINE | 26 David Shirres investigates how art has brought stations back to life in Fife.

RAILTEX SUPPLIER INNOVATION SHINES THROUGH | 38 In times of uncertainty, rail supplier ingenuity continues at one of the UK’s largest trade shows.

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ing eve ING | 4e2 T network d IS n L a s S EVENT bout conferenc months. ta ext few Find ou in the n p u g in com

BUILDING HS2'S HIGH-SPEED WORKFORCE | 54 54

Chief executive of the National College for High Speed Rail, Clair Mowbray, explains the important role the college will play in training engineers for HS2.

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What a mess Mrs May made of the country, the government and the Conservative Party. Calling an election when she expected to win a thumping great mandate to achieve quite what - she didn’t make clear - now looks foolhardy in the extreme.

Mrs May failed to engage with voters, wouldn’t answer questions with forthright conviction, undertook several dangerous U turns in the face of oncoming traffic and refused to debate live with the leader of the opposition.

In contrast Jeremy Corbyn came across as a conviction politician. Unperturbed by the press dredging up links with the IRA, Hezbollah and Castro, Corbyn sailed on in blissful contempt of spin doctors and polls analysts. Good for him. Agree with him or not his singular contribution to politics is to make it OK to speak from the heart however

embarrassing your contemporaries think your views. People respond to leaders of conviction.

May did not tell us what deal she would seek as she negotiated Britain’s departure from the European Union. Voters wanted to know before entrusting the fate of their country to her. Similarly it was disingenuous of Mrs May to infer that enough was enough and that she was going to tackle what she daringly termed Islamist extremism. As Home Secretary and PM she’s been up against the enemies of the crown for over a decade.

Terror suspects - 23,000 of them - come and go with impunity. On her watch police numbers fell by 20,000. The armed forces have been similarly underfunded and over stretched for a generation. Borders remain open. The tragic events of Manchester Arena and London Bridge simply showed up the powerlessness of the British state to defend its subjects. People from all communities feel let down.

Less remarked is the public’s growing disillusion with international corporatism banks loaning money to those who can ill afford debt, mobile phone companies making it difficult to change accounts, coffee chains dodging tax. Meanwhile small innovative businesses - of which the rail industry has hundreds - struggle to cope with a welter of legislation. The government, it seems, is not on their side. Pensioners, patients and pupils found themselves at odds with May’s Conservatism.

Politicians should not aim to please the electorate but rather spell out what they believe in and take their chances. Many yearn for vigorous debate, honesty and an end to political correctness and phobia-labelling. Will they remain disappointed? andy@rail-media.com FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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Steam Loco for Scottish Bank Note A new Scottish £10 bank note will feature a steam locomotive hauling a heritage tourist train over Glenfinnan Viaduct in a scene reminiscent of the Harry Potter movies.

notes carry a picture of Sir Walter Scott, who campaigned tirelessly for Scottish banks to retain the right to print their own banknotes in 1826. The engine featured is a Stanier Black 5, often seen at work on the West Highland line.

The Glenfinnan Viaduct carries the West Highland Railway line between Fort William and Mallaig.

It was designed by W.S. Wilson and built by Sir Robert McAlpine and was completed in 1901.

Reaching a quarter of a mile long and standing over 100 feet at its highest point, the viaduct was one of the largest concrete engineering projects ever undertaken.

The Bank of Scotland’s new polymer note will retain the portrait of Sir Walter Scott on the front alongside the image of The Mound, the bank’s historic head office in Edinburgh - where the Harry Potter novels were written.

Designed by banknote manufacturer De La Rue, the new note will incorporate the enhanced security features introduced on the polymer £5. All Bank of Scotland

London Underground increase capacity London Underground has increased capacity on the Victoria line to the extent that it can now despatch a train every 100 seconds. © Shutterstock.com

This makes the Victoria line one of the most intensive metro services anywhere in the world.

With 36 trains per hour running along the entire line during peak times, an extra 3,000 passengers will be able to travel every hour during the busiest times of the day.

It’s all down to automation, says Rob Morris, Director of Operations, Siemens Rail Automation.

‘Following our work on the initial Victoria Line Upgrade project which was completed in 2012, we are delighted to have completed the programme and to have contributed to the safe delivery of a truly world-class service for London.’

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Digital route learning DB Cargo UK is now offering digital route learning for its drivers. The rail freight operator has filmed rail routes across the country using a specialist camera to create an online route programme that drivers can access via tablet or computer.

The programme was created in collaboration with Track Access Services Limited (TAS) and runs high quality footage of the route alongside a moving map, whilst advising on other areas including speed and signals.

Rail freight drivers are traditionally provided with a route that they learn in an allotted period of time by physically travelling over it. The new streamed media enables drivers

to review the route multiple times and go back or move forward through the footage to review certain sections again.

Digital learning also reduces the number of trains on the busy UK rail network, as additional journeys do not need to be undertaken for route learning.

Says Andrew Byrne, Head of Resources at DB Cargo UK, ‘This has opened up huge potential for us and for the whole rail industry as it provides a more efficient and effective method for route learning and retention of route knowledge.

We have had very positive feedback from our drivers and other industry stakeholders about the programme. We have filmed around 40% of the UK rail network, covering a substantial number of routes already.’

Top score for Rail Rugby Rail Rugby 2017 has raised £35,000 for Railway Children.

Now in its third year, the tournament took place at Rugby School, birthplace of the sport and was supported by elite rugby team, Wasps. Wasps players, coaches and referees were there to coach players.

Eleven teams from across the industry came together on Wednesday 31 May, supported by this year’s sponsor ABC Electrification, each hoping to seize the title from last year’s

winners Morson International and become the 2017 Rail Industry Touch Rugby Champions.

Morson International were unable to replicate their excellent form of 2016 and defend their title.

Instead, Taylor Woodrow were ultimately triumphant, overcoming some stiff competition and beating VolkerRail in dramatic style in the final. They were presented with the trophy by former England international, Mark Regan, who was also the guest speaker at the evening’s post-tournament celebrations.

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Rail rugby supports hero cop

RailSport Rugby is to donate half of the entrance fees for this summer’s tournament to raise money for the BTP officer who stepped in to try and stop the London Bridge attackers.

The tournament, which will include competitors from the BTP, is being held as part of the RailSport competition at Loughborough University on the 8-9 July.

Fifty per cent of the entrance fees received for the rugby tournament will be donated to a charity set up to support the recovering BTP officer - a big rugby fan - and the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) charity.

COPS was set up in 2003 independently to the police service to support the families of police officers who have lost their lives while on duty. Every year it runs a Survivors Weekend which allows families to socialise and offer support to one another.

The BTP officer, who has not been named, received stab wounds to his head, arm and leg during the attacks. In a statement he said

he’d been ‘overwhelmed’ with the support he had received - not just from the UK but from around the world.

His actions have been praised by BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther, especially given he has been with the police force for less than two years.

Says Paul O’Connor, managing director of event organiser Rail Media, ‘The BTP officer’s actions during the attacks on 3 June were beyond brave. He acted without any thought for his own safety in order to protect the public. The fact that he had been with the BTP for such a short period of time was even more astonishing.

‘We know he enjoys his rugby and, with RailSport just a month away, we wanted to find a way to allow the industry to show its appreciation.’

The tournament will include a match between the winners of the RailSport Rugby tournament and a team of current and former Leicester Tiger players. A charity raffle will also be held on 8 July to raise additional funds.

Boy of Wemyss Bay A statue of a small boy going on holiday has been unveiled at Wemyss Bay station on the Clyde.

Commissioned by Friends of Wemyss Bay Station the statue shows the boy heading towards the ferry pier carrying a model yacht. The work harks back to the recent past when thousands came to the Clyde coast for summer holidays.

The sculptor was Angela Hunter who made the statue of the girl with a suitcase at Gourock several years ago, which was dubbed Wee Annie Kempock. The boy at Wemyss Bay is considered to be a brother for Wee Annie.

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© Shutterstock.com

Tributes paid to police and staff

© Shutterstock.com

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, has paid tribute to transport police and railway staff who were among the first on the scene after the Manchester Arena suicide bomb attack.

‘The professionalism and compassion of railway staff and others working in the vicinity of Manchester Victoria on the night of the Manchester Arena bombing showed the positive side of what people are prepared to do for each other.

‘Colleagues across the railway are proud of staff working in the station, on trains, and in the surrounding area who went above and beyond their duties, rushing to the scene to help and comfort victims and working late into the night to help children and families get home safely in the aftermath of this atrocity.

‘The thoughts of everyone in the railway are with the victims, their loved ones and the people of Manchester.’

If you see anything suspicious: In an emergency call 999 Call the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 Call BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text us on 61016 © Shutterstock.com

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In London, BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther visited the unnamed BTP officer who was stabbed and badly wounded in the London Bridge jihadi attack.

‘He showed enormous courage in the face of danger, as did many others who were at the scene and rushed to help,’ said Mr Crowther. ‘Although he is seriously unwell, he was able to recount how he faced the attackers armed only with his baton, outside London Bridge station.

‘For an officer who only joined us less than two years ago, the bravery he showed was outstanding and makes me extremely proud.

‘All of us at BTP wish him a swift recovery, and I know he will be touched by the hundreds of messages of support from across the UK and the world. Our thoughts are with all of those who died or were injured, and their loved ones as they try to come to terms with what happened.’

Armed police are now patrolling trains and stations. Members of the public and railway staff have been warned to be extra vigilant as the terror threat remains high.

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Marika pins hope on Community Rail

Steer Davies Gleave signs John Dutton

A former acupuncturist is now taking the strains out of trains in the East Midlands. Marika Latham is the new Community Rail Partnership Officer on the North Staffordshire Line.

International transport consultancy, Steer Davies Gleave, welcomes new director, John Dutton this month.

Before joining the railway Marika ran her own business as a traditional Chinese medicine specialist and acupuncturist. Whilst still practicing acupuncture, she enrolled as a station adopter at Uttoxeter station.

Marika is now busy helping promote the North Staffordshire Line by organising events with partners along the route including local schools and community groups. ‘Working on the North Staffordshire Line at 11 different stations between Derby and Crewe has been a real challenge but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,’ says Marika. ‘I also work with the stakeholder and station teams at East Midlands Trains to ensure we are all on the same page on how

to promote and maintain the North Staffordshire Line.’

Says Donna Adams, Stakeholder and Community Rail Manager at East Midlands Trains, ‘We are delighted to welcome Marika on to the North Staffordshire community Line and have already seen her at work engaging with the communities we serve up and down the route. I’m sure Marika will have a real impact as Community Rail Partnership Officer and work alongside our ever-growing local teams of station adopters across the route. We’re looking forward to a long and productive partnership.’

The community rail movement has become a phenomenon in its own right and an integral part of the railway success story up and down the network. The Association of Community Rail Partnerships acts as the conduit between local railways and communities, national and local government and the rail industry.

Beaman unlocks Keyline leadership Paul Beaman has stepped up to a new role as managing director at Keyline following the departure of Kieran Griffin.

Beaman, Keyline’s commercial director, joined the specialist suppliers of civil and railway engineering material two years ago. Initially appointed head of category in July 2015 Paul became Regional Director for the Midlands in April 2016 and in October, commercial director.

Griffin has taken up the role of managing director at BSS. Paul Beaman has 30 years experience in the industry and has worked for Markovitz Civils, BDL Construction Supplies and UGS Ltd. Says Paul. ‘Where Keyline is heading is extremely exciting and I am looking forward to continuing to drive our success in what is an incredibly

competitive and constantly evolving industry. The work we have done in the last four years ensures we have a great platform to continue to build on becoming the ‘first choice’ for civils and drainage materials with our customers.’ Keyline supplies a comprehensive range of material used in Permanent Way, embankments, stations and platforms, car parks, tunnelling and track.

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SDG provides pioneering planning and advisory services to government and business.

Dutton is seen as a good fit for the burgeoning transport consultancy.

John Dutton has worked for over 30 years in the rail industry. He has held leadership roles on High Speed 1, London Underground Track Renewals Delivery, Crossrail and Heathrow Airport. Dutton is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Association of Project Managers, the Charted Institution of Highways and Transportation, Permanent Way Institution and the Institute of Directors. He started his career with Gloucester and Oxfordshire County Councils, moving to Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, where he worked on designing the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

In 2001 with Andy Collinson John co-founded CollinsonDutton Limited (CDL), a successful rail consultancy

that provided services to the rail industry in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. During his time at CDL, John served as interim head of Surface Access Projects for BAA at Heathrow Airport, and client package representative on Crossrail for the delivery of the works in the Royal Oak and Westbourne Park area.

