RailStaff November 2018

NOVEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 252

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PLUS NEWS PEOPLE FEATURES HEALTH & SAFETY EVENTS COMPANY FOCUS TRAINING CAREERS

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Our four commitments

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CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 252

BUDGET 2018 | 07

A further £37 million was announced for Northern Powerhouse Rail and £20 million has been pledged to develop the business case for East West Rail.

OPERATORS MARK CENTENARY OF WWI ARMISTICE | 08

Special preparations are in place across the country’s light and heavy railways to mark 100 years since the end of World War One.

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MY LIFE IN RAIL | 16

For the first in a new series meeting rail staff at different stages of their careers, we sat down with rising rail apprentice Caitlin Gent.

PLAN INTO ACTION | 18

New operator ready to deliver on promises as longawaited investment reaches Wales and Borders.

THE FATIGUE FACTOR | 26

How a revised standard will change the way fatigue is managed.

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IT M M U na gend FETY S evolutio n the a RAIL SilAregulation, route dl health were all o ta Light ra s around men s e n re awa

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Staff

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

NEWS

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Contact us: Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Marc Johnson

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Matthew Stokes

News Editor:

Stewart Thorpe

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Event Sales:

Jolene Price

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Craig Smith

Keith Hopper

Times to remember

Contact Email Addresses

Issue 252 is my last as a member of the RailStaff editorial team. After six years and 70 or so issues, I’m saying goodbye to this fantastic title and it’s set me thinking about what I hope to leave behind.

News: news@rail-media.com Pictures: pictures@rail-media.com Adverts: adverts@rail-media.com Subscriptions: manda@rail-media.com Contact Details RailStaff Publications, Rail Media House, Samson Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3FP. Tel: 01530 816 444 Fax: 01530 810 344 Web: www.railstaff.uk Email: hello@rail-media.com Printed by PCP Ltd. RailStaff is published by RailStaff Publications Limited A Rail Media Publication

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© All rights reserved. No part of this magazine can be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

Trawling through the archives, I managed to dig out the first piece I ever submitted for the magazine. Published in November 2012, the article was the latest in a series which looked at the various organisations and institutional pillars that guide and govern Britain’s railway.

That month we looked at the BTP, interviewing then chief constable Andy Trotter and covering everything from metal theft to 7/7.

Just a few months into the job, I was still learning about the industry, still yet to pick up many of the acronyms we take as a given and recognise the names that are now so familiar.

But it’s true that the more you learn about the industry, the more you feel you have to learn.

We’re fortunate as journalists to have the opportunity to tackle different topics every month. Through the magazine we allow others to peer into parts of the industry that they would never normally get to see or may have never fully understood. The rich collective knowledge that resides throughout the depots, offices and factories that I’ve had the good fortune of visiting is staggering.

How we store and preserve this knowledge has been a recurring theme in this month’s issue. Concerns about the loss of corporate memory were raised at the Rail Safety Summit and TPE apprentice Caitlin Gent, who was interviewed for the first in a new series of articles, made the same astute observation. The issue hasn’t escaped those leading the launch of the new Wales and Borders franchise either.

Don’t treat staff like the furniture that came with the house but actually listen to their views and learn from their experiences.

It’s coincidental that all of this comes at a time when the country is commemorating a 100 years since the end of the First World War. Lest we forget.

RailStaff’s modus operandi has always been to spread a positive message about life on the railway. This doesn’t mean throwing up a smokescreen to criticism or ridicule but instead providing some context to the popular narrative, showing the hard-working people

who personally feel a weight of responsibility to passengers.

But this is just one of its values.

Besides promoting the industry, RailStaff helps to make sure the efforts and knowhow of previous generations aren’t forgotten.

Interviews with those from a previous era people like former chief inspector Andy Trotter - can be a reminder of both the progress we are making but also ensure we’re not wasting time reinventing perfectly workable solutions to age-old problems.

RailStaff will continue to help shape the agenda in 2019 - I have no doubt about that. I’d like to thank the team at Rail Media for placing their trust in me to be the custodian of their flagship title, as well as all my colleagues in the industry who have given up their time to contribute.

Fundamentally, RailStaff has given me a greater appreciation for you: the men and women who live to serve the travelling public.

You are determined and unwavering in your desire to do right by customers. I’ll forever be your advocate.

Thanks for reading.

Marc Johnson brought a breath of fresh air to RailStaff when he joined us some six years ago. Still in his early twenties, he soon picked up the complexities of the rail industry and led the drive to include more feature articles in every issue.

From editing our digital offering Global Rail News, Marc took over as editor of RailStaff from long-time incumbent Andy Milne in 2017. He retained coverage of regular favourites such as safety, training, people moves and industry news, but added features on major projects like Crossrail, Thameslink and HS2, social topics including diversity, occupational health and wellbeing, and the topical issues around skills, control periods and franchising.

Marc leaves us to move into the field of corporate communications, something he’s been looking to do for a while.

We wish him well - new editor Stewart Thorpe will have large shoes to fill.

Tom O’Connor Managing Director, Rail Media FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.UK

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RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

Four BTP officers have been reunited with a man whose life they saved after he went into cardiac arrest.

PC James Chatfield, PC Joseph Withington, PC Chris Hamilton and PC Robert Wright were on duty at St Pancras station on 14 June when they received a report that a man had collapsed.

All of the officers have been trained as specialist police medics by London Ambulance Service and were able to administer first aid and CPR. PC James Chatfield said: “When we arrived, we knew the situation looked bleak. The patient’s heart had stopped and he showed no sign of life, but we weren’t going to let this stop us. Our training kicked in and we started CPR. “All four of us took it in turns performing chest compressions and we shocked the patient using a station defibrillator staff had rushed over. I was convinced that the patient had a slim chance of survival, but that didn’t prevent

Lifesaving reunion us trying our hardest to save him.”

The 50-year-old man was rushed to hospital where he has gone on to make a full recovery.

The team’s Inspector, Stuart Downs, said: “I cannot praise the work of these four officers enough, they each acted in the finest traditions of the police service in saving a life. When

faced with a life threatening medical emergency, they wasted no time in providing CPR to the patient putting their training into action, and utilising the “Chain of Survival” to provide the best chance of survival. It was fantastic to see them all reunited this week – well done.”

PC Chatfield added: “As

officers, we’re trained in performing CPR, but you never expect to be doing it on a busy station concourse. What all four of us did at St Pancras just demonstrates the value in firstaid training. It was an absolute pleasure to meet the patient this week, I am so pleased he is doing so well and we’ll definitely keep in touch.”

Increase in public action to save lives

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New figures reveal there were 163 interventions by members of the public between January and September this year – a 20 per cent increase compared with 2017, meaning 1/10 of interventions are by the public.

Samaritans, in partnership with the BTP, Network Rail and the wider industry, launched the Small Talk Lives campaign in 2017, calling on the public to trust their instincts and start a conversation to save a life if they notice someone displaying warning signs.

The campaign was developed after research showed passengers could have a key role in suicide prevention, along with the thousands of Samaritanstrained rail staff and British Transport Police.

Samaritans CEO Ruth Sutherland said: “Suicide is preventable and any one of us

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could have an opportunity to save a life.

“A phrase as simple as, ‘I can’t believe this weather’, could be enough to interrupt a person’s suicidal thoughts.

Even if small talk doesn’t come naturally to you, if something doesn’t feel right, please try to start a conversation. There’s no evidence you’ll make things worse.”

Warning signs include a person standing alone and isolated; looking distant or withdrawn; staying on the platform a long time without boarding a train; or displaying something out of the ordinary in their behaviour or appearance.

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

NEWS

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Budget 2018: Extra funding for major rail projects

The era of austerity is finally coming to an end. That was the headline statement from Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond who presented his 2018 Budget to Parliament on 29 October.

Although focused on investment in public services, supporting business and boosting living standards, extra money has been committed to some of the country’s major rail projects.

A further £37 million was announced in support of the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail, building on £300 million that has already been committed, and £20 million has been pledged to develop the business case for East West Rail.

Transport for the North (TfN) is expected to submit a business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail, which includes a mixture of new and upgraded routes, to government by the end of 2018. This will outline the costs and shape of the network and how it will boost connectivity and the economy of the North.

TfN chief executive Barry White said: “This money covers what we had asked government for to further develop Northern Powerhouse Rail during the next financial year as it moves closer to transforming lives in the North.

“The funding will allow us to further refine and develop this flagship programme, ensuring it delivers the economic returns it needs to as we progress towards a full business case and spades in the ground in the mid-2020s.”

The Transforming Cities Fund, launched by the government in 2017 to improve productivity and spread prosperity through investment in public transport, will be extended until 2023 thanks to £770 million that has been earmarked

by Philip Hammond.

Finally, the Docklands Light Railway is set for a £291 million boost - money which will come from the Housing Infrastructure Fund - to finance improvements that will unlock 18,000 new homes in East London.

Railway Industry Association (RIA) chief executive Darren Caplan welcomed the extra

funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail, East West Rail and the Docklands Light Railway, which will “unlock economic growth, investment and jobs in different regions of the country”.

He urged the government to “move at a similar speed” when it comes to Crossrail 2 and to set out its response to the Independent Affordability Review, which is yet to report back, as soon as possible.

In his speech, Philip Hammond said the government will continue to work with Transport for London on the funding and financing of the capital’s new north-south link.

Nevertheless, Darren Caplan voiced RIA’s concern that ‘boom and bust’ rail funding, a pipeline of enhancements, electrification plans and match-funding for rolling stock research and development in CP6 were not addressed.

Elsewhere in the Budget, it was revealed that the sale of Network Rail’s commercial property business for £1.27 billion generated £170 million more than had been forecast in the Spring Statement.

Changes for apprentices and passengers

The Chancellor of the Exchequer also used the opportunity to confirm that, from April, large businesses will be able to invest up to 25 per cent of their apprenticeship levy to support apprentices in their supply chain while smaller businesses will halve their contributions from 10 per cent to 5 per cent.

The IMechE’s head of education policy, Peter Finegold, welcomed the change. He said: “Engineering has a long tradition of high quality apprenticeships. We hope these two measures announced in the Budget will contribute to continued progress to produce a generation of highly trained and adaptable technical experts.”

The Budget also confirmed the 26-30 railcard, announced a few days beforehand, will offer a one-third discount for 26 to 30 year-olds in England, Scotland and Wales and a more streamlined one-click process for compensating passengers affected by rail delays will be introduced as a requirement for future rail franchises.

'I do' at Waterloo For the second time in a year, Waterloo station has been the setting for a thrilling marriage proposal.

Adam Burroughs, a 25-year-old electrical engineer from Suffolk, employed a flash mob at the station to propose to his childhood sweetheart, Mlayne Frost.

A classical orchestra appeared from the crowds as the couple walked through the station, playing a selection of meaningful songs.

Adam said: “I’ve never been so nervous in my entire life! When we got to the station, I was shaking. It wasn’t that I thought she was going to say no, it was just the whole event, with all my family there - I thought I’d be alright but I wasn’t, I was a wreck.”

Mlayne, who believed she was going to London to see the Lion King, said: “I honestly thought we were getting in the way of someone else’s thing at first. I knew something was going to happen, but I didn’t think it would be for us.”

She added: “Of course I said yes! He is very romantic, so if he was ever going to propose I knew it would be in an extravagant way.”

Cem Davis, Waterloo station manager for Network Rail, said: “It was an honour to be involved in Adam’s proposal to Mlayne and I’m delighted we were able to play a part, once again, in making true love blossom on the concourse.

