Railway Strategies Issue 124 December 2015

Issue 124 December 2015

Manufacturing on new trains for Waterloo to Windsor line

FEATURE

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The engineering behind Birmingham New Street Can we predict actual seating space availability?

Keeping the public positive during upgrades FOCUS ON

Communications Innovation Maintenance

NEWS

ÂŁ2bn for transport in devolution deal

PAC: Serious failures in rail planning

Rugby’s new ROC officially opens

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From the Editor

Chairman Andrew Schofield Editor Gay Sutton editor@railwaystrategies.co.uk Managing Editor Libbie Hammond Art Editor Gerard Roadley-Battin Advertisement Designer David Howard Profile Editor Libbie Hammond Staff Writers Jo Cooper Ben Clark Andrew Dann Advertisement Sales Dave King Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove Operations Director Philip Monument Business Development Director Dave Garner Editorial Researchers Keith Hope Gavin Watson Tarj Kaur-D’Silva Mark Cowles Administration Tracy Chynoweth

A straighter road ahead?

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fter the turmoil of the last few month, the release of the Hendy report and the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement have been good news for the continuity and future of the rail sector.

The vast majority of infrastructure projects specified in CP5 will indeed be delivered during that period, including all the major electrification programmes and the first phase of HS2 to Crewe, which is to be delivered 6 years earlier than planned.

The glaring £2.5 billion shortfall in funding, however, has to be filled. And the report sets out what it believes are the most economical and sensible plans to pay for this.

The divestment of non-core Network Rail assets will raise £1.8 billion, and Network Rail’s borrowing limit is to be increased by £700 million.

There are, clearly, long-term implications. Future income will inevitably be lost if retail units at managed stations, commercial estate, spare capacity on the telecoms network and assets such as depots are sold. And further debt on the railways is a significant concern.

However, this will secure the future of what is undoubtedly the largest investment in UK rail infrastructure since Victorian times. The result will be a rail network that is fit for the future and capable of boosting both national and regional economies.

From an industry perspective it means organisations will be able to invest with greater confidence in skills and capabilities, rebuilding UK rail engineering to world class standards. Ultimately, with a strong and significantly sized industry we will be able to export services around the world, generating revenue for individuals, companies and the exchequer.

This is good news indeed.

I am keen to hear your views on this, and on other issues in the sector.

Email me at: editor@railwaystrategies.co.uk

Railway Strategies by email Issue 124 ISSN 1467-0395 Published by

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25Cover story

Features

No small feat 8 Discussing the complex engineering story that lies behind the stunning redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station STEPHEN ASHTON Blog _ Clear need for articulation 11 With some huge infrastructure construction projects on the horizon, Sir John argues for greater dialogue with the public SIR JOHN ARMITT LEGAL _ Disappearing tax relief 21 The Patent Box tax relief scheme is closing to new entrants in June next year, so time is running out for innovators ROSIE HARDY _ WITHERS & ROGERS

32 Stability is vital Pausing the electrification programme has raised some uncomfortable spectres from the past, just when the industry needs stability PETER CAMPBELL 34 Engaging employees on an expanding network Good employee engagement processes help London Overground incorporate West Anglia staff and infrastructure CAROL POOLE 38 Keeping building projects on track _ CASE STUDY The pros and cons of steel clad structures, and how the technology has been used to construct a loco workshop extension for SB Rail SMART-SPACE

The fast track to growth 28 Comparing the strategies of companies that ride the wave of globalisation and become world players, with those that just wither and fold EWALD MUNZ

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Profiles Qatar Rail Kier Thales UK Govia Thameslink Railway Uretek UK Semmco MATISA

46 57 60 65 70 73 76

80 82 85 87 90 92

38 92

VS Rail AD Comms Faiveley Transport UK Damar International Tinsley Bridge Group Stadler Rail

News

Industry

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

Rail Alliance

Appointments Conferences & exhibitions

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Power to frontline staff 12 How new technologies introduced this year on the London Overground are empowering staff and keeping the travelling public well informed DAVID WORNHAM Empathy truly works 14 Can straight talking, colourful positive messages and empathy with the public keep transport flowing during infrastructure upgrades?

JAKE MASON Keeping communications on track 16 Communications systems innovations that are improving passenger experience and safety INGO FLOMER

40 Predictive maintenance _ a secret beneath the floor?

A new depot-based condition monitoring technique using underfloor wheel lathes is dramatically cutting costs DR STEVE LACEY 42 A new lease of life Maintenance techniques that can extend the life of carbon brushes and improve motor performance and reliability JON O’BRIEN

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Please take your seat 18 New technology that predicts real-time availability of seating space on the railways using existing public transport data DRS GERRIT BOEHM, LAURENT HOFFMANN AND SVEN SCHMIDT Fulfilling the vision 22 Three years in, we review the achievements of the Future Railway programme and glimpse some of the ground breaking innovations in the pipeline RSSB Looking to the skies 26 Why Galileo and the latest innovations in satellite technology could bring about a step change in train location management STEVE DENNISS

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IN BRIEF Bechtel sets women-inengineering example l Bechtel has been awarded the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Employer Award for its systematic approach to increasing the number of female engineers. The company employs more than twice the number of women engineers than the UK average. Almost 40% of Bechtel engineers on Crossrail are women.

IMechE acquires Amber Train l The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has acquired training company Amber Train, to help tackle the rail sector engineering skills shortage. Amber Train provides traineeships and apprenticeships to City and Guilds level, equipping school and college leavers to work on the tracks for Network Rail sub-contractors.

The world’s largest connectivity deployment l Nomad Digital has won a 10 year deal to provide fully-integrated passenger solutions to Austrian rail operator ÖBB’s entire train fleet and Postbuses. The initial phase is to deploy passenger WiFi, portal, and multimedia services on the Railjet fleet, and trains to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

PanMon gets the go ahead l Ricardo Rail’s pantograph monitoring system, PanMon, has been approved by Network Rail for rollout across the rail network, where it will replace the current 30 year old Panchex system. Work will commence with four sites on the West Coast Main Line, following a successful two-year trial on the line.

5 star EFQM accreditation for Abellio l Abellio Greater Anglia, has been awarded 5-stars in the European Foundation for Quality Management’s Recognised for Excellence accreditation scheme. This is a peer-assessed programme where judges interview people from all levels of the business, assessing business management practices and recommending ways to improve.

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New tram networks and Sprint rapid transit routes agreed for West Midlands l Rail transport schemes worth nearly £2bn have been agreed as part of the historic devolution deal that has been agreed between West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Government. The funding is part of a oneoff £8bn investment package for the region.

Whitehall will also contribute £40m a year to underpin WMCA for 30 years.

The transport investment will fund delivery of the HS2 Connectivity Package over the next 10 years. This includes Metro links from the HS2 station at Curzon Street to Birmingham Airport via Bordesley Green and Chelmsley Wood, and between Wednesbury and Brierley Hill.

The Sprint rapid transit network will also be developed, along with potential rail service enhancements on the West Midlands West Coast Main Line as capacity becomes freed

by HS2.

Improvements on other lines will include strengthening connectivity between the East Midlands and the West Midlands.

Councillor Roger Lawrence, chair of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, said: “This is the biggest devolution deal done to date. It gives the West Midlands the powers and the funding to provide a real step change in our transport infrastructure and supports our wider ambitions to grow the economy.”

Metrolink’s new approach to anti-social behaviour could be rolled out across the tram network l Greater Manchester’s Metrolink is trialling a new approach to anti-social behaviour and fare evasion through engaging with schools.

Ten schools in Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale and Ashton-under-Lyne have produced a series of TV and radio commercials, 14 of which have been shortlisted by Transport for Greater Manchester in a competition to help educate young people about the effects and consequences of bad behaviour on Metrolink.

The shortlisted entries range from dramas showing the impact of peer pressure to hardhitting public service announcements, songs, catchy jingles and more. TfGM worked with digital engagement agency ucreate to invite

schools in areas along the tram network most affected by anti-social behaviour to take part.

With the aid of an online toolkit, 9-12 year olds worked with their teachers to learn more about Metrolink while creating their advert.

TfGM’s Metrolink director, Peter Cushing, said: “Educating people at a young age is the key to prevention and through this competition we’ve reached hundreds of school children. I’m sure every single one of them will think twice about what they’ve learnt next time they catch the tram.”

TfGM is now look at rolling out the competition to schools in other areas across the tram network.

NEWS I Industry IN FACT 90k Wi-Fi users l During the first year of c2c’s Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness franchise, 5,500 passengers have used a c2c Smartcard, more than 19,000 have purchased discounts on advance tickets and over 35,000 cheap tickets have been bought by over 65s. Free station Wi-Fi has been accessed by 90,000 different users.

Public Accounts Committee criticises serious failures in rail investment planning l The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) has raised serious concerns about rail investment in the UK, highlighting severe planning and budgeting failures in Network Rail’s current five-year investment programme.

In particular it points to ‘staggering and unacceptable’ cost increases in the project to electrify the Great Western Main Line from London to Cardiff, which is now expected to cost up to £1.2bn more than the £1.6bn estimated a year ago.

The Committee says there is still ‘far too much uncertainty’ on costs and eventual delivery dates for the electrification of both the TransPennine route and the Midland Main Line – and warns more projects could be delayed in order to balance Network Rail’s budget.

In light of its findings, the Committee calls for a fundamental review of the regulator’s role and effectiveness in planning rail infrastructure.

It also urges the government to publish a revised and re-costed programme of electrification improvements, including the rationale for prioritising different schemes, following a review by Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy.

Meg Hillier MP, chair of the PAC, said: “Network Rail has lost its grip on managing large infrastructure projects. The result is a twofold blow to taxpayers: delays in the

delivery of promised improvements, and a vastly bigger bill for delivering them.

“The government has identified rail infrastructure as a vital part of its economic plans, for example in establishing what it describes as a ‘Northern Powerhouse’. It is alarming that, in planning work intended to support these plans, its judgement should be so flawed.

“Our inquiry has found that the agreed work could never have been delivered within the agreed budget and timeframe. Yet Network Rail, the Department for Transport and the regulator – the Office of Rail and Road – signed up to the plans anyway.

“Passengers and the public are paying a heavy price and we must question whether the ORR is fit for purpose.”

In October 2013 the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the ORR agreed a £38.3bn rail spending programme covering the period from April 2014 to March 2019.

In June 2015 the government, concerned that the programme of work was costing more and taking longer than planned, announced three reviews into Network Rail and rail infrastructure investment.

One of these, led by Sir Peter Hendy, is looking at how the enhancements programme can be put back on a sustainable footing.

UK share in Eurostar goes for £750m l The UK Government’s 40% stake and preference share in Eurostar have been sold for £750m. According to the National Audit Office the sale process was well run, with the sale price almost double the government’s valuation of the asset. However it was significantly below the taxpayers’£3bn investment in the train.

Committee of Public Accounts chair, Meg

Hillier MP, said: “The government’s focus in selling its stake in Eurostar appears to have been on short term cash rather than long term value for taxpayers. Had it kept its share, the government was forecast to pay off over £500m of national debt over the next ten years using dividends from its 40% share in Eurostar, and receive a further £243m in dividends from its preference share.”

£250k raised for Poppy Day l Visitors to Network Rail’s nine managed London stations have donated a tremendous £250,000 for this year’s Poppy Day appeal. Fundraising was supported at King’s Cross by a 5m wide poppy, beneath which choirs and military bands entertained the crowds. Military bands also played at Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo.

13.6bn passengers/year l According to, Light Rail in Figures, light rail transit and tramway systems carry 13.6bn passengers per year worldwide.

The busiest networks are Budapest (396m), Vienna (363m) and Bucharest (322m). There is a total of 15,600km of track globally. Melbourne (245km) and St. Petersburg (240km) are the longest networks.

Metrolink delivers 1.88m to airport l Some 1.88m journeys have been made on Metrolink’s Manchester Airport line in its first year of operation. Opened more than a year ahead of schedule, the £400m 15-stop line, has encouraged footfall in Wythenshawe to increase by between 8-10k people a week attracting new businesses to the area.

£50m rate discounts l According to business rent & rates specialists CVS, businesses that have been disrupted by Crossrail construction have received £50m in business rates discounts, and more can still claim. This relates to discounts of over 20% in many cases, with the average business saving almost £10,000 a year.

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NEWS I Infrastructure The Rugby ROC on the West Coast Mainline

Rugby’s new Rail Operating Centre is officially opened l Network Rail’s new £22m Rail Operating Centre (ROC) at Rugby has been officially opened. Control of the Stafford area has already been migrated to the Rugby ROC. The next section of railway to be moved there will be in the Norton Bridge area, near Stafford, from Easter 2016.

Control for other areas of the railway will be transferred into the building over the coming years when they are resignalled as part of the Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

When fully operational, the Rugby facility will employ up to 400 staff

providing 24 hours a day coverage.

The ROC is one of 12 nationally which will eventually control the entire rail network in Britain and replace more than 800 signal boxes and other operational locations.

All 12 centres will have advanced signalling and technology that will reduce delays, improve performance, increase capacity and provide better information to passengers and help the railway recover more efficiently during periods of disruption.

Poland’s PKP Intercity trains across Poland, Austria and Germany equipped with Wi-Fi l One of the largest on-board connectivity deployments in central and eastern Europe has been completed with the provision of onboard passenger Wi-Fi to Poland’s PKP Intercity trains. The system delivers high-speed wireless broadband connectivity with seamless internet usage for passengers travelling throughout Poland, Austria and Germany.

Designed, developed, and installed during 2014 by Nomad Digital on behalf of T-Mobile, the system was has been deployed on almost 300 carriages.

The final phase of the project, which will provide passengers with access to entertainment services and multi-media content, is currently being completed.

Full use of the Stockley flyover comes another step closer Work continues at night on the Stockley flyover l The final concrete beam supporting the second ramp of the huge Stockley Flyover in west London has been lifted into place, six weeks ahead of schedule.

The first section of the flyover, which is being constructed by Network Rail as part of the Crossrail programme, went into operation at the end of 2014 and is being used by Heathrow Connect services. The second ramp, which is now under construction, will be used

by Heathrow Express trains.

A total of 146 beams have been installed to support the second ramp, each weighing around 40 tonnes. The first beam was lifted in May 2015, and work has been carried out around the operating railway and took place at night in order to avoid disruption to train services.

The new flyover will enable both Crossrail and Heathrow Express services to approach London and join the Great Western Main Line without delaying, or being delayed, by other trains using the route.

Repairs continued through the night as Storm Barney took its toll on the UK’s railways l As storm Barney swept across Britain on 17 November it brought down trees and caused disruption and delays to the railways. Network Rail’s orange army worked throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning to repair damage, and the vast majority of the rail network was up and running again the next day.

Where more significant damage was caused by fallen trees in the following locations, repairs continued into the following day.

Two trees came down overnight at St Albans and Harpenden, damaging overhead lines on two of the four tracks, and disrupting Thameslink and East Midlands Trains services into St Pancras International.

The Cambridge to London Liverpool Street route was disrupted by a tree falling which brought down 70 metres of overhead power lines on both tracks.

In the Wylde Green area of Sutton Coldfield engineers had to wait until the wind speed dropped before it was safe to remove the tree that had fallen across overhead lines and repairs could start.

At Coseley near Wolverhampton both lines were blocked by a fallen tree.

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engineering

No small feat

With the redeveloped Birmingham New Street station now officially open to the public, Stephen Ashton, engineering director for transportation at Atkins, talked to Ben Clark about the complex series of engineering challenges the project presented

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he redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station was never going to be a small undertaking.

In 1968, when the station was reopened to replace the old, war-damaged Victorian station, it was built to accommodate just 60,000 passengers per day. By 2010, the number of people passing through each day had reached 170,000 causing major safety issues. Therefore, in 2000 the decision was made to transform the station and, funded by Birmingham City Council, the DfT, Advantage West Midlands, Centro and Network Rail, the redevelopment began on site in 2009.

Officially reopened in 2015, the new station boasts increased space, far improved access, updated passenger information services and an exterior design that finally does

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Birmingham justice as a transport hub for the UK’s second city. At platform level, ongoing work has predominantly been to open up the space to accommodate larger volumes of people, but it is the concourse where the major transformation has taken place.

The new look Over five times bigger than that of London Euston’s, the concourse is topped with a football pitch sized atrium roof made from innovative ETFE technology, flooding the area with natural light. Access has been improved with 36 new escalators and staircases, 15 new lifts and five new entrances and exits to open the station up to both the north and south of the city. Customer information systems providing audio, visual and touch screen information, as well as new ticket gates have all been introduced throughout the station. On top of this, over 30 new shops have opened up on the concourse, with the city’s flagship John Lewis (JLP) store featuring as a major addition to the station complex. Cladding the complex is a futuristic skin made up of 5550 reflective stainless steel panels.

Commenting on the scale of the project, Stephen Ashton, engineering director for transportation at Atkins, the company tasked with designing the redevelopment, said: “Our team have applied fundamental engineering principles, knowledge and experience to enable the

delivered while the station remained operational, which became particularly difficult with the removal of 10,000 tonnes of concrete from the site.”

One overarching challenge for the design team was the lack of original drawings, and the inaccuracies of those that did exist, particularly with regard to the condition of the building. “We had to make a lot of design assumptions about the existing building from the size of columns to percentage of reinforcement,” Stephen explained. “Estimates assumed that the building was in a relatively good condition. However, in some areas, poor construction work on the 1960s building meant that the concrete contained a lot of voids, various concrete elements had deteriorated and rebar became exposed.

Also, original movement joints for the building were not where the plans said they were.”

With the building not matching the available drawings, Atkins had to manage a process of constant updating throughout the project putting major pressures on time and labour availability.

Continuously developing design

transformation of this extraordinary building – a structure made up of nine interdependent concrete frames over eight levels, the addition of the steel framed JLP building over four levels and 187 M&E systems commissioned.”

Finally managing a total of four major design programmes across the project, Stephen estimated that over 800 design staff have been involved in the project since 2008, with a peak of 180 at any one time. Of course, with such a vast undertaking, the project has been fraught with challenges and unforeseen obstacles, which required the application of world-class innovation and engineering to overcome.

The original design programme for Birmingham New Street was to open up the platform complex, increase passenger capacity with an improved concourse and improve vertical access. However, following a review by the DfT, it was quickly agreed to implement a second programme to enhance the concourse layout further, including renewed entrance and exit layouts, causing a significant redesign to the initial plans. Challenges were further compounded in September 2008, when a new architectural contract for the façade and roof structure was awarded to Foreign Office Architects (FOA), resulting in a third design scheme, which again had a major impact on work already undertaken.

“The FOA design changed the concept in that the original façade and roof design consisted of a glazed frame with its own foundation, but the new structure used stainless steel cladding that hung off the existing building,” Stephen commented. “On top of this, the glass roof had been replaced with ETFE that was to sit on

Managing the unknown “The main challenges encountered were, firstly, accommodating all the changes as the project evolved and integrating them into the design process including the new roof and cladding system,” Stephen explained.

“Then came the integration of the Grand Central (John Lewis) building into the design and aligning this with complex design work already started. Significantly, the design of the refurbishment had to be built based on assumptions, as structural surveys were not available before construction work commenced resulting in changes coming through as the project developed and design work adjusted to accommodate. This all had to be

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engineering

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30 metre long structural steel arched tresses. Combined with the removal of the central part of the existing reinforced concrete frame, this introduced a whole new loading system coming into the building. This meant that we had to change how the building moved, how loads were applied and we therefore needed to analyse the building to ensure that the end product was stable.” To achieve this, the innovative minds of Atkins developed the Global Stability Analysis Model tool (GSAM).

Using this tool, the design team was then able to mimic the impact of local design changes across the whole structure. In co-operation with main contractors Mace, six key construction stages throughout the project required the model to analyse the whole structure in its transitional states and to develop solutions accordingly to ensure stability was not compromised. “For instance, in the case of the new roof, the team sought to ensure that loading was carried vertically through the existing reinforced concrete columns,” Stephen noted. “As a result of all these loading changes we ended up strengthening 52 columns with concrete jackets of 100-200mm thick.”

monitoring system. The jacks are adjusted so that there is controlled deflection of the existing structure and hence no change in loading. The connection between the new steel framed structure and the existing concrete beams needed bearings too, to account for the load induced movements of concrete and steel structures. The design of the bearings and the movement system for the joints was such that the end user would not know these were two different buildings.”

As a result of expertly reflexive design and engineering, Birmingham New Street station has been packed with innovative technology and cutting-edge solutions that reflect its status as central to UK infrastructure. One key achievement is its low environmental impact, which has been achieved through low energy, high efficiency LED lighting, effective water efficiency systems, and responsibly sourced, sustainable materials. The station is also Network Rail’s first ever to incorporate a stand-alone combined heat and power (CHP) plant, with the station’s electricity demands taken from the plant and waste heat being pumped back into the city’s district heating scheme.

Adding a major retail layer

Conclusion

Come 2010 the fourth and final design programme was introduced following an exciting deal to open up JLP’s biggest store outside of London, at 250,000 square feet, alongside the redevelopment of the existing Pallasades shopping centre. With part of this new steel framed building expanding over the existing building’s structure, the new programme had major implications on Atkins’ designs and there were still limits to how much load the existing concrete structure could absorb.

“We could not add stresses into the existing structure by causing any deflection in the concrete beams and columns as the new structure and foundations settle with the load,” Stephen said. “We therefore designed a jacking system that was installed between the new steel columns and existing concrete beams along with a deflection

In its vast redevelopment, the station has also become a truly modern facility suited to the ever-increasing demands of the millions of passengers that pass through every year. Successful completion of the project, with its many changes and pressures, could only have been achieved through successful collaboration between Atkins, Network Rail and the main contractor, Mace.

“With so many challenges cropping up, having a good relationship with these was vital in order to come up with the best solution possible whilst protecting the design,” Stephen reflected. “The station is a prime example of how to successfully deliver engineering excellence in a complex urban environment. The end result is that Birmingham now has a stunning gateway that befits the city and its people.”

ENGINEERING

Clear need for articulation

Above Sir John Armitt, president of the Institution of Civil Engineers

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hroughout my career I’ve been lucky to have worked on some significant and high profile infrastructure projects, not least the delivery of the venues and infrastructure for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Many have involved technical genius and ground breaking engineering firsts.

Inspiring the public The public were awe-inspired at structures like the Velodrome, and many would argue that the Olympics helped to thrust civil engineering into the spotlight. Crossrail has had a similar effect – giant 1,000 tonne machines each 150 metres long carving miles of twin tunnels under our capital. The public and media have been brought along for the journey, we all see the vision coming to life, and it showcases our engineering capability.

Largely however, when it comes to infrastructure development, the public are understandably less concerned with our technical genius, and more concerned with the impact of our work.

I had the pleasure of being involved in what was the Channel Tunnel rail link, now referred to as HS1. This project, with its numerous route options and impact on local communities, was as much about public relations as engineering.

At the time it entailed the largest ever environmental impact assessment. It required engineers to work closely with planners, property consultants, environmental specialists, parliamentary lawyers, heritage bodies and many other professionals.

Yet when the BBC arrived to make a film about the project, there was dismay that very little of their filming focused on the detailed engineering work and technical input.

Benefits over concerns We should not be discouraged by the fact that our work is often measured by its impact _ both during construction and in operation. It’s the long-term benefit we bring that is important.