Says Sharon Daly, UK managing director at Steer Davies Gleave, ‘John is one of the UK’s leading national and international advisors in strategic rail engineering. We are delighted to welcome John to our team and to create more opportunities to provide specialist rail engineering skills and strategic insights to our clients.’

Andrew takes account Andrew Matthewman of Polypipe Civils has joined Keyline as national account manager following seven years as a national contract manager for plastic drainage provider, Polypipe Civils.

Says Andrew, ‘The opportunities at Keyline to grow and develop are extensive so I am very excited about what lies ahead. The company has an enviable reputation for product and service delivery and I am keen to continue to drive this and maximise opportunities as much as possible.’

The new job means overseeing and managing national contractor accounts across Britain and developing

Keyline’s contractor portfolio. It’s a tough job: Keyline is one of the largest suppliers of civils, heavy building materials and drainage solutions in the UK with a nationwide network of branches.

Chances are you came to work this morning on infrastructure part-supplied by Keyline.

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Giles joins SNC-Lavalin Martin Giles is the new director - Projects, at SNC-Lavalin’s UK Rail & Transit division.

Martin is currently the president of the Derby Railway Engineering Society (DRES) and also sits on the board at the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR). He joins SNC-Lavalin from Ricardo Rail, where he was managing director of the company’s UK, Middle East and Nordic regional businesses.

Martin originally joined Ricardo Rail as head of Rolling Stock, when the business was Lloyds Register Rail. He then progressed to operations director and latterly, managing director.

As director - Projects, Martin will be involved in all major UK projects supported by SNCLavalin’s Rolling Stock, System Consulting & Assurance and Rail Infrastructure Systems teams. These include High Speed Two, Crossrail2, route

electrification and European Train Control System (ETCS) related projects. Martin will also drive the expansion of the company’s infrastructure assurance services.

‘We’re delighted to welcome Martin to the team during an exciting period of growth for our UK business, says Michael Grace, Regional Director, Rail & Transit UK. ‘Martin is an experienced operational leader with an impressive rail pedigree. His expertise will prove invaluable as we grow our market share in the UK.’ Martin is a volunteer for the Scout Association and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Karate clout for SSE Enterprise Rail A world class karate instructor has joined SSE Enterprise Rail.

Black-belt Tom Smith is the new business development manager at an expanding SSE Enterprise Rail as it looks to develop its service offering to the rail industry.

Tom Smith will be responsible for building relationships with London Underground Limited.

Tom has spent 18 years with British Telecoms, where he was responsible for running three groups within the business, and

nine years with infrastructure managed services provider, Brookvex, where he became managing director in 2014. He has been responsible for managing projects for a range of clients including Great Western, London Underground, Tubelines and Thales.

Says Raj Sinha, managing director of SSE Enterprise Rail, ‘Tom joins SSE Enterprise Rail at a time when we are looking to make strategic developments within the business, and expand

High Flyer Chris Hendricks has joined Fenix Signalling as a senior project engineer.

The former RAF engineer was senior project engineer with Network Rail. The move caps a 17 year career in railway signalling that has seen Chris working at Siemens, Carillion, Signalling Solutions and Atkins, as well as Network Rail. He brings a wealth of site management and project engineering expertise to Fenix and a valuable understanding of Network Rail’s processes and standards.

Chris Hendricks was born and raised in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and now lives in Nottingham after living in Birmingham for a number of years. A 13 year career in the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Electrical Engineer saw him serve in Canada, USA, Kenya and Bahrain.

‘Chris’s appointment has added an additional skill set to our capability profile. He is an excellent, highly experienced signalling engineer and someone

our service offering across key markets. We are very fortunate to have Tom joining the business.

He brings excellent experience of working closely with highprofile clients, and will support the development of existing and new opportunities in the rail division.

He is an ambitious and motivated individual who I’m sure will help the achievement of our goal of becoming a leading provider of services to the UK rail industry.’

Outside of work Tom is a

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who knows how to deal with client and industry challenges and, importantly, how to resolve them,’ says Craig Purcell, Fenix’s managing director.

‘Chris has substantial experience in project engineering management for signalling design, installation, testing and commissioning with a wealth of understanding of client needs and expectations. He is also proficient in facilitating the delivery of innovative signalling solutions. I am in no doubt that we have found the ideal person to enhance the company’s capabilities and I know that he will make a hugely positive contribution to our clients’ projects as well as strengthening our global market position.’

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On the Boyle

Craig heads Skanska UK

SWGR has appointed Kevin Boyle head of Safety, Quality and Environment (SQE).

Skanska UK has appointed Gregor Craig as its new president and CEO with Mike Putnam stepping down after seven years in the job. Mr Craig is currently the firm’s executive vice-president.

Kevin joins from civil engineering contractor George Leslie Ltd where he worked as a senior manager in Quality, Safety and Environment for five years. Prior to this he worked for support services and infrastructure company Babcock International in the Marine and Technology division for six years.

Kevin Boyle has extensive experience in the nuclear and civil engineering sectors, and is a Chartered Safety professional.

In his previous roles he has been

responsible for implementing the use of safety management systems and driving cultural change towards safety.

Established in 1988, SWGR has grown to become a leading supplier of civil, mechanical, electrical, fabrication and railway personnel. Says Fiona Baggley, support services director for SWGR, ‘Kevin’s appointment as new head of SQE is an important step in developing our safety culture and driving improvement in safety performance across the business.’ In his spare time, Kevin says he enjoys spending time with his family. He is also an avid football supporter.

Braveheart to head Caledonian Sleepers Ahead of the introduction of the new fleet next year, Keith Wallace has been appointed managing director, Caledonian Sleepers.

Mr Wallace joined Serco earlier this year and has an extensive background in the rail sector. He started his career as a graduate trainee with British Rail and has since held a number of executive level positions including roles as technical director, operations director and managing director for Scott Wilson Railways and programme director for Govia

Thameslink Railway.

Wallace has also provided consultancy services to high profile rail projects such as HS2, and more recently has been supporting Abellio Greater Anglia.

Keith Wallace studied at John Knox School, Haddington in East Lothian and read civil engineering at Herriot Watt University. He has also served as non-executive director of the Scottish Rugby Union. Peter Strachan, previously managing director of Caledonian Sleepers, has moved into a new role as chairman, UK Rail.

Putnam, who has been with Skanska for 25 years, will continue in a non-executive director role at the Swedish firm.

Gregor Craig joined Skanska in 2003 as operations director for the company’s London commercial building operation following roles at John Laing, Wates and Carillion. He joined the company’s executive management team in 2015. In November 2016 Craig became vice president of Skanska’s construction business taking over from Paul Chandler - now with Wates. Craig is a member of Skanska’s Global Safety Leadership Team, a member of the Skanska Infrastructure Development board and, externally, a member of the Build UK board.

Skanska UK is involved in Crossrail station building at Bond Street and the Paddington Station project. The new Crossrail station in Paddington will take the form of a 260m long, 25m wide and 23m deep underground

box located directly under Eastbourne Terrace. Further north Skanska is orchestrating the Ordsall Chord project. Skanska provides maintenance services on two-thirds of the London Underground network.

Says Gregor Craig, ‘I am incredibly proud and excited to be given the opportunity to lead Skanska UK. We have built a great reputation within the industry and we are brimming with hard-working, ambitious and talented people. Even with our current industry-leading performance, I believe that we have still more potential to demonstrate to our customers and I look forward to playing my part to unleash it.’

Dan Foster promoted Dan Foster has been made a board director at Haigh Rail.

Hayes Kompletes group Richard Hayes has joined Komplete Group, which provides recruitment solutions throughout the UK and Ireland.

He will push forward the development and implementation of the recruitment strategy for the business. Richard is a highly experienced senior manager and has worked at Randstad Employment Bureau, Resourcing Solutions Ltd. and Reed Engineering. His main motivation is helping to advance people’s careers by placing them in suitable roles, and he aims to use this to make a real difference at Komplete Group.

Richard is a family man, with three children to keep him busy. He is an avid follower of football and, when time permits, likes to scale the odd mountain or two; in fact, he has set his sights on topping Everest one day.

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Previously professional head of track, Dan has been promoted to the position of engineering director for the permanent way specialist. Dan oversees the delivery of a vast array of Permanent Way projects from major S&C renewals to minor sleeper changes. He joined Haigh Rail in March 2015.

Dan began his career at Balfour Beatty Rail Maintenance and Jarvis Maintenance before moving to GrantRail. Since then he has worked at Carillion Rail, Babcock Rail and Amey Sersa.

Haigh Rail has enjoyed a period

of sustained growth over the past 12 months and now holds a full Network Rail Principal Contractor Licence.

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To Bhutan and back A former train driver and business manager who took a year out to travel the world has returned to GBRf as commercial director Lee Armstrong, 49, and his wife Angela, 47, decided to hit the road before it was too late.

Says Lee, ‘My wife and I enjoy travelling and always dreamed of travelling when we retired.

My sons got to an age where they were no longer dependent and we thought let’s do it now while we are still alive, fit and healthy. It took about 12 months of planning.’ The round the world trip took nearly a year and included Bhutan, China, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand and Austria.

Lee first joined GBRf back in 2013 as programme manager ERTMS and has worked on strategic planning and business management. He began his career with EWS, where he spent over twenty years as train driver,

district manager, and construction manager. He also spent almost five years with DB Schenker as business manager, as well as running his own business consultancy.

Angela and Lee describe sailing down the Mekong river while the captain’s wife cooked lunch on an open brazier.

Memories are packed with visits to Tibetan monasteries, card games in Fiji, the Burning Boat Festival in Pak Beng, Laos and snorkelling with parrot fish and sharks in the Pacific. India won hands down for food, Tibet for its soul and Bhutan for its integrity.

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Carolyn Griffiths to head IMechE Rail engineer, Carolyn Griffiths, has become the 132nd president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The presidency caps a remarkable career for the former head of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Dr Carolyn Griffiths CEng FIMechE FREng joined British Rail in 1979 as a graduate trainee working on various jobs from the ground up.

By the mid 80s she was in charge of a rail maintenance depot in Brighton but left to set up the maintenance activities for the then new Singapore Mass Rapid Transit railway.

Says Carolyn, ‘I am honoured to have been elected by the membership to become the president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. I am hoping to work alongside other institutions to see if we can together, find a framework which will promote further collaborationin areas where

we have common professional interests. After all, there are few engineering endeavours that engage only a single discipline of engineering.

I also think it will be important to work in parallel with members and staff to find new ways of delivering value to engineers, employees, key decision makers and potentially also those that interface with engineering. And I want to examine what we can do to further equality and diversity in our profession.’

Carolyn Griffiths has been involved with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch since 2003 establishing and leading the organisation reporting directly to the Secretary of State for Transport. She is a Non-Executive Director of Irish Rail and works voluntarily with the Engineering Council and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Carolyn succeeds Jon Hilton, who became President in May 2016.

Top team line up at Skanska UK Katy Dowding has been appointed executive vice president, Skanska UK taking on Gregor Craig’s role.

Dowding will be taking responsibility for Skanska’s building operations, including SRW engineering services. She joined Skanska in 2003 and, for the past five years, has been managing director of its facilities management business and a member of Skanska UK’s senior

management team. She was previously with Tarmac/Carillion for 15 years.

Adam McDonald succeeds Dowding as managing director of Skanska’s facilities management business, where he has previously held a business improvement position. Adam joined the company in 2003 as a graduate.

Terry Elphick takes on a new role as managing director for Skanska’s work at Battersea

Power Station, where the company is preferred bidder for Phase 2.

Cameron Foley succeeds Elphick as managing director of Skanska’s building operations outside London, where he has previously held the role of operations director.

Jon Morris, currently technical director for Cementation Skanska, the company’s piling and foundations business, has been appointed as its managing

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director on an interim basis.

Says Gregor Craig, ‘Once again we have been able to make these important senior appointments from within Skanska and show the remarkable strength in depth we have in the company. It is a clear demonstration of our robust succession planning and our firm commitment to developing our people, providing excellent opportunities for personal growth across the business.’

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Schoene Reise for Shenfield

Upgrades to the Great Eastern Main Line between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield have been completed ahead of schedule and the line is back in action.

The Essex township is an essential stop on the Elizabeth line and a big redevelopment of the historic town (the name means fair field) is underway. Additional capacity has been added to the railway at Shenfield to accommodate higher frequency services that will be provided once the Elizabeth line extends from Essex and through the central tunnels in 2019.