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NEWS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

© TfL

Special preparations are in place across the country’s light and heavy railways to mark 100 years since the end of World War One. Ahead of Remembrance Day, many operators are offering free travel for retired or serving members of the armed forces while others have gone the extra mile to honour those who have suffered or died in war.

Operators mark centenary of World War One Armistice Some of Chiltern Railways’ exforces employees were joined by Gurkhas to present a special train with a poppy vinyl at Marylebone station for London Poppy Day on 1 November.

The train operator said it wanted to “do something special” to honour those who have made the

Rail Staff

Christmas Carol Service 2018 with

London’s Transport Choir St Mary’s Somers Town Eversholt Street, London NW1

20:12:2018 @ 1230 hours Followed by light refreshments A L L

W E L C O M E

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

ultimate sacrifice on this landmark anniversary, and it was not alone.

C2c is commemorating the forthcoming anniversary by naming a Class 357 train after the 88 local railwaymen who died in the Great War. ‘Remembering our Fallen 88’ refers to the number of men who worked for the London, Tilbury and Southend section of the Midland Railway and died during the conflict.

German national railway company Deutsche Bahn, which operates in the UK through such subsidiaries as DB Cargo UK and ESG Rail, has also announced plans to rename one of its Class 66 locomotives ‘Armistice 100 1918-2018’.

Elsewhere, Transport for London plans to decorate 14 stations with poppy vinyls and tram operator Nottingham Express Transit is supporting the Games of Remembrance - a tournament between football teams from the UK and German © TfL

© TfL

Armed Forces - with special fares.

Railwaymen on the frontline Having worked in a safety critical environment with numerous transferable skills, many ex-forces personnel have found work in the rail industry over the years.

However, 100 years ago, workers moved in the opposite direction.

When war broke out in 1914, some 100,000 rail workers enlisted to join the fight - a big chunk of the 700,000 workforce.

In total, researchers believe 186,475 railway workers served between 1914 and 1918 - almost 20,000 of those losing their lives.

On 14 May, 1919, six months after the Armistice was signed, a service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London to commemorate the contribution of the railways during the war, and particularly in memory of the railwaymen who died in the service of their country.

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PEOPLE

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

New ORR chair Declan Collier’s appointment as the new chair of the ORR has been approved by the Transport Committee.

While the committee felt Collier would face a ‘sharp learning curve’ joining the sector, it concluded that he had sufficient experience working at a senior level in the energy and transport sectors.

The chair of the ORR is currently the only appointment which is made by the Secretary of State following a parliamentary committee hearing. The Transport Committee said it would like to see posts such as the chair of Network Rail and the chair of HS2 also appointed in this way in future.

Chair of the Transport Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP, said: “Having heard from Mr Collier in written and oral evidence, we welcome his nomination for the role of chair of the ORR and support his appointment. That said, there are challenges ahead for Mr Collier, not least of which will be getting up to speed on the road and rail sectors as quickly as possible.

We wish Mr Collier every success in his new post.

“The committee is struck by the fact that the chair of the ORR is the only post subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the committee, while top posts at other similar regulatory and delivery bodies in the transport sector are not. There is no rationale for this.

“The department must either accept that pre-appointment hearings should take place for a wider range of roles, or clearly explain why they are excluding important public appointments from parliamentary scrutiny.”

Network Rail trio join SLC Rail SLC Rail has appointed three new senior executives to its Midlands-based team.

Nathan Campsall (right), Paul Fountaine (second left) and Ian Chambers (second right) - all of who join from Network Rail - will enhance the company’s project management capability and bring with them a wealth of experience from the sector.

Nathan Campsall was previously London North Western Route delivery director. In his new role, Nathan will direct project delivery teams across the business, work on existing frameworks across the Midlands and oversee the development of SLC business in the West and South.

Paul Fountaine, who led Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects engineering capability team, will manage the project development team, overseeing the company’s expansion in the North.

Having led the Western Route’s Integration of HS2, Ian Chambers will now oversee the expansion of SLC’s consultancy business.

Ian Walters (left), managing director of SLC, said: “I am delighted to welcome Nathan, Paul and Ian to our growing organisation. Their appointment will provide the solid senior level team foundations we need to continue to ensure we offer an excellent product to our current Midlands base as we start to branch out into other parts of the country.

“They bring a breadth and depth of industry experience, that will complement and support our existing team, as well as providing greater strategic oversight on our projects and consulting commissions.

“As we continue to build on our reputation for being a goal-driven organisation, that seeks to push the boundaries of innovation and efficiency in the industry we love, it is critical that all our teams have strong leaders with similar values. And we have exactly that in Nathan, Paul and Ian joining the business.”

HEx recruits new director and head of operations Heathrow Express (HEx) has made two key senior appointments.

Les Freer, formerly head of ground handling, strategy and licensing at Heathrow, joins as director while Sophie Chapman becomes head of operations.

The change comes at a significant time for HEx, which saw Great Western Railway (GWR) take over some aspects of its operations on 1 November.

In his most recent role at Heathrow, Les was responsible for working with ground handlers and suppliers to ensure safe operation of the airfield over a period of passenger and cargo growth for the airport.

Les, who served in the Marines as part of 40 Commando before his career in transport, said: “This is a pivotal time in Heathrow Express’ history, and I’m really excited to be leading a team with 20 years’ experience of delivering excellent customer

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service.

“Its reputation as a flagship service to the airport is unrivalled, and we need to maintain that to ensure we beat ambitious passenger targets and exceed already outstanding customer service levels as we deliver a new fleet into service by December 2019.

“Heathrow Express is also a key player to helping Heathrow deliver its commitment for half of passengers to travel to and from the airport by public transport by 2030.”

Les joined HEx on 1 November

following the departure of former director Fraser Brown, who moves in the opposite director to join Heathrow Airport as retail director.

Meanwhile Sophie, who has been in her post since September, takes on the role of head of operations. She said she was looking forward to working with operational partners Heathrow, GWR and Network Rail.

Previously she was HEx’s interim head of customer service and prior to that spent 22 years working for Eurostar.

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

PEOPLE

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Senior appointments at Stobart Rail & Civils Stobart Rail & Civils has made three new appointments to its senior management team in preparation for the start of CP6 in 2019.

Keith Robertson, who previously worked for Carillion, joins as a senior project manager and will play a key role in forming and managing a new business unit in Scotland.

Stephen Pinkney and Andy Lucas, both former Network Rail employees, have also joined the engineering firm. Stephen becomes regional director and Andy becomes director of engineering.

Stephen has worked and delivered some of Network Rail’s key projects, covering a number of senior positions throughout the project lifecycle from initial remit to commissioning and hand back. He most recently designed, built and consulted with an organisation to deliver the CP6 business plan for a £1 billion contract.

In his new role, Stephen will be responsible for the delivery of Stobart Rail & Civils’ fiveyear strategic plan for Northern and Central England, and will provide support to Keith in Scotland.

Andy also previously worked for Network Rail. He has nearly 20 years of rail and civils

experience, covering specification, asset management, track engineering, vehicle dynamics, design preparation and review.

He has developed, led and delivered work programmes worth over £80 million per year in a complex and changing environment.

He will share the responsibility of delivering Stobart Rail & Civils five-year strategic plan for the whole of the UK. Stobart Rail & Civils managing director Kirk Taylor added: “We have developed a fantastic reputation over many years for innovation and safety, ensuring we are trusted to deliver major rail and civil engineering projects in the North of England.

“In order to ensure we continue to build on this reputation, we have developed a fiveyear strategic plan aimed at both increasing the work we do with our existing partners, and growing our reputation and securing new projects in both Scotland and Central England.

“In order to deliver this plan, we need to ensure we have the right people in the right roles, and these three appointments are the cornerstones of achieving this aim.

“They all come with fantastic reputations, significant experience and the right skill set to help us deliver our ambitious growth plans.”

WSP rail engineering Wild heads to Crossrail directors for north and south Mark Wild is set to become the new chief executive of Crossrail Ltd.

WSP has announced the appointment of two new deputy group directors for rail engineering services.

Ex-Network Rail project manager Andrew Dodds (left) will oversee the south and Steve Burrows (right), who has delivered projects in the UK, Australia and Singapore, will oversee the north region. Between them the pair have almost 50 years’ experience in the industry.

WSP said it has brought the two on board to ensure the business is “best placed to secure and deliver the growing pipeline of strategic rail... contracts”.

Andrew has worked in client, design and construction organisations to deliver major projects such as the West Coast Route Modernisation and East

West Rail.

Based in WSP's new £7 million Birmingham offices, he will drive business excellence and build engineering resilience across the rail team. His contribution will help the business to deliver on projects such as HS2’s Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common stations.

Meanwhile Steve, previously an associate in the rail leadership team at Arup, will be based in Manchester and focused on enhancing WSP’s service offerings and growing the consultancy’s international project pipeline.

Since June 2016, Mark has been the managing director of London Underground, a role he will return to once the Elizabeth line has opened through central London.

Mark joins Crossrail on 5 November, initially working alongside incumbent chief executive Simon Wright before taking over on 19 November.

With the focus shortly moving to full-time testing, Mark will lead the project through its final phases, including trial running, trial operations and the opening of the central section.

Prior to joining Transport for London, Mark served as the chief executive of Public Transport Victoria, based in Melbourne, Australia, and was also the managing director of Westinghouse Signals.

He added: “The Elizabeth line is

the single most significant addition to London’s transport infrastructure in a generation.

“It is absolutely vital that Crossrail Ltd completes the job of delivering it safely and reliably for London.”

Crossrail’s construction phase is due to finish in 2018 with the major focus shifting to integrating the rail systems and full-time testing.

In Mark’s absence, London Underground director of network operations Nigel Holness will step up to the role of managing director from 5 November.

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RAIL FORUM MIDLANDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

COLLABORATION OPEN UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES

T

here has been much talk of collaboration in the industry in recent years and, while there are some great examples of where this has worked well, it’s likely there is more that could be achieved. Of course, collaboration can take many forms; from a couple of mates getting together to share and develop ideas, to complex joint ventures and a variety of business models in between.

Rail Forum Midlands (RFM) supports its members in a variety of ways, helping them to work collaboratively has been a key focus for some time. Established over 20 years ago to represent the local supply chain, RFM is still owned and governed by its members who work collaboratively to set the direction and strategy of the organisation.

Elaine Clark, general manager of RFM, said: “By working together, we can help members address issues that they couldn’t tackle or solve on their own. For example, in 2016 we brought a number of companies together to create a Rail Skills and Employment Academy with Derby College. Those involved support full-time students in a variety of ways, helping to raise the profile of rail as a career.

“We have also developed our hugely successful schools engagement programme iRail, which is now approaching its 10th year, having recently expanded to cover both West and East Midlands schools. Companies can take part in an outreach day at a school or they can sponsor and support the iRail competition day, which brings teams from all the schools together to compete in a rail-related technical challenge.

“Importantly, SMEs can get involved to a level they are comfortable with, enabling them to both contribute and demonstrate to their clients that they are actively supporting the skills agenda – something that Network Rail, RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

HS2 and OEMs are all keen to see. We have also recently started to work on the concept of shared apprenticeships to identify how we can help more SMEs get involved with the apprenticeship agenda.”

Collaboration works on a community level too. “By bringing our members together to support their local communities, we can demonstrate that rail is a force for good,” said Sophia Blakey, membership co-ordinator at the Forum. “For example, we usually hold a charity event each year to raise funds for a worthy cause. This year, we raised over £2,500 for Railway Children and are also supporting the Midlands’ Mission Christmas appeal which provides Christmas gifts for children that otherwise wouldn’t receive any. This means even a tiny SME can say ‘we helped do that – we made a difference by being part of something bigger’.”