Public interest in our work is as much driven by fear of disrupted lives as it is by a promise of convenience,

As Sir John Armitt takes up the reins as 151st president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), he argues for greater dialogue with the public during infrastructure construction projects speed or improved quality of life.

This can make for compelling stories in the media. The challenge for us as civil engineers is to address these fears, not dismiss them as interference.

Our ability to articulate our challenges in public, to explain – in plain language – what we are trying to achieve and why, to show empathy, to be prepared to consider alternative solutions and to put ourselves in the public’s shoes is absolutely vital if we are to gain sufficient political and popular support, without which major projects cannot proceed.

Speaking clearly ICE – and each of us as individual engineers – has an important role here. We must all do more to communicate the long-term benefits of investing in our nation’s infrastructure, and we must do it in a way that avoids technical and complicated language that people outside our industry do not understand or associate with.

I come back to my point about the BBC coming to film the Channel Tunnel project. They were less focused on filming the technical engineering because this is less likely to engage the mainstream viewer. The BBC knew the public would be more interested in the people, the personalities, the relationships on site, why we are doing something and the challenge of working together to make it happen – the human angle.

It’s time for us to get more tuned in to how we engage with the public. It’s time for us to shake off our image as the technical calculators and get better at communicating who we are, what we are trying to do and importantly, why we are doing it. I look forward to driving this ethos forward during my term as ICE President.

About Sir John Armitt Sir John Armitt has become the 151st President of ICE, and will serve a year in office from November 2015.

Sir John is currently chairman of the National Express Group and City & Guilds, and deputy chairman of the Berkeley Group. His previous roles include chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, chief executive of Costain and chief executive of Network Rail.

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COMMUNICATIONS

Power to frontline staff The rail sector is often criticised for poor customer communication, particularly during times of service disruption. A range of innovative new technologies introduced this year on London Overground, are keeping frontline staff continuously updated, empowering them to assist and inform the travelling public. David Wornham explains

Below David Wornham is customer service director at LOROL

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ommunication is vital to ensure and enable the smooth, safe and efficient running of any railway operation, and frontline staff undoubtedly play a critical role in disseminating that information.

Keeping those frontline staff up to date, however, can be a significant challenge. At London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL), the issue is being addressed by introducing a range of new technologies that improve the availability, accessibility and accuracy of information for frontline staff and enhance passenger communications.

The smartwatch revolution In September 2015, LOROL became the first UK train operator to introduce interactive smartwatches to frontline Customer Service Ambassadors (CSAs) as part of a comprehensive programme of customer service innovation. With the new technology strapped to the wrist, CSAs now have up-to-date at-a-glance information on live departures and disruptions to services across the entire Transport for London (TfL) network.

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The smartwatch face and app that lies behind it clearly shows CSAs the next departure from their station, highlights delays and gives enables them to access information on the reason behind delays – something that will undoubtedly aid communication with customers during times of disruption and ensure that, even in the most challenging circumstances, frontline teams can maintain customer service standards.

Empowering employees with information Lorolpedia is a new way of sharing information among employees. Launched to employees in October 2015, it is a searchable knowledgebase that holds all the information LOROL staff need to do their jobs. Available as a web and app-based resource, it provides information on everything from customer service and complaints management to fare evasion and ticket office processes.

It is also an evolving communication channel that has already begun to transform the speed and way in which information is shared between Overground employees. Employees can add to the resource, and are encouraged to recommend topics that aren’t yet covered. It has already been a great way of encouraging dialogue about the way we work, and promises to continue making a positive impact on communications and process efficiency.

A faster way to manage passenger information during disruption Building on customer service culture continued with the unveiling of Orinoco in November 2015, and this is already setting new standards in customer communication, especially during times of service disruption.

Orinoco is a new control information system and app for frontline staff that supersedes Tyrell IO for LOROL. Developed in partnership with HaCon, a specialist software developer for the traffic, transport and logistics industries, Orinoco is designed to improve communication during disruption by providing controllers with a system that is intuitive and easy to use, reduces the workload of controllers by automating a great deal of the repetitive tasks required by the existing systems and provides frontline, customer facing employees, with a simple and informative app.

It is important to note that the development of Orinoco is not designed to be a replacement for Tyrell IO at an industry level. LOROL has taken steps to replace the existing industry standard systems with our own innovation as part of a strategy to simplify our current way of working and improve the accuracy and efficiency of service information.

Feedback from our frontline staff indicated that the existing control communications did not provide them with the information required to effectively manage their stations, for example, was a contributing factor that supported LOROL’s decision to identify and develop a new solution.

LOROL can empower control to do what they are there to do: manage incidents rather than focusing on repetitive data entry.

Orinoco is highly customised and has been built around templates, making the system as easy to use as possible.

The use of templates also means that automation can be used to meet the various information needs of different groups and organisations.

Orinoco distribution software is automatic and although the team at Overground control is still required to enter the data, the software assumes the responsibility to send it out to all parties that need to know. Essentially, the system decides what each recipient needs to receive and by only sending the specific information that a recipient needs, the quality of information that is distributed is increased and the mundane task of distribution is eradicated.

Taking a new approach to communication Orinoco represents a fundamental change to the way the UK rail industry communicates. Whilst the journey planning information it holds makes it a valuable railway resource, the incorporation of information on services from control means that it is an intuitive, fast and easy to use system.

Orinoco works by combining the latest open data from Transport for London and National Rail Enquiries, as well as other real-time sources including the live locations of all London Overground trains, and overlays it with disruption information from the LOROL control room to give staff access to the timely and accurate information about all transport modes in London.

Automation is the key to success A key factor that makes Orinoco’s software so very special is evident in the way it creates more efficient ways of working for us as a business: the amount of duplication and effort that is currently required to prepare Tyrell service emails is inefficient and time consuming.

Previously, control was required to send separate messages in plain English in addition to Tyrell IO messages, as well as having to send separate management updates. By finding a new way of working and identifying better ways of sharing an update on, for example, disruption or a broken lift, we can minimise time and duplication, as well as reducing the risk of human error when it comes to data inputting.

The innovation that is Orinoco also means that

Main picture Using the smartwatch to answer enquiries Left The smartwatch

A focus on quality communications So now, not only is the information that we share and receive of a better standard – that’s for everyone, our employees, our customers and our industry partners – but there is now the opportunity for our control team to focus on customer service and quality of information.

For specific passenger groups, such as the 11,000 mobility impaired passengers (MIPs) that travel on the Overground every year, Orinoco will be particularly effective when it comes to our frontline teams accessing information that will support journey advice. The app will hold information on infrastructure issues that will impact on journeys for MIPs and provide quick solutions that enable staff to keep passengers informed and, importantly, moving on their journey.

And for our employees on the frontline, Orinoco means that they have accessible, accurate and reliable information at their fingertips. It is a big step forward and a revolution in customer communication that the team at LOROL is keen to share.

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COMMUNICATIONS

Empathy truly works Jake Mason reveals how empathy with the public, straight talking and colourful positive messages can keep the transport system flowing during infrastructure upgrades

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Jake Mason is CEO of Evolve

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ondon’s transport network is a remarkable feat of engineering, planning, and delivery. It should be a source of pride to Londoners. It is not only that we opened the world’s first underground railway _ between Paddington and Farringdon in 1863 _ it is also that the whole system continues to work, that our vast super-city continues to flow despite a creaking legacy infrastructure and the sheer weight of numbers.

Yet London’s transport network is a source of misery to millions and is continually dogged by controversy.

Black cabs rail at the rise of Uber. No one can decide where to site the new runway. Tube strikes see

Londoners discovering their city on foot, while calls to renationalise the railways grow ever more insistent. Boris bikes cause accidents, pollution causes large-scale early mortality, and garden bridges are allowed to morph into corporate cashcows. All the while the tube network roars on below our feet, last year managing a staggering 1.265 billion journeys.

Proposed solutions to these perennial problems tend to focus on logistics and engineering. The role of visual communications in keeping London moving is often underplayed, but very often people just want to know when, how and what will affect them and how to work around it. Communication is critical.

Thameslink – delivering a tough message Take Thameslink. In 2008 the decision was taken to radically overhaul First Capital Connect routes to help make travelling to and across London a better

experience. Whilst in the long term the programme would improve customer journeys, reconciling that with many years of disruption was a tough message to make positive.

Working with the client, our first step was to research their needs, before strategising. That’s how we devised an approach of empathy mixed with straight talking.

We recognised the need to empathise with commuters’ frustrations at such a major, 12-year programme of upgrades, but also to highlight the positive benefits it would eventually bring. These messages needed to be delivered in a distinctive way to grab the attention of passengers who are already bombarded with messages from all sides.

We looked at a number of expressions including anger and frustration to empathise with the client, and also the punchy straight-talking body copy to inform customers of what was going on. The core thought of straight talking was implemented across all communications, putting the message first and design second. Visually, the striking and bright multi-coloured stripes, combined with an upfront human tone of voice created impact and recognition in cluttered, urban environments.

From campaign launch in September to December 2008 commuter awareness levels of the improvement programme increased from 25 per cent to 85 per cent.

By March 2009 they has reached 98 per cent. Most importantly, customer feedback was positive despite the difficult messages. We delivered an attention-grabbing brand and easy to use messaging strategy which was rolled out across London and beyond.

A more creative, considered approach London’s transport system faces many similar challenges.

From Crossrail to the upgrade of London Bridge station, these are huge projects which are causing significant disruption. Through communication that deploys empathetic but positive messages in a visually striking way it is possible to reduce passenger stress, aid traffic flow, and keep London moving.

Across the whole system there are many little improvements that can be made: for example, visual and audible announcements that in a consistent, fun and friendly way encourage people to be considerate to others, move down carriages and, stand clear of doors, could make the whole system run more effectively.

Our work on Thameslink showed that people adapt rapidly. They do understand the need for upgrades, and are in many cases genuinely proud of the transport network. By looking beyond logistics and engineering, and taking a more creative, considered approach to passenger communications, transport companies could significantly enhance not only their operations but also their reputations. After all, the original tube map was an iconic piece of design that undoubtedly contributed to the success of the network. It is time for today’s transport providers to follow that example.

www.evolveagency.com 15

COMMUNICATIONS

Keeping communications on track Ingo Flomer discusses the challenges of providing connectivity across the rail system, and some of the communications systems innovations that are improving passenger experience and safety

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ny train passenger in the UK will be all too familiar with mobile phone calls dropping out mid-way through journeys. Conversations often require three or four redials before being complete, in stark contrast to the ease of connection available on most European rail routes. Having good mobile connectivity has become the norm, but rail transport is falling behind.

Fortunately, more and more UK rail operators are looking to bring rail communications in transit up to speed.

More than just improving the customer experience, mobile signal is also key to connecting staff in their day-to-day operations and communicating with the emergency services on the rare occasion they are required. Onboard communications systems are limited in their effectiveness at peak hours when staff need to get hold of their colleagues at a moment’s notice _ but are unable to reach them using their phones. Worse still, if the emergency services cannot be contacted or contact each other, train operators will have a huge issue, and a fair share of resentment, on their hands.

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blockers, while the thick tinted glass used in windows reflects the signal away. Further, as trains often move through rural areas with limited coverage to begin with, the chance of picking a signal up becomes even more unlikely. As well as onboard coverage, receiving a good signal at train stations and trackside also presents a problem, particularly in large metropolitan areas when people are concentrated around transport hubs and mobile networks struggle to cope.

For networks with large portions of their routes running underground (as in urban metro systems) or through a series of tunnels, maintaining good cellular coverage from standard base stations is almost impossible. Tunnels and underground networks are a barrier to reliable communications as mobile signal cannot penetrate the terrain and concrete that encase them. As trains pass through tunnels at high speed the handover between coverage cells must be seamless – a task made even more difficult by the lack of available space to install equipment in such environments. In these scenarios passengers may not even be able to send an SMS message as their communications are completely cut off during the time they are underground.

‘Sorry I’m going to have to call you back’

Right approach, wrong solution

Mobile phone signals are difficult to receive in carriages as the materials used in train construction do not easily let signal pass through them. The metallic substances used to coat modern trains act as signal

The range of environments in which coverage is required, and the multiple barriers to guaranteeing it, makes providing a comprehensive solution difficult. Despite this many operators around the world have managed to install resilient and comprehensive networks both under and

above ground.

Many British train operators have turned to Wi-Fi to allow passengers to communicate with the outside world while on board, but this does not provide a comprehensive solution to the problem. In some cases connectivity requires payment (which is often resented by passengers) and in cases where the service is provided free of charge, the network is often congested and loading times slow. While a proportion of smartphone users might use mobile applications such as WhatsApp or Skype to communicate, with Wi-Fi services almost as inefficient as current cellular coverage, these apps are by no means a replacement for traditional voice and messaging functions enjoyed outdoors using the cellular network.

DAS the solution When coverage-enhancing technologies such as distributed antenna systems (DAS) are used on trains, passengers can connect with the outside world via text, voice and mobile data without experiencing signal problems or relying on Wi-Fi. Passengers can make better use of their time both at the station and on board, meaning rail operators will benefit from higher levels of customer satisfaction and remove a genuine barrier for passengers unsure of whether to travel by train. Business travellers will also be able to work effectively while on the train as they speak to colleagues and clients on the move, making the commute part of the working day and driving value for businesses – and hopefully meaning workers

reducing efficiency. While TETRA deployments on underground trains are already a legal requirement, operators must ensure that their systems are as effective and up to date as possible. Indeed, as more and more emergency services look for ways to incorporate 4G into their own communication portfolio, train operators cannot risk falling outside the fold.

Operators unite Rail operators, however, are not the only businesses with a vested interest in providing strong mobile network coverage on board the UK’s trains. It’s also important for mobile operators, who will often be blamed when the signal cuts out on the train, if the network is too busy at the station to achieve optimum service. Mobile operators are naturally keen to reduce subscriber churn by providing the best possible service, and allow increased customer interaction with the network (and therefore increased revenues). This interaction of interests can be seen at work on East Midlands Trains, where Vodafone worked on the Meridian 222 fleet running between Sheffield and London. By installing digital onboard repeaters (D-OBRs) on a fleet of 27 trains, the fleet now supports 2G, 3G and 4G for all passengers on board.

The Lainzer Tunnel is a great example of an underground track requiring complete coverage provision.

The 12km long route under the Alps, constructed in 2012, was built with public safety and mobile networks in mind and offers passengers and first responders complete connectivity through its entirety. Travel authorities in Oslo have also recently installed the first MIMO coverage solution for mobile and public safety on a metro network, working with Telenor to allow 85 million commuters to stay connected on 86km of track running both under and over Norway’s capital city.

In an ever more connected world, railway infrastructure cannot afford to fall behind. Consumers and emergency services alike are demanding robust cellular and public safety networks, and rail operators can respond quickly to improve the perception of travelling by train.

Ingo Flomer is director of product management, Cobham Wireless

Far Left The Stockholm Metro Middle Left The NSB network in Norway Left The Innsbruck Tunnel

can have more time to relax once they arrive home. This was a key reason that the Eurotunnel was retrofitted with a DAS coverage system, making it the route of choice for business travellers moving between the UK and France or Belgium, wanting to communicate while in transit.

Emergency services, and the people they will potentially aid, rely on seamless and ubiquitous communications to keep people safe. If staff or employees cannot contact them as an emergency unfolds much damage could be done. This is compounded once the emergency services arrive by the fact that, at times of emergency, mobile networks become congested as individuals seek to contact loved ones, with a busy network dramatically

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INNOVATION

Please take your seat Drs GERRIT BOEHM, LAURENT HOFFMANN and SVEN SCHMIDT explain how the innovative OpenCapacity is able to predict the real-time availability of seating space on the railways using existing public transport data

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penCapacity, a British startup, based at Geovation Hub in Clerkenwell, London, is the industry’s first and most advanced real-time capacity forecast of available space on public transport. Using existing public transport data sources, such as weight sensors, CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi access and passenger counters, combined with novel sensor innovations and machine learning technology, its modular platform is developed to measure, analyse, predict and communicate occupancy, performance and accessibility on public transport in real-time.

A capacity constrained transit assignment problem Public transport provided at various scales is an essential service, which answers to the mobility demand of large parts of the population. The quality of today’s large multimodal public transport systems directly influences citizens’ quality of life.

In urban and interurban settings, public transport is basically intended to carry large flows of passengers. With increasing travel demand, congestion and overcrowding on transit networks occur frequently during peak hours.

This has a significant impact on regularity and reliability of public transport services, and influences passengers’ travel behaviours.

More precisely, on a transit system with constrained capacity such as buses, trams, subways or trains, service vehicles and passengers interact in a number of ways.

While vehicle traffic determines the in-vehicle travel times and also the time waiting on the platforms, passenger traffic influences the dwell time at stations, platform occupancy and possibly service frequency. Consequently, the interaction between passenger flow and vehicle

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capacity determines the in-vehicle comfort and the residual capacity for access at stations.

Analysing and understanding how congestion in transit networks at one location can cause ripples throughout large-scale transportation networks is thus crucial in identifying traffic bottlenecks for congestion mitigation and improving the travel experience.

Furthermore, analysing and understanding the spatiotemporal coupling between different transportation networks and having accurate and timely passenger and traffic flow information has the potential to help commuters make better travel decisions and operators improve traffic operation efficiency.

Real-time traffic flow analysis and capacity display for public transport Systems for diagnosing road traffic congestion onset and monitoring whether given routes are currently congested have existed for some time. While in the era of Big Data and the Internet of Things, the development of data-driven systems predicting road traffic congestion evolution patterns are being considered strategic countermeasures to locate traffic bottlenecks and adopt proactive measures for congestion mitigation, public transport networks are lacking a real-time display of how congested their systems are.

While solutions that tell passengers which modes of transport to choose and where to change do exist, the critical information that is missing is whether it will actually be possible to get on those trains, trams, subways and buses as directed, or how far along the platform to stand in order to do so.

OpenCapacity is a modular platform, specifically designed to provide solutions to the aforementioned

problems encountered in multimodal public transport networks (Fig.1). The technology developed is a datadriven, real-time, and network-wide analysis, prediction and visualisation system based on available data sources aiming to assist: • travellers on transit networks make informed decisions by displaying real-time occupancy of approaching vehicles and indicating where to stand on platforms • transportation operators in congestion diagnosis, operational strategy as well as risk assessment and fine-tuning of passenger travel behaviour.

OpenCapacity _ collect, analyse, predict, visualise The OpenCapacity modular platform is a system to collect, analyse, predict and visualise the occupancy, accessibility and performance of public transport in real-time.

Additionally, OpenCapacity has developed an innovative way of collecting capacity data using 3D sensor technology to scan the inside of the vehicle in order to create a volumetric map enabling the measurement of the actual available space that is used (volumetric data), compared to other methods that merely count the number of passengers, but do not take into account the volume that is used by the individual passenger, as well as the amount of space used by accessories such as luggage, bicycles or pushchairs.

Displaying the occupancy of an approaching train is however not enough. At large transport hubs, passengers will alight from a busy train, making room for others waiting on the platform. It is therefore essential to analyse the data for patterns and cross-reference it against other data sources like weather and event calendars to model and predict passenger flow. Thus, a particularly pertinent piece of information is the vehicle capacity after alighting, which is the result of the system’s predictive modelling using machine learning technology (Fig.3).

Figure 3: Visualisation of vehicle capacity after alighting Figure 1: The OpenCapacity modular platform

Figure 1: The OpenCapacity modular platform.

Data processing and representations The system measures passenger load, available space for standing and seating as well as patterns for boarding and alighting, by using existing public transport data sources such as weight sensors, CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi access, door sensors and ticketing information.

By cross-referencing these sources the system creates a rich and robust data set, which helps strengthen the overall accuracy of passenger numbers (Fig.2).

Figure 2: Public transport data sources and 3D sensors

Machine learning technology, sequential data and predictive modelling A key challenge in traffic flow and capacity prediction is how much to rely on prediction models that are constructed from historical data in real-time traffic situations, which may differ substantially from that of the historical data and change over time. Additional complexity comes from the fact that historical data, provided in form of time-series data, is high-dimensional with unique properties that make them challenging to analyse and model.

OpenCapacity tackles these challenges by applying

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INNOVATION

machine learning algorithms to learn from available data, detect and unveil a possible hidden structure and patterns associated with their generation mechanism.

The information and features extracted in turn help the analysis and understanding of the nature of the data, hence, building knowledge, which then can be used to make predictions for the future.

Furthermore, besides modelling the underlying structure of data, a significant interest in applying this technology is to develop efficient algorithms for designing the appropriate models and also for analysis and prediction.

The application of such machine learning systems has gained in importance with the upcoming of Big Data and cloud computing in recent years. Analysing data for such applications, where some of the data are contaminated with large noise and, in some cases, may also have missing values, sets high demands on algorithms to be both computationally efficient and time robust in their performance.

To analyse and understand the collected spatiotemporal passenger and traffic data and make traffic flow and capacity predictions, OpenCapacity’s online framework learns from the current traffic situation in real-time and predicts the future traffic and occupancy by matching the current situation to the most effective prediction model trained using historical data, thereby

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Figure 4: Displaying passenger capacity on customer information screen (CIS) self-adapting to the dynamically changing traffic and capacity situations.

Real-time information display The real-time information on available space inside train carriages, buses, and other modes of transport is provided to passengers and operators via customer information screens (CIS) (Fig.4), mobile apps and dashboards.

This will allow passengers to better plan their journeys and travel more comfortably and assist operators optimise their systems in terms of congestion diagnosis, operational strategy assessment and fine-tuning of passenger travel behaviour.

A system for multimodal public transport A proper understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of passenger and traffic flows in public transport networks is crucial when developing appropriate tools for assisting both travellers and transport operators.

While the current focus is on rail transport, OpenCapacity aims to expand the platform to handle multimodal public transport networks and their interactions to provide a more complete picture of passenger and traffic flow.

Legal

Disappearing tax relief

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Rosie Hardy, patent attorney at Withers & Rogers

Railway innovators need to act now to take advantage of tax relief says Rosie Hardy, patent attorney at intellectual property firm Withers & Rogers

he drive for innovation in the rail industry is gathering pace. There are a number of improvements and technical solutions currently being developed by innovators.

Whilst rail experts understand how these ideas can be commercialised to boost profit-margins, most often overlook how they can be used to cut a company’s corporation tax bill through the Patent Box scheme.

To incentivise innovation, the UK Government introduced the Patent Box tax relief scheme to reduce the corporation tax rate from 20 per cent to a nominal 10 per cent taxation rate for profits relating to patented innovations.

Disappearing benefits However, the UK Government has recently announced that the current Patent Box scheme will be closed to new entrants in June 2016 and so rail innovators should act quickly to benefit.

As you might expect, there are certain criteria that businesses must meet to qualify for the tax relief.

However, these requirements are not onerous and companies have the opportunity to cut their corporation tax bills under the scheme.

The Patent Box scheme requires the improvement or solution to be protected by a qualifying patent. An innovation becomes eligible when it is protected by a UK patent or a European patent. Profits generated in the patent pending period can also qualify for the reduced corporation tax rate.

Any qualifying UK company generating a profit from patented innovation can benefit from the Patent Box scheme. As another example, businesses that own or have an exclusive licence to a qualifying patent can

benefit from the scheme, providing it was involved in the development of the innovation or management of the patent rights.

The Patent Box scheme applies to qualifying profits.

For example, the tax relief is generously applicable to any worldwide profits relating to the patented innovation.