Shenfield now has a newly built platform, Platform 6, which will be dedicated to the new service, an extended Platform 5, as well as three new sidings each capable of accommodating the new trains.

The entire rail junction at Shenfield, including track, signals and overhead power lines has been improved. Trains will pass smoothly through the junction without having to wait for other trains, reducing the risk of delays and improving journeys for all passengers. Over 5,000 metres of new track and 26 new track switches have been laid as part of the junction remodelling works.

Work has also been progressed at stations between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in readiness for the new trains. Says Howard Smith, Operations Director of TfL Rail, ‘The new platform and other works at Shenfield station will benefit both regular commuters and those travelling further afield.

This marks another milestone in the delivery of the new railway. Our customers using TfL Rail will be the first to use our new trains, which will travel between Shenfield and Liverpool Street in preparation for Elizabeth line services in December 2018.’ Definitely a case of bon voyage - or schoene reise for passengers to and from Shenfield.

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Loco Calendars for Pieta House Iarnród Éireann loco drivers, Ken Fox and Kevin Meany, were behind an idea that has raised €4000 for Pieta House, a charity that supports people who are in suicidal distress or engaging in self-harm.

The two first came up with the great idea of producing a calendar that displayed the best steam train photographs of trains running in Ireland and selling them to colleagues and members of the public in 2015 and the idea was an instant hit!

Sadly people taking their own lives on the railway is not uncommon and for railway staff to support such a charity is indeed very fitting.

Ken, a Cork based driver, told RailStaff, ’It is an ever present hazard for loco drivers not just in Ireland but worldwide.’

The charity was started about 10 years ago in County Dublin, but has established eight subsequent centres, three in the greater Dublin area at Ballyfermot, Tallaght and Finglas and five further centres to cater for the rest of the country in Limerick, Cork, Tipperary, Galway and Kerry. In the 10 years of operating over 20,000 people in suicidal distress or engaging in self-harm have been helped – a staggering figure that brings home sharply the need for the organisation.

In 2015 alone, in excess of 5,000 people came to Pieta House suffering from suicidal ideation or engaging in self-harm. Around 180 therapists and administration staff are now employed. Help is offered without any charge and no referrals are required by the organisation. Pieta House also operates Suicide Bereavement Counselling centres in

Ireland providing free counselling, therapy and support to individuals, couples, families and children who have been bereaved by suicide. 90% of income comes from fundraising events and the continued support and encouragement of volunteers and friends of Pieta House is vital.

Following the presentation of the two cheques to Angela Horgan of Pieta House Ken said, ‘Kevin and myself would like to thank everybody associated with the success of the 2017 Southern Steam Calendar. Special mention goes to David Franks CEO Irish Rail and all staff who helped sell the calendars and assisted us. To our photographers without whom we would have had no calendar at all, to all our friends and relations who sold all the calendars for us and last but definitely not least all of you who bought it. With your efforts we raised €4000 for Pieta House. €1930 from Irish Rail and €2070 from ourselves.’

Plans are already underway for the 2018 calendar, the third to be produced, and there’s hope that even more money will be raised when it goes on sale in the Autumn.

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Milngavie hosts field exercise Milngavie station was the scene for a student exercise in understanding the visually impaired recently. Students from Glasgow Caledonian University’s Graduate Diploma in Low Vision Rehabilitation put themselves in the shoes of someone who is visually impaired during the course.

As part of an exercise to understand what a person with sight problems would experience, the students practised stepping on and off a train while visually impaired themselves.

Says John Wilson, community liaison executive for the ScotRail Alliance, ‘We’re committed to making the railway accessible for all and want to help build confidence in as many people as possible when using our services. Events like this are one way that we are supporting customers with visual impairment or restricted mobility. Over the past year our hard working

RVE 2017

staff have carried out 78,000 pre-booked passenger assists – making sure that people who need a bit of help to travel receive it.’

Milngavie station is the stepping off point for walkers on the West Highland Way - the official start of the route is just up

from the station. It’s a busy place, renowned for its helpful staff and arguably the best cup of coffee to be had on a station in Scotland at MyPrego’s on platform one.

Milngavie celebrated its 150th anniversary four years ago and is spruced up by volunteers from Milngavie in Bloom.

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Frontier push for Borders Railway The Campaign for Borders Rail has published a report detailing the advantages of extending the new railway all the way through to Carlisle.

The Borders Railway, which reopened in 2015, runs largely on the trackbed of the northern third of the Waverley Route and has proved highly successful. The original 98 mile-long Edinburgh - Carlisle link through Galashiels and Hawick closed in 1969. Now a fully restored link to the West Coast Main Line at Carlisle would provide a transformative boost to the region.

‘This document will help inform the debate on preparing for the

proposed railway through the Scottish Borders to Carlisle and beyond,’ said Allan McLean, chairman of the Campaign for Borders Rail. ‘The economies of Edinburgh, Midlothian and the northern Borders have all gained demonstrably from the opening of the Borders Railway. Now it is time for Hawick and other communities in the southern Borders to benefit directly,’ he added.

Allan McLean presented the first copy of the 20-page, ‘Summary Case for a New CrossBorder Rail Link,’ to Scotland’s Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP, at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Waiting almost over at Widnes Construction of Alstom’s new technology centre in the industrial town of Widnes, Cheshire, is nearing completion.

The company has released a new set of images showing Alstom’s logo now in place above the facility’s entrance ahead of its opening this summer.

The £21 million centre will house a new rail academy, which is due to open in the autumn with an initial intake of 65 apprentices.

Alstom has also indicated that the Widnes site could be used to build trains in the future should Alstom win any sizeable orders in the UK. Most of the building works are now complete and the West Coast

Mainline connection has been laid.

Mike Hulme, Managing Director of Trains and Modernisation at Alstom UK, said, ‘Our Widnes rail technology centre and academy will create high quality manufacturing jobs and a wide range of training opportunities, bringing knock on social and economic benefits to the North West.

‘It’s fantastic to see our logo finally go up at the centre. Now that the building and rail head are nearing completion, we’re excited to see some of the finishing touches taking shape. We’re looking forward to the opening of the site this summer, and continue to progress with the final stage of construction works.’

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Hasta la vista, baby!

Later this month bold Keyline staff and friends will be driving 1800 miles in just five days as they take part in the Keyline Rally.

Teams plan to morph into their favourite characters from Star Wars, Doctor Who and The X Files as they jump behind the wheel and drive across Europe to raise vital money for Prostate Cancer UK. The specialist supplier of civils and drainage solutions has organised a Sci-Fi themed car rally to the Spanish Pyrenees.

Twenty-four cars made up of teams from Keyline’s staff, along with its suppliers and customers will dodge Daleks, Darth Vader and The Terminator, as they travel 1800+ miles.

The rally starts on Tuesday 27th June from Northampton.

After an overnight sailing from Portsmouth to Santander the cars will trek through the Pyrenees before dropping down to the northeastern coast of Spain.

Fundraisers will then make a stop

in Les Mans for a fancy dress party before heading back to the UK. Each year 47,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer, with over 11,000 men dying from the illness. The money raised from the Keyline rally will help fund vital research into diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease.

Says David Gardner at Keyline, ‘We cannot quite believe that our brave drivers will soon be hitting the road for an incredible eighth year in a row. Our long-standing partnership with Prostate Cancer began in 2010, when the company initially pledged to raise £25,000 in that one year alone. However, our annual rally continues to be a major highlight in the industry calendar, widely supported by our staff, our suppliers and our amazing customers. In total, we have raised more than £1 million for the charity in just seven years!’

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Smooth operator

GB Railfreight has signed a three year contract with DP World London Gateway Port.

Says John Smith, managing director of GB Railfreight, ‘GB Railfreight is delighted to announce that it will be

supporting DP World in the smooth operations of its London Gateway facility.

This is a fantastic opportunity to develop our services in London and ensure that the economy continues to function effectively. Additionally, that efforts to lower air pollution through the reduction of lorries on the capital’s roads are successful. We hope to continue to build on this relationship and ensure that passengers receive the optimum service.’

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Story creates career window for youngsters When a local parent in Blackpool asked if engineers working on a bridge replacement project could create a viewing window in the hoarding for children, Story Contracting went one better.

Teams at Story not only created the window but went into a local primary school to explain what it was all about. Working with Blackpool Council the team visited the Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary School.

Children watched spell bound as the team gave a dramatic presentation about the work involved in the project, who was doing what and a safety awareness briefing. The session ended with a quiz on why the pupils thought the local Plymouth Road Bridge needed replacing.

Over 200 pupils joined the session and 17 of the most enthusiastic went on special site visit. The magnificent 17 had to apply to be considered for this.

The idea is to promote awareness of careers in construction - and railways.

‘We were very pleased to welcome the visitors from Story Contracting and Blackpool Council who came to talk to our children

about the Plymouth Road Bridge Replacement Project. Listening to the team talk about how they became civil engineers, the children could really see the use of the subjects they study in school, such as mathematics, science, design & technology.

From their comments afterwards some children have clearly been inspired to consider jobs and careers in the construction industry in the future,’ says Jo Hirst, Head Teacher - Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary School.

The bridge is now open again and local residents are delighted.

‘Grandchildren have enjoyed watching the work, and the site has always looked clean and tidy,’ say Pete and Lynn Crouchley. ‘So well done to all concerned.’

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Staff from East Midlands Trains and volunteers are getting their hands dirty at a series of community events taking place this summer designed to brighten up stations on the Derwent Valley Line - between Derby and Matlock.

Backed by the Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership, community days will take place at Matlock Bath (16 June), Duffield (14 July), Whatstandwell (11 August) and Matlock (15 September) and will involve gardening and general maintenance, such as painting fences. Staff from all East Midlands Trains departments, including directors, will be getting involved in the community days.

The programme kicked off at Cromford, where a 20-strong volunteer team turned out for a day’s general garden and station maintenance, fence cleaning and staining in preparation for installing children’s artwork from the local primary school.

Says Andrew Conroy, customer experience director for EMT, ‘Community rail days provide us with the opportunity to make a positive, lasting difference at our rural stations.

They bring together our own employees from a variety

© Phil Sangwell

of different roles, along with station adopters and a range of partners and it’s a great chance to demonstrate the key role that a station plays in its local community.’

Andrew went on to remind local people and rail staff, ‘This year, Derby will also play host to the national annual Community Rail Awards, arranged by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships, which will be a great opportunity for us to showcase the Derwent Valley Community Rail Line and the great stations along this route.’

Rail Media is backing a dynamic new category at the Community Rail Awards aimed at encouraging more young people to get involved with railways. The new award, ‘Involving Children and Young People’ holds a light to the hard work being done by so many in the community rail movement to bring young people into railways.

Mediterranean diet for GB Railfreight GB Railfreight is celebrating a three-year contract extension with the Mediterranean Shipping Company, running container services out of the Port of Felixstowe.

John Smith and Dan Everitt.

GBRf signed up with MSC in 2002. GBRf runs three services daily out of the Port of Felixstowe, one to Newell and Wright in Rotherham, and two to ABP Connect in Hams Hall near Birmingham.

Through 2015, GBRf and MSC worked towards running the longest intermodal train on the network at 610m long. TEU capacity was increased by 52 on a round trip basis, removing an estimated 26,208 lorry movements per annum. The new contract with MSC is for three years. John Smith, managing director of GBRf welcomed the extension.

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Derwent Delight

Sphere of influence A new technology developed by a University of Leicester student that will allow commuters to talk to transport services through social media has received support from London Midland.

Ciaran Deasy has been awarded a place on London Midland Labs’ Accelerator programme. Despite being the youngest applicant and only student to submit an entry, Ciaran’s start-up, ‘Sphere’ was selected from over 120 applications as one of ten enterprises for London Midland to develop.

Sphere is an automated messaging tool (a bot) with integrated machine learning capability that will enable commuters to communicate with nearby transport services via social media channels such as Facebook Messenger. Using natural language processing it is capable of understanding the meaning of commuters’ questions and answering them with a personal touch. For example, the bot understands queries such as ‘Can you get me

home now?’ as a request to start planning and booking a journey for the commuter from their current location to their home address, starting now, and taking into account previous personal preferences such as fastest route and accessibility.

With London Midland Labs’ backing, Ciaran has access to technical resources and premium office space to help grow his business. Says London Midland's finance and contracts director, Ian McLaren, ‘Labs by London Midland is a unique partnership with the Tech and Entrepreneur community. By investing in some of the brightest and most creative start-ups around we are helping develop new talent and bring fresh thinking into improving passenger journeys. Ciaran has already shown his great potential by getting onto the Labs programme and we are very excited about his work and his collaboration with others.’