Another, perhaps obvious, example of the potential benefits of collaboration is sharing costs; the Rail Forum will be hosting a joint stand for SMEs at Railtex in 2019. “We did this in 2017 with four of our members and it was hugely successful, we’re now planning an even

bigger presence next year,” said Sophia.

But why bother? “Fundamentally it’s about growing your business”, said Elaine. “It’s not just about a feel-good factor; there has to be real business benefit. We will shortly be launching a new SME collaboration project with the objective of identifying specific opportunities for SMEs to collaborate, to address real needs across the industry.

“We have a very strong rail industry presence in the Midlands - a presence that’s evolving with new businesses emerging alongside traditional manufacturers. We also have a plethora of automotive and aerospace companies that may have something to offer rail or that could benefit their sectors by working with our members. Collaboration can open up new opportunities for those companies that are willing to work together.”

For more information about Rail Forum Midlands contact sophia@midlandsrail.co.uk

A record number of archaeologists and heritage experts from the UK and overseas have begun work on HS2 Phase One’s enabling works.

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said the archaeology work is the largest ever to take place in Britain, with more than 1,000 specialists exploring 60 sites between London and Birmingham over two years.

Early finds include prehistoric tools in Buckinghamshire and medieval pottery at the site of a demolished medieval church and burial ground in Stoke Mandeville.

HS2’s head of heritage Helen Wass said “From prehistoric remnants and Roman settlements to deserted medieval villages, Wars of the Roses battlefields and Victorian innovation, HS2’s archaeology programme has it all.

“This is a very exciting time for archaeology in Britain and we are committed to make sure that HS2’s archaeology programme creates knowledge for further study, engages with communities and leaves behind a lasting archival and skills legacy.”

HS2 will share the finds with local communities through a series of open days and talks and will create a permanent archival legacy of artefacts and discoveries for future generations.

BBC Two has also been granted access to document the project for a four-part TV series, due to air in either 2019 or 2020. ©HS2

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HS2's big dig

©HS2

Exhibitors on route to Railtex 2019 Major players in the rolling stock sector are confirming their places at the UK’s leading rail event, Railtex 2019.

With the face of UK rail changing and a growing demand for modern and improved systems and assets fuelling an overhaul of the country’s network, the 14th edition of Railtex is ideally placed.

Taking place in the heart of the country at Birmingham’s NEC, Railtex 2019 will bring business leaders and the supply chain together at the beginning of Network Rail’s CP6.

With stand space highly sought after, the world’s biggest rolling stock manufacturers are already confirming their spaces for 2019.

French transport giant Alstom, which used Railtex 2017 to unveil plans to introduce a new regional EMU platform for the UK, as well as to launch its new CLever cantilever, will be returning to Birmingham for 2019.

Stadler Rail, which is supplying Greater Anglia with a new fleet of Flirt electric and electro-diesel multiple-units and the Glasgow Subway with 17 driverless metro trains, will also be using Railtex 2019 as a platform for its

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Also confirmed for 2019 is Chinese manufacturer CRRC, the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment.

Other exhibitors with stand reservations include Hitachi Rail Europe, which showcased its wide range of rolling stock innovations, maintenance, signalling and traffic management systems in 2017, and Siemens, which promoted its 3D virtual reality solutions at Railtex 2017.

Organisations looking to exhibit at Railtex 2019 are urged to book their stand space early to avoid disappointment. Further details can be found at www.railtex.co.uk.

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14

NEWS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

Driving change

TRACK SAFETY ALLIANCE ON TOUR More delegates than ever before attended the latest Track Safety Alliance (TSA) conference in October, which was held away from Network Rail’s Westwood training centre for the first time.

More than 200 delegates from Network Rail, its principal contractors and other key stakeholders met at the Derby Conference Centre - the home of event sponsor Ganymede - to discuss the burning issues surrounding worker health, safety and wellbeing.

Heart-to-heart

TSA chair and Network Rail project director Brian Paynter kickstarted the programme with a demonstration highlighting how some people are unprepared to help someone in cardiac arrest. Although the volunteer asked to locate an automated external defibrillator (AED) happened to work in the building and knew where to find it, the exercise stressed to many audience members that, had someone on stage be having a genuine cardiac arrest, they would neither know where to locate an AED or have the confidence to use it.

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AEDs have already been mandated for all of Brian’s team’s possessions in plain line track renewal, but he is keen to see awareness of what to do in such a situation increased and people’s knowledge tested with similar exercises in the future.

Lee Green, head of safety and sustainability for Network Rail Infrastructure Projects (IP) Track, added: “We’re more likely to lose somebody on a site associated with a cardiac arrest than an injury or being struck by a train.

“It’s not just about the defib, it’s if we’re prepared for it, have we simulated it, do we know where that ambulance needs to go to and how convinced are we that we are able to give ambulances clear directions to meet us.”

Attendees were also introduced to the ‘High Output Health Challenge’. The programme was developed for workers to monitor and record a number of key metrics - such as their sleep pattern, weight and exercise regime - over the course of 26 weeks to improve the four elements of the “jigsaw of health”: sleep, nutrition, fitness and mental health. Plans are in place to roll it out across the TSA in 2019.

One of the day’s biggest talking points centred on fatigue and driving. After the audience watched real footage from the event, a McGinley trackman and driver who was involved in a road traffic collision with a lorry after experiencing a micro sleep, stepped on stage to talk about the incident.

The driver was 100 per cent compliant, had rested earlier in the day, did not feel tired but said that, in the future, he would give his body more rest and look to leave the track earlier if he had to drive to and from a site and work.

John Jebson, McGinley HSQE director, said the industry needs to change its practices.

He added: “If we are going to move people around the country, where local contingent labour isn’t there, let’s think of drivers as an asset, not a worker for a railway.

“This is about catastrophic risk. PTS workers and a driver should be two separate things, that’s my challenge to industry.”

Change

Network Rail IP Track programme director Steve Featherstone also updated the audience on key safety metrics - the stand out figure being the 69 per cent reduction in the lost time injury frequency rate in three years.

Two years ago at a previous TSA conference, members started the conversation around ballast dust and, with the issues raised in October, it will be interesting to see how quickly things progress in the years ahead.

Steve said: “If you think two years ago, when we were sitting here talking about ballast dust, we hadn’t even started the journey around respirator protective equipment. Now it’s everywhere and we’re making a really big impact.

“It shows that when the TSA decides to change things, we can change things very rapidly.”

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16

CAREERS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

MY LIFE IN RAIL

P

ursuing her ambition of becoming an engineer hasn’t always been easy for Caitlin Gent. Two years since joining TransPennine Express (TPE) as the operator’s one and only engineering apprentice, she’s now close to making her dream career a reality, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

“I do get called a train spotter quite a lot,” said Caitlin, who is now used to the obligatory questions that follow when asked about work by friends and family. “I do find that, but it is a really interesting industry.”

Caitlin, 20, discovered her interest in engineering while she was in the Sea Cadets in her hometown of Chorley, Lancashire.

“I wanted to go into the Navy as a weapons engineer and I thought at the age of 16, I was quite young. There’s a big difference between a life at Sea Cadets and the Navy,” said Caitlin. Instead, she chose to take some time to consider her future, opting to go to college to complete her A-Levels although engineering was absent from the syllabus.

Caitlin was one of only two students in her year group to consider an apprenticeship over university. The promise of earn-as-you-learn practical learning was more appealing than lecture theatres and student loans.

Caitlin applied for a number of engineering

apprenticeships before successfully navigating her way through assessments and interviews to join the TPE programme in 2016.

“Really amazing. I was really, really chuffed. I was really thrilled and my family were very happy as well because I had applied for other apprenticeships in engineering before and I hadn’t been successful, so getting the knock-backs it’s quite hard to be determined to keep going.”

BEHIND THE SCENES TPE’s engineering team deploys technical inspectors around the network who diagnose and fix faults on its trains to keep the network running.

While it is this role that Caitlin ultimately hopes to start at the end of her apprenticeship, she has spent time in various other areas of the business to understand what goes on behind the scenes.

During the first six to nine months of her apprenticeship, she learnt about customer service, train planning and performance; she shadowed conductors checking tickets and worked at stations on the front line.

She remembers how a visit to the Manchester rail operating centre (ROC) made her realise the knock-on effect disruption on one part of the network can have across the route. It gave her a new-found respect for those whose responsibility it is to lead the recovery.

“I think every apprenticeship should try and fit that in somewhere just for their apprentice to get an appreciation because it opens their eyes to other opportunities as well in the business,” said Caitlin.

Reflecting on her visit to Manchester ROC, she added: “It’s really, really fascinating and it’s something that I didn’t appreciate prior to being in the industry. It’s such a hard-working industry and I don’t think it gets enough appreciation for what the railway does for the public, but obviously I’m quite biased.”

BACK IN THE NCHSR Caitlin is required to do 20 per cent off-the-job training as part of her apprenticeship, for which she attends the National College for High Speed Rail (NCHSR). She’s currently got nine two-week blocks to complete at the college’s Birmingham campus.

Caitlin, who is on the college’s systems engineering pathway, is a good example of the industry-led approach the college prides itself RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

CAREERS

17

FOR THE FIRST IN A NEW SERIES MEETING RAIL STAFF AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS, WE SAT DOWN WITH RISING RAIL APPRENTICE CAITLIN GENT on. The systems engineering course, as it is, won’t give Caitlin the qualifications she needs to be considered for the technical inspector role and so the NCHSR is having to work with TPE to ensure she will meet the operator’s employability criteria when the course is over.

Apprenticeships delivered through the NCHSR are project based and students have to complete a real world project for their employers as part of their end-pointassessment. Caitlin has chosen to take on a TPE franchise commitment to install hearing loops across its entire fleet by 2020.

“It will be a real great sense of achievement, so I am looking forward to it,” said Caitlin. “It will be a challenge as it is real life and as it’s a committed obligation we have to do it… so no pressure.”

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR Caitlin was surprised to find out in October that the NCHSR had chosen her as its ‘Apprentice of the Year’. She was even more surprised to be whisked down to London to attend a parliamentary reception and be presented with the award by HS2 chairman Sir Terry Morgan - who himself began his career as an apprentice.

Caitlin and her peers are well aware that the rail industry is on a demographic knife’s edge, with a large proportion of the workforce approaching retirement in the next few years.

The messages about the demand for skills and high-earning potential are clearly getting through.

But none of these things were the deciding factor for Caitlin. “I think that engineering gives young people the power to make a change and to make a difference.”

Discussing apprenticeships as a route into the industry, she added: “I chose this apprenticeship scheme because it was just better for me, it was tailored more to what I needed for the way that I learn but there are other methods of getting into the railway.”

What does the future hold for Caitlin?

“Just take each step at a time and just progress as much as I can,” she said. “It would be nice to be fleet director actually, but we’ll see.”

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18

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

PLAN INTO ACTI NEW OPERATOR READY TO DELIVER ON PROMISES AS LONGAWAITED INVESTMENT REACHES WALES AND BORDERS

S

REPORT BY MARC JOHNSON

torm Callum brought parts of the Welsh rail network to a halt last month, washing sections of track away and forcing damaged trains out of service.

As passengers struggled with delays and overcrowding, the optimism of a few days earlier must have felt like a soggy memory.

KeolisAmey took over the Wales and Borders franchise from Arriva Trains Wales on 14 October, beginning a new 15year contract during which £5 billion will be invested in new trains and infrastructure.

