Railway Strategies Issue 127 March 2016

Issue 127 March 2016

Hitachi -bound Train body shells for Newton Aycliffe

FEATURE

S

The UK’s largest TBM takes on the Farnworth tunnel

INTERVIEW

LOROL’s MD Peter Austin on continuous change management

A new Health & Safety strategy for the rail sector New processes to drive electrification productivity

NEWS

Rail still lacks clear strategic vision and leadership - PAC

Major landslip closes Settle-Carlisle line for 2 months

Birmingham’s trams to go catenary-free

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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 Ben Clark Staff Writers Jo Cooper Ben Clark Andrew Dann Advertisement Sales Mark Cawston Darren Jolliffe Dave King Rob Wagner Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove Operations Director Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Keith Hope Tarj Kaur-D’Silva Mark Cowles Administration Tracy Chynoweth

Repairing and improving

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elcome to our bumper winter/spring edition of Railway Strategies. It’s been a strange winter, with temperatures hardly dipping below zero and spring arriving really early. The lack of significant icy weather, however, has not meant an easy ride for the rail network.

We’ve officially had the wettest winter on record, and this has brought significant challenges including major earth slippages, track bed washouts and damaged bridges and viaducts - all of which have had to be addressed in addition to planned engineering works.

Spring is here, though, and there is much to look forward to. In this issue, we report on two initiatives that look set to make a significant impact on the delivery of rail infrastructure programmes.

In our engineering focus, Ben Clark talks to Adam Lock of Laing O’Rourke and Ali Najimi of Atkins about the Digitally Enabling Electrification research programme.

They explain how the research group has developed a number of digital tools, such as the Overhead Line Electrification Data Exchange Format, to enable project partners to exchange data electronically. As a result, significant productivity and efficiency improvements can be made.

One really encouraging fact to emerge from this research is that the tools and processes can be used far beyond electrification. They are already being applied to signalling programmes and to other non-rail infrastructure projects such as water industry and highways construction.

Further into the issue, as part of our Health & Safety (H&S) focus, John Abbott of RSSB reports on the progress rail industry leaders have made in developing a new H&S strategy, explaining the priorities and continuing risks that have been identified, and the improvements that will be required to address them.

We would love to hear from you regarding these topics, or any other that you feel is important. Contact: editor@railwaystrategies.co.uk.

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Features Interview

Building a change culture 10 LOROL managing director Peter Austin talks about the many changes LOROL has implemented on the London Overground, and how the organisation has matured to be agile and responsive, with change at the heart of its processes GAY SUTTON

Features

Fit for the future 17 Going behind the scenes at the busy Tottenham Court Road station to see how redevelopment of the existing station and construction of the new Crossrail station are being achieved around functioning rail services ANDY CADMAN Exhibitors prepare for Infrarail 2016 28 With over 200 companies making their final preparations for the UK’s premier rail event, Railway Strategies takes a look at what is in store for visitors to Infrarail at its new London venue UAVs: Blue-sky thinking? 30 Drones are becoming increasingly popular for accomplishing difficult tasks cost effectively and quickly in many sectors. We examine the risks of applying the technology to security on the railways, and assess the possibilities it has to offer PETER DERRY Patent of the month 34 As part of our quarterly series, patent attorney Rosie Hardy discusses the importance of protecting intellectual property, and the complexities of patenting GECs multilevel rail management system ROSIE HARDY A unique scaffold system - CASE STUDY 35 Working safely and efficiently inside the Farnworth tunnel posed many challenges, but by harnessing its innovation culture, Murphy engineers were able to design and build a unique scaffold system that addressed those issues J MURPHY & SONS Ready to learn 44 Recruitment specialist Alasdair Waddell talks to Railway Strategies about the Network Rail apprenticeship scheme, and the lessons that can be learned from it LIBBIE HAMMOND

48 Understanding tomorrow’s travellers Research by Amadeus reveals six types of motivation and behaviour among the train travelling public. What does this mean for rail operators, and how can this knowledge be used to improve competitiveness?