These profits may be generated from the sales and royalties of a patented product or patented process. In addition, profits relating to an item that incorporates a patented element can qualify. For instance, the profits resulting from the sale of a railway vehicle with a patented closure mechanism may be subject to the reduced 10 per cent taxation rate, even though the patented closure mechanism is only one of many components in the railway vehicle.

Timescales for acting Unsurprisingly, the generosity of the Patent Box tax relief has been challenged by other EU states. As a result, the UK Government has recently announced that the current scheme will be phased out and will no longer be available to new entrants by June 2016. It will be terminated altogether in June 2021 and a replacement scheme will be introduced. Although little guidance has been provided by the Government as of yet, the replacement scheme is expected to be less generous and restricted to R&D conducted in the UK. Given the benefits, it is obvious that companies should take advantage of the Patent Box scheme before it closes. Prudent companies should act now and seek the advice of a specialist patent attorney and a tax advisor to evaluate which profit-making improvements and solutions should be patented and how best to claim the tax relief.

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INNOVATION

Fulfilling the vision

Just three years after its launch, the Future Railway programme is clearly helping to shape the railway of the future.We take a closer look at some of its achievements, and innovations in the pipeline

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he Rail Technical Strategy was launched in 2012, laying out an ambitious 30 year vision for the rail industry. Over the coming years, a considerable amount of hard work and investment is going to be required if the industry is to bridge the innovation gap and achieve the strategy’s goals of doubling capacity, increasing customer experience and decreasing carbon and costs by 50 per cent.

Innovation is the key. And at heart of the rail sector’s drive for innovation and change is the Future Railway programme, launched in 2012, run by RSSB and calling on investment from across the industry.

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How does this work?

The Future Railway programme works with the industry to identify the challenges which will need to be overcome to deliver the railway of the future. The programme has two key areas of focus. The first is to find innovative solutions to the challenges of enhancing the railway of the future, and secondly the programme works to build innovation capabilities within the rail industry and its supply chain.

Finding solutions to the significant challenges which exist in the industry is the bulk of the Future Railway programme’s work. The programme identifies challenges before inviting suppliers, both new and existing, to find the answers. Using this format, RSSB works with suppliers through the provision of funding and helps to take some of the risk out of developing new technologies and products for the rail market.

Having identified the challenge Future Railway deploys its funding to identify appropriate solutions from the rail supply chain. It does this through a variety of mechanisms which include both challenge-led competitions or the development of specific projects to demonstrate specific ideas or concepts.

Some of the key challenges, which are outlined in the RTS, include; reducing the cost of electrification, increasing capacity, improving customer experience and minimising the cost of rolling stock.

The pilot demonstration was a huge success and has generated significant interest from the train operating community. As part of the project a model has been developed to look at how the IPEMU use can be extended to various routes. Ongoing lifetime battery testing is also taking place to help inform and support potential business cases for the implementation of IPEMU vehicles on the network.

Avoiding bridge demolition Where overhead lines are required a number of other challenges exist. The cost of dealing with bridges during electrification where there is insufficient space to accommodate overhead lines is on average ÂŁ1 million per bridge.

Historically, this solution has required expensive demolition and reconstruction work. The Avoidance of Bridge Reconstruction programme is working to develop alternative cost-effective solutions which will avoid the demolition of the bridge.

Five projects are currently in progress to explore and demonstrate possible solutions. These include; technologies to lift bridges, lower the track, and reduce the clearance between the overhead lines and the structure.

One such project has brought in the expertise of specialised civil engineering technology organisation Freyssinet. They have applied this knowledge to offer a masonry arch bridge ‘jacking’ solution, allowing the bridge gauge to be enhanced without dismantling a bridge.

Main picture The future of rail Inset top and bottom Views of the IPEMU, a joint project with Network Rail and Abellio Greater Anglia

Overhead power line design Problem solving Reducing the cost of electrification of the network is a major challenge facing the rail industry and recently became a focal point for the new government due to delays and increasing costs.

The provision of electric traction across the entirety of the network is a complex and challenging problem. The Future Railway programme has identified a number of opportunities to potentially reduce costs, seek alternative solutions to this challenge and develop a programme of work to address it.

Battery power The Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) or battery powered train, a joint project with Network Rail and Abellio Greater Anglia, demonstrated that battery power could be used to run a passenger train on a full timetable, potentially decreasing the requirement for overhead line equipment. This opens up the opportunity for alternative strategies to be considered for electrification than those which are currently available.

Another significant challenge with electrification is the cost of deployment and ongoing maintenance of the overhead line system. Also, current solutions are not aesthetically pleasing. To address this challenge the Future Railway programme engaged with the design community to seek more aesthetically pleasing structures, whilst also reducing costs through better component design. A number of shortlisted designs were displayed at the National Railway Museum and voted for by members of the public. The chosen, winning designs offer a number of benefits which include; low cost, simple to manufacture, quick to deploy, have high durability and low maintenance, compared to existing designs.

The next stage involves building the three winning designs at full scale for testing and will have particular relevance to routes that pass through areas of natural beauty.

Increasing capacity Tackling the challenge of increasing capacity is an equally large area of focus and looks particularly at equipping the railway for future demands. The volume of passengers has increased on average by 4.7 per cent per year over the last 10 years and will continue to rise. However with

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INNOVATION

to increase the physical capacity of the train through new train designs, taking into account the size restrictions of the UK infrastructure. This is the second project which worked closely with designers from across the UK to develop new ideas for the industry. These include a double decker train concept, a novel seat and flexible interior design which enables accommodation of low volume, high value freight at off peak times whilst maximising passenger capacity at peak time.

Enabling innovation

Above The Tomahawk, an aesthetically pleasing overhead line designed

by COBE

that comes the problems related to overcrowding of the trains running on the busiest routes.

To increase capacity there are a number of potential solutions; reduce the gap between the trains whilst they are moving by reducing the headway or closer running. The Future Traffic Regulation and Optimisation (FuTRO) programme focuses on the next generation of railway traffic management system and is just two streams of work in progress with the Future Railway programme.

The core FuTRO operational philosophy was first published in 2014 and the initial projects include the development of algorithms to control traffic through junctions and across routes, as well as targeted projects in the areas of big data, train location and mapping solutions and driver information systems.

Braking, signalling and train design In order to facilitate concepts such as closer running, enabling technologies also need to be developed. The Predictable and Optimised Braking competition looked to applicants to develop approaches to consistent braking performance independent of track conditions and seven feasibilities studies are now underway.

Alongside this the Future Railway programme is working with Network Rail to develop the Combined Positioning Alternative Signalling System (COMPASS), another competition led activity which aims to develop a system to allow trains to continue to move when the primary signalling system has failed. If the primary signalling system currently fails, trains in the area are forced to stop resulting in delays and cancellations. Feasibility work is currently being undertaken with demonstrators expected to be completed

by January 2018.

An alternative solution to the challenge of capacity is

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The Future Railway programme is also seeking to help organisations within the industry improve their abilities to innovate, particularly within the operator community.

A key barrier to innovation in the railway has been the lack of investment in innovation due to the franchising cycle. This system has led to reluctance of train operating companies to invest in long term innovation as they may not see a return on the investment within the lifecycle of the franchise.

Two approaches to this problem have been undertaken by the Future Railway programme. The first approach has been to directly encourage innovation in the TOC community through competitions which are specifically designed for them.

The Rail Operator Challenge is aimed at enabling the train operating community to engage with the supply chain in order to solve specific rail business operational challenges. Four projects are currently underway for this challenge, these include: reducing vehicle emissions, assessment of wheel damage, the use of robotics for maintenance and a virtual on-board controller for common on-board systems.

The second approach has been to work with the Department for Transport (DfT) to encourage innovation through the franchising process and the subsequent establishment of the Innovation in Franchising programme. As part of this, the Train Operators Challenge launched earlier this year by Transport Minister Claire Perry, aimed to mimic the pilot Innovation in Franchising funding scheme, providing funding to train operating companies who do not yet have access to this scheme to help the development and implementation of an innovation strategy.

Three organisations have been shortlisted to gain access to this funding and further detailed proposals are expected soon. Innovative ideas put forward included real time information on rail carriage occupancy, contactless entry and retrospective billing for ticketing, and a real-time urban route planner app.

Looking forward, a number of challenges exist.

However a lot of hard work has been put in during the past three years, which provides us with a foundation to build upon and drive and encourage innovation across the industry.

www.rssb.co.uk

Hitachi AT300 trains will run primarily from London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance

NEWS I Rolling stock Ireland’s cross border service receives its first refurbished train

Capacity increase on South West Trains reaches important milestones l Two programmes to increase capacity on South West Trains, one of the UK’s busiest networks, have reached important milestones.

As part of a £65m scheme to roll out 108 additional and refurbished carriages across the network, the last of a batch of 24 refurbished Class 456s (48 carriages) has now been delivered to South West Trains for services to Guildford, Woking, Dorking and Hampton Court. Owned by Porterbrook and refurbished by Knorr-Bremse RailServices, they feature wider doors, improved seating, full CCTV and new flooring.

The refurbishment of the remaining Class 458/5 units is expected to be completed in early 2016.

Meanwhile, construction has now begun on a £210m fleet of 30 brand new Siemens Class 707 Desiro City trains, which will go into operation on South West Trains’ London Waterloo to Windsor service. The first of the five-carriage trains is expected to leave the factory at the end of February 2016. Testing will commence in May and it is expected to enter passenger service in June 2017. Delivery of the entire new fleet will be completed by the end of 2017.

£36m investment for ScotRail begins to bear fruit l The first of a fleet of 40 refurbished Class 334s for ScotRail has returned to service on electrified central belt routes after undergoing refurbishment at Polmadie depot in Glasgow.

The entire 334-train fleet will be refurbished by the end of 2017 at a cost of £36.1m. Meanwhile free on-board Wi-Fi, heating and air conditioning will be added during further refurbishments from next summer.

The trains will run between Edinburgh and Balloch, Helensburgh or Milngavie, and on the line linking Dalmuir with Cumbernauld, Lanark and Larkhall.

The trains will be rolled out at a rate of about two a month to ensure that the improvement programme does not impact upon timetabled services.

l The first of Translink NI’s refurbished Enterprise trains has entered into passenger service. Linking Dublin and Belfast through Lisburn, Portadown and Newry, the Enterprise cross-border trains are currently undergoing a £12.2m upgrade which is being carried out in a rolling programme.

Improvements include a significant overhaul of the train’s mechanical systems, new interiors and livery, a new electronic passenger reservation system and passenger information system as well as CCTV. Each seat will be equipped with a power socket and free Wi-Fi. The refurbishment programme has been financed through the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body with support from the Department for Regional Development and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in Ireland. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.

Alstom to provide 8 new Pendolinos for Italy’s luxury high speed operator l NTV, the independent high speed train operator that runs services between Milan and Naples, has signed a contract worth €460m to purchase 8 Pendolino high-speed trains, along with 20 years of maintenance. The new trains will be used to expand the operator’s existing fleet of 25 AGV Italo trains, enabling NTV to increase the number of high speed journeys it operates. The first trains are scheduled to be delivered in 2017.

The 187m long Pendolinos will comprise 7 cars accommodating around 500 passengers, and are capable of reaching a speed of 250 km/h _ 110km/h slower than the existing Italo trains.

Features include an optimised distributed traction system that enhances efficiency and acceleration and regenerates energy while braking, improved crash protection and an aerodynamic front end.

The trains are to be produced at the Savigliano site in Italy. The traction systems will designed and produced at Sesto San Giovanni in Milan, and the signalling systems in Bologna. Maintenance will be carried out at the site in Nola, Naples.

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Images courtesy of ESA-Manuel Pedoussaut

INNOVATION

Looking to the skies Steve Denniss, technical director at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, looks at the latest innovations in satellite technology and how Galileo and integrated sat-navs could change the rail industry Above Galileo antenna at Europe’s Spaceport, September 2015

Above Liftoff of Soyuz ST-B flight VS12 on 11 September 2015 carrying two Galileo satellites

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I

n September, two more Galileo satellites were launched on a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana.

Their successful placement in orbit brings the number in the constellation to 10, a third of the way to a full network of 30.

Galileo is Europe’s global navigation satellite system, designed to complement the American Global Positioning System (GPS). It is set to provide real-time positioning accuracy down to the metre.

Although the European navigation system will not be fully operational until 2020, some smartphones and car navigation devices equipped with compatible chipsets can already receive the signals from the Galileo satellites that are in orbit, at 23,222 km above the Earth.

Now, new technological advances mean Galileo could be the trigger for a step change in train location management that will revolutionise the rail industry, and transform passenger’s journey.

Developing a high level strategy for the rail industry A couple of years ago, I led Project T990 for the Rail Safety and Standard Board. This project set out to develop a high level strategy on train position, and the delivery of a common train location service (TLS), rather than allowing individual solutions to emerge on the rail network.

The TLS would combine location data from any available sources and make it available to any applications needing positional information. It would work independently of locator technology and of the applications making use of location data and therefore embraces new digital technologies, as and when they are developed.

As part of this study, we explored the readiness of the telecommunications industry, and in particular Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS or more commonly: sat-nav), to provide the supporting technology. Despite a favourable response, implementation has been slow, but new technological advances are changing this.

The changing face of technology Sat-nav can pinpoint the geographic location of trains and transmit the information on board, in real-time, without the need to cross-check it with the beacons fixed on the rail line. This has the potential to become a very valuable source of information, which is not yet available with current train tracking systems.

This kind of locator is already being used by train owners and operators. However, it is limited to providing a geographical position which is not necessarily precise enough to give an accurate location on a given track when tracks, or station platforms, are close together (called track/platform precision or ‘discrimination’).

Where track precision is required, current technology depends on there being something (such as a beacon), which adds to the sat-nav’s data. This approach has been adopted by some operators to provide discrimination, but these solutions are generally ad-hoc and switch from one location technology to the other rather than providing a fully integrated solution.

This approach also entails substantial additional infrastructure costs in fitting and maintaining the track beacons, and the on-board technology to read beacons or balises is also expensive.

The real benefits and savings come if sat-nav derived train location data is integrated with infrastructure-derived data in a central database without the need for these additional beacons. This centralised approach would deliver improved and more consistently accurate location readings along the route. Integration of these two types of data will create higher levels of accuracy. This capability is already being used to some extent in Project COMPASS and by projects within the National Customer Information Strategy, but not yet on a fully integrated scale.

Once such a fully integrated system is available, it can be used to transfer the centralised integrated information back to the train, removing the need for beacons thus saving money and increasing benefits.

Extending beyond rail The multi-modal opportunities are also exciting. The train location service could be extended to buses; most modern buses are fitted with a GPS locator, and could be tracked provided that they carry a special identification that would enable the TLS to search for correspondence with a road rather than a railway track. If necessary, interfacing with separate tracking systems should be relatively simple if buses are provided for in the overall scheme of mobile service identification, and that the correspondence of bus stops to train stations is mapped.

The train location service would be capable of tracking the following information for each train: • train service identity • time of last fix • location of train _ geospatial (latitude/longitude) and mapped to track • speed • direction (heading), and • train length.

This information would be tracked in real time and updated whenever new information comes into the system from either the infrastructure or the train. The TLS would need to provide transparent access to information derived from other systems such as Darwin (predicted timings) and operator databases containing train consist, orientation etc. Other supporting information may be needed on door status (open/closed) for instance.

TLS Conceptual Architecture The TLS consists of three major elements: • a multi-train tracking system (TLS Central) which resides in a fixed location • an onboard tracking system (TLS-OB) which is carried by each fully participating train, and • an operational data communications system.

TLS Central carries out the following principal functions: • combines tracking data from the signalling infrastructure with available train location data from TLS-OBs • maintains a ‘last fix’ set of location data available for all trains on the network • monitors and records location data quality • updates each TLS-OB either regularly or when a change has occurred, and • provides applications with access to its records, on a structured and prioritised basis.

TLS-OB carries out the following principal functions: • acquires train location data from the locator on board the train • provides a capability for hybridising this with information from beacons • maps geospatial to railway geographic location • monitors and records location data quality • sends updates to TLS Central either regularly or when a change has occurred • receives enhanced updates on own location from TLS Central • maintains a ‘last fix’ set of location data for the train, and • provides on board applications with access to its data.

The real benefits from this approach can be derived if the whole system is designed to be open and transparent, and app developers are able to provide new functionality which can take advantage of the system as it is rolled out across the network.

The Network Rail-led digital railway programme provides an opportunity to develop the right overarching solution, including a strategic approach to train information management.

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STRATEGY

The fast track to growth Globalisation can present enormous opportunities alongside crushing threats.

Ewald Munz, director of business development EMEA, Cyient, discusses the funnel of globalisation, and how it can be used to boost expansion

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G

iven their constant new developments and cult followings worldwide, you’d be forgiven for thinking that over the last few years, globalisation has become the exclusive domain of web giants like Google or Facebook. But that couldn’t be less true.

Globalisation is an ongoing phenomenon, and contrary to popular belief, it has produced a number of leaders in the last few years, including in rail, while at the same time reducing former industry champions to financial ruin. To study this phenomenon, this article will take a closer look at the rail industry specifically and evaluate the opportunities and threats that globalisation presents to different players in the market.

The effects of globalisation have already been felt by a number of players within the rail industry, but in a variety of ways. Take one well-known German rail components & systems company, for instance, which has been able to multiply its revenues by more than twenty times to several billion euros by riding the crest of the wave of globalisation, and contrast it with a small locomotive OEM with a long and proud history, which is going in the other direction and was forced to announce insolvency last year.

So how did these two companies end up poles apart?

To establish how two similar companies performed so differently, we must look at how their stories developed.

To do this, we must study the model shown below in

to differentiate from the competition.

The indicative company size axis refers to revenue volume. In this model, a small company is defined as a SME with yearly revenues of up to $50 million whereas a large company reports revenues of over $1 billion.

The ‘maybe’ quadrant – why timing is pivotal

Figure 1 which, based on the two variables of ‘indicative company size’ and ‘innovation/differentiation degree’, explains the various positioning models for rail industry players against the background of globalisation.

Figure 1:

The innovation/differentiation degree axis shown in Figure 1 is defined by a company’s ability to consistently produce products and solutions which are both new and market-oriented. Typically, it involves high level of research and development activity, which contributes significantly to overall revenues. In Germany the transportation sector, including automotive, shipbuilding, rail and aerospace, commands the highest innovation rate, with over half (51 per cent) of yearly revenues derived from new products and solutions.

On the other hand, it’s important to consider that this metric does not solely comprise new products and solutions; it also represents the application of new business models or a change in conduction of business

Even in the modern era railways are still nationalised in many countries, with change low on the list of priorities.

In many cases the state ownership model, in which registered suppliers sell their proven products and solutions based on pre-determined frame contracts, precludes a very long-term, conservative attitude towards innovation. These firms see little need to innovate because of the resultant absence of any real competition and consequently, industry analysts are continuing to lament the industry’s slow rate of innovation in comparison to others.

Some companies may thrive in this situation, particularly those active only on the local market, which remain steadfastly in the ‘maybe’ quadrant of Figure 1.

Many would consider this a fairly comfortable position to be in – but the time factor puts paid to that. In the long run such companies can’t counter the winds of liberalisation and are faced with strong competition and low margins, not to mention the need to ensure their own survival. The liberalisation of the UK, Netherlands and Swedish rail markets provides a perfect example of why such a positioning is eminently precarious, and the innate value of competition in ensuring that innovation remains central to overall strategy

Economies of scale: big fish eats small fish For many companies access to large global markets provides the basis for economies of scale, as shown in the top left quadrant of Figure 1. By churning out standard products in large volumes, through their sheer size and global reach they are able to derive a very competitive cost advantage that only large players can provide. This outweighs a low degree of innovation in their products and solutions, positioning such companies as natural opponents of companies in the ‘maybe’ quadrant.

The recently announced acquisition of a French rail player by a US company is a perfect example of a company looking to benefit from economies of scale: the merger will create one of the world’s largest public rail equipment companies, and help the US firm also realise at least €40 million in annual pre-tax synergies and efficiencies created from the complementary positioning.

Figure 1: Key positioning models in the face of globalisation

Why small is beautiful – the niche player This position typically applies to very successful, familyowned companies that have clearly defined goals and objectives. Being highly innovative and customer-oriented,

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STRATEGY

So where should they go next?

If companies are to truly take advantage of the funnel of globalisation, then they should ensure that innovation and differentiation are the two pillars of their business strategies going forward. If companies decline this option and refuse to innovate, then globalisation will take its toll eventually – it’s just a matter of time.

As explained by Figure 2 below, there are a number of clear strategic recommendations that the occupants of each quadrant should consider to ensure that they continue to benefit from globalisation.

Figure 2:

Figure 2: Strategic recommendations on positioning models in the face of globalisation

they intentionally serve only a niche market which requires a high degree of specialisation and as a result many SME success stories and hidden champions can be found in this quadrant.

One example would be a specialist in safety-related products for stationary traffic engineering, especially in railway signalling technology. Their many years of in-depth experience with high safety standards ensure the delivery of high-end, secure systems and services for this market niche.

In general, the dynamic nature of this sector means there is a continuous influx of new innovative players, but even then the young, ambitious and more cosmopolitan challengers soon come to realise the growth limitations of such a niche concept, and set out on a globalisation strategy.

The funnel of globalisation propels the willing The funnel of globalisation provides an opportunity for highly innovative companies to become global players. By demonstrating their willingness to explore new markets, many have been able to convert their competitive advantage into new sales globally, which as we can see in Figure 1 has clearly served as a driver of their success.

It is no secret that besides Europe, Asia is the most important market for rail, where significant growth continues to take place. This is because in the emerging economies of Asia, urbanisation and expansion of infrastructure is able to occur at a much faster rate, and act as a main driver of growth.

The clear focus on the Asian rail high-speed market was one of the key reasons why the aforementioned German rail components and systems company was able to multiply its revenues by more than twenty times to several billion euros.

As such, if companies are to proceed through the funnel of globalisation and become a global player they need a clear understanding of their own business: what is core? What is non-core? What can be outsourced?

How can I remain cost competitive? Where do I need the help of experts to develop to the next level, eg by co-innovation?

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For the ‘maybe’ occupants, progress can only be made by taking the leap into the risky zone in the medium to long-term. The best method of doing so is to innovate and carve out an area of specialisation, which allows them to find a market niche. These niche players are in a far more desirable position, and can become global players by expanding their workforce and inventory.

Companies in the ‘economies of scale’ quadrant are also in a good position to reach this metaphorical top spot. Their strategies should be simple _ to move away from standardisation, and embrace continuous innovation. These companies will then be able to remain ahead of the competition by resisting the urge to standardise and enjoy the economies of scale, instead ensuring that they continuously innovate to remain in a dominant position.

A classic example of a global rail player falling into the trap of economies of scale can be found in a German company once heralded for its groundbreaking products. These rail components and systems used to be lighthouses in their specific rail segment, yet instead of continuous innovation the company has optimised production and introduced a sophisticated controlling system to fine-tune its margins. Plainly, this company is making a living from its glorious past.

The key learning that rail companies should take from here is that however big or small they may be, complacency is not an option. In fact, it is a recipe for disaster. As shown by the successful global players in the market, fortune favours the bold in the long run – even if that means pain in the short term. Companies that take a forward-looking and visionary approach, therefore, will leave those resting on their laurels behind.