Says Ciaran, ‘Without the new option of combining entrepreneurship alongside my degree in Computer Science, the opportunity to develop Sphere would not have arisen.’

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© Shutterstock.com

Tackling extremism in the workplace

Rail operators and security agencies discussed the measures they are taking to identify individuals who have expressed extremist views within their organisations during UIC Security Week.

The four-day event, which was held at UIC’s headquarters in Paris, discussed the security threats facing railways around the globe.

A recurring topic involved the measures some companies are imposing to try and identify individuals who hold potentially dangerous extremist views.

It is a subject which has come into focus following the Borough Market attacks in London earlier this month. It has since emerged that one of the attackers, Khuram Butt, had previously worked for Transport for London (TfL) for a period in 2016.

Speaking at the conference on 7 June, Julien DuFour (pictured), Commissaire de Police, General Directorate of the French National Police, spoke about how new legislation in France has given

organisations new powers to investigate, and/or dismiss, land transport staff that could pose a security risk. A special police unit has been set up to run checks on behalf of the companies, the Service des Enquetes Administratives de Sécurité.

Staff could be radicalised before or after they join the company, Julien acknowledged, posing a particular risk to the rail network, which doesn’t impose the same level of security checks as air transport, for example.

Julien explained how ‘Le Roux - Savary’, the Savary law, has provided new tools for combatting fraud and reinforcing security, while clarifying the intervention framework, notably for RATP and SNCF. He also pointed out that since November 2016, SNCF and RATP security staff have been authorised to carry 9mm pistols.

Speaking later in the day, Marc Beaulieu from Via Rail Canada explained the ways in which the company is using staff training to raise awareness of the expression of violent extremist

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views within the workplace.

The programme has been incorporated into VIA’s security training and has been developed in partnership with the Centre for the Prevention of Radicalisation Leading to Violence (CPRLV). It helps staff to identify alarming

behaviour and know when to report it.

In addition, VIA has introduced a mental health programme in order to help prevent staff from becoming isolated and, as a result, more vulnerable to radicalisation.

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FEATURE

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SHOULD THE REGIONS run Britain's railways?

W

© Shutterstock.com

orking out who owns what on Britain’s railway network is tricky. Ownership and management of rail assets and services can change with each franchise renewal. This process is now running efficiently, the DfT would say, and makes this transfer of power predictable - although passengers will continue to be caught unawares.

There have been two stories so far in this area this year that demonstrate an emerging trend. The first was Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announcing its proposal to take over Manchester’s 97 main line stations. Although the majority of these are small local stations managed by Northern Rail, many of which are unmanned, the proposals do include Manchester Piccadilly - the fourth busiest station in the country outside of London, according to the latest ORR statistics.

Railways that work for everyone TfGM believes that it will be able to invest in the stations in a way that current franchise systems don’t allow, creating stations that serve as community hubs and freeing up valuable sites for redevelopment.

It’s worth noting that Network Rail announced its own plans last year to release railway owned land around the country for housing. One scheme being considered was the former Exchange Station site in Manchester.

Based on TfGM's model, Network Rail would retain ownership of the operational bits - the track and overhead lines. Existing TOC and Network Rail staff would transfer over to become TfGM employees.

The assumption is that a local authority, that is in it for the long haul, should be better at creating stations that work for everyone in their communities, not just fare-paying passengers.

The TfGM press release had barely reached the inbox of rail journos before Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) announced that it would run the Midland Metro tram service directly from 2018 when the current concession with National Express ends. TfWM’s reasoning was very similar to TfGM. By running the service itself, the authority could save money by not carrying out an expensive tendering process and invest profits back into the network. Again staff would be transferred over.

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Integration vs competition Regional transport bodies like TfGM and TfWM are adopting a varied approach, much like Transport for London (TfL) does. TfL has the London Underground, which it operates directly, but it also has London Overground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which are operated using concession/ franchise models.

Some will say that local authorities taking more control of rail services is a good thing. They can look at the bigger picture and are not fundamentally driven by commercial incentives.

Detractors will say that it stifles competition and will result in a declining quality of service.

From October, West Midlands Rail (WMR) will take a leading role overseeing the region’s rail network. The body, which is a partnership between 14 local authorities in the West Midlands, has been heavily involved in creating the specification for the future West Midlands rail franchise alongside the Department for Transport (DfT) and when the new franchise is launched it will be branded West Midlands Rail the body has released an artist's impression of what future services could look like.

‘Actually we’ve had a couple of people seconded into that team embedded in that throughout the franchise specification process,’ said Toby Rackliff, rail strategy manager, TfWM.

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‘It was fairly transformational from our point of view,’ he added, describing some of the benefits the new franchise will bring to passengers. ‘There were certainly items in the invitation to tender that are down to our involvement and wouldn’t necessarily have been included if it had been a purely DfT specified franchise.’

The next franchise will achieve an additional 30 per cent capacity into Birmingham by 2022, a higher service frequency between Birmingham and Shrewsbury and address a service gap between Birmingham and Walsall.

Full devolution The future West Midlands franchise, which starts in September, has been split into two separate business units - one for the local West Midlands services and one which covers long-distance services. This is to allow for the possible full devolution of local rail services to TfWM in the future when the franchise next comes up for renewal in the next decade.

The West Midlands franchise, which is responsible for around 60 per cent of the services into Birmingham, was the authority’s first priority but Toby says the body hopes to have a similar influence over future franchise competitions which serve the region.

The ownership of Wolverhampton station, which is undergoing a substantial redevelopment, will transfer to TfWM for a

short period between what would have been the end of the current Intercity West Coast franchise and the start of the new West Coast Partnership franchise in April 2018. TfWM has looked at the option of station ownership, says Toby, but has opted instead to push for a closer working relationship with Network Rail and the franchise operator.

‘It’s certainly something we’ve looked at,’ he said. ‘But actually we’re in the middle of developing a slightly different approach,

if you like. What we’re looking to do is set up a stations alliance with Network Rail and also the new franchisee once that’s announced in June… I’m really optimistic that we’ll be able to get some tangible benefits to customers.’

Both TfGM and TfWM are at the beginning of an experiment which could leave the DfT playing only a slight role in future franchise planning. It will ultimately come down to passengers to judge its success.

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26

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

CULTURE ALO DAVID SHIRRES INVESTIGATES HOW ART HAS BROUGHT STATIONS BACK TO LIFE IN FIFE

F

rom the start of the railway age, Britain’s railway stations have been part of the nation’s social fabric. Today, the realities of transport economics have rendered many impressive station buildings surplus to operational requirements. Yet much is being done to ensure that these otherwise redundant facilities can, once again, become part of the community.

This work is supported by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP), which was formed in 1997 with the support of the Department for Transport (DfT), Welsh Government and Transport Scotland, as well as rail industry bodies. There are now more than 50 community rail partnerships, hundreds of ‘station friends’ and adoption groups making great use of railway buildings and creating an interest in the railway.

The Railway Heritage Trust (RHT) also provides expert advice and grant funding.

Other sources of funding are the Scotland’s Stations Community Regeneration Fund (SCRF) and, south of the border, the Designated Community Rail Development Fund (DCRDF), administered by ACoRP. After the Scottish Government required the ScotRail franchise to provide SCRF funding, the DfT required its franchises to adopt a similar approach.

Lynette Gray in her converted signalbox.

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Scottish station restorations As a result, throughout Britain there are numerous examples of imaginative uses being made of old stations. John Yellowlees received a ScotRail outstanding contribution award for almost single-handedly building up the company’s Adopt-a-Station scheme.

John, who recently retired from his external relations manager’s post to become ScotRail’s first honorary rail ambassador, advised that the purpose of this scheme is ‘to put the station at the heart of the community, leaving a good impression with the people who pass through on their journeys’.

A good example is the near half-million-pound investment to create the Kilmarnock Station Community Village from seven previously empty rooms. This opened in 2015 when it won a Scottish regeneration award and includes a café, second-hand bookshop and the Glasgow & South Western Railway Association archives.

Until recently, Gleneagles station had been unoccupied for 30 years after it became an unstaffed station. Now one of its former Caledonian Railway’s grand rooms is the headquarters of an event management company. In February, this was the venue for an event at which Andy Savage, the RHT’s executive director, explained how communities and businesses can transform railway stations into thriving business hubs.

Of all the community rail initiatives, a perhaps unique initiative is the Artline, which encompasses eight stations north of the Forth Bridge. This was formed in 2015 to showcase the restored art and heritage buildings on the railway through Fife between North Queensferry and Cupar.

Its founder, artist Lynette Gray, explains how the Artline publicises the work done at these stations through adverts, brochures and its website (www.theartline.co.uk) which is supported by ScotRail’s cultural and arts fund. Artline also organises an annual doors open weekend which this year was held on 29 and 30 April. Keen to learn more, RailStaff was there.

Fife’s Artline stations North Queensferry, at the end of the Forth Bridge, is the first station on the Artline for those travelling from Edinburgh. This has recently been refurbished to its original Victorian style and now houses a café, community meeting room and exhibition gallery, featuring the Forth bridge and other memorabilia. These facilities are run by the North Queensferry Station Trust.

During the open weekend, local artists Karen Trotter and Lucie Macaulay were exhibiting artwork in the community room.

Inverkeithing is in contrast a generally modern station. Here the art on display is in the waiting room. These are the 22 posters of artwork, poems and fictional historical conversations that depict stations, iconic buildings, historical events and people on the Fife circle line, which won a community rail award in 2014. These received funding from Fife community arts, whilst ScotRail paid for the posters to be printed and mounted.

Aberdour’s well-tendered flower beds have helped win the station many ‘best kept station’ awards. Its redundant signal box is Lynette Gray’s latest project. Its operating room now houses a small painting studio, whilst the downstairs locking room is now a ceramic workshop. This conversion was completed four days before the open weekend and has been supported by the RHT and SCRF. A start has been made on the creation of a heritage centre at the station, which is expected to be completed in the Autumn.

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ONG THE LINE Burntisland used to be the start of the line to Dundee. From 1850 until the opening of the Forth Bridge in 1890, the world’s first train ferry ran between here and Granton, in Edinburgh. As a result, the station had some derelict buildings by the harbour which, in 2012, were subject to a £2.2 million refurbishment programme by the Fife Historic Buildings Trust.

This converted the old platform buildings into artists’ studios and provided office accommodation in the old station house, built in 1847. Artist Susy Kirk specialises in painting on silk and she has occupied one of these offices for 18 months.

Kinghorn station’s empty rooms were converted into a gallery and studios by artists Lynette and Douglas Gray under the ‘adopt a station scheme’. This followed a two-year restoration supported by the RHT and SCRF. At the open weekend, Douglas was displaying his watercolours of Fife scenes in his studio whilst the Kinghorn Historical Society had an exhibition in the gallery below.

Kirkcaldy’s modern station features a Fife dialect poem cut into a sheet of linoleum, a product with its sweet smell, for which the town became famous. It is still produced in the town. Immediately adjacent to the modern station is the Kirkcaldy Galleries, which includes paintings by the Scottish Colourists.

(Below) Susy Kirk in her Burntisland studio.

(Above) Kathy Watts demonstrates bead jewellery making at Ladybank’s Arthouse.

Ladybank is a historic station of Italianate design. Since 2009, its old station restaurant has been occupied by Kirsty Lorenz following her adoption of the station with the support of the RHT. Kirsty specialises in flowers and was the first artist on the line. She runs occasional workshops and a weekly art class in her studio. The adjacent station house forms the Off the Rails Arthouse which was established by a group of local artists in 2011. This hosts a wide range of events including bi-monthly poetry readings. During the weekend, Claire Heminsley was making collages, whilst Kathy Watts demonstrated bead jewellery making.

Cupar was one of the first stations to benefit from a SCRF grant. This supported the transformation of the old station master’s flat into a heritage centre which opened in 2012. In summer, the centre is open during weekends and Wednesdays to tell the story of the Burgh of Cupar, former County Town of Fife and seat of justice.

Always something to see A railway journey from Edinburgh, over the Forth Bridge, along the Firth of Forth’s shoreline and through Fife is an attractive trip with much to see, of which the Artline’s eight stations are a particular attraction. Whilst the open weekend showed these eight stations at their best, its website shows there is always something to see along its 33-mile line between North Queensferry and Cupar. These venues are, of course, best visited by rail, with an off-peak day return allowing the journey to be broken as required.

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A word for our railway heroes The RailStaff Awards has always been the industry’s number one cheerleader. Often the Awards recognise the continued dedication of long-serving staff but sometimes it highlights the extraordinary.