Four bidders were initially

in contention for the contract: KeolisAmey, Arriva Rail Wales, MTR Corp (Cymru) Ltd and Abellio Rail Cymru. Arriva pulled out early in the process followed by Abellio, which had to withdraw when its infrastructure partner, Carillion, went into liquidation.

The new franchise represents a profound change in the way the railways are run in Wales. Rail franchising has been fully devolved to the Welsh Government and is now overseen by a new not-for-profit company, Transport for Wales (TfW).

The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, described the launch day as an important moment for devolution. In a statement, he said: “The opportunity to re-design and re-purpose our railway network in Wales is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and I am confident that by 2033 it can be the best passenger rail service in the UK.” Following its first week in charge, some passengers would say the new operator has a long way to go, but it would be unfair to judge so soon. There may be a new website and fresh signage, but it is fundamentally the same railway and the improvements detailed in the franchise won’t be delivered overnight. Franchise handovers are often an exercise in managing passenger expectations and storms have a habit of not respecting train timetables.

But what exactly has been promised in the new Wales and Borders franchise and when will passengers start to see the benefits?

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CENTRAL METRO The list of committed obligations for KeolisAmey under the new franchise is extensive. More than £700 million will be spent electrifying and upgrading the valley lines to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Coryton. The intention is to eventually power all overhead lines and stations across Wales with renewable energy, sourcing at least 50 per cent domestically.

Another £800 million will be invested in new trains - of which more than half will be assembled in Wales - and TfW has said that at least five new stations will be built over the next 15 years, with £194 million earmarked for station improvement schemes.

The franchise includes a general uplift in service frequencies around the network, including an extra 294 Sunday services by December 2019 (an increase of 61 per cent).

However, one of the main commitments is to create a new high-frequency Central Metro service in and around Cardiff, which will utilise tram-train technology. The franchise also talks about improving Shotton station and Wrexham General in the mid 2020s as a precursor to the launch of a North Wales Metro service.

In the Borders, KeolisAmey plans to create a ‘true intercity experience’ between the north and south of the country by introducing 12 refurbished Mark IV carriages on the route from Cardiff to Holyhead, via Shrewsbury and Chester.

ION LOCAL SKILLS While the bulk of the investment will be made over the next few years, KeolisAmey is looking for some “quick wins”, said the company’s people and engagement director Marie Daly (pictured below). Deep cleaning its stations and improving staff facilities are two projects currently underway.

KeolisAmey has committed to no compulsory redundancies

during the life of the contract and has specifically assured workers at the Machynlleth depot on the Cambrian line that their jobs are safe. The new franchise will create 600 new jobs, plus an additional 30 apprentice starts a year. There will be more visible opportunities for professional development, said Marie, and funding is available for staff who want to learn Welsh.

Marie said they plan to recruit

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

locally to address the demand for new skills that the franchise is creating. Ownership of the Core Valley Lines will transfer from Network Rail to the Welsh Government, with TfW assuming the responsibility for maintaining the lines and upgrading them in preparation for the new metrostyle service. Network Rail staff affected will be offered the opportunity to transfer to TfW, said Marie, but the likelihood is that there will still need to be a significant recruitment and training programme in place to develop infrastructure management expertise within the business.

A team of 130 has been working behind the scenes over the last five months to prepare for the handover.

Marie was previously the HR director at KeolisAmey Metrolink in Manchester. She was the incumbent HR director at Metrolink when KeolisAmey took over the concession last year and believes that experience has helped her appreciate the concerns felt by staff and the value of engaging them in the changes.

“Overridingly, the thing that I’m seeing is that people are excited about what this contract is going to bring to Wales and for the local communities in which they live,” said Marie.

“As much as we need to induct employees into the business, they need to induct us and, while we’ve got bid solutions,

FEATURE

19

we’ve got to make sure we can operationalise them and implement them. And they’re part of that journey to shape that.”

She added: “You’ve got people who have been sat waiting for this opportunity and just can’t wait to deliver on the promise.”

Rolling stock timetable • Remove Pacers by December 2019; • Introduce refurbished two-car Class 170 units on the Heart of Wales line by 2022; • Introduce the new fleet of DMUs to the North Wales Coast in 2022; • Replace the entire fleet of Class 158s with new DMUs on the Cambrian line during 2022; • Introduce new Metro vehicles with level boarding by December 2022; • Introduce new two and three-car DMUs for the Milford Haven to Manchester service by 2023; • Retain the link from Penarth, Barry and Bridgend to destinations north of Cardiff Central using new tri-mode trains from December 2023; • Eliminate diesel use on the Central Metro lines by 2024.

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20

HEALTH+SAFETY

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

Rail Safety Summit 2018

REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

I

t was my privilege to open and host the 11th Rail Safety Summit on 1 November at the prestigious offices of Addleshaw Goddard in central London. I began by quoting from a report which now shows its age by the language it uses, but is arguably as relevant today as when it was written.

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“Engineering maintenance should be planned and carried out under the protection of fixed signals; such work should be agreed between those involved and published in the Weekly Operating Notice.

“The root cause of our poor record in safety is the failure to eradicate the unsafe act and to convince our workforce that we believe in achieving our work goals safely rather than just achieving work goals.”

Both these conclusions were taken from a report written by Graham Ellis and submitted to the then British Railways Board in February 1993, some 25 years ago. I suggested that their contents are as relevant in 2018 as they were back then, although we have improved remarkably over the intervening years.

However, the objective of only working on the tracks with fixed signalling protection has still to be achieved.

I then welcomed the appointment of Andrew Haines as chief executive of Network Rail and the appointment of an interim new chief at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and

shared my aspirations for route devolvement improvements as Network Rail’s new structure beds in.

Lilian Greenwood, chair, Transport Select Committee

I indulged in more nostalgia by recalling the evening in Birmingham when the formidable, knowledgeable and impressive Gwyneth Dunwoody, as chair of the Commons Transport Select Committee, opened a RailStaff event. I then had the pleasure of introducing the current chair of the select Committee Lilian Greenwood MP (pictured right).

I believe the influence and role of Select Committees should never be underestimated, and congratulated Rail Media for inviting her.

She referred briefly to a recent Nottingham tram incident before saying that the industry should be proud of its safety record, especially when compared to road injuries and fatalities. She asked whether or not safety performance had now plateaued despite avoidable accidents still occurring.

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

HEALTH+SAFETY

21

LIGHT RAIL REGULATION, ROUTE DEVOLUTION AND THE GROWING AWARENESS AROUND MENTAL HEALTH WERE ALL ON THE AGENDA signage and lack of an alertness checking system. The report made 15 recommendations, covering automatic braking, monitoring driver alertness, the crash worthiness of vehicles and the regulation of tramways. He drew attention to the line-ofsight driving arrangements used by trams and lack of regulatory understanding.

He commented on the organisational culture and management which made drivers reluctant to report mistakes, including late and heavy braking.

She went on to comment on platform overcrowding, referring to her personal experience earlier that morning on London Underground’s Northern line.

She spoke of her concerns about the personal safety of vulnerable people, citing a recent train attack on a blind and disabled woman, and said that there has been an increase in reported incidents.

Network Rail – recent events!

The second keynote speaker was Allan Spence from Network Rail who was at the ORR before he joined Network Rail in 2012 where he created the strategy which led to the “Everyone Home Safe Every Day” initiative.

He commented that Grayrigg, which resulted in the death of an 80-year-old lady, was the last fatal train accident. He added that five years ago Network Rail began to look outside our industry, and we now have the lowest accident frequency rate ever. He reminded us of the serious irregularity at Cardiff East Junction in 2016 where the vigilance of a train driver prevented a derailment.

Croydon ORR Also an incident at Waterloo in August last year which could have had serious consequences and the near miss at Egmanton (see RailStaff September). In making his emergency call, the train driver corrected the signaller saying “not just one, I hit a group”.

Allan commented on the effect of such an incident on train drivers and added that there have been eight near miss events recently and we all need to listen harder and keep listening.

Croydon RAIB

Four speakers then spoke focussing on the Sandilands Croydon Tram tragedy. Simon French, chief inspector of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), reminded delegates that the tragedy resulted in seven fatalities and 61 injured of whom 19 were seriously hurt.

He showed a short excerpt from the cab video before commenting on the driver’s lost awareness, inadequate

Ian Prosser, director railway safety at the ORR, began by commenting that the risk management model the ORR uses (RM3) was only partly in use at Croydon.

He said two questions needed to be asked, were there enough controls in place and what has happened since the incident? Provided standards board funding is agreed, improved regulation of trams will be introduced in December.

Its objectives will include strengthening the existing

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22

HEALTH+SAFETY

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

Its aim is to unify, challenge and ultimately bring the industry together; hence issue 2 is titled “A Strategy for working together”.

Amongst current concerns, he listed suicides, trespass, loss events, system faults and cyber threats. He ended with a plea for collaboration and more inputs from the industry.

Mental Health-“OK to be not OK!”

system. Draft action on all 15 recommendations is due to be published before the anniversary date of the tragedy.

Light Rail Safety and Standards Board

Mark Ashmore, health and safety manager at UKTram, has particular light rail knowledge.

He told delegates that a chief executive for the new, joint industry Light Rail Safety and Standards Board has been recruited although funding is still awaited.

To meet RAIB’s recommendation a Light Rail Risk Analysis Model based on RM3 is to be deployed and Atkins are already working to develop a common framework, including speed controls, vigilance devices, signage reviews and visual cueing. For the containment of passengers, fully welded doors will be specified.

Other initiatives cover emergency lighting, escape hatches (but these may prove to be impractical), best practice and technical aids to combat fatigue as well as in-cab TV in place of rearview mirrors. Recommendations nine and 10 are undergoing safety assessments and a Light Rail Engineers Group has been founded.

said unions, and in particular their safety committees, need to say why they had failed to raise issues, before adding his concerns over the existence of “right hand turns on railways”.

He added that future risk management for tram operation needs to have a mutual learning focus. He suggested that a shiftbased system with appropriate breaks was needed to combat fatigue. He said he found little with which to disagree in the RAIB recommendations.

Collaboration in rail safety leadership

George Bearfield from the RSSB spoke about the Rail Delivery Group and publication in May of last year of “Leading health and safety on Britain’s Railways”.

Croydon ASLEF

Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary, arrived straight from Australia and deserves commendation for attending.

He commented that, along with our concerns and condolences, we needed to make sure there was full access to the facts and learn lessons from the loss. He

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Dr Richard Peters is Network Rail’s chief medical officer and Sharon Stevens (pictured left) their mental health champion. She spoke first and vividly described her experience of dealing with and recovering from depression.

She spoke of stigma and discrimination, not wanting to be ill and not wishing to let people down by her illness. She referred to the article published in the February edition of RailStaff, adding that she had spent too long ignoring the signs of depression. She recalled her personal experience of wanting to sleep 14 hours each day and thinking that the way out was to have an accident.

She then stressed that “it is time to change, and things are changing”. She emphasised the importance of letting people know and realising that “it is OK to be not OK”. She ended her presentation by challenging us all to ask people tomorrow “are you OK?” and to listen to the replies.

Richard Peters - Health, wellbeing and mental health Dr Peters surprised us by commenting that there are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness. He added that stress is a symptom not a condition but can lead to mental illness.

He showed a graph of pressure against performance and said that 37 per cent of ill health comes from work-related stress. He referred to Network Rail’s 2017 “Thriving at Work” report. The now agreed CP6 agreement with the ORR includes milestones to be achieved by June 2019 and is all about “breaking the stigma and measuring the success of so doing”.