Ewald Munz is director of business development EMEA, Cyient

Rail Alliance

Recent new members of the Rail Alliance Tekla UK

Mayflower Engineering Ltd

Parker Hannifin Ltd

Software vendor who develops and supplies 3D structural software directly to the construction industry. The detailed as built 3D models created are used widely in the building information modelling (BIM) process.

Tel: 01138 879 790 Email: sales.uk@tekla.com Web: www.tekla.com/uk

Supplier of a full turn-key engineering capability _ design, project management, specialist fabrication & machining, shop assembly & testing and site installation services.

Tel: 01142 441 353 Email: sales@mayflower-engineering.co.uk Web: www.mayflower-engineering.co.uk

World leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems including pneumatic valves, cylinders (including rodless and electric), air preparation, modular system solutions, fuel and hydraulic filtration, hose and fittings for multiple different applications including brakes, doors, pantograph, HVAC, couplers and toilets.

Tel: 00800 27 27 5374 Web: www.parker.com

Community Transport Association Membership body providing leadership and support to the community transport sector across the UK. Tel: 0345 130 6195 Web: www.ctauk.org

Matchmaker CNC Seller of CNC machine tools and solutions to all industry sectors.

Tel: 01372 844 999 Email: sales@matchmakercnc.co.uk Web: www.matchmakercnc.co.uk

Fishbone Solutions Cross-sector, innovation-led engineering and commercial consultancy serving the transportation sector.

Tel: 01332 258 844 Email: go-fish@fishbonesolutions.co.uk Web: www.fishbonesolutions.co.uk

Advanced Engineering Techniques Ltd Leading subcontract engineering provider supplying product to a host of major sectors including Rail. The company supplies finished and assembled components line-side.

Tel: 01142 475 725 Email: sales@aetuk.com Web: www.aetuk.com

Wabtec Group UK leading railway engineering company undertaking maintenance, overhaul, refurbishment, life extension and repair of railway rolling stock and associated components. Contact details for each division can be found on the group website.

Web: www.wabtecgroup.com

Construction Composites Ltd Expert in composites materials, supporting clients’ design process through consultancy service. The company takes the client’s design through product development in order to manufacture the final composite product.

Additionally it has a team of qualified site installation specialists who may also undertake on-site lamination where necessary.

Tel: 01795 435 535 Email: info@constructioncomposites.com Web: www.constructioncomposites.com

Tidyco Ltd Designs, manufactures and supplies flexible hoses, rigid pipework and associated kits for complete train systems such as: hydrostatic rafts, engine hoses, brake rafts, fuel systems, water filler systems and effluent/vent pipework.

Tel: 01332 851 300 Web: www.tidyco.co.uk

Brown & Holmes (Tamworth) Ltd Designs & manufactures work holding manual handling equipment, automated special purpose machining, precision sub-contract machining. It is a UK agent for Forkardt Chucks, Mytec expanding mandrels, Fresmak vices & Tsudakoma index units. Supplier of gauges & gauging equipment.

Tel: 01827 63 591 Email: info@brownandholmes.co.uk Web: www.brownandholmes.co.uk

IBM American multinational technology and consulting corporation.

Tel: 0870 542 6426 Web: www.ibm.com

Black Diamond Security Ltd Leading M&E and security contractor for some of the largest national rail and construction companies offering a complete package combining design with installation, through to maintenance, periodic inspection and testing.

Tel: 0800 804 8112 Email: info@blackdiamondsecurity.co.uk Web: www.blackdiamondsecurity.co.uk

Special Bolt Coventry Ltd Hot forgers, cold formers, fasteners and small components under 5kgs.

Tel: 02476 367 584 Email: info@specialbolt.com Web: www.specialbolt.com

AJC Trailers Ltd Manufacturer of welfare facilities for the rail and construction industries, trailer and motorised including bespoke.

Tel: 01582 486 663 Email: info@ajc-trailers.co.uk Web: www.easycabin.co.uk

Fibox Ltd

NTAR

Fibox manufactures high quality plastic and aluminium electrical enclosures and accessories including milling, drilling or engraving.

Tel: 01642 604 400 Email: salesuk@fibox.com Web: www.fibox.co.uk

New flagship traction and rolling stock training centre, established to bridge the skills gap in this segment of the rail sector and supported

by BIS, DfT and NSARE. Tel: 01604 594 440 Email: jennifer.walpole@ntar.co.uk Web: www.ntar.co.uk

For further information, please contact: The Rail Alliance Tel: 01789 720 026 Email: info@railalliance.co.uk Web: www.railalliance.co.uk

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Stability is vital Peter Campbell takes a look at the government’s decisions to pause and then recommence electrification and asks: is this an aberration or politicisation of the railways?

B

Below Peter Campbell is senior policy manager at the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)

y now we are all aware of the decision by the government to pause the electrification of the Transpennine Express (TPE) and the Midland Mainline (MML) due to spiralling costs, deadline slippages, and concerns around the availability of resources.

Speaking at the time these projects were first unveiled, then Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: “Investment on this scale, in every region of the country, shows how this coalition government is focused on delivering an affordable, reliable and faster railway network that drives jobs and growth.

“These plans to increase capacity and shorten journey times on intercity, commuter and freight services are, alongside our plans for high speed rail, absolutely key to securing our country’s prosperity in the decades ahead.”

The Northern Powerhouse effect Indeed, this is a serious issue for the government and the Chancellor, George Osborne, who has made the Northern Powerhouse a key economic aim for the new Conservative government. MML and TPE electrification form key planks of this, providing upgraded transport links, improved access to jobs and markets, and

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ultimately setting the Northern region up as a true economic counterweight to London.

All told, this amounted to almost £5 billion of investment, would have created thousands of new jobs, and increased the total amount of electrified rail lines to over 5,000 miles by 2021. Compared to the paltry ten miles of the UK’s rail network the previous Labour administration electrified in thirteen years and the scale of these ambitions becomes clear.

According to the government’s own figures, this rebalancing would ensure benefits of £44 billion in real terms could be realised in the North by 2030, a rise of almost 20 per cent by the end of the next decade.

This was put in serious jeopardy as a result of the government’s pause!

Political pressure More fundamental than this, however, is the possibility that we could be seeing the repoliticisation of infrastructure. Desperate for investment to announce for areas other than London, the government rushed Network Rail into including electrification projects in Control Period 5 (CP5).

This pressure inevitably meant the projects were

suspicious. Denials to the circulating rumours that all was not well were issued right up until the general election.

In light of this, it is very easy to see that in the face of a manifesto commitment, political expediency took the place of openness and honesty.

The need for stability This also deals a blow for the certainty that the industry has spent decades calling for. A stable, well-developed pipeline is crucial to allow engineering firms to plan properly, to allocate manpower and hardware efficiently, and to minimise costs incurred through the start-stop tendencies of old.

Certainty through a stable pipeline also ensures those thinking about a career in engineering can rely on interesting projects, a steady stream of work, and opportunities to upskill. The events around electrification projects are undermining this.

The multi-year, inviolate agreements that make up the Control Period process was meant to ensure the certainty for those engaged in infrastructure delivery. We have since seen this model implemented in other areas where long-term certainty was vital, such as for Highways England and Transport for London.

A spectre from the past?

This inviolate nature has been undermined by the announced pause, the subsequent review into CP5 headed up by new Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, and the recent promise that electrification will be recommenced. It has also raised the prospect of political interference once more, laying infrastructure open to the whims of newly-elected governments.

When this is combined with the fact of the pressure that was brought to bear on Network Rail to include more projects that were less well-developed, a worrying trend could be inferred that the infrastructure sector had thought consigned to the waste bin of political history.

If the government is not careful, all of the good work that it has done over the past five years while in coalition will be seriously undermined. The much-prized certainty will be lost, and the industry will feel unable to invest and develop talent and will incur extra costs through more start-stop routines. included before enough preliminary development work

by Network Rail had been carried out, thus meaning electrifying the MML and TPE was in danger from the start. As an example, 42 per cent of the projects in CP5 were rated as GRIP 0, indicating the scale of the challenge Network Rail had in developing and delivering the whole plan.

In addition, the timing of the announcement, coming in the weeks after a majority safely secured, is somewhat

Conclusion Confidence and stability can best be restored by the government insisting on a quick review under Hendy, a recommitment to the electrification projects on more realistic timelines and budgets, and continued support for the rest of CP5. Industry will then view the events of the past three months as an aberration and that stability is the new norm. Future trust between industry and government is at stake.

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HR

Engaging employees on an expanding network Overnight on 31 May 2015 the London Overground network increased in size by one-third. HR director Carol Poole, talks about the importance of employee engagement in such a massive change process, and how it continues to be a top priority across LOROL

Carol Poole, HR director, LOROL

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O

n 31 May 2015, 300 new colleagues joined London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL) from Abellio Greater Anglia, along with a mixed fleet of 31 trains, 24 managed stations and a depot in Chingford. To achieve this transfer successfully would require forward planning, change within the organisation, and a significant change for the staff joining from West Anglia.

Continual change Change has, however, been part of LOROL’s DNA since the organisation took on the London Overground concession in November 2007. Throughout this time it has successfully tackled a range of projects and challenges that has seen the network grow and transform.

For example, the creation and extension of the East London Line was completed in May 2012, finally achieving an orbital railway for London. Driver only operations were rolled out across all LOROL routes in November 2013, while the ongoing implementation of the London Overground capacity improvement project will see five-car trains introduced on three routes, increasing capacity by 25 per cent.

Employee engagement has been paramount to

us to reassure them of our ambitious plans and the many opportunities that exist for them moving forward.

Communicate to engage Feeling part of a new organisation is more than the physical environment, though. Getting senior managers and directors out and about on the network, being visible and approachable, meeting staff, talking with them and reassuring individuals about the change that was taking

Main picture The friendly face of Willesden Junction Left Wapping station delivering on each of these challenges, and it would be vital for the successful transfer of West Anglia services from Abellio Greater Anglia. Creating trust would be essential: employees joining LOROL needed to quickly feel like part of the team and be reassured that their future roles and working conditions were a priority for the business.

Simple strategies, such as delivering on commitments made to staff and, wherever possible, making quick, high impact changes – for example, ensuring all staff had uniforms from day one, putting in place a 12 month plan of improvements to staff accommodation and facilities and a roll out plan for the deep clean of all stations on the route – were very important.

All West Anglia employees who have transferred over to LOROL are in the process of completing a full induction – the same programme that any new employee on the Overground goes through – covering topics ranging from our vision and values, to how we work, safety and security on the Overground and introducing our KPI regime. This ongoing Welcome to LOROL programme has certainly been instrumental in helping new employees to understand what makes LOROL tick and integrating them into the LOROL team. It’s also a valuable way for

place helped to engage employees, and offer them the opportunity to ask questions and offer their feedback.

LOROL is fortunate to have a variety of communication channels to reach out to staff in all roles and job functions. Whether it’s our e-newsletter, monthly company magazine, question and suggestions schemes, or the MD breakfast sessions where small groups of employees can have an open dialogue with the managing director, there are very many ways for employees to ask questions, discuss issues and for the business to listen to their feedback.

These established channels are complemented by a number of new initiatives, such as the appointment of communications champions across the network.

These champions will support employee engagement efforts, taking an active role in face-to-face, two-way communications with teams and helping to feedback insight and opinion that will help shape the business in the future.

It’s fair to say that we’re actively moving away from a pure top-down approach to communication, encouraging employees to find their voice and share their experiences which we hope, in turn, will enable them to connect more deeply with the business and our vision.

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HR

large piece of railway to a new operator, and it has been important to be able to communicate directly with the employees affected.

During the build up to the transfer, for example, LOROL held a series of Meet LOROL sessions at venues along the West Anglia route. These drop-in events offered incoming staff the chance to meet and chat with members of the team, as well as senior managers, learn more about the company and find out what it’s like to work at LOROL. They offered West Anglia staff who were TUPE transferring to LOROL the chance to ask questions directly, try on uniforms and feel reassured. They were invaluable to the success of the transfer. And should we be faced with a similar challenge again, we would aim to host even more.

Focusing on business as usual

Above Staff at Camden Road

A strong sense of pride in our work Staff across the LOROL network have a strong sense of pride in the service they deliver and are directly affected by performance issues. Whilst there have been some fleet and performance challenges on the West Anglia routes following the transfer of services, solutions are being actively implemented.

Here, it has been important to minimise the impact of these issues on the ongoing engagement work.

Once again communication has been essential to keep employees updated about remedial action being undertaken to reassure them – and in turn passengers – that solutions are in place.

The benefit of hindsight One of the most important lessons emerging from the West Anglia transfer has been that you simply cannot communicate enough, especially during times of uncertainty. Information and facts are critical to a complicated change process, such as transferring a

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Of course, a significant challenge during the transfer of West Anglia services was not to take our eye off business as usual, and ensure that employees across the network remain engaged.

Engagement at LOROL is about providing the conditions in which employees will work more effectively and which contribute directly to their improved commitment and performance, and LOROL has always adopted a simple and effective approach to engaging employees. Since the concession began it has been important to regularly, and consistently ask employees what they think, analyse what they have said, take appropriate action and update employees about what’s been done.

The impact of this approach is clear from the 90 per cent engagement level that LOROL achieved in 2015. Yet to maintain such high levels of engagement – particularly during times of significant change – LOROL understands that it is important to focus on making local changes and smaller tweaks to the way things are done.

In this respect, local managers are already working to assess their individual scores and where there have been changes – both positive and negative – specific plans are under development to address any issues, as well as to ensure that we continue to do what is working so well.

As with engagement across the whole business, face-to-face, two-way communication is important, and sourcing employee feedback in this way is an effective reminder that there is always work to be done.

Today, employee engagement levels on the West Anglia route are probably three or four years behind where they are across the rest of the network. But we’re confident, with the advantage leveraged by LOROL’s established engagement strategy and communication channels, that we can make a positive change here and take steps to enhance employee engagement levels across the entire Overground.

NEWS I Appointments Sir John Armitt takes up the post as president of ICE

l Sir John Armitt has taken up the reins as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and will serve for a year from 4 November.

Formerly chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, and a serving commissioner on the recently established National Infrastructure Commission, he will be at the helm as ICE leads a coalition of business, academic, environment and industry experts to produce a National Needs Assessment which will feed into the Commission and underpin its work. Other members of the coalition include CBI, KPMG, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Pinsent Masons, Graham Dalton, National Grid, London First, Green Alliance, Transport for Greater Manchester and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

The National Needs Assessment will set out the country’s likely infrastructure needs up to 2050, considering factors such as climate change and population growth. It will then define different options for meeting those needs.

New route MD for Network Rail l Rob McIntosh has been appointed Network Rail’s route managing director for the London North Eastern and East Midlands route, which connects London and its northern home counties commuter belt to the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the north east of England.

His role will be to lead the team through a period of change and improvement including the electrification and upgrade the Midland Main Line and TransPennine routes.

Rob, who began his railway career 19 years ago as a graduate overhead line engineer in York, will be returning to York to take up this post in January, having successfully overseen the completion of the new Borders Railway in Scotland as regional director. Prior to that he worked in a number of roles at Network Rail, including programme director on Crossrail and before that as project director for the European Train Control System and Traffic Management.

Dan Barret moves to c2c as engineering director

New business manager for Frazer-Nash

l National Express train operator c2c has appointed Dan Barrett to the position of engineering director.

He will be responsible for the ongoing £12m refurbishment of c2c’s fleet of 74 trains, important new projects like the introduction of onboard Wi-Fi, and the procurement of 17 new trains from 2019.

Dan comes from Hitachi Rail Europe, where he was the deputy head of engineering, and worked on the UK’s fastest trains _ the 140mph Javelin services that run on the high speed link from Kent to London. c2c managing director Julian Drury said: “Dan joins us at an exciting time for c2c. We have already started the refurbishment of our current fleet, and our major upgrade for 2016 will be the introduction of free onboard Wi-Fi. Dan will also be leading our work to purchase 17 new trains for c2c – an increase of over 20% on the current fleet.”

l Matthew Phillips has joined FrazerNash Consultancy from Network Rail as a business manager in the company’s rail business. Matthew will be working on developing both existing and new relationships in the rolling stock and infrastructure side of the rail industry. He joins Tim Myall as part of the team developing the Frazer-Nash rail sector offering.

Matthew has over 13 years’ experience in senior positions in the rail industry. Before joining Frazer-Nash, he worked for Network Rail as a senior account manager, leading and developing relationships with network operations and infrastructure projects. Before that he held senior roles at ESG Rail, DeltaRail Group and Bombardier Transportation.

Commenting on his appointment, Ken Neal, senior business executive said: “Matthew’s significant experience and knowledge of the rail market will prove a great asset to Frazer-Nash and will help drive our growth aspirations in the rail sector forward.”

Patrick Butcher to join Go-Ahead Group

High-speed rail expert joins WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff

l The Go-Ahead Group plc has confirmed the appointment of Patrick Butcher as chief financial officer. He will join the group by May 2016. To ensure an orderly transition, Go-Ahead’s financial controller, Paul Edwards, will become interim group finance director following Keith Down’s departure on 13 November.

Patrick joins the group from Network Rail where he has been group finance director since 2009. He has led capital raising activities in public markets for the organisation prior to its reclassification in 2014 as a public sector company. He brings a wealth of industry experience to the position having held finance director roles at English, Welsh and Scottish Railways (now DB Schenker), Mapeley Limited, London Underground and Kings College Hospital. His early career was spent at Deloitte & Touche as a management consultant and auditor. Until recently, he was also a member of the British Transport Police Authority.

l High-speed rail expert Peter Humphreys has been appointed rail technical director at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff. He joins from Aecom and has 43 years of international experience in the planning, design, construction and implementation of high speed rail, metro and light rail projects in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Australia and the Middle East.

After graduating and starting his career as a tunnelling contractor in South Africa and on the Channel Tunnel, he worked on the Jubilee Line extension for seven years. Then in 1999 he joined the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation where he managed all of the civil works for the US$16bn Taiwan High Speed Railway. This included the delivery of 53km of tunnels and 285km of viaduct on the 345km long route.

Peter has also worked for what was then Parsons Brinckerhoff on London’s East London Line and Manchester Metrolink.

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ASSET MANAGEMENT - case study

Keeping building projects on track Antony Hunt, managing director of Smart-Space, discusses the pros and cons of steel clad structures, and how the technology has been used to construct a locomotive workshop extension for SB Rail in less than four months

S

o, you need to expand your current space _ either by extending your current building or by constructing a new one. The key questions you’re likely to face are what kind of structure do you need and what is the best way of getting it built efficiently and cost-effectively.

Decide what you want from your building at the outset How is the facility to be used, and for how long? What does that mean in terms of space allocation? Heating? Lighting?

Storage? The better your idea of how the space is going to be used, the better your chances of ending up with what you need within the agreed timeframe and budget.

A firm specification will also help you to decide exactly what kind of building you require. Nowadays, the choice isn’t simply between a temporary building and a permanent one _ not when steel-clad temporary structures can last 50 years or more and are significantly cheaper to construct than their permanent brick counterparts.

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Be aware of the pros and the cons of the building options open to you A re-locatable temporary building can be an ideal instant fix, with flexible hire terms, no capital outlay, no ground preparation needed and the speed with which the building can be erected, dismantled or altered.

The downside? They depreciate and deteriorate over time, with a maximum ten-year lifespan. They are not as secure as a steel-roof building; have low fire retardancy values thanks to the PVC and aluminium used in their construction; and can be costly to insure or can even be uninsurable as a result, depending on site specifics. They have minimal insulation values and can be costly to heat.

There’s also the risk of potential water ingress around the perimeter at the base.

Steel-clad temporary structures have a very low cost compared to conventional buildings, can be supplied in a variety of cladding colours and are as secure as any other conventional building. They are 100 per cent watertight, can have clear roof light panels installed to

minimise the lighting requirement and can be specified to meet the latest Part L2 building regulations covering the conservation of fuel and power.

Parts and cladding warranties can be up to 50 years: the buildings are fabricated to the customer’s exact size requirements and comply with all insurance requirements as well as building control regulations. Because the building is not demountable, it can be financed through a mortgage and is regarded as an asset.

Being a more substantial, longer-term construction means that steel-clad temporary structures require more detailed project planning and project management, have to be set on a level concrete or tarmac base and will incur time and cost applying for the necessary planning and building control permissions. Depending on size, they may also be subject to the HSE’s Construction (Design & Management) Regulations.

Once you’ve decided on the role and longevity of your project and have taken all the building type pros and cons into consideration, you’ll be in a position to make the right decision on the way forward.

Decide how you want to proceed It may be that an extension or new-build project provides a welcome distraction from the day-to-day business of railway maintenance and repair. However, it isn’t very often that we come across businesses that want to replace revenue-earning activity with the delays, complications, frustrations and disappointment that can come from any kind of construction.

The latter may involve working with architects whose experience with the practicalities of rail workshops is secondary to their desire to justify their fees with the creation of award-winning and costly designs. It could entail engaging a planning consultant without the expertise in workshop design that could help to speed up the process of obtaining planning permission.

Taking on the tender process and project management can also create significant headaches, measuring up each proposal against the others and working with a range of sub-contractors who are more focused on shifting blame than they are on delivering a quality solution for the customer.

Working with a business that can provide a turnkey solution _ from initial brief to final handover _ removes much of the hassle and enables you to focus on your core business.

Case study: SB Rail locomotive workshop extension, Guide Bridge SB Rail is a leading provider of track construction, maintenance and renewal and operates a number of specialised vehicles for rail, ballast and power infrastructure maintenance. To support its work on the on-going track maintenance and upgrading programme in the North West, the company needed to extend an old service depot at Guide Bridge in Manchester, to enable it to service its on-track plant fleet. Time was of the

essence and, with its original plans taking an age to move from concept to installation, the company appointed Smart-Space to provide a faster solution.

Smart-Space’s own full-time staff carried out a full site investigation to determine the current ground conditions and to establish possible ground contamination issues. The in-house design engineering team designed and certified a concrete foundation to meet building control requirements, then the company designed, supplied and installed a 12.5m x 25m x 6.5m steel clad ‘HYBRID’ building, which was clad in slate blue 40mm composite cladding.

The Smart-Space team also removed the existing frontage and over-clad the existing building so the entire shed looked brand new.

Being based on a light yet strong construction system, less complex foundations were required, allowing site work to proceed rapidly. The new workshop is comparable to a conventional new-build, though construction costs were less than half.

The Smart-Space permanent building uses a lightweight cold-rolled galvanised steel framework in place of hot rolled steel girders and joists. These structures are strong, but much lighter than conventional buildings.

In addition to reduced construction cost, they impose a lower ground loading than standard buildings and so usually require less complex ground works, giving rise to further significant time and cost savings. Fully insulated cladding systems ensure buildings conform fully to Part L of the current Building Regulations.

“From placing the order to the completed structure being handed over for fit-out took less than four months,” says SB Rail plant manager Neil Smith. “From start to finish and from the surveying staff right through to the fitters and commissioning engineers, the contract was carried out in an efficient and professional manner. Having been in the building over a year now, we have no regrets in going for the Smart-Space permanent building.”

Above and left The SB Rail workshop extension at Guide Bridge

www.smart-space.co.uk 39

MAINTENANCE

Predictive maintenancea secret beneath the floor?

Dr Steve Lacey, engineering manager at Schaeffler UK, discusses the maintenance of rail traction motors, and how a new depot-based condition monitoring technique using underfloor wheel lathes has proven effective, costing a fraction of remote condition monitoring to install

T

he operational reliability of railway rolling stock, in particular passenger trains, is key in maximising availability and is highly dependent on the health of the drive system (ie traction motor and gearbox).