Life-saving interventions by railway staff are becoming relatively common, but the kind of interventions we’ve seen over the past few weeks are not. Sadly, stories of exceptional bravery are often preceded by tragedy - this has been the case for the two terrible events in

Manchester and London.

Following both incidents, railway staff have been praised for their actions; in the case of the attacks in London, the fearless response of a BTP officer may well have saved several lives. In a statement BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said he was ‘extremely proud’ of the bravery shown by one of his officers.

Of course, railway staff were just part of a much bigger response. There was also the massive contributions made by the police and paramedics who attended both scenes and the

various members of the public who cared for the injured, often putting their own safety at risk. An inspiriting show of humanity in a world seemingly lacking in such care and compassion.

The events of the past few weeks are unlikely to be the last. It’s a sad truth, something we all acknowledge but would rather not accept. It’s not at all surprising that we look for uplifting stories of kindness and togetherness from such senseless acts. The fact that several of these involve industry colleagues is not surprising.

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN! RailStaff Awards, Saturday 7th October, at the Ricoh Arena www.railstaffawards.com

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

Lesson learned

S

eaton Rail is returning in 2017 to support the RailStaff Awards once again.

Seaton Rail will be putting its name against the Trainer or Training Team of the Year category at the awards evening this October. It comes at a time where the company is working hard to develop its own training department.

‘The RailStaff Awards is a great platform to celebrate the success of individuals in the railway industry. It is an honour to be a part of that by sponsoring at the event,’ said the company’s managing director and founder, Shane Seaton.

ACCREDITATION Shane launched Seaton Rail in 1995 and now runs the company alongside his son, Matthew.

Based in Bridlington, the company’s core business is possession and works planning services. In 2008, it also began offering contingent labour supply, training and on-track protection and warning services. It is the training department which, in recent months, has gone from strength to strength.

Courses provided by Seaton Rail range from track safety training, to health and safety and first aid. The company is also approved by Network Rail to carry out the vital workplace assessments which are required to maintain safety and standards within the industry.

Last month, the company confirmed that from June it would be offering three-day Safe Work Leader courses from its facilities in Bridlington and Goole. The previous month, it announced it was now accredited to offer Individual Working Alone (IWA), Controller of Site Safety (COSS), COSS

Overhead Line Permit (COSS OLP) and COSS Conductor Rail Permit Testing using a Live Line Tester (COSS CRP LLT) training courses.

Seaton Rail is an approved Rail Training Accreditation Scheme provider (RTAS) through the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) and is a member of the Association of Railway Training Providers (ARTP) and the British Safety Council.

Shane himself is involved in staff training in his role as compliance manager. The position involves conducting inductions, delivering training sessions and distributing safety bulletins and chairing safety meetings.

SO MUCH FUN Shane directly trains the company’s new trainers and understands the important role they play in a skills-short industry.

He was at last year’s event to see NTRS pick up the 2016 award. Throughout the years, the category has recognised trainers and teams from various disciplines from those providing

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customer service to those delivering the Samaritans suicide intervention courses.

‘It was an enjoyable evening from start to finish,’ said Shane, describing the Hollywood/ Bollywood-themed event. ‘We are still talking about last year’s event, it was so much fun.’

Adds Shane, ‘It is hugely important to recognise the

success of individuals in the industry.’

There’s still plenty of time to nominate someone for this year’s RailStaff Awards. Visit www. railstaffawards.com/nominate If you know someone who has made a life-saving intervention, nominate them now for the 2017 RailStaff Awards at www. railstaffawards.com/nominate

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

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The Transport Benevolent Fund

F

ive years after the ceasefire of World War I, the Transport Benevolent Fund (TBF) was established to support the families of industry workers who had returned from the battlefield.

Almost a century later you could be forgiven for thinking that - with such wide-ranging social care provisions in place - there would be no need for such a charity but, as TBF’s CEO John Sheehy explains, there is.

The needs of its members in 2017 might be different from those in the 1920s but the non-profit organisation is as relevant as ever, awarding £2.25 million to members in the past year.

‘You would like to think that in this high-tech, modern world there would be no need for an organisation like TBF. Sadly, there is a need today as much as there has ever been,’ says John.

‘This includes cash grants to help cover shortterm hardship from sickness to debt advice, legal help on non-employment matters and also bereavement grants. Increasingly, we are finding that stretched NHS services are affecting our members, who are having to wait longer for a diagnosis and/or medical treatment.

‘We can help our members with medical benefits such as second opinions, scans and tests, a wide range of complementary and alternative therapies, medical equipment, prescription pre-payment certificates, help with the cost of laser eyesight correction and convalescence.

‘TBF is all about helping people in the public transport industry.’

Making a difference The charity currently has more than 53,000 members and is committed to making a difference.

This year it is the official sponsor of the RailStaff Awards’ Station Staff of the Year category, a prize for hard-working and respected colleagues who strive to improve the station experience for fellow staff and customers. This covers transport police, retail staff, station supervisors and customer service personnel.

‘We at TBF are proud to sponsor the Station Staff of the Year category at this year’s RailStaff Awards,’ says John. ‘It’s a great recognition of the valuable work carried out by all station staff - whether customer facing or behind the scenes - providing help and support to the travelling public, sometimes in very difficult circumstances. That’s why TBF is here to help our rail staff members when they find themselves in need or distress.’

Membership Anyone engaged in the public transport industry in Great Britain is eligible to join the TBF. Membership costs £1 a week and covers financial, health and welfare benefits for the member, their partner and dependent children. In some cases membership is paid for by the employer; acknowledging the advantages of membership in helping to improve members’ work-life balance and reducing staff turnover.

‘The Fund is run by a board of trustees, the majority of who work in the industry and decide on all benefits,’ adds John. ‘Members’ needs and circumstances are all different, so the discretionary awards are made on the individual merits of each case. TBF’s patrons are numerous and include leading figures in the major transport groups and trades unions.

‘TBF is different and makes a difference.

Membership is not an insurance policy; the Fund does not make loans, so the money granted is for the beneficiary to keep.

‘There are no different levels of membership fees, there’s no catch - the £1 a week is a flat rate membership fee giving the member and their family access to the extensive range of financial, health and welfare benefits.’

Future According to TBF, it is the fastest growing charity exclusive to the industry and is committed to helping as many industry workers as it can.

‘If the current trend of need continues we would very much like to further expand membership enabling the Fund to help all those in need,’ John adds.

More information about this year’s event can be found on the RailStaff Awards website: www. railstaffawards. com

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TALKING SAVES LIVES TBF is proud to sponsor the 2017 Station Staff of the Year award.

Samaritans is proud to sponsor the Lifesaver award at this years’ RailStaff Awards 13,000 rail industry personnel and British Transport Police officers have been trained with the skills to help a person in need. These skills can encourage people to talk about their problems and help save lives.

With the help of the TOCs, Network Rail and other employers throughout the public transport industry, TBF now has over 52,000 members.

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

BLOWING OFF STEAM WI

RAILSPORT FOOTBALL

THREE-TIME RAILSPORT WINNER CHRIS HENRY EXPLAINS WHY HE'S RETURNING TO DEFEND LOROL'S TITLE IN 2017.

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ITH

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

O

ne word sticks in the mind of London Overground worker Chris Henry when you speak to him about the trackside fire near South Hampstead in April: stress.

The 32-year-old customer host didn’t tackle any fires or organise diversions but the knock-on effect from the blaze meant that passengers were still experiencing disruptions the following day.

London’s Euston station was evacuated and signalling equipment was damaged in the fire on April 19, causing problems across the capital’s rail network.

Working for London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL) in his customer-facing role at Shepherd’s Bush station, Chris was one of a number of front line workers tasked with guiding the public through the travel chaos.

COMBINING PASSIONS It is a job he loves - in July he will celebrate 10 years at the station - but after a busy day dealing with a barrage of customer enquiries there’s nothing he enjoys more than unwinding with a game of football.

A semi-professional footballer with Non-League side Chalfont St Peter FC, Chris trains twice a week, plays every Saturday in the Southern Football League and has combined this passion with his work on the railway, to great success.

In 2016, he was a member of a nine-man squad that triumphed in the five-a-side competition at the RailSport Games, a huge nationwide competition that sees hundreds compete in the industry’s equivalent of the Olympic Games.

Chris is no stranger to the competition having entered every games for the past seven years and 2017 is no different, as LOROL returns to add to its haul of silverware.

‘To be honest, the competition has got better. We have had to up our game,’ says Chris, talking about the five-a-side competition he has won on three occasions.

‘Some of the staff from LOROL play in the Underground Football League, of which I’m the manager and captain, and the players from that team enter RailSport together with one or two that haven’t experienced it before. Some of us are semi-pro too.

‘Last year our team was the best - we did win it after all - so for this year people know to bring a better team, but I think we’ll win it again.’

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TITLE DEFENCE In 2016, the competition was organised into four groups of four teams with LOROL ultimately snatching the title from defending champions Lucchini Unipart Rail in a 5-3 victory.

A left-sided winger in 11-a-side football, Chris was LOROL’s main goal scoring threat and scored a beautifully lofted goal from behind the halfway line in the final.

This year will mark the first time Rail Media has organised RailSport, which is supported by Hitachi Rail, HS2, Network Rail, Public Health England’s One You and the Transport Benevolent Fund (TBF).

In addition to the five-a-side team, LOROL will be entering a six-a-side and a darts team in 2017.

But, whatever you do, don’t ask Chris about the RailSport cricket team he was a part of a few years back.

‘It didn’t go well. Overall it was a good year because I was in the cricket and football teams, but there were only two in the cricket team that knew what they were doing. I was absolutely pants.

‘Don’t get me wrong though, we take football very seriously.’

Chris followed his grandad into the transport industry and is now working towards becoming a train driver. He says that, aside from any sporting achievements, the event is great for networking.

‘I enjoy meeting other people from the train industry, talking about trains, industry changes, cracking jokes and competing with each other.

‘I’ve met a number of friends through it too, everyone is always so friendly. That is one of the things I always look forward to every year.

‘It is a good little weekend away and we all go out afterwards to find out more about each other. It is a bit of team bonding and you get to know your work pals better. You don’t always get to go out all the time at work.

‘All rail workers should go and experience it.’

The 24th RailSport games are taking place across the weekend of July 8 and 9 at Loughborough University.

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RAILTEX EVENTS

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

supplier innovation shines through

I

f Railtex 2017 was used as a barometer of the industry’s confidence and ambition then the forecast looks fairly bright. This year’s show was attended by 10,000 people and included 475 exhibitors representing more than 50 different countries.

Helping to open the show, Darren Caplan, the Rail Industry Association’s (RIA) new chief executive, talked about the organisation’s role as the industry’s number one cheerleader.

Darren talked about the funding challenge looming for CP6 and what affect Brexit will have - for the latter he foresees both challenges and opportunities.

What was clear from the show was the healthy appetite for innovation among the supply chain; there were few corners of the show that weren’t displaying something for the first time.

NEW UK EMU Alstom, which hosted its own series of mini seminars and talks, launched two new products: a UK EMU platform and its CLever cantilever design.

Its new AC electric multiple unit (EMU) was offered to FirstGroup as part of its bid for the Greater Anglia franchise but, with that franchise awarded to Abellio and its preferred supplier Stadler, Alstom has yet to receive any firm orders. Alstom says it is now working through opportunities with the West Coast Partnership and East Midlands franchises.

The UK EMU has a modular design consisting of between four and 11 carriages. The car bodies will be constructed from welded extruded aluminium shells and use inner frame bogies, although other bogies will be available. They can also be built to a variety of speeds: 90, 100, 125 and, potentially, 140mph.

Hitachi’s stand included a model of the AT400 high-speed train it is proposing for HS2 its UK bullet train - but it was somewhat overshadowed by a Lego model of the Class 800/2 train it is supplying to Great Western Railway. The model was assembled using existing pieces by an enthusiastic observer, capturing every last detail from the interior furniture to the windscreen wipers.

The UK EMU will be a ‘pure’ EMU says Alstom, explaining that the company has no plans to follow its competitors and develop a bi-mode variant. Instead, the company is focussing on maturing the hydrogen fuel cell technology it is currently trialling in Germany and bringing it to the UK. There was also good news for Britain’s manufacturing industry.

Alstom said it would look at building any new trains in the UK, quite likely at its new technology centre in Widnes, if the level of orders justified the investment.

Alstom wasn’t the only supplier demonstrating a new train.