MIRJA SICKEL 50 Are you sitting comfortably?

Is the seat technology used by the airlines transferrable to rail? We take a look at the latest innovations in hinge technology and discuss whether such innovations could help rail compete with air travel STEWART BECK

Focus on engineering

14 Electrification: enabling productivity Adam Locke and Ali Najimi explain the Digitally Enabling Electrification research project, and how the resulting tools and techniques promise to drive unprecedented levels of productivity BEN CLARK 18 Enlarging the Farnworth Tunnel - CASE STUDY The inside story behind the reboring and reconstruction of the Farnworth Tunnel, and how TBM ‘Fillie’ met the challenges including being buried by an unexpected stretch of running sand TUNNEL ENGINEERING SERVICES (UK) LTD

Focus on Health & Safety

22 A new strategy for rail Rail industry leaders are developing a framework to take the sector’s already good Health & Safety record to a new level. We report on its progress so far, the priorities and continuing risks that have been identified, and improvements that will be required to address them JOHN ABBOTT 26 Risk management in Australia Contemporary risk management strategies are being applied to the identification of safety risk on the Australian railways, and this is delivering integrated safety management across the network

Focus on maintenance

36 Innovation: rolling stock maintenance Artificial intelligence is with us today and spreading into many industries. What can it do for rolling stock maintenance, and what are leading rail sector innovators achieving with it?

BHOOPATHI RAPOLU

Focus on maintenance

Breaking the back of overwhelming detail 40 Gathering, collating and analysing data from across the network can reveal the complex interaction of actions and events that lie behind rail maintenance. Seeing this bigger picture can improve safety and increase productivity NEIL SINGH

News

Industry

Infrastructure

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

Rail Alliance

Appointments Conferences & exhibitions

4 6 9 25 39 43 69

Profiles 53 62 66 70 81

Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd Mechan Express Glazing Contractors Qatar Rail Qatar Rail (Green Line Elevated and at Grade) 84 Trackwork Moll 88 Stadler Rail 94 Nexus 98 Blackpool Transport 102 Uretek UK

IN BRIEF WCRC gets Prohibition Notice l Heritage train operator, West Coast Railway Company, has been issued with Prohibition Notice banning it from running rail services on the mainline railway. The order follows a number of incidents over the past year, including one where a WCRC steam locomotive passed a signal at danger at Wootton Bassett junction, Wiltshire. The train came to a stop across the busy junction on the Great Western main line, avoiding collision with an express train by less than a minute.

Ordsall Chord work closes Victoria and Salford l Manchester Victoria and Salford Central stations are closing for 11 days over Easter for essential preparatory work for the Ordsall Chord. Engineers will move existing track on the approach to Manchester Victoria station so the new 300 metre-long link, when completed, will connect and fit with it. The Ordsall Chord is due to be completed in December 2017.

NTAR wins Innovation in Learning award l National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR) and digital learning provider, PAULEY, have received the gold award for Innovation in Learning, from the Learning and Performance Institute. The award was for a solution that combined touch screen technology, CAD and Oculus Rift virtual reality, to deliver 25 powerful VR interactive online courses from over 4,000 documents.

Wi-Fi for the Netherland’s busiest trains l Nomad Digital has signed a contract extending its partnership with Nederlandse Spoorwegen for an additional five years. The new agreement includes upgrading the onboard technology platform on the Intercity trains already using Nomad Digital systems, delivering a common on-board technology platform across the NS fleet, and providing the Netherlands’ busiest trains with on-board Wi-Fi connectivity and Passenger Information Services.

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PD Ports chosen to handle rail car imports for Hitachi l PD Ports, which owns and operates Teesport, is to handle the majority of rail car imports for the new Hitachi manufacturing facility at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

The train body shells are shipped directly from the Port of Tokuyama-Kudamatsu in Japan to Teesport aboard the new “K” Line Ro-Ro service. The journey of some 12,000 nautical miles takes over 35 days. Some body shells are also being brought into the Port by road.