Traction motors are used to power the wheelset of electrically operated rail vehicles (EMU – Electrical Multiple Unit). An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of carriages. Drive to the wheel set is normally achieved through a reduction gearbox.

Rolling bearings are a key part of the drive system of rail vehicles. If bearings fail unexpectedly, this can result in serious damage to other components and equipment, as well as loss of operation in-service. During operation, equipment reliability depends heavily on the type of bearing selected as well as on correct installation, operation and maintenance. Due to improvements in manufacturing technology and materials, bearing fatigue life, which is related to sub-surface stresses, is not generally the limiting factor and probably accounts for only a very small percentage of failures.

Reactive versus predictive Equipment degrades with age and usage and the commonly used reactive approach to maintenance by fleet operators involves fixing problems only after they occur. While this may appear to be the simplest and cheapest approach in terms of upfront costs for maintenance, when problems do occur, these can often result in costly secondary damage, along with costly unplanned service outages, recovery costs in the case

40

of serious faults/failures, as well as loss of reputation and asset availability.

In preventive maintenance (PM) strategies, equipment is overhauled on a regular basis regardless of the condition of the parts. This normally involves scheduling of the train in the depot where equipment is inspected, removed and replaced, or overhauled irrespective of whether it is needed. This type of approach may reduce failures before they happen but it also leads to increased maintenance costs as parts are replaced when they don’t necessarily need to be. There is also a risk of ‘infant mortality’ due to human error during the time the train is taken out of service for repair, adjustments or replacing parts.

If key equipment on the train can be monitored in such a way as to obtain advance warning of a problem, significant cost savings can be made by avoiding unnecessary repairs and removing the train from operational service. This type of approach is known as predictive maintenance.

Remote condition monitoring Rail operators are increasingly adopting remote condition monitoring (RCM) to monitor railway assets, including equipment condition onboard the train as it operates in-service, in order to predict which parts are likely to fail and when. In this way, maintenance can be planned and there is an opportunity to change only those parts that are showing signs of deterioration or damage. This means that problems can be detected in advance and maintenance is performed only when needed.

However, while the use of RCM is receiving much

attention, these types of systems are often expensive to install and interpreting the data can be difficult. The interpretation of the data is just as important as collecting data in the first place. A misdiagnosis can lead to the unnecessary removal of rolling stock from in-service operation, poor asset availability, lost revenues, high costs and customer dissatisfaction. A loss of confidence in such systems can be just as bad as not having confidence in the first place and potentially can be more disruptive to in-service operation.

Consequently, Schaeffler UK decided to investigate whether depot-based vibration measurements, using an underfloor wheel lathe to rotate the wheelset, could be used to assess the condition of the traction motor and gearbox.

Routine wheel turning Underfloor wheel lathes are used by fleet operators to maintain the condition of the wheel tread, allowing machining of wheel profiles without the need for these to be removed from the vehicle.

Wheel lathes generally operate in the range 60-100m/min.

This means that for a wheel diameter of 800mm this gives an axle speed of between 24 and 40rpm. For a typical reduction gearbox ratio of 4:1, the traction motor speed would therefore be between 96rpm and 160rpm respectively. The advantage of this type of measurement is that it allows the condition of the drive system to be easily assessed during routine wheel turning. This simplifies the whole process and is more cost effective as large capital investment, installation of equipment and extensive training are no longer necessary.

contacting surfaces of the wheel tread and lathe drive wheel, the wheel turning frequency may have been too long for trending of vibration. It was therefore decided to carry out all measurements with the wheel tread unturned.

Each of the studies successfully identified potential failures of rolling bearings in traction motors early, thus avoiding any catastrophic failures or repairs. Potential failures were identified on ball bearing and cylindrical roller bearing components such as inner and outer ring raceways, cages and rolling elements. These signs of localised damage (and widespread damage in some cases) appeared in many forms including abrasive wear, adhesive wear, spalling, fatigue, corrosion, fretting, cracks, indentations, discolouration, false brinelling and degradation/starvation of grease.

In other cases, electrical erosion, high axial loads and contamination were found to be the primary causes of bearing damage. In addition, it was discovered that some of the traction motors in the studies had been fitted with non-premium bearing brands, which although may have seemed attractive at the time from a purchasing viewpoint, the performance and reliability were seriously compromised and resulted in a shortened service life, premature failure and significantly higher operating costs.

In summary, the studies undertaken provided valuable information to fleet operators (and Schaeffler) about the condition of bearings and other rotating components on traction motors. If left undetected, these worn or damaged components may have resulted in catastrophic failures of traction motors, with possible disruption to operation in service.

For a copy of the report: Predictive Maintenance of Railway Traction Motors Through Depot Based Condition Monitoring Using an Underfloor Wheel Lathe, email: info.uk@schaeffler.com

Unique approach to CM Working closely with a number of different fleet operators, Schaeffler UK adopted this unique approach by using vibration measurements to assess the condition of traction motors without the need to remove equipment from the bogie.

Six separate studies were undertaken on a variety of high-speed passenger trains. The studies involved a wide range of traction motor makes and sizes, from 8MW high speed trains down to light rail-vehicles.

In these studies, all vibration measurements were undertaken with the wheel tread unturned. While turned wheels would result in a substantial reduction of background vibration due to the interaction between the

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MAINTENANCE

A new lease of life

Jon O’Brien, application engineer at Morgan Advanced Materials discusses the evolution of carbon brushes and explains the maintenance techniques that can extend their life span, while improving motor performance and reliability

A

lthough differing in size, shape and technical composition, carbon brushes in DC motors and generators all fulfil the same basic function – to transfer electrical current from a moving device to a stationary point and vice versa, within a circuit. Their main function is to conduct current without interruption, which means the point at which the brush transfers current from its surface to the moving collector is critical.

During operation, a film – or patina – automatically forms on the collector surface. This is critical in conducting current and reducing friction.

Friction between the brush and collector is inevitable and eventually causes wear to the surface of both. As carbon is the softer of the two, it will wear faster, and is therefore designed to be easily replaced. The life of the brush can also be affected by factors including the holder design and alignment, temperature and humidity variations, contamination by debris or lubricants, vibration, or changes in current, speed or pressure.

Effective inspection and maintenance are therefore critical in avoiding both unnecessary downtime and premature replacement.

General maintenance points Routine condition-based maintenance begins with a visual inspection of the brush and associated

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components. Brushes, holders, collectors and connections should all be regularly checked for general condition, cleanliness and dust or grease contamination.

The patina should be closely monitored as this will reduce frictional wear and so improve the life of the brush, as well as minimising collector wear. Brushes fitted to a freshly-turned collector are liable to wear faster than brushes running on an established patina as the patina takes a while to fully form. Brush holder alignment should be measured to ensure there has been no slippage or shifting, while brushes themselves should be thoroughly checked from terminal to contact surface – with particular attention paid to contact faces, where a smooth, wellpolished surface indicates good performance.

Influencing factors Carbon brush damage can occur due to mechanical, electrical or environmental factors.

Mechanical problems include poorly mounted or aligned holders, worn springs, eccentricities in wear patterns on the collector, and incorrect pressure.

Contamination, temperature and humidity are among the environmental factors which may cause premature damage or quicken wear, and the causes of any ambient changes should be identified and rectified to prevent further damage. Poor commutation, leading to sparking,

as well as a lack of a fully formed patina, are electrical factors which can lead to brush and commutator wear.

Vital checks If a brush is found to be wearing prematurely, maintenance engineers should work through a list of vital checks as follows: • Current density • Collector run-out • Surface speed • Collector temperature • Humidity • Brush pressure • Amount of sparking • Duty cycle • Level of vibration during operation • Appearance of the patina/ collector film • Brush set-up in terms of whether it is correctly aligned • Spacing of brush holder • The presence of any contaminants nearby Discovering if any of these factors is beyond acceptable limits, combined with the brush life history taken from maintenance records, should lead engineers to diagnose and rectify problems.

To ensure brushes are fitted correctly, check they are free to move easily in their boxes after bedding in and cleaning. Brushes and holders manufactured to either IEC 136 or DIN 4300 tolerances should always be selected.

Brush holder alignment Carbon brushes are fitted into holders designed to keep them in the correct position and allow them to run on the collector surface to transfer maximum current and so deliver optimum performance. There are two main holder types; one where the brush is rigidly attached to a swivel arm, and the other where the brush is free to slide in a supporting box.

Slide type holders are generally classified according to the angle at which the brush meets the collector as in Figure 2.

Mechanical causes and solutions As previously discussed, mechanical issues can cause problems such as ill-fitting brushes in the holder. Too tight a fit will cause sticking which in turn will lift off the collector, breaking the current path. Too loose a fit allows movement of the brush in the holder which in turn will cause intermittent breaking of the current flow. When fitting new brushes, it is advised to bed the brushes into the shape of the collector as illustrated in Figure 1.

Fig 2 To ensure the brush is at the optimum distance from the collector the holder should be positioned approximately 2.5mm from the collector. If distance falls below 2mm or exceeds 3mm, the window holder should be reset as shown in Figure 3.

Fig 3

Springs and spring pressure

Fig 1

The final area that can cause mechanical and also electrical issues is spring pressure. Spring pressures should be the same across all brushes in the motor or generator. Any inequalities may cause rapid mechanical or electrical wear, or selective action across the whole system.

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MAINTENANCE

Due to the radial travel of the brush through the holder as it wears, it is advantageous to use constant force (CF) springs. Figure 4 shows the force in these springs is constant over a wide range of spring extensions. As the spring travels down the brush holder, the force remains constant until it has reached 0.8 times the diameter of the coil. To optimise performance, a rubber tufnol top with a locating radius should be fitted to allow best possible location of spring with damping to reduce any potential vibration issues.

Fig 4

Common electrical issues and solutions Poor commutation, leading to sparking, as well as a lack of a fully formed patina, are electrical factors which can cause brush and commutator wear. This is frequently evidenced by ghost marked surfaces on the brush (Figure 5), which could indicate issues such as an incorrect neutral point or interpole problems. The neutral point should be checked with a neutral meter before any further issues are investigated.

Overload, low load or varying load can also cause damage. Overload current will be shown by burnt flexes or a pitted brush surface (Figure 6). If the brush is overloaded, it is advisable to check the brush material and ensure use of a brush with the optimum current density for the application.

Low load – often evidenced on variable load motors seen in steel mills by streaking on the commutator – can potentially be overcome by selecting a brush grade suitable for a broad spectrum of loads including light load running.

Environmental issues and proposed solutions Interruption to patina formation can be caused not only by mechanical and electrical issues but environmental issues such as ambient temperature, humidity, contamination, vibration and maintenance standards. For the film or patina to form correctly, optimum conditions are required.

Moisture is essential, with humidity levels of less than 4.6 mg/L (1.5 grains/ft3) potentially disrupting this process.

Cooling air is often supplied from outside and is generally forced directly onto the collector, but problems can arise if the air is too hot or too cold. Furthermore, at low load, the collector may never achieve normal operating temperature – which will also impact on film formation and ultimately on brush performance.

Fig 5

Fig 7

Fig 6

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www.morganadvancedmaterials.com/ products/carbon-brushes

NEWS I Conferences & Exhibitions Forthcoming Conferences and Exhibitions This listing represents a selection of the events about which we have been notified. It is strongly recommended that direct contact should be made with the individual organiser responsible for each event before booking places or making travel and accommodation reservations. Cancellations and other last-minute alterations are liable to occur. The editor and publishers of RAILWAY STRATEGIES are not responsible for any loss or inconvenience suffered by readers in connection with this guide to events.

9 March 2016 Transport-Led Development in the North of England Where: DLA Piper, Manchester Organiser: Waterfront Tel: 02070 671 597 Email: simoneturner@thewaterfront.co.uk Web: www.waterfrontconferencecompany.com/ conferences/planning/events/transport-leddevelopment-north-england 1-3 March 2016 IT-TRANS: IT Solutions for Public Transport Where: Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre, Germany Organiser: UITP and KMK Email: jochen.georg@messe-karlsruhe.de Web: www.it-trans.org/ 8-9 March 2016 Middle East Rail Where: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: +971 4440 2501 Email: jamie.hosie@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/merail 22-23 March 2016 Asia Pacific Rail Where: Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: +65 6322 2702 Email: kym.chua@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/asia-pacific-rail

22-23 March 2016 ERTMS and ETCS: The Future of Railway Signalling in the UK Implementing the digital railway and the transition to ETCS Where: Stephenson Harwood, London Organiser: Waterfront Tel: 0207 067 1597 Email: conference@thewaterfront.co.uk Web: www.waterfrontconferencecompany.com/ conferences/rail/events/ertms-etcs-future-railwaysignalling-uk Date: 5-7 April Expo Ferroviaria Italy’s showcase for railway technology, products and systems Where: Lingotto Fiere, Turin, Italy Organiser: Mack Brooks Exhibitions Tel: 01727 814 400 Email: expoferroviaria@mackbrooks.com Web: www.expoferroviaria.com/eng 12-14 April 2016 Infrarail 2016 Where: ExCeL, London Organiser: Mack Brooks Exhibitions Tel: 01727 814 400 Email: kirsten.whitehouse@mackbrooks.co.uk Web: www.infrarail.com

Date: 12-13 May 2016 IET International Railway Engineering Conference Where: Brussels, Belgium Organiser: The Institution of Engineering and Technology Tel: 01438 767 687 Email: dmckenzie@theiet.org Web: www.theiet.org/events/2016/225180.cfm Date: 18 May 2016 Scottish Transport Applications and Research (STAR) Conference Where: University Of Strathclyde, Glasgow Organiser: Transport Scotland & partners Email: enquiries@starconference.org.uk Web: www.starconference.org.uk 26-27 May 2016 World Metrorail Congress, Light Rail, Rail Tel and Rail Power Where: Business Design Centre, London Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: 02070 921 125 Email: philip.kwok@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/conference/metrorail 28-29 June 2016 AfricaRail 2016 Where: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: +2711 516 4044 Email: tarryn.theunissen@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/africa-rail

Institute of Mechanical Engineers Training Courses Technical training for the railway industry A listing of courses currently available from the IMechE (Unless stated otherwise, all courses are in London) 15 March 2016 Introduction to rolling stock Provides a basic understanding of the role of traction and rolling stock within the context of railway systems as a whole.

16 March 2016 Traction and braking Principles of traction and braking for railway engineers 17 March 2016 Fleet Maintenance - introduction Improve your processes and fleet maintenance processes 22 March 2016 Vehicle dynamics and vehicle track interaction Understand the dynamics of railway vehicles to improve safety, comfort and asset life 23March 2016 Vehicle acceptance and approvals Introduction to acceptance procedures which apply across the rail network

5 April 2016 Fleet maintenance - advanced Understand the issues affecting rail vehicle performance and cost of maintenance

5 July 2016 Introduction to rolling stock Provides a basic understanding of the role of traction and rolling stock within the context of railway systems as a whole.

6 April 2016 Train communication and auxiliary systems New and existing systems in use on today’s rolling stock flee

6 July 2016 Traction and braking Principles of traction and braking for railway engineers

12 April 2016 Structural integrity Structural integrity, fire and crashworthiness systems found on today’s rail fleets 13 April 2016 Train control and safety systems Learn of the systems used on UK fleets that provide safety and train operational control 23-27 May 2016 Introduction to railway signalling technologies An overview of railway control systems, subsystems and technologies used on UK main line and metro railways

12 July 2016 Vehicle dynamics and vehicle track interaction Understand the dynamics of railway vehicles to improve safety, comfort and asset life 13 July 2016 Vehicle acceptance and approvals Introduction to acceptance procedures which apply across the rail network For more information, please contact the Learning and Development team: Tel: 02037 331 214 Email: training@imeche.org Web: www.imeche.org/learning-and-development/ courses/railway 45

Qatar Rail

I undertaking

A vast

Qatar Rail is making significant progress into developing the country’s rail network that will be critical to Qatar’s future vision of economic growth Above right Al Waab underground station of the Gold Line

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n 2008, under the light of continuous and rapid economic and social development in Qatar, the country’s Emir launched the Qatar National Vision 2030, a scheme to manage and implement this development in the most productive way possible. One significant part of this development framework is the Qatar Rail Development Programme (QRDP), a vast project managed by the newly formed Qatar Rail to deliver a complete rail network to support the growing population and economic activity in and around the country’s capital, Doha.

“Our vision is to create the favourite mode of transport for everybody and to provide an integrated railway together with a public network of bus systems,” begins Senior Programme Director at Qatar Rail, Dr-Ing Markus Demmler. “We want to make it attractive and sustainable, both in terms of economic and ecological impacts, and to make sure it is of the highest quality whilst remaining economically viable. Ultimately, it will run parallel to

achieving Qatar’s overall vision to reduce emissions, as most of the country is run on cars at present, to ease congestion and improve travel times both into and within the city.�

An overview of the planned network for the development project serves to display the sheer scale of Qatar Rail’s undertaking. The programme is split into three separate projects, the Doha Metro, a Long Distance network and a light rail network in the up-and-coming city of Lusail. The long distance network is designed for both high-tech passenger and freight services across five lines and 486 kilometres of railway connecting population centres with major industrial hubs and forming critical connections with neighbouring countries. The lines include: a mixed passenger and freight line from Doha to Saudi Arabia; a high-speed passenger line from Doha to Bahrain, capable of speeds up to 270km/h for high speed passenger trains; a freight line from Mesaieed Port to Ras Laffan; and two mixed lines from Doha to Dukhan,

and Doha to Al Shamal. By 2021, 8000 passengers are expected to travel on the network every day, with this rising to 24,000 by 2031.

To facilitate the developing city of Lusail, a light rail, tram-based network is being developed across four lines and 37 stations, two of which will link to the Doha Metro network. In a city that is predicted to house up to 450,000 residents in the near future, the Lusail network has been designed to have a capacity of 50,000 passenger trips per day by 2021 and 120,000 a decade later. With an average speed of 29km/h, the lines will take an average of one to two minutes between adjacent stations.

The Doha Metro project, a strategically planned underground network to serve the expanding city of Doha, is undeniably the most complex of the three.

As part of phase one, planned to be completed and operational towards the end of 2019, 37 stations will connect 85 kilometres of construction length spread across three separate lines. The Red Line, which will also

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Qatar Rail

AREP Since its creation in 1997, AREP has been designing and building for the contemporary city, the nerve centre of mobility. AREP brings together 700 people and some 30 nationalities, involved in more than 800 projects both in France and abroad.

Its teams combine various, complementary disciplines in a spirit of innovation and attention to human needs: architects, city planners, designers, engineers, economists, architectural programming consultants and construction operations managers.

Having developed a creative approach of public space, which takes into consideration the needs of city dwellers, AREP is a laboratory for ongoing research on the fast-changing urban environment at every scale, from entire metropolitan areas to individual buildings.

Above right Al Joaan underground station of the Gold Line

be known as the Coast Line, is planned to run for a total alignment length of 42kms from Al Wakra in the south to Lusail in the north and will stop at 18 stations along its progress. In particular, the Red Line will connect Hamad

International Airport to the city centre, it is estimated that a trip from the airport to Lusail will be 36 minutes compared to current peak times of an hour and half.

Other notable stops will include West Bay, Katara and Qatar University. At its deepest, the Red Line’s tunnels will be as far as 46 metres beneath Doha’s surface.

Connecting Al Riffa in the East to Al Mansoura in the West and passing through the Education City, the Green Line will stop at 11 stations along its alignment length of 22 kilometres. Significant stops for the Green Line, or the Education Line as it is also known, will be the Hamad Hospital, Al Shaqab and the currently in development, Qatar National Library. Extending 15km from Ras Bu Aboud in the west and Al Aziziya in the west will be the Gold Line, or Historic Line. Stopping at 11 separate locations, the Gold Line will be a crucial link for Qatar National Museum, Souq Waqif, Al Waab and Sports City, which will be a key hub for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Due to be expanding with additional line extensions and a brand new line in phase two, according to the city’s growth, the total number of stations will be increased by over 70 across more than 200 kilometres of track. Upon completion by 2021, the entire metro system aims to take 17,000 cars off the road and have a significant impact on the city’s carbon footprint.

Upon completion, all lines will intersect at the central Msheireb station, the largest in the city, which will also serve as an iconic landmark in Doha. Station design is a key factor for the entire Doha network and an architectural branding has been established to ensure

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Qatar Rail

continuity of local favours and personality throughout the metro system. All stations will adhere to a contemporary ‘vaulted space’ concept, reflecting the heritage of the region’s traditional Bedouin tents. Functionality has also been designed into the aesthetic value of ornamental panels, which will form the backbone of a dynamic lighting and ventilation system. Through the use of traditional elements of Islamic and local art, each station will be a unique tribute to Qatari heritage with dhowinspired exteriors and ‘pearl-effect’ interiors.

“In terms of timescales, we released the first civil design and build contracts for the Metro scheme in 2013,” explains Markus. “Work, including MEP and architectural fit out, will be completed by 2018. The railway systems

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Bottom left An aerial view of the construction progress at an elevated station of the Green Line contract, which is separate, is due to finish in 2019 with the aim to be fully operational by 2020, if not the end of 2019. So far, we are 28 per cent towards overall completion and have already achieved 55 per cent of the tunnelling work, for which we have employed a recordbreaking 21 simultaneously operating TBMs. Significantly, we have only dropped behind schedule by 2.3 per cent.”

As a young and burgeoning company taking on a project of such scale, Qatar Rail has faced a number of challenges, particularly in the development of the Doha Metro network, but has been able to overcome many through significant strategic decisions and management processes. “When it came to our contractor strategy we decided it would be more beneficial to allocate many of

the risks to contractors because they have the knowledge and experience,” highlights Markus. “This is what we have done through the awarding of design and build contracts, eight of which are civil with one overarching systems contract.” However, here arises the challenge of successfully managing a number of contracts in parallel to each other. As such, Qatar Rail has set up both a delivery division, to oversee the project management of all contracts with support from consultants, and a technical division, which ensured that significant design decisions regarding certain aspects that needed to be implemented across all lines, were made in harmony with one another.

Due to time pressures put upon the scheme the QRDP and Qatar Rail have achieved a number of unique

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louis berger-egis

Redefining Doha’s As the pace of global urbanization continues unabated, the greatest challenge facing policymakers, planners and communities will be how best to leverage its benefits. Meeting this challenge requires forward-thinking development that reconciles today’s mobility needs with how and where people will live, work and move within and between urban landscapes in the future.

F

aced with one of the world’s highest urbanization rates, Qatar offers one example of rail’s role in meeting the urbanization challenge. Doha, its capital city and economic hub, is poised to become a smart transit city, validating the country’s recent investments in rail infrastructure.

Despite Doha’s robust road network, no rail infrastructure currently exists. In response, the government proposed a major rail-based mobility and transportation program. The Qatar Integrated Railway Program (QIRP) encompasses four metro lines, light rail and long distance freight and passenger services. A key part of the QIRP is the Doha metro program, a proposed network of metro corridors consisting of four lines (Red, Green, Gold and Blue) and multi-modal station structures.

The first phase of the program, which is expected to open by the fourth quarter of 2019, encompasses construction of three of the four metro lines (86 kilometers in total length) and 37 stations in the capital city.