Contractor’s view

Ian Nixon, Costain’s sector safety, health and environmental director, had experience of highways and nuclear industries before coming to rail. He spoke of their “Principles for Working” road map and the importance of designing jobs that are easy to do and then monitoring behaviours.

He commented on the Health and Safety Executive’s statistic that in 2017/18, days missed to injury and illness resulted in losses equivalent to £15 million.

He explained the bronze, silver and gold project standards used by Costain and their policy of carrying out medicals at

intervals depending on age and occupation.

He used their experience of working on Crossrail to illustrate the approach they take.

250,000 holes needed to be drilled into the tunnel lining. To avoid hand vibration problems, new rail-mounted equipment was designed and the work was completed using just six people rather than the originally planned 40.

In addressing mental health, Costain took five years to develop its system but, starting this year, all managers now undergo a half day of training to recognise symptoms and its initiative has been recognised by the Samaritans.

Stand down days are also initiated by top management.

Performance and mental health

Immediately before a splendid hot lunch, Peter Schofield, who is described as a performance coach, launched his perspective on mental health and depression.

He linked performance to mental health and described his successes using leadership

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

programmes. He highlighted the problem of bullying to meet performance targets and described a paint shop incident from his own experience.

He cautioned against the imposition of work overload and used a graphical representation of circles of concern and influence to illustrate his point.

Learning from near misses This was the title for Paul Appleton, who drew the short straw of being the first speaker after lunch. He is the deputy director of the ORR and leads

three main line teams carrying out inspection and investigation work.

He began by outlining the circumstances of the 1889 Armagh train crash in which 80 people were killed and 260 injured. He opined that there is a lot which minor incidents and near misses can tell us. The potential for a very serious incident as a result of the Watford Tunnel incident, he said, was just such a case.

He commended their RM3 system saying it is able to use data and share it so that train operating companies can learn from one another. The creation

HEALTH+SAFETY

23

of an environment of trust he said is crucial. Technological advances continue to offer new opportunities but also bring new risks.

He added that our British organisational culture has attracted the attention of both Australian and Chinese railway people hoping to learn from the ORR.

Route devolution and single sheet safe work packs Rupert Lown, the Anglian route director for health and safety, described how his railway

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24

HEALTH+SAFETY

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

the delay to Crossrail from their perspective.

After testing and re-testing in service, updating becomes important. He described the application of Railway Interoperability Regulations and the 2009 amendments to ROGS 2006.

Train maintenance - are current methods fit for purpose?

career began in the week of the Ladbroke Grove accident.

He believes the headquarters and routes reorganisation of Network Rail will work. He said there needs to be a tension between the two levels of organisation, with headquarters principles applied but achievement and accountability residing with the routes.

He explained the scorecard approach which will be used for behaviours, leadership, relationships with contractors, train operators, and customers.

He stressed the importance of route engagement with both staff and trade unions. Simplification of safe work packs into a single sheet and the introduction of a self-braking trolley wheel system to remove the risk of runaway trolleys are two of his route’s first initiatives.

No such thing as an unavoidable accident

Stephen Barber is head of permanent way engineering for Transport for London as well as being the current president of the Permanent Way Institution.

He spoke of his early working with heavy rail, with 800 metres of ballast cleaning or track renewal to be completed in just eight hours with a line-speed hand back.

He also recalled that in 1974 as many as 45 fatal accidents each year was accepted as normal, but heavy rail reduced the figure to zero in 2017. He suggested a deeper understanding of risk and a culture change since 1994 has brought about the improvements.

He insisted that there is no such thing as an unavoidable accident.

Safer, more productive and cheaper

As an example of what can be done within the four hours allocated for engineering hours, he described a design review they had undertaken.

Renewal work was labour intensive and generated both noise and vibrations due to the need to break out concreted-in sleepers and replace.

Coaching and training of staff has accompanied the use of hydraulic bursting machines for the breaking out and the use of resilient baseplates (found in Australia but made in China). The result is a 50 per cent increase in productivity and a 30 per cent saving in cost despite the use of more expensive components.

He went on to stress the importance of contingency planning and the use of videos, pictures and diagrams to brief staff.

The legal perspective

Addleshaw Goddard’s Darren Dunn spoke about accountability and the legal perspective. He outlined the sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council.

Three prosecutions in 2018 have resulted in high fines; but in 2017 although there were 13 Improvement Notices issued, no Prohibition Notices were served.

He said silica-laden ballast dust, staff competences and risk assessments for lone working were three areas of concern at present.

Whilst the number of RIDDOR reportable accidents dropped in 2017, trespass fatalities rose and there were six level crossing fatalities despite the

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overall downward trend on such incidents.

Designing and building a safe railway

Dr Reuben McDonald, head of safety systems for High Speed 2, reminded the delegates of the long-term nature of their project with work planned through to 2033. Once completed, half the population will have access through the 25 stations, with trains running every three minutes.

Safe integration means the adoption of a life cycle design concept. He described their use of a charted railway system strategy with a centralised database contractual structure. Hazard record modules will be used.

Tunnel ventilation, rolling stock specifications and a simulation of a fire evacuation have already been tackled and BIM used for a risk assessment of the Curzon Street station.

Certification and assurance

Stephen Clarke is Ricardo Rail’s Lead signatory. He outlined the system of certification and listed its use. He expressed relief at Rupert Lown and Paul Appleton.

Bombardier’s Simon Ellis drew the shortest straw being the last speaker of the day. He spoke of the increasing reliability of rolling stock on heavy rail systems and the falling failure trends on main lines, except for fires.

He suggested that maintenance still uses 20th century methods with practices such as the daily testing by technicians of doors when modern doors could be left unchecked for up to three months without detriment.

Less interference would improve safety, he said.

Technology such as thermal imaging and monitoring systems could reduce working at height.

The fact that paper manuals are still in use he cited as a further example of not progressing into the current century.

Robotics could be used, especially for routine tasks such as sandbox filling, and good design needs to take us forward to minimise maintenance tasks so that residual risks are largely left in the software!

Despite earlier delays and over runs we handed back the conference room on time and in giving the vote of thanks I was pleased to acknowledge the time and efforts made by all the speakers our hosts and the Rail Media people who had made the detailed arrangements. It was an excellent day for all who attended.

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

25

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26

HEALTH+SAFETY

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

The

eing tired was never really considered a cause of safety incidents - at best its role was underestimated. That was the view back in 2015 when RailStaff interviewed Network Rail’s lead on fatigue at a time when the organisation was right in the middle of a review into the issue.

The statistics would challenge that perception as well. Since 1988, there have been 14 incidents relating to fatigue which have resulted in a total of 52 fatalities and 612 people injured.

Over the next year, Network Rail is changing how fatigue is managed - the implications of which will be felt throughout the entire industry.

The current fatigue standard is being revised to include all Network Rail and contractor staff working on the railway, not just those in safety critical roles. Network Rail estimates that the revised standard (NR/ L2/OHS/003) will affect more than 150,000 people around the industry.

The revised standard includes ‘trigger points’ at which employees must agree Fatigue Management Plans with their line managers to address the risk. While the standard doesn’t set strict limits on working hours, the intention is to make sure fatigue is being considered at all times. © iStockphoto.com Network Rail plans to introduce the standard in stages between October 2018 and December 2019, ahead of a compliance date of October 2022.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Fatigue can have a hugely detrimental effect on workers’ mental and physical health, and it is vital that people working in the rail and wider construction industry are able to achieve a healthy work/life balance.”

© iStockphoto.com

FATIGUEfactor B

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RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

© iStockphoto.com

FATIGUE MANAGEMENT PLAN The revised standard under the Fatigue Improvement Programme includes a trigger point when staff are working 60-hour weeks.

When this occurs, a Fatigue Management Plan will have to be agreed between the line manager and their team. Fatigue Management Plans will come in two different types and Network Rail has provided the following descriptions: • a group plan is agreed where a team’s working hours (including commute) exceed 12 hours a day. So in this instance the line manager would sit down with his/her team and agree what can be done to help reduce fatigue. This could be something as simple as agreeing all the teams’ break times in advance, or arranging a minibus to share journeys to/from work and reduce driving hours.

• An individual plan is triggered when an individual’s working day exceeds 14 hours.

This will be a plan more tailored to an individual’s needs. An individual plan can be discussed even where a group plan is in place, for example where one member of a team has a much longer commute than their colleagues.

CONTRACTOR FATIGUE MANAGEMENT While line managers can be trained to be more alert to fatigue, the signs aren’t always clear. Businesses across the sector are looking for ways to better understand when their staff are fatigued - in some cases utilising technology.

An investigation by Morgan Sindall found that 45 out of 65 incidents recorded between January and June 2017 on the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) had occurred at night. Concerned that fatigue could be behind the figures, the company began a pilot programme using smart wristbands. It monitored sleep data for 60 days and displayed each worker’s fatigue risk as a score between one and 100, where 100 showed maximum alertness.

The experiment revealed that the average score for day staff was 90 and for night staff it was 80, with around 36 per cent of night workers clocking a score of 70 or below

HEALTH+SAFETY

27

during their shift. To provide some context, the impairment to reaction times with an alertness score of 70 is the equivalent to someone driving who is above the legal alcohol limit.

In an article for IOSH earlier this year, Morgan Sindall’s SHE advisor, Judith Devlin, said: “We don’t allow people to work when they are under the influence of alcohol, so why would we do so when they are so tired that they are just as incapable?”

Morgan Sindall said it aims to have no safety critical resource working in a state of fatigue by the end of 2018. It has been able to introduce practical interventions using the results collected by the Readibands.

Those averaging just a few hours sleep a night can be offered advice and support and thresholds have been introduced where staff must stop work if they become fatigued.

One of the most useful features of this technology is its ability to predict at the start of a shift whether a particular worker is likely to become fatigued. The availability of the data means staff are more accountable for their own wellbeing and how they manage their fatigue, but it also gives them clear evidence to show to line managers.

“I think it gives them almost a confidence that they’re not just tired, they’re fatigued,” said Judith.

ROAD SAFETY Fatigue is something that also affects staff after they’ve left site.

Driving and fatigue was a recurring theme at the Track Safety Alliance’s conference in October.

Staff are told to look out for the symptoms of fatigue, which can include having difficulty concentrating, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids, eye rolling, head droops, restlessness and boredom.

According to advice issued by Network Rail to its staff, you must stop at a safe place long before find you begin fighting off sleep. In situations where extended rest isn’t possible, staff are advised to drink two cups of coffee, or an energy drink, and then take a 15-20 minute nap.

Measures to stave off fatigue include planning for regular breaks, setting the drivers seat in a comfortable upright position, opening a window, keeping well hydrated and eating light healthy snacks.

Most staff don’t need reminding that they have a personal responsibility for their safety and the safety of those around them.

With fatigue, staff have a responsibility to better understand their bodies and the demands they put on them.

Simple things could help all of us get a better night’s sleep and put an end to the nightmare of fatigue-related incidents.

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

Good Luck!

T

he nominations are all in and the votes have been counted. All that’s left to do is announce this year’s winners.

Almost 300 nominations have been shortlisted across 20 different categories, including Outstanding Customer Service, Station Staff of the Year and the Samaritans Lifesaver Awards.

Employees from Network Rail, London Underground, the train operating companies, infrastructure contracting companies and engineering service providers will help demonstrate the diversity of roles and career paths available across the industry.

Entries include selfless charity fundraisers, ambitious apprentices and the leaders behind multi-million pound projects. Friends and colleagues have been getting behind this year’s nominees, with some receiving in excess of 30 nominations alone.

We have once again been overwhelmed by the nature and sheer volume of lifesaving interventions which have formed the basis of many of this year’s nominations. These range from staff who have stepped in to prevent a suicidal person from taking their own life to those who have put their first aid training into practice to assist a customer in need.