Once at Teesport, the 26m-long body shells are towed from the vessel in a specific order and manoeuvred onto vehicles using bespoke lifting equipment. They are then transported

to a secure storage area at the Port prior to onward transportation by road to Newton Ayciffe.

Each vessel will carry five or nine car trains with a maximum of 18 body shells imported per shipment. The service began in September 2015.

Geoff Lippitt, PD Ports’ business development director, commented: “To be an integral part of the Hitachi supply chain is a role we are very proud to undertake.

The importance of Hitachi Rail in the wider economic context of the North-East is of tremendous significance and will provide a much needed boost to the region.”

Historic archive of rail film footage now available online

l A major new collection of rare railway films has been made available to the general public, free of charge by the British Film Institute (BFI).

The Railways on Film collection can be viewed on the BFI Player, and covers the British railways through the 20th century, and includes a fascinating range of rare and unseen footage. The films in the collection are all newly digitised, and while it would now be impossible to undertake many of these journeys, others cover historic rides on the lines we still operate today.

Robin Baker, head curator, BFI National Archive said: “Railways on Film brings together over 200 films – many seen in public for the first time – that explore and celebrate not just the romance of the railways, but

A still taken from Along the Line their importance to the social, political and economic life of Britain.”

Today’s rail engineers might be interested in Building a British Locomotive, dating back to 1905, or Along the Line, a documentary from 1947 showing the growth of, and jobs on the railways.

To view the films go to: player.bfi.org.uk/collections/railways-on-film

NEWS I Industry IN FACT

Birmingham New Street station

Walrus sells over 1m tickets l Merseytravel’s smart ticketing scheme, the Walrus card, which was launched in November 2014, has sold over a million tickets in the first 3 months. The Walrus card is currently valid on Merseyside buses and on off-peak day tickets for trains, buses and ferries. Plans are in place to move Merseyrail to the scheme in the next 12 months.

Rebuilt Birmingham New Street scoops Station Excellence award l Network Rail, in partnership with principle contractor Mace, has won the station excellence award at the Rail Business Awards for the rebuilt Birmingham New Street station which opened in September 2015.

The judges praised Network Rail and Mace for creating a new, innovative station with its stunning triple-height atrium, the size of a football pitch, which floods the new concourse with natural light. They also paid tribute to the atrium ‘bubble’ roof made from

ETFE, which forms the centrepiece of the project. The new roof has transformed the once dark station into a light-filled, modern space fit for the 21st century and acts as an inspirational gateway for passengers to the UK’s second city.

This has been reflected by satisfaction scores given by station users in the recent National Rail Passenger Survey where satisfaction soared from 66% to 81% reflecting the huge benefits delivered by the station’s redevelopment.

PAC: DfT must provide a clear strategic vision and stronger leadership for rail l The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) has published a new report on the rail franchising programme, in which it says it is encouraged that Department for Transport (DfT) has strengthened its capability to let franchises, but states there are still gaps in its ability to manage the contracts effectively.

According to PAC, more must be done to develop partnerships with operators that facilitate innovation and improve services for passengers, and that while welcoming the increased focus on the passenger experience, it’s unclear when passengers will actually see the benefits. Those benefits should be set out in the rail franchise.

Successful rail franchising depends on strong interest from the market and effective competition but there are barriers to entry to the UK market and the possibility that current participants in the market may drop out. Any reduction to the current level of competition

is a major risk to securing value for money for the taxpayer so alternative approaches need to be identified.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the DfT is to manage the complex interdependencies between passenger rail franchises, the infrastructure, and the introduction of new fleets of trains to the network. Uncertainty about infrastructure work has resulted in delays to franchise competitions and the Department will have to rely on potentially expensive changes to franchises during the life of contracts.

PAC concludes that the DfT’s role is to provide a strategic lead for the complex rail system but it has not yet shown that it has embraced this role. It needs to provide a coherent strategic vision and stronger leadership to ensure that the investment decisions it makes now do not result in increased costs in the long term.