A Louis Berger-Egis joint venture, in association with the Qatar Program Management Company, is providing project management, construction management, design and commercial management consultancy services for the program’s at-grade, above-grade and underground metro corridors and multi-modal station. The joint venture was selected in August 2012 as project management consultants for the Gold Line and the principle interchange station. In 2013, Egis and Louis Berger also were commissioned to provide independent certification engineering services, covering early enabling works and utility diversions. More recently, the joint venture was engaged to provide project management consultancy services for all Elevated and At-Grade (EAG) sections of the metro.

Msheireb Station, located in the center of downtown Doha, is the network’s hub and acts as the major interchange station for three of the four lines — the Red, Green and Gold lines. In addition to having to excavate up to 42 meters below ground level, the most challenging component of this station’s construction is the logistics

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of plant and material delivery and storage in an extremely congested city center site.

The Gold Line, also referred to as the Historic Line, extends from the Ras Bu Abboud station (formerly named Airport City North) in the east to Al Azizia station in the west, linked to Aspire Zone and Villagio mall. This line serves Qatar national museum, Souk Waqif and Al Waab Street corridor, and also passes through Msheireb station. The Gold Line consists of ten stations, with an underground length of 15 kilometers. The tunneling works will be performed with six tunnel boring machines, for a 22-kilometer global length of tubes at an approximate depth of 31 meters.

EAG sections include the Red Line North, Red Line South and Green Line – a combined length of approximately 16 kilometers. These critical sections will provide a passageway to the FIFA compliant stadiums currently under development in anticipation of the upcoming World Cup in 2022.

Upon completion in 2026, the QIRP network will include 242 kilometers of rail lines and 107 stations.

Future plans include connecting the system to the 32kilometer Lusail Light Rail currently under construction.

Additional connections to other major Qatari cities and neighboring countries will be explored using electrified mixed-traffic lines and a causeway.

Transportation system development in and around Doha is essential to providing a sustainable urban expansion plan that benefits the public. The city hopes to leverage the success of the 2019 World Championships in Athletics and 2022 FIFA World Cup in its bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2024 or 2028. The joint venture is supporting the development of a world class, safe and reliable rail network for Qatar, and are also helping advance the country’s vision for achieving the highest economic, social and environmental development standards through a sustainable urban development plan.

www.louisberger.com www.egis-group.com

Qatar Rail

Right Aerial view of the Msheireb underground station Below Al Bidda underground station of the Red Line

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milestones in the way it operates in Qatar. First of all is its contract strategy, as Markus explains: “The usual way in the Middle East is to take a design-bid-build approach.

However, because of the time constraints a design and build contract was decided upon to be more viable.

Because of its irregularity in the region there was a certain amount of concern about this approach initially, but it has saved us a lot of time and because of its proven success in the QRDP other authorities are taking this approach as well now.”

Another significant aspect of the programme, which highlights both the scale and success of Qatar Rail’s management, is its health and safety record. Markus points out that the project has a target of a 0.1 per cent AFR (accident frequency rate), but is currently operating at 0.06 per cent. “Overall, we have over 91.9 million manhours worked on the project so far, so this is outstanding,” he says. “To achieve this we are constantly running extensive training centres with our contracting partners, so that every person who comes through a contractor is fully trained in line with our zero harm policy before going onto site. This focus on wellbeing is continued in the general facilities, such as accommodation, as a lot of the labour is coming from abroad.”

Successful progress defines the Qatar Rail project so far in terms of operation, management and safety, and this is set to continue through its course. “We have two major milestones to achieve next year,” explains Markus. “One is the overall tunnel completion and the other is to finalise the procurement process for MEP and architectural works to conclude all the contracts and therefore have everything awarded that is currently under development. Looking further ahead we are already

preparing for phase two of the Metro project. Although this hasn’t been confirmed as yet, we think it would be wise to continue directly on from phase one as we have all the machinery, equipment and labour on site.”

FOCUS ON: Red Line South – Elevated and at Grade project Due to be completed by 2020, ahead of the 22nd FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Doha Metro Phase One network is being achieved through eight separate projects. Three of these projects relate to 17km of elevated and at grade (EAG) routes, plus six stations, all of which will be above ground and highly visible. These are the Red Line North (RLN) – 6kms and 2 stations, to be completed by December 2018; Red Line South (RLS) – six kilometres and three stations, to be completed by autumn 2016; and Green Line (GRN) – another six kilometres and just one station to be completed by December 2018.

RLS EAG will include approximately six kilometres of viaducts and extend from Al Wakra, 15km south of Doha, to the Old Airport, where it will meet with the RLS Underground project. Three elevated stations at the Economic Zone, Ras Bu Fontas and Al Wakra will be vital elements to this section of the network. This will be the first project to be finished. This will allow the track and three stations to be used as a test section up to a year in advance of other Metro lines being ready to open to the public. Consequently, it is further advanced.

Being a highly visible part of the metro network, the EAG structures have been designed in accordance with the Qatar Rail Architectural Branding concept whilst also taking the surrounding environment into account.

Hoare Lea Hoare lea is a highly successful, international firm of mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) consulting engineers. Its clientfocused and design-led service is underpinned by its commitment to excellence and its passion for innovative sustainable design. The company focuses on providing you with a comprehensive MEP service including a range of related specialisms, allowing it to respond to every aspect of your building design brief.

Most of the viaduct spans are simply supported bridges.

The viaduct substructure requires construction of in-situ foundations, sometimes on piles, supporting slender tapered box section piers, topped off with precast pier caps. The superstructure then consists of slender precast segmental post-tensioned concrete troughs with a U-section. The stations have been designed over three levels in order to cater for the needs of all travelling public and railway operations. The civils work for these is relatively simple with excavations, walls and columns, whereas the interior fit out and finish is more challenging.

State-of-the-art construction methods for segmented pre-casting, span-by-span construction, and full-span precast installation have all been employed in order to complete the huge amount of work involved in the RLS EAG project in just 31 months, alongside the busy Al Wakra to Doha highway.

As of September 2015, 19 months in and a year to go before completion, the RLS EAG was working at full capacity to achieve such a vast undertaking and is exemplary of the mass engineering that is going into the Qatar Rail Integrated project as a whole. The enabling batching plant and precast yard are currently fully operational with the precast yard turning out eight pier caps, 26 viaduct deck segments, and one singletrack beam every week. All foundation, pier and precast mock-ups, in order to prove the materials, methods and workmanship have been completed.

In terms of construction, more than 75 per cent of all foundations, 50 per cent of all in-situ piers and 35 per cent of all 206 pier caps have been installed in preparation for the actual viaduct installation. So far, three launching gantries have been manufactured, shipped to Doha and erected, and two of these have begun the installation of viaduct spans. Three viaduct spans had been completed by September.

As for the stations, mock ups for finishes and fittings are seeing good progress and construction of the three

are in various stages. The Economic Zone and Ras Bu Fontas have progressed to concourse level.

www.qr.co.qa

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Kier

Strength amidst

Despite pressures in the UK’s current rail industry, Kier’s leading position in the market makes it well placed to take advantage of a number of major projects that loom on the horizon

S

itting amongst the elite of the UK construction industry, Kier’s success is well known. With a reputation for delivering high profile projects across a broad range of markets and applications, the company prides itself on its approach to delivering a high level of service, with safety and innovation driving its success forward. Last speaking with Railway Strategies back in December 2014, Kier’s Business Development Director for Rail, Richard Turner, returns to discuss the company’s recent successes as well as the potential challenges that face the industry at present.

“For 2015, in terms of big-ticket jobs, Balcombe upgrade programme has been a very successful signalling job for us, Chelsea Bridge works are coming to completion now, and at Port Talbot we have just been putting some of the ground structures in, which is going well,” outlines Richard. “The acquisition of Mouchel has also been significant in strengthening our offering to the rail industry.” Over these recent deliveries Kier has successfully demonstrated its long-standing reputation for innovation, most notably with the implementation of BIM (Building Information Modelling) in the £17 million Chelsea Bridge refurbishment programme. The software allowed the project team to track materials and defects to save both time and money in refurbishing the iconic London structure. “This was very important to us understanding the job and what we’re going to deliver before we got

there,” adds Richard. “This project is an excellent case study in terms of how BIM can deliver a job for you.”

However, despite these successes, Richard explains that there is an impression of uncertainty in the market following Network Rail’s deferral of CP5 projects earlier in 2015. Whilst not directly involved in delivering electrification works, Kier does provide a lot of associate civil work to the programmes and so, despite some insulation, Richard reports a slight slump in the order books. “I am confident that work will pick up and these opportunities will present themselves again,” he expresses. “I think there is still a lot of work to be done moving forward in terms of strategy on how CP6 will be delivered though and I think this will have to involve the TOCs more. This could present further challenges as we adapt to a changing market.”

Whilst these delays are only considered as just that – delays – Richard forecasts more challenges that may arise when the large, high profile projects, for which Kier is renowned, re-enter the market. “With this uncertainty there are problems with ensuring you have the right resources available,” he says. “Training and preparation get paused and it’s not always the easiest to switch back on again.

Moreover, we have HS2 looming in the near future and there is a danger that we have a feast-and-famine scenario where delayed projects start to collide with this.”

Despite this air of uncertainty hanging over the industry

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Kier

Kier is in a positive position from which to take advantage of the array of potential opportunities within the market, not least those presented by HS2. Earlier in 2015, Kier announced its equal joint venture with Carillion and Eiffage to tender for major contracts within the programme. “This is starting to gain traction now with the tendering process under way for some of the larger areas of work,” explains Richard. “Eiffage bring all their expertise in delivering high-speed rail projects in France and Carillion bring their leading expertise as well. We will be looking to deliver more on the civil and construction side and HS2 gives us this possibility as well as the opportunity to gain more expertise from our partnerships to be a one-stop-shop for the rail delivery. It is a fantastic opportunity and we are really excited by it.

“There has been some talk about bringing Chinese companies into the market to fill skill shortages in the delivery of HS2. However I don’t necessarily see the necessity in giving work away when we have the skills and labour available in this country. Certainly, we already have enough people ready to deploy, so this is another question mark hanging over the industry’s future.”

In addition to HS2, Richard points out a number of high profile projects Kier is keen to tender for. “In terms of bidding, we’re looking at the Barking Riverside extension, which is coming to market and is right up our street,” he says. “There are a number of major stations in London to be developed that are on our radar and we’re also looking at the Bristol Temple Meads station. Whilst, again, there is some uncertainty about when they will come to market we are confident they will, so it’s just about preparing ourselves now to bid for them.”

Kier’s recent successes have been focused mainly over the Wales and Western regions where, Richard highlights, Network Rail have been particularly co-operative and supportive. However, the company is keen to expand its customer base across the rest of the country, particularly with London Underground, London Rail and the increasing light trail trend. This will be a key focal point as the company moves forward.

“This year hasn’t seen the levels of performance we would have hoped for due to consolidation within the industry and the resulting uncertainty and delays,” Richard

concludes. “However, I think we will see a ramping up of works as we go into 2016 and 2017. Outside of HS2 opportunities, which dwarf conventional rail projects, we aim to double the rail business in the long term. By expanding our customer base and our service portfolio, for instance in signalling where are seeing some recent success, we hope to achieve this.”

www.kier.co.uk

Arcadis Arcadis is the leading global design & consultancy firm for natural and built assets. It combines strategic advice with multidisciplinary technical knowledge to help clients and partners plan, design and build sustainable Infrastructure solutions. It has been at the forefront of this expertise for over a century, ensuring the reliability and safety of rail networks worldwide. As a lead designer it has been working with Kier’s JV with Carillion and Eiffage on HS2 opportunities, through its focus on collaboration, combined with High Speed Rail expertise drawn from SEA Tours to Bordeaux and Perpignan-Figueras and its work on major stations including London Bridge, Manchester Victoria and Amsterdam Central.

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Thales UK

Essential to growth and the capacity challenge With Britain’s rail infrastructure facing a period of unprecedented growth demand, Thales has the ability to deliver the much-needed capacity increases on both main line and urban rail networks

“

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W

e are a transportation company, not just a signalling company,” begins Alistair McPhee, Vice-President for Transportation Systems at Thales UK. “We are an organisation focused on delivering capacity and performance improvements to our customers and in turn, to their customers.” In the UK rail industry, Thales has forged deep relationships with both urban and mainline network operators, with clients including London Underground and Network Rail. With demands on these networks set to rise exponentially over the coming years, the global organisation looks to take a leading position in optimising the capacity of existing networks and equipping new infrastructures to meet the capacity demand.

“We only really have to look at the rate of growth to understand the capacity issues the network is going to face,” explains Alistair. “It is estimated that there will be ten million people in London by 2030. Mike Brown, Transport Commissioner at TfL, highlights this as nine new residents per hour, equating to two busloads a day, or two tube trains a week. In addition, Network Rail report that over the next 30 years, passenger demand will more than double and freight is expected to increase by over 140 per cent over the same period. There is clearly a very strong need to improve capacity and there are only so many new lines that we can build, so we need new systems to fully exploit the capacity that is there and will be required.”

With a global, world-class pedigree in delivering transportation systems to infrastructure networks, Thales is well suited to be able to deliver the systems to facilitate this growth and examples on the UK network are already clear to see. In the urban environment, where Thales UK has its greatest market share - the London Underground in particular - the company has been instrumental in delivering extra capacity on existing lines. “We have already upgraded the Jubilee and Northern lines on the underground to achieve a 20 per cent and 18 per cent increase in capacity respectively, with our CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) system,” Alistair highlights. “On the Jubilee line this translates into 30 trains per hour, and we are already working with London Underground to look at further upgrades to these lines”.

“In July 2015 we were also awarded the Four Lines Modernisation contract (4LM, formerly SSR), to improve the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines with a 65 per cent uplift in capacity, the District line by 24 per cent and Metropolitan by 27 per cent. This will have a dramatic effect on London as a city, and we know this because we have implemented our CBTC system on over 60 metro lines across 30 global cities.

“Clearly, technology alone doesn’t deliver the capacity – it is simply the enabler”, Alistair continues. “The truly collaborative partnership we have with London Underground is how we have achieved the delivery of additional capacity on the network to date. We have shared goals, plans, challenges and successes, and we have taken forward the lessons learned from the Jubilee Line to the Northern, and now on to 4LM. This is one of the benefits of the continued investment in the network, alongside that of being able to retain key resources, knowledge, specialist skills, and invest in new ones – additional apprentices for example, and continued development of graduates.”

On the main line network, similar solutions have started to be rolled out. Thales is working closely with Network Rail to introduce its ARAMIS Traffic Management System (TMS) to their regional operating centres at Cardiff and Romford. “This provides the controllers with the tools to plan ahead and manage perturbations on the line with greater efficiency,” outlines Alistair. “It enables them to plan how to handle them as they occur and ultimately, how to maximise the capacity on the railway as a result.” Winning the contract was a key milestone in the company’s move to form a more strategic partnership with Network Rail, rather than simply acting

as a technology supplier – Thales was the company responsible for delivering the fundamental Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS), which is fitted to 98 per cent of the country’s trains, and had a significant safety impact on the risk of signals passed at danger (SPADs) on the national network. Thales also hopes to be heavily involved with introducing on-board units for the ETCS (European Train Control System) programme when it is rolled out.

Other work of more recent focus with Network Rail has been a ‘predict and prevent’ intelligent infrastructure system, which has so far been installed into almost 40,000 assets across Network Rail infrastructure. “The point of this is to reduce operational expenditure and maintenance costs by allowing Network Rail to predict when a failure is going to happen and take the necessary course of action in a proactive manner before passengers and/or freight is delayed,” adds Alistair. “Clearly, if it’s not reliable then capacity is lost.”

With demand on the infrastructure undoubtedly expected to rise over the coming years, Thales is committed to playing a leading role in ensuring the necessary investments are channelled into improving its capacity and reliability performance. “We have been very supportive of our customers in terms of their efforts to ensure that transportation gets a fair crack of the whip in terms of funding,” notes Alistair. “We chair a number of thought leadership events where it is clear that we need people in the industry to argue the case for projects such as Crossrail 2 and HS2. It’s a very competitive environment for infrastructure spend and it is really important that people step up and champion long-term spending. Long-term investment is vital because it is not just about bringing in these large projects, but also making sure we have the capabilities and resources to implement them and have some form of continuity.” The need for skills investment is a widely known industry issue and Thales has invested in a rail academy at Prospects College of Advanced Technology (PROCAT), to offer an engaging and operational training environment to its annual intake of apprentices, supporting their classroombased learning. “The academy has a full-size platform with track, ballast, customer information system and trackside equipment – it gives apprentices the opportunity to work on real systems in a safe environment before they get anywhere near a live railway”.

Keen to emphasise the fundamental importance of long-term infrastructure spend, Alistair points out its close relationship to economic growth. “The best example that Thales has contributed is the Docklands Light Railway network and how this has extended the whole of the East of London and encouraged additional housing and investment,” he describes. Similarly, the Manchester Metrolink tram network, the biggest UK transport investment programme outside of London, which Thales has been involved in since the beginning, demonstrates

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Thales UK

the importance of improved infrastructure capacity to facilitate economic growth. Alistair goes on: “This is actually allowing various communities within Manchester to be cohesive and is driving economic growth. At the end of last year we completed a new airport line a year ahead of schedule and are already looking at the potential for a new Trafford line.

“This level of investment is also key to the development of a “Northern Powerhouse”, for which the government has clearly expressed its interest. We can see some strong arguments for establishing good links between the Northern cities for them to become stronger contributors in terms of economic growth, and investment into infrastructure is vital to this.”

Thales’s commitment to the developing infrastructure within the UK extends far beyond its obvious offering as a signalling systems provider, and its focus at present is to bring as much of its global capability as possible to help support its customers. As a wider group, the international company has divisions in the defence, aerospace, space and security industries, both in the UK and around the world, and Alistair is keen to express his interest in expanding the transportation offering to incorporate some of these competencies. “With our traffic management and intelligent infrastructure management systems going into place on the main line network, Thales is already contributing to Network Rail’s Digital Railway vision,” he comments. “This extends to the work we have been doing with several train operating companies (TOCs), providing revenue management systems to maximise capacity and manage demand, and in addition, supplying passenger information systems right across the network with consistent and reliable data from our Darwin system - a “single source of truth” for passengers and operators alike. However, as a result, we are seeing more and more interest in our cyber security capabilities, already well-established in the security sector, to ensure digital systems on the transport network are protected against malicious attack and manipulation – a clear risk in today’s environment. So, leveraging our group capability in this

way, we feel we can continue to bring some real value to the digital rail development.

“In addition, leveraging our high speed pedigree, particularly in Spain where we have been involved in delivering the signalling and control systems for Europe’s largest high speed network, allows us to bring knowledge, experience and a wealth of expertise to the development of high speed networks in Britain – a key area of new investment to meet future capacity demand here”.

Delivering this far reaching service and continuing to play this crucial role in the UK infrastructure will be central to Thales’s focus for the foreseeable future. With continued investments into its 1000 plus team of people, which includes 60 new graduates and apprentices a year, a full end-to-end services capability and wider research capabilities driving innovations to its customer base and beyond, the company has a sure footing as it sets out to grow as a key strategic partner in improving capacity and performance across the UK transportation network.

“Moving forward, we will be focusing on delivering our contracts as efficiently and innovatively as possible,” concludes Alistair. “Whilst maintaining our presence in both the urban and mainline sectors we will also be looking ahead at what else we can bring to the market as an additional major resignalling supplier with a different approach - true collaboration. In doing so, we would also answer the call “to strengthen the signalling supply chain”, a need recently identified by Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin.

“We just have to ensure that our sector continues to secure the investment it needs, enabling both current and future networks to deliver the capacity requirement generated by the growth in demand,” concludes Alistair.

With its proven global pedigree, and strengthening foothold in the UK, Thales is best placed to support the development of such performance and with a dedicated strategy in place to do so, the future for both Thales and Britain’s transport networks on the whole, looks to be fruitful.

www.thalesgroup.com 63

Govia Thameslink Railway

Transforming for the

better

As its footprint grows to an unprecedented size, Govia Thameslink Railway proves that being big does not mean it is not local in delivering a programme of transformation across the network

T Charles Horton, GTR’s CEO

he enormity of Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) task over the coming years is not overstated.

In fact, as the biggest rail franchise, in terms of passenger services and numbers, in the UK, largeness is in abundance at the company. The headline figures are 273 million passenger journeys generating £1.3 billion in passenger revenue each year delivered by 6500 employees. Alongside this are the figures promised for the franchise period: a £50 million station investment package, 1400 new carriages, 10,000 extra seats for peak travel into London and 20,000 hours of customer service training. However, despite the vast scale of GTR’s franchise as it sets about transforming all aspects of the network for the better, the Govia name is unfamiliar to many of its passengers. This is because the company has a clear vision to deliver a locally focused service.

“For us, being big does not mean that we lose sight of our local people, and that we’re not approachable,” explains GTR’s CEO, Charles Horton. “We’re looking to be part of the communities, and this really informs the way we do business.” As such the company continues to operate under the longstanding names of its regional

networks: Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern, after the merger that took effect in July 2015. Charles continues: “From our point of view, we have brought the brands under our wing and they are the way in which the customers will recognise us. These four brands are then managed by five locally accountable Passenger Service Directors, who have a very important role planning and delivering services on a daily basis, with a responsibility to work with local stakeholders and the communities that we serve. This is to make sure that what we deliver is what they want. Essentially, they make sure we keep our feet on the ground locally.”

This local focus is complemented by a strong engagement with the surrounding communities and stakeholders. “Underneath our Passenger Service Directors we have some Local Development Managers, who work closely with our communities,” points out Charles. “We also have passenger panels – an onlinebased portal with several thousand members, which we use to test ideas and seek opinions from passengers. We are also in the process of setting up customer cabinets, one for the north and one for the south, which will be used for passengers to put ideas forward about improving

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Govia Thameslink Railway

Cabfind.com Transport-on-demand firm, Cabfind.com, is a crucial logistical partner to Govia Thameslink, servicing over 32,000 taxi journeys annually.

Cabfind.com provides a passenger road-transport solution for customers and train-crew between railway stations and depots throughout the UK. Cabfind.com offers a responsive managed service covering planned and very short term movements during rail disruption. Its goal is safe, secure and informed travel for all passengers 24/7 365 days a year.

Cabfind.com has at its disposal a virtual fleet of over 140,000 vehicles.

Cabfind.com’s stateof-the-art technology provides unrivalled coverage and service control across the UK and offers one single point of contact, centralised billing, and proactive monitoring and reporting of service quality and expenditure.

Whether its passengers are your employees or your customers Cabfind. com, as a trusted UK Rail partner, is committed to the continuous improvement of the journey experience, the delivery of your environmental objectives, and the best value solution.

services and stations.”

Having brought the Southern and Gatwick Express networks on board in July, GTR is now responsible for the biggest rail franchise in the UK. Yet despite this, Charles is openly positive about the advantages provided by the size. “Bringing these businesses together and managing them as one unified company creates a great source of strength in being able to co-ordinate services across the network,” he says. “There are far more advantages than there are challenges in managing at this scale for us.

Firstly, it enables us to open up new journey opportunities that haven’t existed before. For example, from 2018 it will be possible to journey from Cambridge to Gatwick Airport, and it also gives us the capacity to introduce a new timetable on the Brighton Mainline from December 2015. This allows us to speed up off-peak journeys from the coast, which has been a long-term stakeholder ambition. We have also been able to bring in expertise from the previous franchisees so we now have a really great team. By blending these wide sources of expertise we have created a team that is very strong in its capacity to deliver such a significant change programme.”