Siemens provided more details about the Verve EMU platform it first unveiled at Railtex two years ago. In new marketing material, Siemens indicates that because of its single-car concept it will be able to supply the Verve as four, five, six, seven, eight, nine or 10-car vehicles. It is also offering a hybrid battery option.

COMMITTED TO DELIVERY

© High Viz Media

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Day two of the show began with a presentation from Network Rail Infrastructure Projects boss Francis Paonessa. Restricted by the pre-election period of purdah, the presentation was limited but the message overall was that delivery of major projects is improving despite the challenges presented

by Britain’s thriving rail network.

There are other positive indicators, said Paonessa.

Although Network Rail won’t meet its set target because of two incidents over Christmas, possession overrun statistics are improving and operating costs are falling.

Speaking after his presentation, Paonessa said Network Rail was also now addressing its notoriously difficult product approvals process. In just the last few months, it has launched a new online platform to make it easier for suppliers to contact the right person within the organisation.

He also talked about the more robust planning structures that have been introduced that will

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

CARRIAGE DESIGN Several of the stands had new products and concepts concerned with the design and configuration of passenger cars. The most intriguing was the full-size demo of the Adaptable Carriage - 42 Technology’s combined passenger and freight carriage. The design allows the train car to be reconfigured during off-peak services to carry cargo by folding up a section of seats.

42 Technology, which says a single standard passenger car could create space equivalent to an articulated lorry, is now hoping to find an operator to trial its system.

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shape Network Rail’s final determination for CP6. Around 80 per cent of the projects included in the draft determination for CP5 were still being defined and developed. By the time the Hendy Review was carried out in 2015 around half of the projects were still at the development stage.

‘It’s almost a byproduct of a fixed five-year control period,’ said Paonessa, trying to explain why so many projects were being proposed and costed before detailed design work had been completed. But he suggested that those days were now over and that Network Rail wouldn’t overreach in CP6. He added, ‘The structure that we’ve put in place for managing within the portfolio has been really good.’

Paonessa said an initial industry proposal has now been submitted to the DfT for CP6. The government is expected to publish its High Level Output Specification (HLOS), which sets out its rail priorities, this summer.

EVENTS

The Adaptable Carriages was one of the winner’s of the Tomorrow’s Train Design Today competition, which was backed by the RSSB. Transcal’s stand included another product to come out of an RSSB innovation initiative. Two new seating designs, which have been designed by Priestmangoode and manufactured by Transcal, include a 2+2 configuration and a reconfigurable table for four.

By partially replacing conventional seating with the new 2+2 design, Priestmangoode estimates that operators could increase capacity by 30 per cent.

The seats are staggered to give passengers more shoulder room and have USB charging sockets embedded in the back.

Among the handful of VR and augmented reality displays on the Siemens stand was a programme that allows users to create their own metro carriage. Using a

gaming controller, it is possible to do everything from alter the length and width of the carriage, modify the handrails and change the seat covers.

Putting a slightly different spin on things, Hitachi was demonstrating how it is using virtual models for staff training. It has developed a digital version of its Class 800 train that onboard staff can explore and interrogate on their tablet computer before being deployed on the real thing.

SUMMING THINGS UP ‘The work we do has never been more important,’ said Francis Paonessa after showing a video of the recent works completed on Ordsall Chord. Passenger numbers are expected to double in the next 25 years. It’s a reminder of why even the smallest innovation and update is required to keep pace with the demands of the 21st century rail network.

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INNOVATION, INNOVATION, INNOVATION,

W

REPORT BY STEWART THORPE

as the UK’s railway industry more prepared to take risks when it was nationalised? That was one question posed by the Rail Industry Association’s (RIA) technical director David Clarke during the Rail Exec Roundtable in May. Representatives from the industry’s biggest companies - Network Rail, SNC-Lavalin, Thales came together to discuss ways of encouraging innovation to improve capacity, reliability and safety. Hosted at law firm Addleshaw Goddard’s London office, David kicked off the proceedings with a keynote speech before diners discussed focused topics - engineering, electrification, rolling stock, ERTMS, station design and traffic management and passenger information systems - over a three-course lunch.

British Rail Defining innovation as ‘something new to a business that takes it beyond best practice’, David reflected on successful innovators, why the railway industry has an issue with innovation and - somewhat appropriately - asked whether British Rail was more innovative than the collection of train operating companies (TOCs) we currently have.

A chartered engineer who represents RIA members in the areas of safety, technical standards and strategy, research, and innovation, David said, ‘British Rail managed to develop things like the high-speed train and the advanced passenger train. It developed intercity too, which is effectively still the model that we operate on long-distance services with today.

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‘What was different? Was it because it had less interfaces?

It was a monolithic, nationalised industry. Did they have clearer line of sight for the business case? And that leads me to the challenge that perhaps we’re not as agile as we could be in the rail industry.

It’s a complex industry with lots of parties. You often find that the business benefit is with one party and the cost is with another - well how do you make that work?

That’s challenging.’

David didn’t offer up a definitive answer but his thought-provoking keynote provided a platform from which discussion was sparked.

Barriers to innovation Representatives from CRRC and Vivarail were among the guests on the ‘rolling stock’ table and they identified a number of barriers to innovation. The railway is inherently short-sighted, they concluded, focusing on the operational delivery of the here and now rather than thinking about the future. Compounding that issue are the ‘stiff penalties’ surrounding the franchising model which discourage operators from trying something new because of the culture of blame if things go wrong.

Obstacles to innovation was a theme David Clarke also addressed. He said, ‘Innovation is about taking a risk, but we don’t tend to like risk. No self-respecting

project director wants novelty on his project. No novelty, no innovation.

‘I think we’ve got to find out how we can cope with risk. We’re not starting from zero, there are lots of good examples out there. We have coped surprisingly well with the growth in demand. We see the TOCs doing a lot of good things to grow their market and provide improved service, it’s not universal but there’s some good things going on – Crossrail, King’s Cross, St Pancras, Birmingham New Street, whole waves of new trains now and Thameslink.’

Change On the ‘traffic management and passenger information system (PIS)’ table, the likes of Costain and telent said that companies need to stop looking for the cheapest tender and instead come to evidence-based conclusions. They spoke about directly connecting traffic management systems with PIS to better inform passengers.

What is important, they added, is to give the customer coherent information – ‘one source of truth’ – to best advise their travel.

Informing a customer that their train is delayed without telling them for how long could put them off using services in the future yet giving them poor information could have a similar effect.

Meanwhile on the ‘future stations’ table, guests – including AECOM, Carillion and RIA – said that passenger experiences are

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

broadly felt to be on the decline as expectations increase. Making the most of what we have, stations should be made more inclusive. Digital users should not be made to feel second class but more interactive signage and activity zones should be introduced to better the experience.

Taking charge Throughout there were key conclusions made about what action needs to be taken: collaboration, leadership and taking small steps. A number of delegates touched on the need for firms to work more closely together to share risk.

One example provided was the European Train Control System.

This benefits track infrastructure because it removes lineside equipment and benefits TOCs because it helps to increase capacity yet a lot of cost lies with the TOCs. Appointed individuals should also be made personally responsible for driving and taking ownership of innovation in organisations too so there is a degree of accountability.

On a related note, the question of whether there should be a centralised plan for innovation or whether it should be consumerdriven surfaced, with guests deciding it should be a mixture of both.

The final conclusion was that the industry needs to start small.

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Britain runs on a Victorian railway but it’s difficult to look at huge changes, small steps need to be made and existing practices should be adapted rather than starting from scratch.

Crisis The inaugural Rail Exec Roundtable provided a platform to bring industry decision makers together to make progress towards innovation, which David Clarke stressed the importance of. He added, ‘I think, potentially, we have a crisis in the rail industry in terms of the affordability to government of what we have to offer. So I would encourage us all to think about how we can help government help us to deliver a more affordable railway.

‘You could say if we had behaved 40 or 50 years ago like we do now we would still have steam trains and semaphore signals.’

As the dust settles after the election one thing remains indubitably true; innovative railways hold the key to a prosperous and sustainable future.

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

conference exhibition conference conference KEY EVENTS conference techexhibition exhibition

CONFERENCE

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VISIT

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DON'T FORGET RAILSPORT AT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY, 8TH-9TH JULY 2017

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EVENTS

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JUNE

RAILWAY ENGINEERING conference exhibition 2017 conference exhibition tech

HOW TO SUBMIT A WINNING BID

tech 21st-22nd JUNE, Edinburgh press conference

RAIL SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT conference exhibition

8th JULY, Birmingham

press conference

www.railwayengineering.com network network awaards awaards dinner dinner

14th SEPTEMBER,techLondon

conference exhibition

www.bm-int.com

tech

press conference

www.railsummits.com network

press conference

NORTHERN TRANSPORT SUMMIT: RAIL, ROAD, AIR + free free PORTS conference exhibition

RFEM SUMMER BBQ NETWORKING EVENT

awaards ENTRY TALENT SUMMIT dinner network FOR APPRENTICES AND awaards free GRADUATES conference dinner exhibition

14th JULY, Derby

tech 26th JUNE, Manchester

tech 14th SEPTEMBER, Nottingham

www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events/

press conference

free

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www.placenorthwest.co.uk/events

press conference

http://www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events

network

network

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INTERNATIONAL SELLING SKILLS WORKSHOP

free

tech 27th-28th JUNE, Philadelphia, USA press conference

www.midlandsrail.co.uk

free

www.terrapinn.com/conference/ conference network

exhibition tech press conference

network awaards

www.imeche.org/get-involved/youngconference exhibition

members-network/RailwayChallenge tech

RAILSPORT 2017

free

press conference

TRAKO 2017

conference

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OCTOBER

network

exhibition

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conference

EXPO FERROVIARIA free dinner

awaards

tech

www.expoferroviaria.com.eng

7th SEPTEMBER, York

RVE

network conference

awaards

dinner

13th SEPTEMBER, London

awaards

exhibition tech

dinner

5th OCTOBER, Derby press conference free

www.railsport.uk

tech

free

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKING network

RAIL SAFETY SUMMIT

exhibition

3rd-5th OCTOBER, Milan, Italy press conference

press conference

8th-9th JULY, Loughboroughdinner Uni

network

conference exhibition tech press conference

www.railsummits.com

GUIDE TO UP COMING EVENTS IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, AT A GLANCE

free

www.railtex.co.uk awaards

dinner RFEM ANNUAL GOLF DAYW

6th OCTOBER, Nottingham free www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events/rfem-

network

RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

free

www.trakofair.com

network

free

dinner

tech

press conference

http://www.rinevents.co.uk/ awaards

tech

26th-29th SEPTEMBER, Poland press conference

exhibition

www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/

SEPTEMBER

network conference awaards exhibition

conference

30th-31st AUGUST, Berlin forums

29th JUNE - 2nd JULY, Londondinner

JULY

press conference

www.waset.org/conference

RAILWAY FORUM - THE INNOVATION AGENDA OF THE MOBILITY INDUSTRY

14th-16th JUNE, Amsterdam press conference metrorail-americas awaards

25th-26th SEPTEMBER,tech London

AUGUST

awaards PASSENGERconference TERMINAL dinner EXPO 2017 exhibition tech

IMECHE RAILWAYfree CHALLENGE 2017

19th JULY, Derby http://www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events

network

dinner

ICRE 2017: 19TH awaardsdinner INTERNATIONAL free CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY conference ENGINEERING exhibition

awaards dinner free

annual-charity-golf-day/

Rail Safety Summit 2017

Safety Summit EVENTS

13th September 2017 – LONDON SUMMIT PROGRAMME 08.00 Registration, Refreshments and Exhibition

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

09.00 Welcome From Our Host - Colin Wheeler

13.15 Managing Safety And Complacency On 4LM - Sarah Tack (Head Of Safety For The Ground Transportation In The UK) Thales

09.05 Keynote - Paul Maynard (MP) 09.25 Keynote - Francis Paonessa (Managing Director) Network Rail 09.45 Q&A with Keynote Speakers SAFETY CULTURE AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY 09.55 Bridging The Behavioural Gap: A Psychological Approach To Rail Safety - Stuart Webster-Spriggs (Director) VolkerRail 10.15 Causality: Why Are We Making The Same Mistakes? - Joanna Whittington (CEO) Office of Road and Rail (ORR) 10.35 Developing A Safety Culture - Mandy Geal (Founder) Learning Partners 10.55 Implementing Occupational Health And Training The Staff Of The Future - Emma Head, (Corporate Health & Safety Director) HS2 11.15 Q & A With Panel 11.25 Refreshments/Exhibition TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS 11.45 Using Technology To Improve Safety And Reduce Costs - Lex Van Der Poel (Director) Dual Inventive 12.05 High Output Track Renewals, Infrastructure Projects - Neil Sunner (Project Manager) Network Rail 12.20 Freight Wagon Maintenance And Loading - James Collinson (Managing Director) NCB 12.35 Q & A With Panel

13.35 A Brand New Railway: What Methods Are Being Used To Train Staff - Martin Brown (Director, Health and Safety) Crossrail 13.55 Application Of Investigation Techniques To Manage Risk - Simon French (Chief Inspector) RAIB 14.15 The True Cost Of An Incident And What Lessons We Learn - Pino de Rosa (Managing Director) Bridgeway Consulting 14.35 Q & A With Panel 14.45 Refreshments/Exhibition FUTURE OF SAFETY 15.05 A New Way Of Looking At Stressful Situations In The Work Place - Mark Wingfield (Speaker and Trainer) MAX Training 15.25 The Digital Railway: Improving Track Safety Without Lineside Signals, Joint Presentation - Selina Clarke (Senior communications and engagement professional ) and Joanne Bird (Head of Communications) Digital Railway/RSSB 15.45 How To Be An Effective Health And Safety leader - Jane Hopkins (Senior Psychologist) Health & Safety Laboratory 16.05 Q&A With Panel 16.15 Wrap Up and Thanks

12.45 Lunch/Exhibition

Purchase your tickets now at www.railsummits.com

44

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CLOSE CALL / NEAR REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

DO WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN NEAR MISSES AND CLOSE CALLS? ARE BOTH ADEQUATELY REPORTED AND RECORDED?