Tube delay falls 38% in 4 years l TfL has cut delays on the London Underground by nearly 38% since 2011. On the Victoria, Jubilee and Northern lines, reliability has improved by 74%, 67% and 40% respectively. This follows a sustained investment in modernising signalling, track and trains, and improvements to maintenance and operational procedures.

Thales wins € 61.5m Spanish contract l ADIF, the Spanish railway infrastructure administrative has awarded Thales a €61.5m contract for the maintenance of the MadridSeville high-speed lines and the La Sagra-Toledo and CordobaMalaga branch lines. Thales’s ETCS signalling and telecommunications solutions are deployed on more than two-thirds of the country’s highspeed rail network.

£400k fine for Babcock l Babcock Rail has been fined £400k for a breach of health & safety laws which led to a rail worker suffering injuries while renewing track in Flintshire 2 years ago. The employee was struck by a Road-Rail Vehicle and trapped against the platform edge at Hope station. Babcock was found to be aware of the risk but failed to take appropriate preventive measures following inadequate planning, coordination and communication between managers.

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IN BRIEF Crossrail to be named the Elizabeth line l Crossrail is to be named the Elizabeth line when services open through central London in December 2018. The announcement was made by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, when the Queen was shown around the Bond Street station site.

Her Majesty was the first reigning monarch to travel on the London Underground, when she opened the Victoria line service in 1969.

New intelligent ticket gate targets fare dodgers l New intelligent, transportation ticket gates that use three-dimensional scanning to accurately distinguish between valid passengers and tailgating fare dodgers are being piloted by SNCF at Marseille Saint Charles railway station. The gates, from Xerox, can accurately distinguish between passengers loaded with luggage and a person attempting to pass unnoticed behind them.

Murphy wins £60m+ electrification contract l J Murphy & Sons has secured a multi-disciplinary design and construct contract worth more than £60m for the electrification of the London Overground from Gospel Oak to Barking. The project, to carry out principal enabling works for the overall scheme, was awarded by Network Rail, on behalf of TfL and the DfT.

New rail safety MSc from Huddersfield l The University of Huddersfield has launched the UK’s first MSc in Railway Systems Safety and Risk. The first intake begins in September. The oneyear postgraduate course is open to full-time or part-time students, and combines safety and risk sciences as an independent discipline with railway industry applications. Lecturers include 4 rail safety specialists from the Institute of Railway Research and 2 experienced industry partners.

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Train services resume over the Lamington Viaduct

Engineers finish vital repairs to Lamington Viaduct ahead of planned March reopening date l The West Coast Mainline has reopened to passenger and freight services following the successful completion of repair works at the flood-damaged Lamington Viaduct.

The viaduct, over the River Clyde, has undergone an intensive seven week engineering programme to stabilise the structure after it was left close to collapse by Storm Frank on New Year’s Eve. The floodwaters scoured out much of the foundations of the viaduct’s second pier and hundreds of engineers have been working around-the-clock since January, often in challenging weather conditions, to save the structure.

The incident also damaged the second pier’s steel bearings which support the bridge-deck and track above the pier, a non-load-bearing section of the viaduct’s third pier and the

structure’s north abutment.

Engineers have placed more than 7,000 tons of rock around the battered structure to protect it from the fast-flowing Clyde, constructed concrete supports around the damaged second pier and anchored it to the riverbed using over 100 8m-long steel rods.

Works have also been done to replace the bearings on the second pier and repair the damage to the third pier and north abutment.

Work will continue to re-profile the river banks and re-shape the viaduct’s piers to improve the flow of water through the structure.

A break in the weather conditions in early February and the earlier than expected arrival of the new, custom-made bearings accelerated the programme, which had been scheduled to run until early March.

Major Crossrail improvement work to begin at Paddington Tube station in April l Major improvement works at Paddington Tube station are set to begin in April to boost capacity at the station, renew the escalators and construct a new passenger tunnel.

The work is in preparation for the arrival of Crossrail, and is the latest instalment of a huge programme of modernisation of London Underground.