Central to GTR’s investment programme in transforming the passenger experience is an extensive update to train and station environments. “The vision is that as a passenger travelling on our network, you will

get much better information on the journey that you are making both before and during arrival at the station.

On the train you will be on a new or refurbished train, with the best information available,” says Charles. The cornerstone of the Government-sponsored Thameslink Programme is the introduction by GTR of new Siemens Class 700 trains. In total, over the course of the franchise period, 115 of the Class 700 trains will be delivered on both the Thameslink and Great Northern lines, the first of which has been delivered to Three Bridges depot in

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Govia Thameslink Railway Econocom Econocom is Europe’s largest independent provider of technology finance. In 2014, it posted consolidated revenue of €2.09 billion. With over 8000 employees in 19 countries, it has the expertise to design bespoke finance solutions to help train operating companies acquire the latest technology and remain competitive.

Econocom has over 40 years of experience in the railway sector.

Econocom has over 20,000 clients across Europe and manages 6.4 million digital assets.

West Sussex and is being tested.

“These new trains provide the boosting capacity and an improved passenger environment that allows the £6.5 million Thameslink Programme investment to be unlocked and to deliver its benefit to customers,” says Charles. “They are the heart and centre of our business at the moment and they are very innovative trains.

Through the core of London they will be operating in an automatic mode that will allows us to run 24 trains an hour. Of course, it is very exciting for us that this line will be intersecting with the Crossrail route at Farringdon and opening up fantastic journey opportunities onto other networks right across the UK.” In addition to this, the company will also be introducing 27 new Bombardier Class 387/2 trains, with a total of 108 new carriages, to the Gatwick Express line and 25 fixedformation six-carriage, metro style trains to replace the current ageing Moorgate fleet. An interim fleet of 29 new Class 387/1 trains is already operating on the Bedford to Brighton line to bridge the gap between the departure of some of the old fleet of Thameslink Class 319s and the arrival of the new Class 700s.

Accompanying the update to rolling stock, GTR is also investing heavily in its station facilities. This will include free Wi-fi at 87 further stations (making 104 in total), staffing from first to last service at 100 as well as general improvements across the busiest stations. “Right across the network we’re improving cycle and waiting facilities, and have plans to make major improvement to some of our stations like Luton and St Albans,” adds Charles.

Improving customer service through 20,000 hours of training is the other key focus for the investment programme. “Customer service is absolutely critical to us, as we are a service business and depend on our people

ARW CONTRACTS We enjoy a close working relationship with Govia Thameslink Railway, having undertaken various construction and fit-out projects, as well as having been involved in both planned and reactive maintenance works on their routes for a number years. The range of maintenance services we provide currently covers platform waiting shelters, vegetation clearance and landscaping, graffiti removal and building fabric repairs.

Our experience with Govia Thameslink Railway has allowed us to develop a deep understanding of the particular needs and priorities of working on live rail stations, as well as develop our supply chain to enable us to quickly fulfil the many varied requests from their facilities teams.

With the introduction of the QuEST audit scheme, we have been privileged to be given the opportunity to assist their facilities teams with the maintenance of a significant number of stations, and we look forward to continuing to grow our relationship in the coming years. to give the best service possible,” explains Charles. “The programme is called One Step Ahead and focuses on passengers by combining classroom, e-learning and on-the-job coaching so that people can help others understand what ‘good’ looks like. Every single one of our 3500 customer facing staff and their managers will receive the training starting from early 2016 and this leads to a BTEC in Customer Service.”

The overall vision for GTR over the years to 2021 is focused heavily on this transformation programme. “This is centred on every aspect of customer service, from speed and reliability of services, the environment of trains and services, to the quality of information and the way our staff interact with customers,” concludes Charles.

“Ultimately, we are here to transform, for the better, the customer experience right across the network.”

www.gtrailway.com 69

Uretek UK

A stable

solution

With a long and successful history for its geopolymer systems across the world, Uretek is looking to inject some innovation into the UK rail industry

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ounded back in the early eighties, Finnish company Uretek has grown steadily in delivering an innovative geopolymer injection system to a range of applications and industries across the world. Specialising in foundation stabilisation and ground engineering, the company has grown through global licensing programmes and acquisitions. Today Uretek’s proprietary technology is represented in over 50 countries and has been successfully deployed in over 100,000 projects around the world. “In 2012, Uretek UK became a wholly owned subsidiary of the company after over 25 years delivering the solution under a licensing agreement,” explains Roland Caldbeck, MD for the UK company.

“Historically, the focus for the business here has been on the residential market working primarily through the insurance sector and loss adjusters to stabilise houses as an alternative to underpinning. However, there has

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never been a lot done to penetrate the commercial and infrastructure sectors in the UK and experience from other Uretek partners around the world shows that there is a lot of opportunity here. Therefore, this has been a major part of the UK’s strategic development and rail is a key part of this.”

Roland describes the company’s technique as innovative but deceptively simple, involving drilled holes of 12-14mm, which are then injected with highly expansive geopolymers. “There are two main applications for this,” continues Roland. “One is for lifting structures with the expansive pressure that is generated and the other is to consolidate weak ground, making soil better able to carry a load and therefore overcome subsidence.”

Decades of solely dedicated experience and unrivalled knowledge of its own geopolymer solutions makes Uretek the leading provider of this system to the global market.

advantage Uretek can offer is the lack of disruption created by its solutions, which doesn’t require any excavation and is therefore safer and quicker. However, despite these advantages and a developing portfolio of infrastructure projects the company is still relatively unknown within the sector. “The biggest challenge is that the rail industry is a heavily regulated and very conservative market, so it is very difficult to push innovation and gain acceptance here, particularly in the heavy rail sector,” explains Roland. “There is also a misperception that we only offer a temporary fix and whilst our system can be used this way it is just as applicable as a long term solution. We’ve done some work in rail where we were brought in on an emergency basis to stabilise a track in order to keep it open. They were looking for a short-term fix, but quickly realised that we could have provided a long-term application.”

In its endeavour to enter the rail industry further, Uretek has been focusing significantly on establishing relationships and gaining experience in the market, and sees facilitating education on both sides as critical to moving forward. “We’ve done a couple of interesting programmes within the rail industry to date,” outlines Roland. “We worked on the Ilford Rail depot where they had an issue in needing to stabilise the depot for ongoing development work. The problem they had was a strict time frame with a lot of other development work that needed carrying out. They opted for us because we were able to save them substantial time and other works were able to take place concurrently. So whilst we were carrying out the stabilisation another team were able to work on the roofing, which they wouldn’t have been able to do with other techniques. We also worked at the Farnham rail depot to stabilise the slab mounted tracks, which were experiencing settlement issues. Within a five-week period, 6000 square metres of slabs were stabilised and lifted to tolerances of plus or minus ten millimetres over ten square metres, with no disruption to “We are using our own technology,” notes Roland.

“We invented, developed and specialised the range of geopolymers in our service offering and have worldleading expertise in its application.” One critical advantage of the technology is its controllability compared to other, traditional methods. Because the expansive pressure is generated by chemical reactions in the materials, as opposed to hydraulic pressures used in grouting, Uretek’s operators are able to work within extreme tolerances.

“Over 25 years we have perfected the combination of raw materials and processes to be able to consistently deliver accuracies unavailable to other methods,” says Roland. “For instance, we have recently been employed within the aerospace and automotive sectors to achieve tolerances as low as a quarter of a millimetre, using our techniques.”

When it comes to the rail industry the principle

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Uretek UK

the shed’s operations.”

As Uretek makes inroads into the rail industry it is keen to develop relationships with engineers and decision makers, and understand further the engineering requirements and demands on the rail. “The industry, quite rightly, is very engineering dominated and we don’t have enough knowledge of the market in general at the moment, so we are looking to address and develop this by working closely with the engineers,” says Roland. “The key issue is gaining the acceptance from high levels of management because by working with the engineers, they come to understand and appreciate what we can do, but if the project has already been signed off at a higher level then it can be a source of frustration.

Therefore, we need to help educate that industry as well as learning ourselves, and show people what we can do.”

However, Roland is positive in that, despite these challenges, overarching market conditions at present are working in Uretek’s favour. “The lack of construction and the process’ speed is a key advantage, which translates into massive cost savings in the rail market with less possession times and thus, less disruption. Historically, cost consideration hasn’t always been highest on the industry’s priority list, however, now that we’re in a period of austerity there is a greater need to look for cost savings and this is where the opportunities for innovation lay. As people are tightening their budgets they are having to look beyond their traditional reliance and I think they will be amazed at what they find.” Roland also spots a similar opportunity in the trend towards

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becoming more environmentally compliant as Uretek’s method has a much smaller carbon footprint than more traditional alternatives.

“Whilst these megatrends are big positives for us we still need to focus heavily on gaining the validation and acceptance within the market and we will be working closely with engineers to increase the understanding within the industry as we move forward,” Roland continues. “As a company we are increasingly decentralising in order to be closer to our customer base in order to achieve these relationships and therefore develop our own understanding of the customers’ needs and requirements. In this way we can continue offering the tailored solutions, backed up by our extensive knowledge and experience that we have gained from other markets.

“We are not looking to turn our back on the residential market where we have already established a strong reputation, but at the same time I see the infrastructure and, in particular, the rail industries as the major growth areas as we look ahead. Most of the work we have been doing in the rail sector has been emergency, last minute work where other methods haven’t worked because of access or time constraints. However, we want to be the first choice rather than the last resort, so whilst we look to double the size of the business over the coming years we will also be trying to make this strategic transition towards becoming the preferred partner.”

www.uretek.co.uk

Semmco

On top With the UK rail industry experiencing heavy investment across the network, Semmco’s unique solutions are well placed to maintain the company’s reputation as a market leader with quality bespoke products

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ounded in 1993 as a design, engineer and manufacturing company specialising in access solutions, Semmco has built itself a reputation in the rail, aviation, industrial and military industries upon solid innovation and quality bespoke solutions.

Widely regarded as a UK leader, Semmco works closely with customers to develop the best and most robust systems for a wide range of access solutions. Within the rail industry, the company currently offers a complete range of bespoke systems from pit boards to roof access, and is looking at expanding its offer with a range of multiuse products.

Railway Strategies last featured Semmco in December 2014, and nine months later Sales Manager, Andrew Walling, is keen to express the company’s progress throughout 2015. “We have increased our profile within the railway market quite significantly over the last year,”

he says. “This has been accompanied by an increase in our reputation within the industry and we have become known as a leading brand for access equipment.

This boost in awareness has also enabled us to start introducing a lot more design features, which we have brought over from the aviation market.”

Part of establishing this reputation has been to convey to the market the particular strengths of Semmco and its products over competitors’ offerings, and these present themselves in two strands. “Firstly, our products are unique in the market as aluminium structures that use bolted and plated joints as opposed to welds,” explains

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Andrew. “This creates extremely strong mechanical bonds, and eliminates the risk of cracking in aluminium welds, which exists in our competitors’ products.

Our joint gives much longer life and less maintenance requirements, which is a major selling point. We’re also looking to provide increased productivity and investment potential to our customers with a new range of multiuse platforms. These platforms can be suited to both front and side access, therefore reducing the amount of little-used stock and improving cost effectiveness. Our other strength is the way we support our product very strongly from initial sales call and design phase, through installation and commissioning to aftersales service.”

By presenting this to the customer in a focused campaign over the last year, Semmco has successfully increased its reputation, which has lead to it establishing closer working relationships with the end user as well as depot design and construction companies. “We were finding with some projects that a competitors’ system had already been specified early on, so we have been focusing

on trying to get involved a much earlier stage,” highlights Andrew. “This has been very successful this year and we have formed some very strong relationships with a whole group of people involved in depot refurbishment and design, as well as the end user. The aim is to be specified into the design phase by the end customer, and then if not specified we try to up-sell Semmco to the design companies to make it easier for them to achieve the maintenance requirements in the depot.”

The successful nature of this renewed strategy to deliver earlier on in the design phase has been significantly bolstered by the current market conditions in the UK. As Andrew notes: “Over the last 12 months we have had really good, increased levels of business and I only see this continuing into the foreseeable future.

I believe that the rail industry is very buoyant at the moment with new rolling stock coming onto the network, new depots being built and developments continuing throughout the rail network as a whole.”

However, it is not just a strong service and a refocused strategy that has awarded Semmco with its recent success, but also a committed drive to deliver top quality and innovative products to the market. One particular success has been its roof access platform, a single-sided roof access solution with foldout boxing ring. “By working closely with customers and inline with increasing safety regulations, our designers have been able to improve the safety of the working zone within the ring by reducing potential fall points and encompassing the working area a lot more securely than our competitors,” outlines Andrew. “It is also extremely fast to deploy, taking less than 15 minutes, which really improves the working efficiency of carrying out maintenance in the depot. We have also developed a basic design that can be easily reconfigured for differing depot designs and equipment needs.” Indicating the success of the platform, Andrew informs that the company has sold over 20 roof access platforms this year.

“The other important product for us is the multi-use platform,” he explains. “For front access, for example, we have developed a variable height front access platform with sliding profile fingers that allows the user to change the height for different maintenance requirements. This also allows the system to be used on many types of vehicle, making the site less cluttered and ultimately safer when working on a fleet of different units.”

As it looks ahead, Semmco is keen to continue the success of the last year by maintaining its current strategy. “We will be pushing the multi-use solutions, as well as conveying the commercial advantages of our products. Yes, we are more expensive initially, but over the long-term it is significantly cheaper due to the higher quality and durability designed into our solutions,” Andrew concludes. “We will also be focusing on marketing the increased productivity that Semmco can provide and in the longer term looking at taking our successes into the European market.”

www.semmco.com 75

MATISA

Laying tracks The now generic name of MATISA has been present in the track construction and maintenance industry for years, with a commitment to innovation and dedicated service the company strives to continue delivering pioneering solutions to the market

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tarting life in 1945 with the build of the first mechanical tamper for railway work, MATISA Material Industriel SA, has grown to become a leader in machinery for track maintenance, construction and renewal. Over its history the Switzerland based company has established a recognisable brand and reputation as the pioneer of track mechanisation. Its current portfolio of products includes tampers, ballast regulators and cleaners, track renewal trains, track laying machines, track measuring vehicles and more recently WTM switch transport wagons. All machines are manufactured on-site in Switzerland, but the company is represented in seven countries around the world through subsidiaries in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, UK, Brazil and Japan. These subsidiaries are in place predominantly in an after sales and customer services capacity, supplemented by their own technical resources and spare parts store.

At the heart of MATISA’s pioneering ability is its

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approach to innovation. Marketing and Sales Director at the company, Roger Grossniklaus highlights: “We are permanently implementing improvements and state of the art technology in our production range. The major focal points for this are in operational, maintenance and customisation improvements, which cover operator comfort, enabling better concentration on work, easy and simple access to different tools and components, diagnostic software to identify potential faults, enabling quick and efficient fixes, and a great flexibility in adapting to our customers’ specific needs. It is our aim to maintain the high level of quality our products have demonstrated over the last decades and our engineers are dedicated to keeping that reputation of Swiss quality. Quality for us means economic, sustainable, maintainable, userand environmentally friendly products, which enable a long lasting and safe track network. It is important for the company to meet these current targets, as taking responsibility for the future of our world and industry will

lead it to success.”

To supplement a quality product, which MATISA claims will last around 20-25 years, the company has developed a service to ensure it delivers a reliable and long-lasting machine. “To extend the lifetime of a machine we propose a range of maintenance, overhaul and upgrading solutions. A well-maintained machine, undertaking the appropriate overhaul and upgrades at the right times will increase its life span, fitted with the latest technology for many more years will create a very appealing return on

investment,” expresses Roger. “The relationship with our customers goes on for life.”

This unrivalled approach to continuous product development is bolstered by MATISA’s exemplary service offering. “As a company we believe that success comes with responsibility,” explains Roger. “Supplying the rail industry with a variety of mechanised track construction and maintenance machinery requires an enthusiastic and committed maintenance team. It is a fact that our track plants have developed dramatically

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over the years and high-tech equipment is now fitted as standard. As MATISA machines come with the latest computing systems in order to guide, assist and operate our various products, our clients or end-users will need specific training and assistance to meet the markets ever increasing need for accuracy and output.”

Over its history MATISA has been able to compile a portfolio of clients and projects that encompass a vast range of competencies and experience. From small rail contractors to network operators on national passenger and goods networks, high speed lines, private lines, mountain railways, mines and many other applications, MATISA has the knowledge to meet the individual specifications of speed, axle weight and gauge

requirements. “As we are present in many markets and each of these are organised differently with private contractors and in-house maintenance teams, we are able to approach a whole range of customers at all levels,” notes Roger. Currently, MATISA is working on supplying machinery to a number of interesting projects for underground applications, ballast and track renewal in urban areas and semi-dual mechanical-optical measuring systems.

“The market conditions for us at the moment, are positive. After a quiet period in Europe over the last few years in terms of investments and budget for track maintenance, there seems to currently be an increase in demand,” says Roger. “Having been favoured by an increasing number of European customers over the last two years, we are well placed to make the most of this.

Of course, we do still have a strong Swiss Franc, which is making Swiss manufacturing expensive, but we are committed to our Swiss-made label and are currently implementing production scale measures to overcome these challenges, rather than delocalising.”

With this in mind, the future for MATISA looks bright and Roger is confident that there are a number of exciting projects, which the company can get involved with. “Market requirements are moving very fast, as are the environmental expectations,” he says. “I would summarise our vision as providing our customers with long-term satisfaction. It’s about being in the right market, with the right product of the right quality, and providing the right service. This is what we strive to achieve.“

www.matisa.ch 79

Expanding

networks

Through robust client and partner relationships, and a strong commitment to high quality service and continuous improvement, VS Rail is very well placed as it looks to increase its footprint in the UK rail market

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ounded in 2000, VS Rail has rigorously invested the time since in developing itself as a subcontractor dedicated to the rail sector.

Following a change in ownership two years ago, the current owners have doubled turnover in the last year to achieve £1.5 million in sales and have successfully secured a number of frameworks as the company sets its sights on growth. Serving clients such as Osborne, Balfour Beatty and BAM Nuttall, VS Rail is a specialist in minor civil works, earthworks, vegetation clearance, track drainage and platform work.

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“Our strength is our people,” begins MD, Daniel Jane, commenting on the hard core of 20 that currently make up VS Rail. “We have a highly-qualified, engineering based management team so we have a very technical base.

This means we enjoy problem solving and like to take on more challenging projects. We also pride ourselves on maintaining a consistent, highly-skilled and continuously trained workforce. We provide a variety of development opportunities for our team including the provision of first-aid training.” With engineering forming the central pillar for VS Rail, the company is able to develop innovative solutions for a range of challenges and do so whilst keeping safety and cost effectiveness as paramount.

Over the course of 2015, VS Rail has been involved in a multi-asset framework with Osborne, and these projects perfectly demonstrate the company’s high quality approach to carrying out works. “The project involves a lot of work on the embankments and cuttings,” explains Daniel.

“Therefore we have had to upskill a lot of our guys to be harness-trained to work in these environments. It was identified as a risk and whilst it was a big outlay in time and cost, we are now able to install ground anchors and safety lines to make it a much safer working environment.”

Continuous improvement is a major part of VS Rail’s offering to the market and it further illustrates this in the partnerships it is forming through joint venture

VS Rail

programmes. The first of these is the recently announced project with steelworks and footbridge fabricator, Underhill Engineering. “By joining up with Underhill, we are now able to offer a complete solution to our clients,” notes Daniel. “So now we can go in with associated civil works such as piles and foundations, right the way through to the fabrication and installation of a footbridge.

It can make it more cost effective and time efficient for the client, and gives both partners the added capability.”

Another significant joint venture is with Suttle Projects piling contractors. “They are looking at offering a road-rail capability with us, which will enable us to deliver our own works rather than selling road-rail machines out and therefore adds a stronger capability which can be held in house,” adds Daniel.

By taking a collaborative approach to expanding its offering, VS Rail is positioning itself well to make the most of a market. One particular challenge facing the industry as a whole, and in particular the smaller, growing companies like VS Rail, is the skills shortage. “We like to take on local labour from Southampton and Winchester, and so we try to engage with these workers to offer them career and development opportunities that will enable them to slot well into our existing teams. A real strength of the company is developing the workforce so that each member is an integral, long-term part of a successful company. This promotes healthy working relationships and people know their worth within the organisation,” highlights Daniel. “We have also been looking at running an apprenticeship scheme. This is something we will be educating our management team about over the next few years. It’s a long-term strategy so, as with all other activity, we have been establishing these procedures as a key element of our company’s long-term future. This goes hand-in-hand with our focus on health and safety and environmental sustainability in the pre-qualification stage.”

Enhancing this commitment to providing opportunities and bringing fresh talent into the business, VS Rail has three graduates on board to develop through to Chartership. “Through this, we are developing our company’s flair, capacity and diversity whilst having the satisfaction of helping to create the site and project managers of tomorrow,” Daniel adds.

VS Rail offers a strong, focused, yet comprehensive package that whilst seeing the whole picture, never takes its eye off the detail. “We will continue to look for new clients and geographic markets but continue also to work hard at ensuring the high quality of the products we use and the services we provide,” concludes Daniel. “Looking forward, maintaining the partnerships we have with our existing clients and securing more contracts with new clients will be key to us expanding. We have moved into a new, larger office and site, which has enabled us to grow as a company, and we have satellite offices in Exeter and Gloucester, which gives us a wider geographical reach.

Therefore we are ready to take on projects further afield.

The most important thing for us, however, is that we continue operating as a subcontractor, delivering high

quality service alongside the continued development of the strong working relationships we have with our customers. Primarily, we have been able to offer an increasingly comprehensive package of services to our customers and this is because our commitment to an in-depth understanding of our clients’ needs... We look forward to a very exciting future.”

www.vsrail.co.uk

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AD Comms

A vital

partner

As the UK rail network looks forward to a future of digitisation, AD Comms has the crucial knowledge and experience to help both deliver and train for a successful programme RFS RADIAFLEX® from RFS is the world’s leading leaking feeder cable solution. Designed to provide contoured RF coverage RFS RADIAFLEX cable provides a scalable and practical means of tailoring RF coverage in even the most challenging of confined spaces. RADIAFLEX supports all major services up to 6GHz and is optimally suited for multi-band, multioperator applications.

RFS RADIAFLEX solutions have been employed extensively throughout the UK for more than 20 years including Eurotunnel, HS1, London Underground, Thameslink, Crossrail and Severn Tunnel.

RFS is delighted to have been associated with Alan Dick Communications and to continued co-operation on a number of major UK projects.

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he progress made by AD Comms over the last nine months since it was last featured in Railway Strategies only serves to illustrate the sheer scale and complexity of digitising the UK rail network. On the network it has been busy delivering its rapid deployment solution to resolve GSM-R coverage issues, ensuring a more stable coverage model. It is in the advanced planning stage of the GSM-R upgrade to the HEX (Heathrow Express) sub-surface tunnels; it is implementing the TETRA radio upgrade to NEXUS; and is planning the assurance testing solution for 100gb and advanced IP performance testing on FTNx ready for handover to Network Rail.

More broadly, AD Comms continues to invest in engineering innovation across core network technologies, cyber security capabilities, CCTV and analytics, legacy to IP migration and has been exploring innovative off-grid power solutions to support the growing trackside infrastructure in remote parts of the network.