An independent panel of judges has helped to decide this year’s winning lineup. The panel includes Chris Rayner, director of infrastructure management at HS2; Gary Cooper, director of planning, engineering and operations at RDG; Gaynor Pates, RIA’s membership, events and business administration director; Shamit Gaiger, director of strategy at the National Skills Academy for Rail; Carolyn Griffiths, board member of the Engineering Council and a non-executive director of Irish Rail; and Alison Rumsey, Network Rail’s group HR director.

The RailStaff Awards is now into its 12th year and will be hosted at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on 29 November.

Tom O’Connor, managing director of event organiser Rail Media, said: “Every year we start with a blank canvas and every year, without fail, we’re inundated with hundreds and hundreds of nominations.

Reading the stories of this year’s shortlisted nominees is really inspiring and makes me proud to be part of this wonderful industry.

“Although only 20 awards will be handed out on the night, I hope everyone who has been nominated will feel proud in what they’ve achieved because that’s why we continue to host this event.”

To find out about the dress code, timings and entertainment planned for this year’s event, visit www.railstaffawards.com

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RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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- SPON SOR S -

way People.com

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

BUILDING A RAILWAY FOR THE FU

S

uper-franchise Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is in the middle of a historic transformation. The company is spearheading a modernisation programme to make it fit for a future where more journey options will make it possible for people to lead more flexible and fulfilling lives.

The company is made up of Thameslink, Gatwick Express, Southern and Great Northern train services and covers a network that has the highest growth in the UK, with journey numbers doubling over the last 16 years.

In a bid to significantly boost capacity across the entire network, GTR is phasing in the biggest timetable change in rail history. In addition, over the last two years the company has delivered more new trains than the rest of the country’s rail operators put together. But none of this could be done without the commitment, dedication and determined effort of its 7,200 employees.

couldn’t be prouder of every single one of them and their achievements.

INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE It’s why GTR has invested in new state-of-the-art smart phones for all its frontline staff, giving them the right information whenever they need it. The phones will come pre-loaded with apps that will give staff live information, making their lives easier and customers’ journeys better. Frontline staff will have instant access to journey planners and live departures, customer information, important updates from control, the location and length of a train and a smart ticket checker. They’ll also be able to follow the company’s latest news.

PROUD AS PUNCH Its people matter to GTR. It’s why the company is sponsoring the Graduate of the Year category at the RailStaff Awards for a second year running.

In 2017, the award was won by electrical engineer Conor Maton from rail telecommunications leader telent. The 26-year-old was credited with helping the company to win an important contract to supply an IP WAN comms network for the Crossrail project in London. Following the contract award, Conor showed an outstanding level of dedication to learn about IP Networking technology and fully understand the project delivery.

This year, a staggering 37 of GTR’s nominees have made it to the final shortlist – a testament to the value they place on its people. The company RAILSTAFFAWARDS.COM | @RAILSTAFFAWARDS | FACEBOOK.COM/THERAILSTAFFAWARDS

It’s why the company has invested in a development programme called One Step Ahead. It’s for every new employee and the customerfacing teams and is designed to embed excellent customer service in everything they do.

It’s why once a year, GTR holds a prestigious staff excellence

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UTURE RailStaff Awards

awards ceremony where it recognises those employees across the brands that make it their business to be nothing short of brilliant.

It’s why GTR creates a ‘Celebrating Us’ desk calendar that each month marks an occasion that helps them to celebrate the rich diversity of employees through their uniqueness in a way that connects them to each other and helps them to value their differences.

It’s because its people matter that this year the company received a massive 80 per cent response rate from its workers in its annual engagement survey, taking onboard staff feedback.

Its people matter to GTR because to build a better railway for the future, they need to be in it together.

Delivering a better railway together

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

NEXT GEN STAFF

FOR NEXT GEN SERVICE

E

very spring, independent watchdog Transport Focus releases the results from its latest National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS).

The report is informed by responses from 50,000 passengers and includes scores on overall passenger satisfaction for the 26 train operating companies in a league table format.

Clinching the top spot alongside Hull Trains in 2017 was a great achievement for Heathrow Express (HEx). To secure it again in 2018, this time alongside Grand Central, was an accolade the company was very proud of.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT The Heathrow Airport to Paddington operator understands that success is not a destination but a journey of continuous improvement. To push its 95 per cent passenger satisfaction score even higher, HEx is now training what it describes as the next generation of customer service staff.

"We're entering a new era of transport at Heathrow," said Dan Edwards, HEx commercial customer service manager. "In the face of emerging competition - not just on the railway but companies like Uber - we really want to position ourselves as the onward travel and operator of choice from Heathrow. We see our people as being absolutely crucial to delivering that."

Part of this new era has seen Great Western Railway being issued a management contract to run some of the operational aspects of the HEx service from 1 November. As a result, a modified fleet of Class 387s will be introduced by December 2019 to replace the service's existing Class 332s.

As Dan explained, this allows HEx to renew its focus on customer service. “This is an opportunity to work with partners to offer the fast and reliable service our customers know and love while maintaining and building on our NRPS results."

INVESTING IN PEOPLE Dan oversees a team of 130 customer concierges and mobile sales advisors, as well as nine managers, and said that HEx has had its staff focus shift from revenue-orientated roles into delivering higher standards of customer service - also known as "sales through service".

When Dan joined the business in February there were 12 customer concierges. Now there are 80.

Recruiting new staff and training existing employees to fit this culture has therefore become a big part of his job.

Dan explained how HEx has taken a new approach to ensure it attracts the best possible candidates by partnering with a new recruitment firm that is providing high-quality applicants. If they're successful, candidates are hired on a temporary basis before being made permanent to ensure it’s a position that works for them and a role they're suited to.

HEx is also changing its customer service practices. For example, from the New Year, the train company will be issuing its frontline staff with mobile devices to allow them to make decisions that customer relations would have previously

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made. This enables them to resolve complaints on the spot rather than refer the customer to an email address or to fill out a form.

Dan added: "It's about thinking where we want Heathrow Express to be in 2030, and we are really committed to ensuring our people are a big part of that journey. It’s not just about ticketless travel and replacing people with machines, it’s really about investing in our people to deliver a supported self-service to our customers because they tell us they love having lots of people around."

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ES

AT THE HEART OF IT ALL

People are also placed at the heart of the RailStaff Awards, the industry's only awards ceremony that exclusively recognises the hard work of rail staff.

This year HEx has sponsored one of the awards' newest categories: Marketing & Comms Person or Team of the Year, which was launched in 2017.

With the high calibre of frontline staff it attracts, the RailStaff Awards was an event HEx was keen to associate itself with.

Dan added: "The RailStaff Awards are pretty unique in terms of the types of awards that you see in this industry.

“There are a really talented group of people that come to the RailStaff Awards every year and, as an organisation that is really looking to be an employer of choice and attract the best talent, we see it as a fantastic opportunity to have our brand associated with all of these great people who are working so hard to make the railway a great place for our customers."

Express Train

between Heathrow Central and London Paddington Heathrow Express is proud to support The RailStaff Awards 2018 15 minute journey time to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 with an extra 6 minutes from Terminal 5.

A free transfer is available from Terminal 4 taking an extra 4 minutes.

For full terms and conditions visit heathrowexpress.com

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

ENGINEERING SUCCESS

A

s one major project comes to an end another is just beginning for Jacobs, the global engineering and professional services provider.

Over the next couple of months, as a member of the REAL alliance, Jacobs will complete its work on the East Coast main line power supply upgrade project. The programme of work, which began in 2014, is upgrading the OLE and power supply infrastructure on the East Coast main line to be able to cope with the additional demand that will put on it with the introduction of the Intercity Express Trains next year.

The East Coast power supply project won the Best Project (Large) of 2017 at Network Rail’s Rail Partnership Awards, recognising the collaborative approach which has underpinned the alliance’s success.

But while this four-year project is drawing to a close, Jacobs is starting to look ahead to CP6. As a member of the Transpennine Route Upgrade alliance, Jacobs will be offering essential programme management and engineering support to ensure the flagship project achieves its approvals and budget requirements.

“With regard to CP6, the outlook is positive with significant investment,” said Mark Southwell, vice president of Jacobs. “The key is for all parties to find better ways to deliver and to meet the efficiencies that as an industry we can deliver.”

RECOGNITION AT ALL LEVELS Jacobs is sponsoring the Rail Engineer of the Year category at the 2018 RailStaff Awards, which will be held at the NEC on 29 November. Last year, Ana Walpole (pictured above) became the second female winner of the award for her work on the Wessex Capacity Programme.

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“As a business, we are passionate about making sure that recognition is given to staff, at all levels of the business,” said Mark, who wanted to demonstrate this by highlighting the achievements of two Jacobs employees.

Electrification engineer Kevin Bruce alerted Network Rail to a potentially dangerous incident when he spotted a machine working in a siding close to overhead wires without isolation protection while he was travelling on the East Coast main line. His intervention could well have saved someone’s life and epitomised the company’s BeyondZero® safety culture, said Mark.

“Safety is our top priority and that relates to everything we do.

Day in, day out we are presented with examples of our people having the courage to speak up and, without sounding dramatic, save lives.

“Our BeyondZero® and culture of care are embedded within the business. We record and highlight all safety observations and have mental health champions across our business. These provide an excellent platform for capturing examples of excellence among our people.”

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BELIEF AND CONFIDENCE Mark also praised the work of Keith Earnshaw, who is the engineering director for the East Coast power supply upgrade programme. He provides the engineering leadership for the combined alliance and is recognised by his peers and client as providing outstanding commitment.

It is vital, said Mark, to keep identifying these people, particularly at a time when the railway is coming in for so much public scrutiny.

“We need to give people the belief and confidence that we are doing great things that it does impact how the railways operate and ultimately how they are seen by the public. Celebrating success and learning from mistakes is essential.”

While Jacobs uses its own internal communications channels to support staff recognition, Mark sees the company’s backing of the Rail Engineer of the Year category as an opportunity to do something for the industry as a whole.

“It is important to celebrate what people have achieved and give them the recognition that is deserved. For Jacobs, it is an honour to be able to work with so many exceptional and highly skilled people, both in our own business, in our peers and of course in our client’s organisations – this is an opportunity for us to give something back.”

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

TRANSFORMING

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIE

A

lot has changed since Freightliner’s acquisition by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) three years ago. Over the past 12 months, the business has been reorganised around its three core service platforms: rail, road and terminals. The objective is to offer customers a broader range of logistical services and take their experience to the next level.

Investment in digital platforms is driving performance at Freightliner to facilitate future growth, and the transformation in customer experience is set to continue in 2019.

An upgrade to the Felixstowe branch line will enable more and longer freight services from Felixstowe and Southampton ports and Freightliner plans to follow up the success of its newly opened electric locomotive depot in Crewe with the construction of a new wagon maintenance depot at Ipswich Top Yard. Extensive remodelling of the track layout and sidings is currently being undertaken, and work is expected to start in early 2019, with the new facility being fully operational by the end of the year.

Following the successful delivery of more than 800,000 tonnes of ballast to HS1, Freightliner is also preparing to support HS2 by investing in its resource base, as well as new 102-tonne MWA open-topped box wagons that will be strategically placed in the business.

In 2017, Freightliner’s Birmingham operations manager, Adrian Pattison, and MSO, Mark Neal won the Rail Safety Person or Team of the Year category at the RailStaff Awards.

Lindsay Durham, head of rail strategy, said the win was a reflection on the business’ strong safety culture.