M

y liaison with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) continues and I am more than happy to clarify the length of their consultation period between the completion of the draft report titled “Class Investigation into accidents and near misses involving trains and track workers outside of possessions” and its publication.

Simon French has pointed out that (notwithstanding my impatience whilst waiting to read it) their draft was issued for consultation on 3rd March and

the gap between that date and the report publication was just six weeks. He stated that this is “normal for a report of that length.”

I am grateful for the fact that I can begin this month by reporting on the details of near misses rather than accidents. There may have been others of which I am unaware. How many go unreported or are misclassified?

Ascot Station near miss On April 7th two track workers were involved in a near miss at Ascot Station in Berkshire. It happened at around 1-30 am in the morning after they had already placed equipment onto the track.

As the train approached them they climbed up onto number 1 platform to get out of the way.

This they did “with little time to spare”. The equipment they had left on the line caused minor damage to the train.

The RAIB preliminary investigation and “assessment of the evidence” has resulted in the RAIB decision to publish a Safety Digest.

Rowlands Castle Wessex Route Three lookouts and a COSS were protecting an Earthworks Examiner carrying out inspections. Two lookouts had been positioned ahead of the workgroup with a site lookout in the Down Cess. “Whilst the COSS was reading the Safe System of Work Plan” the site lookout crossed a limited

Colin Wheeler.

clearance structure.

Whilst he was doing so the intermediate lookout gave warning of an approaching train.

The site lookout then had to run to the end of the structure before the train approaching at 70 mph reached him.

The Network Rail report on Safety Central says that “there was some confusion in reporting the incident to Control because of the use of the term close call”.

The Controller, believing that the COSS was reporting a “Close Call” rather than a “Near Miss” referred the COSS to the Close Call reporting line!

Buffer stop collision at Preston At 1450 on April 7th a passenger train ran into the buffer stops in platform 3c at Preston Station. When it struck the buffer stops it was still travelling at 6 mph and consequently several passengers received minor injuries.

The RAIB investigation has begun and is expected to result in the issue of a Safety Digest.

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RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

TRACK SAFETY

45

MISS © Four By Three

Chathill Northumberland th

It was around 1010 am on 16 February this year when two track workers, who were part of a group of 7 inspecting overhead line equipment were struck by flying ballast when the 0750 Cross Country train from Glasgow to Plymouth passed them at 98 mph. RAIB’s Safety Digest was issued on May 8th.

The cause was a detached hose that was dragging along the track. Later damage was found to anti-trespass guards at Newham Level Crossing. The hose was part of a new sanding system which had been fitted just ten days earlier.

Sand hoppers had been mounted on the underframe of Class 220 and 221 units with flexible hoses from each hopper held in place by lanyards. They were positioned to deliver sand to both rails in front of the third axle from the driving end of each unit.

RAIB have stressed the “importance of fully considering the impact of hazards on nearby systems and people.”

Dock Lane Crossing Melton Suffolk On 14th June last year the Saxmundam Signaller gave permission via the crossing telephone for a car to cross Dock Lane Crossing at Melton.

He knew the position of an approaching train and immediately after giving permission realised his error. As the car passenger was opening the gates the 1207 Lowestoft to Ipswich train passed over the crossing at a speed of between 30 and 35 mph according to the RAIB. Their report suggests that the signaller may have given an automatic response to the request to cross the line due to the familiar nature of the call and fatigue.

His shift began at 0640 am and prior to the incident he had dealt with 116 requests from 17 user operated crossings involving 133 telephone calls. No fewer than 21 calls had reached the signaller during the hour prior to the incident at Dock Lane. The passing train did not slow down or stop and no one was injured.

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TRACK SAFETY

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Later the signaller received a telephone call from the car passenger and apologised for his error. The signaller did not report the incident but the car passenger did so two days afterwards.

Chipping Sodbury Tunnel RAIB’s Safety Digest on trains running into location case doors in this tunnel was released last month. At around 1712 on 20th February this year the 1545 Swindon to Llanwern freight train operated by DB Cargo struck a location case door on the Down line near the eastern end of Chipping Sodbury Tunnel.

Its air brake pipe between the locomotive and the first wagon parted as a result. The train stopped and its driver examined his train and reconnected the brake pipes before proceeding.

At 1724 the Great Western 1529 Swansea to Paddington passenger train struck an object in the same area on the Up line.

Power was lost to the buffet car and on arrival at Swindon staff discovered that two outer carriage window panes had been broken. The train was terminated at Reading. The cause of both was location case doors not being secured after the completion of signalling work carried out under possession on 18/19th February. Each door weighed about 10 kg and was of timber construction with an aluminium outer skin.

Safety messages from RAIB include advice on the effects of air flows from passing trains and the need for location case doors to be secured and checked as being secure.

Have detonators had their day?

Last month I suggested that we ought to look again at the use of lookouts at least for work undertaken on track with trains running at more than 75 or 100 mph.

I am also of the view that if sighting distances mean that distant lookouts are needed a different method of protection should be used. Thank you to those who contacted me afterwards with their views.

Lookouts are still used elsewhere in Europe but by its very nature their work ensures that they are at high risk themselves. Also in this day and age we ought to be able to use a better method.

Our signalling systems are certified as complying with SIL 4 (Safety Integrity Level 4). What is the average equivalent SIL level for a human lookout I wonder?

Placing possession projection on track When I worked in the north west of England we were able to secure short midweek possessions to relay track with steel sleepers on Manchester’s suburban railways.

When they are used and go off there is a need for individuals to be well clear of any flying debris!

I believe we may be the last nation in Western Europe to be using them.

We became reasonably good at taking and handing back the track possessions, but the time taken to do so was one of the limiting factors. Lookouts, red flags and detonators were all used in the early days of our railways.

For possession working I remember when red flags and banners were replaced by possession limit boards (PLB’s) but they and the protecting detonators still need to be placed on the line after the last train as the possession is taken. This is a hazardous process often carried out at night in all weathers (e.g. Shap Summit on a snowy February night with freezing fog!).

All too often mistakes are made and the PLB’s and detonators are placed on the wrong line or in the wrong place due to human error. The latest legislation about explosives and the need for detonators to be within date (not to mention the problems of storing and recording their whereabouts) have added to the problems with their use.

No more PLB’s or detonators then?

© Four By Three

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I have now learnt of what may be a viable, safer and more efficient alternative which in effect uses the existing signalling system as I advocated last month.

I am grateful to those readers who have supplied information. In the Netherlands a sophisticated form of track circuit operating device has been developed.

I am told that it now has Network Rail approval and has been trialled in West Yorkshire where there are plans to use it for track renewals working. It can be installed in daylight at any convenient time prior to track work being undertaken.

When the last train has passed and a possession can be taken there is no need for individuals to make their way to the planned possession limits etc. The dormant device can be remotely activated by a tablet or smartphone resulting in the relevant track being shown as “occupied” by the signalling system.

When the time comes for the track to be handed back another message from the smartphone will do the job and the whole system has a SIL 4 safety accreditation just like the permanent signalling.

The business case for the use of this system rightly stresses the resultant increase in working time that is then achieved for each and every possession.

I am hoping that this Autumn’s Safety Summit will include information on the detailed use of this development in time for the disposal of detonators before bonfire night maybe?

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48

HEALTH+SAFETY

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

THE DIGITAL

RAILWAY

WILL WE CLICK THE BUTTON TOGETHER?

D

igitalisation will transform railway operations in the UK bringing increased capacity, improved safety, better customer service and improved reliability.

James Fox, commercial director of Sheffield-based technology consultancy 3Squared, says the country will reap the benefits of a digitally transformed railway but only if the industry adopts a collaborative approach.

Satisfying the seemingly insatiable demand for space on the tracks to move even more goods and people is of paramount importance if the railway is to continue to play its part in contributing to the economic growth and wellbeing of the country.

The industry’s solution to creating that capacity is the digital modernisation of the railway. Although it is not some magical panacea, digitalisation has the potential to provide answers and bring benefits, primarily in capacity but also safety, reliability, cost, customer convenience as well as environmental advantages.

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CASE FOR DIGITALISATION The case for digitalisation has been well made - quality infrastructure underpins the nation’s prosperity - but it’s about much more than the development of digital signalling technology. It has to cover all aspects of a company’s activities and its people management from operations and engineering to its commercial departments and includes, among others, ticketing, cyber security, customer satisfaction and, of course, staff development.

We must remember that the digital railway comes not only with operational change but also with corporate challenges and personal trials for rail staff everywhere. Companies should consider and not underestimate the fact that change, even for the better, can be painful.

So, to equip the railway for the challenges a digital transformation will bring, the whole industry must move forward together, managers supporting their staff all the way.

Today’s railway must be equipped to handle the transformation digitalisation will bring. For that to occur effectively, personnel at all levels must embrace technology as they

step along the yellow brick road to a modern railway.

But as we begin our journey along that road, our first steps should be at walking pace until we feel confident enough to start running. To build up speed we must see the digitisation of the train companies’ key paperbased or legacy systems to create the space needed for people to work on the business change aspects of a digital railway. This won’t happen without a collaborative approach and training and support are crucial, key to the requirements necessary to operate in a digital railway.

3Squared has met all challenges head on by working on the digitisation of staff competencies in collaboration with East Midlands Trains (EMT) and South West Trains (SWT) using its flagship product, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: Innovation winning Employee Development System (EDS).

It is a robust and intuitive competency management system to support the additional training needs required of a digital railway.

EDS is part of a wider RailSmart suite of powerful business applications to meet the needs of today’s modern rail operators proven to improve safety, reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance operational performance.

COMPLETE TURNAROUND And EDS is working. SWT has managed a complete turnaround. Before EDS the SWT guard team spent 80 per cent of their time in the office and 20 per cent with their team.

With EDS they spend 20 per cent in the office and 80 per cent with their team.

EDS is an industry specific product that allows rail companies to continuously manage and improve employees’ competencies.

It’s designed to lower business risk, reduce

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

incidents and lessen the administration burden of compliance.

Why industry specific? Existing off-the-shelf electronic solutions were often complicated and didn’t fit the specific industry needs.

This helped to ensure EDS was functional, relevant and user-friendly. It enables HR staff and driver managers to focus on staff development rather than administration and has brought significant cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

‘The reduction in incidents overall we have seen since bringing the system in is excellent. It’s a recognition of the hard work that all involved have done in reducing the admin of the competency management system, improving quality of assessments, challenging ourselves and our processes to deliver maximum value and ultimately supporting, developing and maintaining the competence of our highly valued staff.’

Justin Willett, head of operational standards, South West Trains:

HEALTH+SAFETY

49

There can be little doubt EDS is a joint success story for the train companies and the developers. It works and gives value for money.

Trevor Parkin, operations specialist at EMT, said, ‘RailSmart EDS has completely evolved how East Midlands Trains undertakes assessments, verifies files, develops and supports our employees and assessors and shares learning resources.

‘For identifying and managing risk areas within our driver team and therefore reducing the potential for operating incidents, RailSmart brings huge benefits to our business.’

EDS was developed by 3Squared to support, even future-proof, the people aspect of today’s railway operators.