Underpinning all of this is its people and as such the company has become the telecoms training partner for the National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR), which opened its doors in October.

“Generally, progress towards the railway’s digitisation is steady,” explains Mike Hewitt, Head of Next Generation Networks at AD Comms. “The digital railway group is very busy in the background trying to define the strategy that will underpin a sustainable railway of for the future and deliver the next one billion journeys. What the road map is going to look like for digital railways is not yet clear, and this is a big jigsaw that stretches across a number of sectors and demands.” From increasing capacity with ETCS and ERTMS to the desire of improving the passenger experience with increased connectivity and information, every aspect of the railway is undergoing a

digital revolution. Inevitably this brings with it a wealth of funding, training and innovation challenges, of which AD Comms is often at the centre of overcoming.

“One place we are starting to see some good traction is in improving the on-board passenger communication experience, which very much centres around the passenger connectivity experience on-board,” continues Mike. “Earlier this year the DfT approached the industry asking for advice on the challenges and potential solutions of delivering this to the network, and we have provided our input a number of times. Given our heavy involvement in implementing GSM-R, we have come to understand many of the challenges involved with getting radio signals to high-speed trains. In the coming weeks we’re looking forward to some reports from the DfT illustrating what the infrastructure is going to look like for this, and we believe there may be some trials done with TOCs.” Although unclear as yet, AD Comms is confident that this will involve an increase in trackside solutions to achieve connection speeds up to and over 100mb/s, and the company’s ongoing focus on innovation may be key to ensuring this type of infrastructure is able to operate effectively across the network. “Typically for this kind of WiFi solution, we could be looking at trackside infrastructure every one kilometre of track,” Mike explains.

“In terms of power solutions we have been looking at energy harvesting and hybrid storage solutions which mix traditional energy harvesting with new technologies and next generation energy storage. This could include vibration harvesting, and methanol and hydrogen fuel cell technology alongside the traditional methods. The goal is to build a reliable energy supply that reduces the number of site visits from bi-monthly to an annual visit, saving cost and increasing safety.”

In addition to this the company has been working closely with the train operators to look at solutions for improving on-board, real-time information and entertainment systems.

“We have a good understanding of what the delivery and technical solutions could look like and we are looking at other industry solutions that could be transferred across,” adds Mike. “Take plane infotainment for instance – using on-board storage to deliver the appropriate content updated at regular intervals. This could include movies, catch-up TV and news leaving the backhaul network to the carriage for email and social media updates.

This overcomes the ever-present challenge of current technologies having to deliver 100-200mb to be shared by potentially 200-plus passengers.

“We are also engaged with what cyber security means for the digital railway and are looking at best-in-class solutions that already exist in segments like nuclear power and utilities where these critical infrastructure organisations have already transitioned to an IP connected infrastructure.

It is becoming increasingly important that, as we install more and more systems and networks into the industry, we are providing sufficient protection to both the network and the passengers that use it.”

Mike highlights that with the newly installed FTNx

network and its significant capacity, the future for digital railways has huge enabling potential and the over the coming decades will be able to facilitate systems that are yet to be conceived. With this, however, comes the need to ensure the skills and knowledge are in place to effectively manage this well into the future and this is where the importance of training takes centre stage. “Skill development is key for us and given the amount of likely infrastructure activity over the next five to ten years, with things like HS2, we believe there could be a real skills shortage,” says Mike. “So it is important not only to make sure we bring new people into the industry and train them up on the next generation technology, but also ensure that they are equally trained on the legacy equipment which will still remain a part of the network.

“This will involve everything from installing fibre cable, splicing and testing, installing a range of new equipment whilst maintaining old and migrating services from old to new. Within the networking world we need skills to support everything from SDH/PDH and WDM to packet optical, testers to measure service delivery from polarisation mode and chromatic mode dispersion and IP testers to measure network performance. This can involve packet loss, latency, jitter, ten and 100gb services, timing and network synchronisation for 1588v2, PTP and NTP

– which supplement GPS timing –CyberSecurity and the application that the network enables including CCTV and analytics, access and information delivery, ETCS, ERTMS and the IP enabled signalling projects.” AD Comms’ partnership with the newly opened NTAR will be crucial to ensuring this effective telecoms training is delivered within the rail environment. Mike applauds the new facility, which brings together the major streams of rail training providing a wealth a career paths and opportunities.

“Looking ahead, we want to be the organisation that supports national critical infrastructure from a network perspective because we understand the criticality of operational networks within a rail environment,” concludes Mike. “Over the next 12 months it’s going to be business as usual in supporting the current infrastructure projects across the network. Beyond that we will be looking at rolling our experience out across other core infrastructure networks, such as airports, highways and utilities as they are all becoming underpinned by the same data and network requirements and are crucial to the UK leading the way across all aspects of digital infrastructure, which aligns to the governments digital strategy and its leading place in the D5 group of countries.”

www.alandickcomms.com

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Faiveley Transport UK

Opening

doors

With the support of a global organisation behind it, Faiveley Transport continues to serve the UK rail industry with innovative service and product solutions that respond to growing needs in an expanding market

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ith nearly a century of history behind it, Faiveley Transport has grown to become a worldwide supplier of innovative, turnkey technology solutions to the rail industry.

Working closely with its customers and the wider market, the company has earned itself a reputation for listening to and understanding the needs of the industry, and delivering cutting edge solutions accordingly. Last featured in Railway Strategies back in 2011, Faiveley Transport has continued its trend of growth and looks set to extrapolate this into the future through a keen and focused strategy towards developing innovative door and access solutions. Brian Harvey, Business Development Manager for the company’s Tamworth site, talks specifically about the company’s growth over the past four years commenting: “In 2011, we had only just moved into new facilities at Tamworth, which gave us a much bigger workshop and it was surprising how rapidly we filled this site with new business that we were delighted to win.”

In particular, Brian points out that in line with the company seeing itself as a service provider, it has seen significant progression in its aftermarket side, as it looks to support customers with maintenance and overhaul works, as well as introducing improvements that deliver greater cost effectiveness and safety performance. “One key development for us in this aspect was a contract we

won to overhaul the door systems of Class 323 trains on the Northern franchise. On a previous London Midland franchise contract the train maintenance was carried out

by RailCare who were removing the doors themselves, and shipping them to our depot for maintenance,” explains Brian. “This time around, for Alstom, we signed up for a full turnkey project where Faiveley did all the work on the doors from start to finish. This added value allowed for a smoother introduction back into traffic of an overhauled train and the customer was very impressed with our performance. Our strategy moving forward from this point has been to support our customers, not just in terms of doing the overhaul, but offering a complete, customer-orientated turnkey solution.”

One other key area in this service development is the company’s approach to offering a more cost effective maintenance service, whereby Faiveley is able to assess the true condition of a door system and advise on what and when maintenance work needs to be carried out. When combined with a more reliable electric door system that has been rolled out by the company since 1994, Brian claims that Faiveley door systems will only need an overhaul once every 15 years, as opposed to the traditional eight years for pneumatic systems. For the TOC’s and ROSCO’s this represents significant maintenance cost savings.

This customer orientation is central to Faiveley Transport and becomes notably clear in its ability to deliver innovative solutions to the industry. “One particular area of focus for us at present is into Platform Screen Doors (PSD),” highlights Brian. “There are currently two major projects looking at implementing these. Firstly, on the SPT upgrade of the Glasgow underground network, which is a relatively small project looking to award a contract later this year to a consortium who will be providing the whole service. We are very active with providing our UK local support on the critical installation side of this project to effect a full turnkey solution. The second project is with Transport for London, who has made it very clear that they are going to look at implementing these PSDs on all the new tube replacement programmes, starting with the Piccadilly line in 2023. We are actively engaging in a market questionnaire at the moment with London Underground, looking at modifying older platforms with interface plates that can take a modular PSD retrofit programme. This is key for our customers; we have a number of references across the world where we have started installing these retrofit modular solutions during quieter periods within three hours at night, whilst the railway continues to operate a normal service.”

Other developments for Faiveley Transport include an Electric Door Locking Cylinder to replace older pneumatic cylinders. “Not only does this mean you have a more reliable electric locking system, compared to the older system, which relied on the air system to hold the door

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in place, but it also brings improved lifetime maintenance costs,” notes Brian. It has also brought to market an anti-drag solution to improve the safety of train doors and prevent dragging accidents from occurring in stations.

“This is based on our technology that we have been running on the new SSR vehicles that Bombardier have introduced into London Underground and by early next year we will have around 8600 door systems with this

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anti-drag system in place,” Brian adds. “We have also developed a retrofit version, which we can fit to both Underground and Overground vehicle door systems.”

With favourable market conditions, in which the rail industry foresees major investment programmes, Brian is positive about the future of Faiveley Transport. “There are lots of opportunities driving a very interesting and competitive market at present,” he says. “I am pleased to say that we have won a number of contracts to supply our equipment and we are steadily increasing our market share in the UK. Combined with the prospect of upgraded and replacement fleets in the coming years, it is a very interesting market indeed.” With a robust strategy for growth and a continued commitment to serving the market with reliable and innovative solutions, the future for Faiveley Transport does look bright. “We hope to facilitate future growth by focusing on and opening up long term collaborative customer relationships so that we can far better understand, and therefore support, their needs,” concludes Brian. “This is going to be the real key in growing our business in the UK.”

www.faiveleytransport.com

DAMAR INTERNATIONAL

Supply and

demand Since its foundation in 1985, Damar International has developed its product portfolio and expertise to become a leading distributor of tooling solutions

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elebrating 30 years in operation, Damar International has grown from its humble beginnings as a supplier to the wire industries to become a renowned specialist supplier of quality hand tools, machinery and equipment for a diverse range of sectors. In fact, the company currently imports from over 30 countries and exports the products of more than 300 manufacturers to over 50 countries to ensure customer satisfaction to those in markets ranging from the wire and cable industry, construction, fencing, railway, sheet metal working, the automotive industry, woodwork, accident rescue services and the nuclear industry.

Keen to remain competitive, the company has significantly increased its product portfolio over the last decade, which has resulted in strong customer demand, as Brian Martin, Founder and Managing Director of Damar International states: “The last ten years have shown an ever increasing range of product additions and even more companies wanting to link with Damar International. We now number 300 suppliers and continue to expand with more innovative and advanced technological contacts all the time. “We operate as suppliers of tools, equipment and machinery to all sectors of industry; we are also known

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as a sourcing company for specialised and bespoke requirements. In more generalised terms, we act as a one-stop-shop to help customers in obtaining various products from one supplier. Because we supply into all of the industrial sectors, our client base covers all major companies in areas as diverse as construction, engineering, automotive, military, oil and gas, petrochemical, marine, power and energy. In addition, we also supply to traditional markets of wire and cable, fencing, gardening, woodworking and specialised products for health and safety,” he continues.

Based in Leicester, Damar International has earned a strong reputation thanks to its purpose built warehouse facility on its Clipper Road premises, where the company brings together its enviable product portfolio under one roof. It is here that the firm offers demonstrations of its bespoke machinery and workshop equipment, should this be required. Furthermore, 95 per cent of orders for main range tool kits are despatched the same day, which has boosted Damar International’s reputation for efficiency, reliability and service. “Our strength lies not only in the fact that we offer the best quality products, but also in the way we believe in the old fashioned approach of giving a personal service to the customers, which

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ensures they return to us again and again while also recommending us to others. Many of our contacts are coming from new companies who have been told to approach us for help,” says Brian.

Moreover, the company has gained recognition as the world’s leading supplier of hand tools and tool kits by stocking this equipment from all of the major global manufacturers and exporting these items to more than 50 countries. Elaborating further on the strong partnerships that Damar International has created over the years, Brian says: “With so many partners it is difficult to generalise as to the reasons we offer their particular products, other than to say it is because these items are the best solutions available when you are looking for quality and reliability. The width in ranges and capability of supply is what makes us unique, which is why so many manufacturers across the globe benefit from our extensive portfolio.”

DAMAR INTERNATIONAL Just a few of the key partners of Damar International include: Albatros, Allround, Arm Sangyo, Baudat, Berma, Betasonic, Carltsoe, Cemastir, Cincinnativr, Diamond, Draper, Egamaster, Felco, Femi, Flott, Gorilla, Greenlee, Halder, Hazet, H. K. Porter, Klann, Klauke, Knipex, Kongcrete, Krenn, Kukko, Leitenberger, Maun, Morse, Starrett MST, NES, O’Keefee’s-Royaltek, Orbis-Will, Pentosin, Petig, Prebana, Rhino Tool, Royaltek, Sam, Slide Sledge, Stahlwille, Stubai, Vale, Vigor, Vogel, Walter, Weber, Worx, Wright Tools.

partners, as Brian notes: “Our new multi section website is the first phase of an ongoing development to expand the site; this will further help customers identify and find their requirements from the one source.”

With a new website in place and a major milestone passed, Damar International can look to the future with confidence as it continues to deliver top notch equipment to its diverse customer base, as Brian concludes: “Over the 30 years of trading we have been at the top end of the quality market as this ensures customer satisfaction. Meeting such demands is more difficult than selling cheap volume items as our target market is a professional and more discerning customer base; however, this also means our customers are the biggest and strongest companies around and those who value our long-term expertise.”

www.damar.biz By working only with leading players in each of their chosen markets, Damar International can deliver to the most stringent of industries, such as railway or oil and gas, in confidence. “The railway industry has particular needs that require a professional supply of many products, whether that may be maintenance tools, safety tools, a Hazet fold down trolley for under train pit servicing, Kukko bearing pullers or even Berma engraving equipment for marking the bogies. Not forgetting Rhino post drivers, Damar wire tools and Gripple fencing products for beside the track solutions,” highlights Brian. “Meanwhile, Slide Sledge, an award winning sledge hammer concept, offers special cotton pin removal tools and C Walter has a history of supplying Deutsche Bahn with special torque multipliers; this is just an indication as to the extent of Damar International’s capability to the railways.”

Although the company enjoys incredible demand on a global scale, it has chosen not to rest on its laurels and instead has embraced the opportunity to further expand its customer base with an even stronger web presence. Indeed, Damar International, under the twitter name @Damarint, offers returning and potential customers updates on products available on its eBay site, as well as breaking news within the company. To further reach its customers, Damar International also has a Facebook page.

Alongside its progression into social media, the company celebrated its 30 year anniversary with the launch of a brand new multi-website (www.damar.biz), a five-in-one site, which features an extensive package of information from the majority of its specialist supply

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gap

Bridging the

Facing economic pressures from the continent, leading engineering specialist Tinsley Bridge Group is making significant inroads to the UK rail industry, which it hopes will provide its future success

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fficially formed in 1987 after a management buyout from British Steel Corporation, Tinsley Bridge Group (TBG) has a history that dates back to the 1850s. Over the last 15 years, the design led engineering company has grown to form a group of businesses specialising in automotive and rail suspension components, machine knives and fabrication projects. Tinsley Bridge’s Rail Division is also a tier one systems integration company specialising in full system solutions for the rail industry.

A wide array of manufacturing and engineering competencies sets TBG apart in the market and this translates to a broad service offering to a number of key markets. “TBG is essentially a complimentary group of engineering companies covering a wide range of design, manufacturing and testing capabilities,” begins Managing Director, Mark Webber.

“We have expertise in forging, bending, fabrication, CNC machining, tube forming, heat treatment, shot peening and KTL painting. We have our own fatigue testing facilities and our own metallurgical laboratory, plus, by working closely with a number of different universities on new innovations and technology we are able to take leading positions in our core markets.”

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TBG’s current offering to the rail industry covers everything from VAMAC brake hoses, external carriage protection components, CNC machined and formed components for a variety of applications, to fire resistant internal panels, as well as anti -roll and torsion bars.

With this offering the group has earned itself a strong customer following, which includes many European and global rail vehicle OEMs and their associated downstream businesses. “Rail, both in terms of infrastructure and rolling stock, now accounts for nearly 30 per cent of

Tinsley Bridge Group

the group turnover,” says Mark. “Using our extensive project management skills and experienced engineering teams, complete full systems solutions, sub-assemblies and packages of equipment are brought together and supplied to the rail OEMs according to their vehicle build schedule, on a ‘just-in-time- delivery strategy. The OEM supplier base is reduced, and supply chain efficiency.

Cost reductions within the OEM are often dramatic and immediate, with savings of up to 40 per cent achieved.”

Innovation is central to TBG’s offering in its markets, and the group’s ability to deliver bespoke solutions gives it a keen advantage in the rail industry where safety critical innovation demands the diverse range of skills employed by the company. As such, in 2013, TBG was successfully awarded a contract to manufacture a new tubular stretcher bar design for Network Rail. “Having never been a supplier of Network Rail, we were selected as one of three suppliers to manufacture the new product, which is currently being rolled out across the country,” explains Mark. “They have now reverted to just two suppliers as the annual volumes for the project decrease after its initial year and TBG is one of these.” Ultimately born in response to the Potters Bar disaster, the tubular stretcher bar is a highly regarded safety critical device within the rail industry and TBG’s involvement in the project is testament to its ability to deliver a quality product. This level of quality is achieved through the implementation of its automotive quality standards, notably its TS 16949 accreditation, which it has gained through years of experience in the global truck industry.

Continuing this trend for supplying safety critical components to the rail industry, the group is currently supplying high strength brackets and transom plates to a London Underground rolling stock refurbishment project.

“The specification has been extremely demanding and has involved a close working relationship with the end customer,” Mark highlights. “However, there is no doubt that the experience of this project has significantly increased the learning and expertise of our engineers and welders.”

With a growing portfolio of projects and solutions successfully delivered to the rail industry, TBG is committed to bringing further value to its customers and is able to deploy its ability to innovate in order to achieve this. “We are always looking for new developments and innovations to help meet future customer needs,” Mark continues. “We are currently working with several universities on multiple projects to help bring new technologies and designs in the rail market. An example of these developments are new tube and composite stabiliser bars, which both provide significant weight reductions.”

By continuing to focus on developing new technology and solutions across the group, TBG is putting itself in a strong position to overcome the current economic pressures coming from the European market. Mark comments that despite coming out of the recession a strong pound is affecting its exports into Europe, which

makes up 50 per cent of total sales. “The rail industry has offered very interesting prospects of alternative UK-based opportunities to help balance some of these issues, so our challenge now its continue finding new opportunities here over the next five years,” concludes Mark. “Internally, we hope to support this with further investments into working practices to improve operational efficiencies.”

www.tinsleybridge.co.uk

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Stadler Rail

Full speed

ahead

Despite challenging European market conditions putting pressure on Stadler, an unprecedented flexibility sees the company take significant steps towards new markets and future success

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ailway Strategies last featured Stadler Rail back in March 2015 celebrating the success of the company’s KISS and FLIRT models. Over the time since, the company has made significant progress in continuing the delivery of contracts, winning new orders and expanding its global footprint as it moves towards establishing new and exciting markets around the world.

Firstly, significant progress has been made on the international roll out of Stadler’s FLIRT trains. An important order from Dutch State Railways (NS) for 58 trains in April 2015 brings the total order number for the model up to over 1100. Amounting to around 280 million euros, the order exemplifies a key strength of Stadler to deliver to lead times that are unrivalled in the rail industry, as it aims to deliver all 58 trains to the customer by the end of 2016. Peter Jenelten, Executive VP for Marketing and Sales explains: “Significant funding became available for the development of infrastructure in countries joining the EU over recent years. Unfortunately, this funding was sometimes distributed too late, or was entirely exhausted and projects had to be concluded under extreme time pressures.”

In May, the company reached another milestone in its FLIRT programme with the first order for its bi-modal train.

The 43 million euro order for five diesel-electric trains will be delivered to Italian, Region Valle d’Aosta in 2018. Stadler will also be delivering a further 21 FLIRT EMU (electric multiple unit) trains to MÁV-START Zrt in Hungary over the next year, which will bring that customer’s FLIRT fleet up to 133. Eastern Europe has been a strong emerging market for Stadler over the last few years with 54 trains currently operating in Poland alongside a 700-employee strong assembly plant, and other trains operating throughout the region. In Hungary, the company has set up a maintenance facility, staffed by 455 people to maintain not only its own, but also third-party supplier trains.

In addition to the FLIRT model, Stadler has also had a successful year with its innovative, double-decker KISS (comfortable, innovative, speedy suburban in German)

train. In November 2015, the company reached a historic moment with the delivery of the 50th KISS unit to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The contract for the first 50 150-metre multiple-unit trains was signed at the end of August 2008 at a value of around CHF one billion. In an unprecedented time frame Stadler was able to fully develop, manufacture and commission the trains in less than two years with the first train going into operation in June 2010. A total of 5.5 million parts go into the production of the KISS, including 8250km of cable and 125 tonnes of paint.

The project for SBB has been hugely significant in

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Stadler Rail

Stadler forging a position in a new market segment and in the time since that first order the company has sold over 200 trains to customers in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Russia and Azerbaijan. In addition to this, the company is participating in a number of tenders across several continents.

Stadler Rail has also been awarded a major opportunity with SBB for 29 high-speed EC250 electric trains. “This project allows Stadler to break into the high-speed field,” explains Peter. “From 2019, our trains will link three countries, travelling through one of the world’s longest tunnels and there is significant potential in a range of European countries for trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h. Entering new markets and segments is part of our new strategy and is a reaction to developments in Western Europe following the 2010 debt crisis and two subsequent currency shocks.”

As part of this market expansion, in November 2015 Stadler announced the acquisition of Spanish business, Rail Vehicles, from Vossloh. The company, which has an annual turnover in excess of 200 million euros, is a specialist in diesel-electric locomotives. “With this takeover, another excellent opportunity presented itself to us,” continues Peter. “It is the chance to break into the diesel-electric locomotives market segment and to gain

a foothold in new, Spanish-speaking markets. We hope to benefit from the strong position of this new factory in Valencia in the areas of LRV and trams.”

Another market has also been opened up in the United States, where a $100 million order for eight FLIRT units from Fort Worth Transportation Authority in Texas will be the first FLIRT entry in the US and may require Stadler to open up a new factory in the country in accordance with the ‘Buy America Act’. The company has also opened a new office in Australia to take advantage of the Australian government’s ambitions for infrastructure investment, and

Glas Trösch AG Rail Your reliable supplier for cabin glazing Glas Trösch AG Rail is proud to be a supplier in cabin glazing for Stadler Rail AG. Besides outstanding quality and reliability, product innovation plays a significant role for the company. Thanks to its company-owned developmental team, motivated staff and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, Glas Trösch AG Rail counts as one of the most competent suppliers worldwide in the field of high-end windscreens and cabin glazing for the most important train manufacturers.

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Stadler Rail

to establish a footprint in the country as well as the AsiaPacific region.

“Due to the company’s primary focus on continental European markets, Stadler Rail was greatly impacted by the European economic challenges. Half of the company’s 6000 employees are based in Switzerland, the export ratio is over 50 per cent and consolidation takes place in Swiss francs. All of these factors have resulted in a loss of turnover between CHF 200 million and 300 millions,” outlines Peter, explaining the company’s

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renewed expansion strategy. “This strategy has quickly proven to be successful with our entry into high-speed rail, underground markets – with a contract for the Berlin Metro – and our entry into the US, Australian and UK markets. Considering these activities the company has essentially achieved its strategic repositioning goals and will be focused on consolidating and continuing this as it moves forward.”

www.stadlerrail.com

www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

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