“Safety continues to be our top priority, and we focus on continuously enhancing our safety culture,” said Lindsay.

“We are proud to report that so far this year, 23 Freightliner sites have celebrated 1,000 days injuryfree. This tremendous achievement is a reflection of the commitment and focus by our teams to make a real difference in making the operating environment safe for everybody.“

SAFETY - TOP PRIORITY This year, Freightliner staff have taken part in Women in Rail’s Big Rail Diversity Challenge, the RailSport Games and they have supported many charities both locally and nationwide. Freightliner let its employees nominate charities which they felt deserved a donation. This scheme – now going into its 6th year – allows a number of charities to receive a donation of £1,000.

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TOP CLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE Freightliner is sponsoring this year’s Outstanding Customer Service category, which last year was won by TransPennine Express’ Nicola May. As an organisation which is dedicated to providing a top class customer service, Lindsay said it was the perfect choice.

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37

ENCE

“We deeply value all our people. Our customers rely on us for the timely delivery of their goods or materials, and our people are what makes that happen day after day, night after night, whatever the weather, and we appreciate that working at three in the morning in the rain or snow is challenging.

“Each year, rail freight operators in the UK transport goods worth over £30 billion – from groceries which keep our supermarkets stocked to clothing or high-end goods – rail freight is an intrinsic part of our lives without many of us realising it.”

She added: “The safety and welfare of all our colleagues is always our top priority. Business success can only be achieved through their hard work and through our teams working together. We want everyone to be the best they can be and are committed to providing development opportunities to ensure everyone who wants to, reaches their full potential.”

To find out about attending the 2018 RailStaff Awards, visit www.railstaffawards.com

AWARD WINNING RAIL FREIGHT PROVIDER As a leading, award-winning provider of intermodal and bulk freight haulage, Freightliner operates services across the entire UK rail network, moving over 770,000 maritime containers per year.

To find out what Freightliner can do for you, visit: www.freightliner.co.uk or call: 0207 200 3974

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38

EVENTS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 29TH NOVEMBER, NEC, BIRMINGHAM

EVENTS

NOVEMBER 2018

DECEMBER 2018

FEBRUARY 2019

BUILDING A RAILWAY THE HARD WAY

YOUNG ENGINEERS RAILWAY SEMINAR - IMECHE

4TH ANNUAL RAIL CYBER SECURITY SUMMIT

14th November Gloucester

www.imeche.org/events

RAIL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BRANCH 21st November Aldershot

www.imeche.org/events

PROCUREMENT SUMMIT & DRINKS RECEPTION 22nd November Bird & Bird, London

December - TBC

THE NEW P2 LOCOMOTIVE PRINCE OF WALES 5th December Stafford

19th February Amsterdam, Netherlands www.railcybersecurity.com

MIDDLE EAST RAIL 26th-27th February Dubai

www.imeche.org/events

www.terrapinn.com/exhibition

RFM CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

FIRE PROTECTION OF ROLLING STOCK

www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events/

www.spgmediadesign.com

JANUARY 2019

MARCH 2019

TRANSPORT LED DEVELOPMENT IN LONDON AND SOUTH EAST

RAILWAY DIVISION ANNUAL LUNCH

7th December Pride Park Stadium, Derby

27th-28th February Berlin, Germany

www.railsummits.com

IMechE ANNUAL DINNER 2018 22nd November Aerospace Bristol

www.imeche.org/events

ANNUAL CBTC CONFERENCE 29th-30th November Toronto www.irse.org/events/

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 29th November The NEC, Birmingham

16th January London

www.waterfrontconferencecompany.com

TRANSPORT TICKETING GLOBAL 29th January London

www.railstaffawards.com

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

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1st March Grosvenor House Hotel, London www.imeche.org/events

ACCELERATE: RAIL 2019

19th March Hilton Tower Bridge, London new.marketforce.eu.com/accelerate/ events/rail-conference/

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

www.quattroplant.co.uk

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

39

Proud to sponsor Rail Person of the Year 2018

SAM SAFETY

GINLEY

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Helping build the nation

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40

GANYMEDE COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

SAFETY AND MILESTONE CELEBRATIONS AT ONE OF THE INDUSTRY’S LEADING CONTINGENT LABOUR SUPPLIERS

G

ary Lobue, head of HSEQ at Ganymede, has made it his number one priority to boost staff confidence to challenge unsafe working practices.

Over the next year, Gary, who celebrates 40 years in the rail industry next year, is hitting the road to speak to as many of the company’s 1,000 employees as possible about this and other key safety issues.

Earlier this year, one operative was brave enough to stand up and report a close call when he was asked by a client to travel to another worksite after completing a shift, a move that would have taken him outside of planned work/travel time guidelines.

However, not everyone has the confidence to do so.

Gary said: “If I took a workgroup out in the morning and I said to

Speakers from the Track Safety Alliance conference. them: ‘Follow me into this cage with all of these lions and tigers,’ they wouldn’t follow me.

“If I said to them: ‘Come onto this 125mph railway line with 25,000 volts AC above my head that can arc in bad weather, or step over 650/750 volt DC conductor rail,' without confirming a safe system of work, they would follow me, without speaking up and voicing their concerns. Lions and tigers can kill but so can trains and electricity. Why is this happening? ”It’s a big problem and it’s Gary Lobue, head of HSEQ, Ganymede.

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something I’m going to address on my safety visits to all of our sites, through our own internal media and with support from clients and colleagues in the industry.”

FIRST AND ALWAYS The push to encourage workers to speak up is one example of Ganymede’s commitment to its key mantra: safety first, safety always. This same dedication has seen the company invest in a safety vehicle, which tours the country spreading key safety messages, and also expand its safety team. It also saw Ganymede sponsor and host the Track Safety Alliance’s (TSA) recent conference at its head office, the Derby Conference Centre, in October.

Gary Lobue was among a line-up of 15 industry speakers, including Brian Paynter, chair of the TSA, as well as Steve Featherstone, director of track at Network Rail. The conference provided an open forum for senior management and track workers to discuss the biggest issues concerning health, safety and wellbeing and what they’re doing to overcome them.

MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY

Ganymede was keen to host the conference as part of its 20th year anniversary celebrations.

Sitting down with RailStaff, managing director Paul Crompton said: “Safety is one of our core values and that’s why we’re proud to sponsor the Track Safety Alliance conference. Safety and operational performance go hand in hand, so every person that works for us has the right to go home safely at the end of the day.”

The company began with 10 operatives back in 1998 and, following continued growth, now primary sponsors almost 1,000 rail workers.

2014 and 2015 were both milestone years for Ganymede, the former for its diversification into the energy sector and the latter for when it was chosen as one of four long-term core contingent labour suppliers to Network Rail - a particularly significant contract win.

“The contract helped us to develop into the more mature, professional organisation we are now,” explained Paul. “We have obviously invested a lot in health and safety, a new fleet and new offices.”

Ganymede is now the primary supplier of contingent labour to Network Rail in the London North Eastern (North), Wales, Western and Wessex regions and secondary supplier in the East Midlands along with other Tier 1 contractors across the UK.

BUILDING ON SUCCESS In 20 years, the Ganymede workforce has increased hundredfold, and it is the workers that Paul puts the company’s success down to.

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COMPANY FOCUS

41

20 YEARS

Paul Crompton, managing director, Ganymede.

He said: “We’ve got a really strong workforce. We have a leadership model where we invest in the workforce to try and train and develop them and give them a career path. We always try to make them feel part of one team. I think that’s probably our biggest strength: the quality, experience and competency of our workforce.”

Looking ahead, Ganymede has big plans to build on its success.

Paul added: “We obviously have HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Transpennine coming up. We see there is a lot of growth in the rail market and we want to continue to be a supplier of choice for Network Rail and the Tier 1 contractors in IP [Infrastructure Projects] and outside of IP.”

Passionate about people, Experts in workforce solutions With over 1,000 multi-skilled operatives, Ganymede specialise in delivering complex labour logistics for national rail, underground and metro system projects across the UK.

Contact us info@ganymedesolutions.co.uk 0333 011 2048

www.ganymedesolutions.co.uk TSA Conference.

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42

COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

SENSE OF IDEN

F

rom rail grinding to freight, ontrack plant to train maintenance, it’s difficult to know where to start with Colas Rail. A series of acquisitions and mergers over the last decade have given the UK subsidiary of the French construction giant Bouyges its own distinct identity.

“It’s like a family. They really look after you,” said Clyde Schwartz, head of delivery for Colas Rail’s Freight division.

Freight sits within the Rail Services side of Colas Rail, which also includes On Track Plant, Rolling Stock Maintenance, Pullman Rail, Rail Grinding and Design & Surveying. Alongside Rail Services is the Rail Infrastructure business, which covers Colas Rail’s involvement in the S&C South Alliance and the Wessex Capacity Alliance.

Sitting outside these divisions is Colas Rail’s work extending Birmingham’s tram network as part of the Midland Metro Alliance.

CHALLENGING AND REWARDING Clyde, who is six months into the role, is responsible for the day-to-day operation and long-term planning of the freight haulage business. Clients include Total, Tarmac and Network Rail, for which Colas operates its infrastructure monitoring trains, among other things.

Colas Rail drivers deliver aviation fuel to airports, parts to car factories and transport timber for Kronospan from Carlisle to its site in Chirk - a contract it has delivered for more than 10 years.

“It’s not boring,” said Clyde, who rejoined Colas Rail from Network Rail, where he was transferred when High Output was brought in-house. “There is a lot of diversity and different things to get into, which obviously makes it challenging but rewarding at the same time.”

With so many roles requiring knowledge of specialist equipment, Colas Rail has established a training school in Crewe to provide it with an in-house resource to train

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and upskill staff. The company has also invested in a route monitoring app which provides a modern solution to managing train driver route knowledge and competence.

Within the Freight business, there are also opportunities for candidates with no previous driving experience to train on the wide range of locomotives within the Colas Rail fleet, which includes Class 37, Class 56, Class 66, Class 67 and Class 70 units.

“There’s lots of opportunities and training opportunities to develop yourself, your career,” Clyde added.

DAILY GRIND

Rail grinding is one area in particular where Colas Rail is looking to recruit and train over the next few months. Network Rail has recently renewed its partnership with Colas Rail to deliver plain line rail grinding services across the country using Network Rail’s fleet of rail grinders. The new contract is for three years, with an option to extend up to five.

“It’s a massive operation,” said Ken Scotton, who has been managing the rail grinding contract since 2016.

Although there are only five grinders in the fleet, the support team required to deploy them around the network is vast.

“They’ve all got a role to play for that machine to go out that night,” said Ken, explaining how in one shift a machine could be required to travel from one side of the

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

COMPANY FOCUS

43

NTITY Tracey Creamer, head of HR; Ken Scotton, rail grinding operations manager - services ; Andy Skitt, head of operations and standards; Peter Graveling, plant services director.

network to another. “If somebody doesn’t do their part it won’t work.”

Network Rail has made a multi-million investment in three new grinding trains.

Introduced into service in 2017, the 150-metre long trains are extremely reliable, cheaper to run and are able to deliver a higher output.

SEEING THE JOB THROUGH In addition to the investment in the fleet, Colas Rail is looking to strengthen its grinding team. While the company is looking for experienced in rail grinding operations, the business also runs what it calls its ‘street-toseat initiative’ which seeks to recruit and train talented candidates, albeit those with less experience.

“Rail grinding is literally a one-off,” said Ken, explaining what he enjoys about the job.

“Although it’s a continuous operation - every night we work - every night’s a different night.”

He added: “It’s a very rewarding job because it’s different every time they go to work.”