Looking forward, the aim is that EDS evolves to meet the needs of an even wider range of train operators. Over the past year RailSmart has been carrying out research with major passenger and freight companies to review and get feedback on their approach to competency management. So, as the dash for digitalisation becomes more intense and as its implementation gets ever closer 3Squared offers the industry the chance to equip its workforce with the knowledge and skills to hit the ground running when the time comes.

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Results - 12 months since EDS implementation WHY CHOOSE EDS? EDS is a modern, fast and effective method of monitoring employee competency and compliance, which saves users time.

Train operators have called the software a ‘step change’ for their organisation allowing them to be more proactive. Paper-based methods could take over three hours to complete one assessment. With EDS, which can be accessed off site by anyone with a login, from any location, it’s now done in one hour.

Thanks to EDS’s better resource management time is not wasted by the incorrect allocation of resources to specific routes and tasks, leading to better people management.

Using EDS reduces the risk of non-compliance.

All driver records are up to date and information is captured in real time. Users are notified in advance to warn of any assessments that are to become overdue reducing the risk of missing deadlines.

All information is stored in a single location and is quick and easy to find using a simple search facility.

All users’ details and assessments can be located immediately - unlike the original paper-based system.

This also helps comply with data protection legislation.

‘The transition to RailSmart EDS has facilitated a full move away from paperbased competency assessments. The cooperation and partnership we have had with 3Squared has enabled the end product to far exceed our initial expectations.’

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EDS offers greater visibility of competency data. Employees at different levels and in different departments can also view their information along with producing in-depth reporting including risk management.

Additional benefits include: • Improved staff morale and retention because staff have their training monitored constantly and reviewed regularly • Training gaps are identified and become part of an overall training programme.

• RailSmart EDS integrates with key performance indicators, so staff feel greater ownership over their own responsibilities and training requirements.

• Better after-sales support - 3Squared provides a dedicated helpline and support desk for all users of RailSmart EDS. Moving forward 3Squared has established a ‘steering committee’ that offers all train operators the chance to shape the future of the product.

• Driver incidents down by 21 per cent. Guard incidents down by 9 per cent • Wimbledon Park was the first driver depot to use the EDS and saw a 34.8 percent reduction in incidents.

• Before EDS SWT guards team spent 80 per cent of their time in the office and just 20 per cent with their team. EDS has reversed this, now only 20 per cent of time is spent on office paperwork, freeing 80 per cent of time up to be spent overseeing training and staff development.

• EDS was implemented across all but one depot. That depot was the only one to see a rise in incident rate.

• SWT received a ‘Level 4’ score

by ORR RMM for their safety management system. A best ever result.

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52

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

S L A N IO S S E F O R P L I YOUNG RAK - RAIL STAFF RAIL WEE

IT’S TIME TO BRIDGE THE SKILLS GAP: PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT TO RAIL WEEK 2017

R

ail Week 2017 takes place from Monday 9 October to Sunday 15 October with the aim of bringing the rail industry in all its guises closer to schools, teachers, career advisors and students. The dedicated week of activity will help address the skills shortage in rail-related roles and inspire a generation of young people through a series of events, visits and talks.

Last year more than 70 companies and organisations joined together and delivered over 150 events across the country for the first ever Rail Week. And now we need your commitment and support to make Rail Week 2017 even bigger and better.

The Rail Week initiative is the brainchild of the professional networking association Young Rail Professionals, but needs organisations across the rail industry to now get involved.

May-Ann Lew, Rail Week Project manager said: “YRP and our members know first hand that the rail sector is a great place to work, with exciting projects to get involved in, good career prospects, and a wide range of different roles to undertake. Unfortunately, many children, parents and teachers don’t realise the variety of jobs and opportunities available. We hope to change this with Rail Week.

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“By getting the whole sector involved in Rail Week, we can collectively address the skills gap and celebrate the great careers in rail. It’s important that companies across the sector and country get involved so we can truly represent the industry.”

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

53

HOW TO GET INVOLVED Rail Week aims to show the huge breadth of roles in the industry from the technical and creative to strategic and political.

As part of Rail Week, companies are being asked to host tours of your depots, labs, stations, project sites, or organise conferences, evening lectures, visits to schools, colleges and Universities. Once you’ve had an idea, get in touch with the Rail Week team to get the event added to the website.

Many companies already have outreach engagement with schools.

Rail Week is a great opportunity to get these volunteers into school and promote rail further.

May-Ann said: “Rail Week is a great opportunity for staff to help raise the profile and understanding of rail. Through working together we can help the industry tackle our skills gaps and showcase our great work. I’d encourage you on to your Rail Week journey today.”

WHY GET INVOLVED: Attracting talented and ambitious young people into rail is essential to meet the rail demands of the future.

By working together as an industry we will create greater awareness among students, parents and teachers about the opportunities and great careers in rail.

Rail Week will help challenge people’s perception of what it is to work in rail by showcasing the many different people, skills and roles in the industry which keeps passengers moving and allows us to deliver some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects around.

Rail Week will help improve the public perception of rail by delivering an engaging coordinated campaign which shows the best of rail and the people who work in the industry.

For more information on Rail Week, hosting an event or becoming a YRP Ambassador visit www.railweek.com or email hello@railweek. com. Don’t forget to follow Rail Week on Twitter and tweet your support for the campaign @railweek

Get involved in Rail Week

Get involved in Rail Week

Rail Week aims to inspire young people to choose rail car of events, visits and talks. By working together we can bri Rail Week aims to inspire young people to choose rail careers, through and attract talented and ambitious young people into the a week of events, visits and talks. By working together we can bridge the love. skills gap and attract talented and ambitious young people into the sector that we all love.

The week is a great way we can showcase the diverse ran

roles in the passengers moving and a The week is a great way we can showcase theindustry diversewhich range keep of people and some of themoving most ambitious roles in the industry which keep passengers and allowsinfrastructure us to deliver projects aroun some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects around.

Now is the time to commit to getting involved!

Now is the time to commit to getting involved!

We need you to: We need you to: • Host tours of your depots, factories, control centres, sta • Givecontrol publiccentres, lecturesstations, and seminars • Host tours of your depots, factories, etc… about your incredible • Volunteer your staff to promote • Give public lectures and seminars about your incredible projects rail in schools as Rail W

• Volunteer your staff to promoteRail rail Week in schools as Rail Weekyou Ambassadors can be whatever want it to be. If you have a Rail Week can be whatever you about want itit!to be. If you have a great idea shout about it!

www.railweek.com

www.railweek.com

@railweek @railweek

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54

TRAINING

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

H

S2 is moving from concept to reality.

Achieving royal assent was a green light for construction to begin on the London to Birmingham high-speed railway and HS2 will say, with some confidence, that it has everything in place to make the move from design to delivery. But how well prepared is the industry’s workforce?

Research carried out by HS2 estimates that only 16 per cent of the workforce is trained to the higher technical standards that will be required; only around half of the workforce is categorised as semi-skilled. Added to this is the well-publicised demand for brand new engineering staff.

The shortfall isn’t just being felt by the railway industry.

The not-for-profit organisation Engineering UK believes the country will need 182,000 engineers every year up to 2022 to deliver the current project portfolio. This equates to the training of roughly 56,000 new engineers over the next five to 10 years.

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BUILDING HS2'S HIGH-SPEED WORKFORCE ‘With HS2 gearing up now, we know that they are going to require an average of 10,000 employees over a 10-year period on the construction of HS2. At its peak that goes up to 24,000 per day and that is a significant number,’ said Clair Mowbray, who was appointed as the National College for High Speed Rail’s chief executive in September 2016, having joined the organisation in 2014.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced the creation of the college’s Birmingham and Doncaster campuses in September 2014.

Both sites are now close to completion and will be ready to open their doors for the first time in September this year. Facilities include virtual reality (VR) labs, a digital signalling suite, driver simulators and a 100-metre long test track.

Although HS2 is the main priority, the college will be central to the ongoing development of rail’s wider engineering workforce.

Says Clair, ‘The National College for High Speed Rail is focussed on ensuring that we’re training people with the right skills that are needed across the industry for HS2 but also for the modernisation of the existing rail infrastructure.’

REVIEW AND REFINE

LEADERSHIP PLEDGE For the past couple of years, the college has been collecting signatures from engineering contractors and rail industry employers keen to sign up to the college’s leadership pledge.

By adopting the pledge, companies commit to supporting the college in various ways; this can include sending learners to the college, offering teaching support and work experience placements, helping shape the curriculum or supplying equipment for the two sites. For students who aren’t on apprenticeships, the pledge allows the college to be able to offer valuable real-world placements, also allowing businesses to talentspot early.

The college has received a lot of interest from people working in the industry wanting to find out about becoming trainers, says Clair. By 2020, the college expects to have a staff body of around 75 people - backed up by a large pool of industry mentors.

‘It’s really important that we have a high quality teaching staff that can engage people. Having people from industry is fantastic because they come with all of the experience of projects and have worked through issues and problems from the real world of rail.’

Between them, the two sites will initially welcome 100 apprentices.

Following a period of review and refinement, the college will also begin offering a Higher Technical Certificate qualification and, crucially, the continuous professional development required to upskill existing staff to the specific technical standards required for highspeed rail.

Continuous professional development and the offer of conversion courses to engineers from other industries will become an important part of the college’s remit. For existing staff, the college will offer short courses, said Clair, which could be offered at one of the campuses or at the employer’s site.

The college has so far developed a Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship High Speed Rail Infrastructure Technician, an Operational/Departmental Manager Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship and the High Speed Rail and Infrastructure Level 4 Higher Technical Certificate.

At its peak, the college expects to welcome 1,200 new starters each year - 50 per cent of which will be apprentices. Achieving this goal is very much dependent on how well the college engages with the industry. The support received so far has been very welcome.

‘Over the last 12 months it’s really ramped up,’ said Clair. ‘The level of support and the size of donations we’ve been getting has been fantastic.’

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They will also work with other training providers and learning centres to meet the demand set by HS2. Part of the challenge will be ensuring that third-party trainers are meeting the high standards that the college is setting, Clair admits.

‘What’s really key to me is that any education partner that we take on delivers to the high standards we need, so that all of our employers and students are benefitting from an outstanding experience.’

AT THE CUTTING EDGE The college sites on Birmingham’s Dartmouth Middleway and Doncaster’s Carolina Way will further strengthen two wellestablished railway centres. The Birmingham facility will also extend the Innovation Birmingham campus and help grow the city’s high-tech engineering output.

‘We’re trying to really build on the expertise that is in both locations and make sure that it becomes at the cutting edge and leading developments.’

She added, ‘I think it’s really important from a diversity point of view as well to make sure that we are attracting people who wouldn’t ordinarily think of the rail industry as being the industry for them, whether that be gender diversity, whether it be BME (black and minority ethnic) diversity, disability. I mean there are opportunities within this industry; we need to make sure that people know what those

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opportunities are and then equip them with the skills that they need.’

The college is still recruiting for new apprentices starting for the September intake, and currently engaging with employers: both on training existing staff members and supporting them to source new apprentices from the talent pool the college has identified.

Just short of a thousand prospective students have signed up for updates from the college. As Clair puts it, NCHSR is a brand new college offering a different kind of engineering education and part of their job will be to reassure parents that it will lead to rewarding careers for their children.

Says Clair, ‘People understand that there are opportunities coming forward and they want their son or daughter to be able to maximise those opportunities. When you talk to them about what we’re going to deliver and what we can offer their child… they understand and are very positive about the fact that this is to do with real work. This isn’t a subject that has no outcome and I think for a lot of parents who are concerned about what their child is going to do as their next step, we can help and support them.’

POSITIVE START Although daunting, the high-speed skills gap is being addressed, Clair believes, but the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on the college.

‘The national college is not the only solution: there are employers with their own apprenticeship programmes who are doing their own delivery, and a network of colleges and training providers offering provision at lower levels. I’m clear that we are seeking to complement this provision, not compete,’ says Clair.

‘But I think that we are the organisation really putting the focus on the skills that are needed for high speed. I’m really positive about where things are going for us… and I think through us delivering training and the skills, we are enabling HS2 to deliver what it needs to deliver. We are a college by the industry for the industry, and are keen to hear from businesses who want to get involved and benefit from our offer - this partnership approach will have a tangible impact on the sector’s skills issue.’

To find out how your organisation could become a partner or for details about September’s apprenticeship intake, contact enquiries@nchsr.ac.uk or visit www.nchsr.ac.uk

RAILSTAFF JUNE 2017

CAREERS

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