Andy Skitt, head of operations and standards, joined Colas Rail’s predecessor,

Seco Rail, in 2005 after leaving the RAF. He’s been with the company ever since and is extremely thankful for the opportunities he’s been given.

“The transition from the Royal Air Force to working within Colas Rail has been really good for me,” said Andy, who joined as a plant operator and maintainer. He later became a driver and was offered numerous opportunities to train and progress.

In his current role, Andy ensures the competency management policies and procedures are all up to date and in line with rail industry standards across the Rail Services business. “The thing I like about it is it’s more

of a family atmosphere,” said Andy. “We are focused on collaborative working; working together to achieve results.“ “We’ve always got the can-do attitude,” Clyde added, describing the special mentality he recognises in his colleagues. “We’ll always make it work for the customers and that’s part of being a family. Everyone comes in and they want to make it work and they want to make it succeed because it’s getting the pats on the back and seeing a job through to the end and getting that satisfaction.”

Are you interested in joining the Colas Rail team? Turn to the inside back cover to find out about our latest vacancies.

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44

TRAINING

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

FIRST SHOOTS OF HS2

R

ight now, across the country, thousands of people are starting work on HS2. After years of talk, preparatory work for Europe’s largest infrastructure programme is underway ahead of construction beginning in 2019.

On 30 September, the Mayor of West Midlands Andy Street, the Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and HS2 chair Terry Morgan (Pictured below) marked the start of works at Laing O’Rourke’s project site for the future Curzon Street station.

Five days later, and more than 100 miles south, demolition of the former carriage sheds at Euston station was completed by a 70-strong team from the Costain-Skanska joint venture and Keltbray. The site is where the southern tunnel portal for the twin 13-milelong tunnels will take trains out of London via a new station at Old Oak Common.

At 60 sites along the route, 2,300 businesses are currently conducting early enabling, professional service or design work, supporting more than 7,000 roles.

The seeds of HS2, sown so carefully since the idea was first explored back in 2009, are now starting to shoot.

ESCALATION Over the next few years, Phase One construction activity will intensify.

Development of Phase One will eventually overlap work on Phases 2a and 2b - although HS2 does not yet have the legal powers to build these two.

By 2019/20, the number of men and women working on HS2 is estimated to more than double to 15,000. During peak construction in 2021/22, this figure will hit 30,000 with the annual forecast requirement only falling below 10,000 jobs once between 2018/19 and 2032/2033, which will pose its own problems for providing employment continuity. © HS2

© HS2

INTERVENTION

Although the construction and rail engineering talent pool is being bolstered by a new generation of rail workers and through diversifying the workforce, not enough is being done.

HS2 minister Nusrat Ghani launched the megaproject's Skills, Employment and Education Strategy in September at the Worksop headquarters of offsite manufacturing firm Explore Manufacturing.

Nusrat described the plan as ambitious, and it needs to be to meet skill and labour demands.

At the time of the launch, HS2 CEO Mark Thurston said: "The reason we need a skills strategy is that we are not attracting enough people into our industry.

"We need to think about how we attract people from schools. How we work with our contractors to make sure they are bringing in young people, graduates and apprentices.

"That’s all part of us not just making sure we have the skills to deliver High Speed Two but actually when we are finished there is a whole legacy of skills and capability for the UK.”

CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS HS2 is actively trying to meet these challenges. As well as supporting the National College for High Speed Rail and encouraging professional development, in all of its procurement activities, HS2 has embedded skills, employment and education requirements.

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RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

© HS2

For example, supply chain partners must have a skills and employment manager as well as a skills, employment and education champion. They are also required to advertise vacancies through Job Centre Plus and a special Job Brokerage Service, largely focused on entrylevel jobs, which is to be piloted from 2018/19.

Significantly, apprentices must count for four per cent of contractors’ workforces. Over the project’s lifetime, HS2 is targeting at least 2,000 apprentices but for newly appointed HS2 chair Sir Terry Morgan, who started his own career as an apprentice, this isn’t enough.

Speaking to a room of rail suppliers in October, Sir Terry said that Crossrail, the project he also chairs, had a target of 400 apprentices. However, the project has so far created 1,003 apprenticeships. For HS2, Sir

Terry’s ambition is to see at least 5,000 apprentices supported by the programme.

COLLABORATION HS2’s skills report identifies five roles in which it faces specific recruitment challenges during design and construction: • Construction supervisors • Scaffolders • Plant operatives • Civil engineers • Signalling systems and telecommunications roles.

In response, businesses that have secured work are helping to develop the workforce needed to design and build HS2.

Flannery Plant Hire currently has 30 plant operatives involved in enabling works for Phase One and, in anticipation of a shortage in the future, is setting up a new trailblazer apprenticeship standard for plant operatives.

Apprenticeship standards

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© HS2

show what an apprentice will be doing and the skills required of them, by job role.

A spokesman for Flannery Plant Hire said: “Flannery wanted to take a lead in the plant industry to develop an apprenticeship standard to support the current and planned shortage of plant operators in the UK. “This shortage will only become more acute with the planned construction work in the coming years, and we believed this would be a positive way to address the shortages.”

The first phase of the apprenticeship standard has already received approval and Flannery expects it to be launched by the middle of 2019.

Elsewhere, specialist earthmoving contractor CA Blackwell, which estimates the creation of 500 new jobs from its HS2 work, plans to establish a plant operative training centre

to support specialist skills development.

The good news is that rail is not alone in this skills challenge, all nationally significant infrastructure projects face similar problems and there is cross-industry collaboration to ensure the skills are in place for the transport infrastructure sector and wider economy.

HS2 is firm, however, that this is not about temporarily bridging a gap in skills and labour to get the project over the line. Sir Terry added: “This is a longterm programme and I don’t take any sh*t from companies that say ‘why bother to invest in apprenticeships when the programme will at some stage finish?’. That is so short-sighted.

“We have to invest in people, we have to maximise the opportunities this will bring.” © Keltbray

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46

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

S L A N IO S S E F O R P YOUNG RAEILEK 2018 RAIL W

ING: YEAR OF ENGINEER RE SHAPING THE FUTU

D

edicated to promoting the exciting and diverse career opportunities of the rail industry and inspiring a new generation of young people in rail, Rail Week 2018 (8-14 October) has been the most exciting celebration of rail yet.

Since its conception in 2016, Rail Week has brought the rail industry in all its guises closer to schools, teachers, career advisors and young people through a series of events, visits and talks.

Momentum began early in the year with industry leaders including Rail Delivery Group, Network Rail, the National College of High Speed Rail, HS2 Ltd, Freightliner Group and many more coming together and delivering several initiatives in support of the government’s 2018: Year of Engineering campaign. The campaign included social media campaigns promoting apprenticeships and female engineers in rail; the Summer of Engineering Activity book for children distributed across major railway stations in the summer; leading up to Rail Week – the dedicated week of activities ran by organisations and companies across the industry, coordinated by Young Rail Professionals (YRP) volunteers.

On behalf of YRP, Michael Charteris, YRP’s 2018-2019 chair and scheme project manager at Network Rail, would like to thank all those who were involved in delivering a fantastic Rail Week 2018. Michael continued: “Rail Week allows us to come together as an industry to promote the range of exciting and interesting careers and opportunities rail offers. By doing so, we are helping inspire the next generation to join rail and be part of its future success.”

Rail Week this year saw the return of the RTS Leeds Depot Open Day, involving up to 80 school students; a mock car crash at the rail accident demonstrations and a series of talks from industry experts

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at Newcastle College Rail Academy’s Industry Week; mock assessment days by Knorr Bremse Services; and the closing event of the week – Siemens Kings Heath Traincare Facility and National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR) Open Day on Saturday, 13 October, which attracted over 1,100 members of the public!

Other events during Rail Week included an employer and educators engagement event hosted by LNER and several behind-the-scenes tours at major LNER stations; school group visits and week-long activities at Rail Delivery Group; a tour of Stratford Market Depot hosted

by CPC Project Services LLP and London Underground; tours of the Swindon Integrated Control Centre and Bristol Temple Meads station on the Western Route; driver simulator days at GTR and LNER; and many other presentations and talks on career opportunities across the country. Several school visits also took place during the week where YRP ambassadors brought hands-on activities into classrooms. The response

from industry and schools was overwhelming.

May-Ann Lew, Rail Week project lead at YRP and a senior consultant at SNC-Lavalin Atkins, said: “Rail Week is our opportunity to engage with young people from all backgrounds across the country, to break down barriers and change the image of the industry. It is essential that the industry comes together to attract the young people we need to deliver the industry plans for the future. It was great to see more and more collaborations were formed among rail companies and between the industry and the education sector through Rail Week.”

Photos from all Rail Week events are now available in our gallery at https://www.railweek. com/gallery/ and the official video will be available soon!

To get involved next year and support Rail Week, please contact hello@railweek.com Support Rail Week and YRP’s outreach activities @intorail on social media! @intorail – Instagram / @intorail – Twitter / @intorail – Linkedin / @ railweek- Facebook

YRP ANNUAL DINNER – 11 APRIL 2019 On 11 April 2019, YRP will host a glittering and entertaining dinner at The Brewery in London – and you are all cordially invited!

Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of YRP – 10 years of inspiring, promoting, and developing young people in the rail industry, enabling them to make the most of their careers.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we have pulled all the stops out and prepared something truly special.

Ruth Hannant, director general of the Rail Group at the Department for Transport, will take to the stage as our keynote speaker, sharing her thoughts and expertise on the challenges and successes of the rail industry.

Other key industry speakers will also give short interviews on the night.

During the dinner, we will also be announcing the winners of the YRP Awards. If you would like to nominate someone for Young Professional of the Year, Apprentice of the Year, or Mentor of the Year, please head over to www.youngrailpro/awards2019.

Nominations are open until 15 February 2019.

Planning for the 2019 Annual

Dinner has led to a lot of reflection on the growth of YRP. When we started as a small organisation 10 years ago, we could not have imagined the enormous support we would go on to receive from industry partners and dedicated volunteers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank CPC Project Services for their ongoing support as dinner sponsors.

The success of YRP is a testament to our industry’s capacity for recognising and embracing good ideas. The hard-won reputation of YRP is the crowning achievement of our exceptional volunteers, both old and new. We continue to make a difference to so many people’s professional lives because of our industry’s greatest asset - the passion for developing people.

The London and South East committee look forward to welcoming you to The Brewery on 11 April for a celebration of the best rail has to offer!

For full details, head over to www.youngrailpro. com/2019dinner.

To nominate someone for Young Professional of the Year, Apprentice of the Year or Mentor of the Year, head over to www. youngrailpro.com/awards2019.

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

47

JOIN

US

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

MEMBERSHIP Young Rail Professionals promote, inspire and develop the careers of young people in the rail industry. Membership is free and entitles you to attend our annual black tie dinner, seminars and be part of the fastest growing online rail community. www.YoungRailPro.com

YOUNG RAIL

PROFESSIONALS

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48

TRAINING

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

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CAREERS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2018

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Are you an experienced Rail Professional looking for a new career opportunity?

At Colas Rail UK we work on some of the most exciting projects to keep the nation moving with operations spread across three divisions, Rail Services, Infrastructure and Urban.

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In return we offer exceptional career progression and support and encourage continued personal development. If you believe you have the skills to contribute to our future success, then we want to hear from you.

Opportunities in Rugby and across the UK » Project Manager - Technical

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If you have necessary skills and are ready for your next big adventure, then this could be a great opportunity for you.

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Please register your interest by sending your CV to recruitment@colasrail.com and we will provide you with further information.

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