Engineers will dig a 165m tunnel underneath the station to create a new interchange between the Bakerloo line and new Crossrail platforms, which will become operational from 2018. The new pedestrian link will incorporate escalators, lifts, stairs and new passageways making the interchanging

between the Tube and Crossrail quick and easy.

From 2 April to mid-August, engineers will also carry out a major renewal of both escalators serving the Bakerloo line, and while this happen, Bakerloo line trains will not stop at Paddington. Virtually every component of the escalators will be replaced, improving reliability and extending their life by 20 years.

Currently around 165,000 customers use Paddington Tube station daily – with 82,000 people using the Bakerloo line. When Crossrail arrives from 2018, the number of customers using TfL services at Paddington is expected to be 248,000.

NEWS I Infrastructure

Major landslip closes the Settle to Carlisle line between Carlisle and Appleby

The Eden Brow landslip, Appleby l A section of the Settle to Carlisle railway between Carlisle and Appleby is likely to remain closed for several months as engineering works take place to repair a major landslip involving an estimated 500,000 tonnes of earth.

The line was closed on 9 February after aerial surveys and ground monitoring at Eden Brows, an area two miles north of Armathwaite that overlooks the River Eden, detected significant earth movement.

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “The River Eden had severely eroded the base of the embankment.

This, combined with the recent repeated storms and saturated ground, caused the landslip.”

The area of land affected by the landslip is more than 130m long and 70m wide.

Frobisher continued: “An estimated 500,000

Access road under construction tonnes of earth have moved already and the slip is accelerating. It is not safe to run trains in this situation. “ Network Rail’s team of geotechnical specialists have been carrying out detailed ground investigations using borehole equipment. The results of these measurements will be used to design a long term engineering solution to the problem. Meanwhile, access roads, pathways and a site compound have been installed and vegetation removed, so that work can begin as soon as a solution is agreed.

The challenge has been made doubly complex by the size of the landslip, its inaccessible location and the fact it’s still moving.

At this stage Network Rail says it is not possible to provide an accurate timescale for the final repairs but it will take several months at least.

The Conwy Valley line reopens a week ahead of schedule

Damage caused by flooding to Conwy Valley line l The Conwy Valley line, which was severely damaged in the floods of late December last year, has opened ahead of schedule. Engineers from Network Rail and Alun Griffiths, have worked to repair damage at over 100 separate locations along the line from Llandudno

Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Over 1200 tonnes of stone washed out by the flooding have been restored, bridges repaired, embankments secured, signalling cable replaced and debris cleared away.

Francis McGarry, delivery director for Network Rail added: “The scene that greeted us just after Christmas was incredible. Parts of the line were still underwater and where the water had receded it had taken much of the track-bed with it. We started working immediately and put in place a programme to re-open by the end of February.”

The line was reopened a week ahead of schedule, initially operating a special timetable.

Birmingham city centre tram extension looks set to open in the spring l The go-ahead for a series of crucial safety checks has been secured, paving the way for a spring opening of the next leg of the Birmingham city centre tram extension.

Centro has been given the green light

by Network Rail to run essential overnight testing of the electrical systems along the new Midland Metro route on April 23.

The granting of the ‘possession’ will ensure that the Metro’s electronic systems do not interfere with those controlling trains using New Street station. The work will also check that Network Rail’s systems do not interfere with the Metro.

Centro’s Metro programme director, Phil Hewitt, said: “The only way we can carry out this work is by getting a possession, when no trains are running, from Network Rail and we are grateful to them for speeding up the process and cutting the length of time you usually have to wait.

“This is a crucial piece of work because once done it clears the way for us to carry out the final testing, commissioning of, and staff training for the new extension. Once that process is completed we can start running trams down to New Street station.”

Work to complete the route along Corporation Street and Stephenson Street to New Street Station had been suspended for eight weeks in the run up to Christmas, but restarted in the New Year.

The industry standard timescale for possession is a minimum of 13 weeks but Network Rail was able to confirm the Metro date sooner, speeding up the potential opening of the new extension.

The £128m project, which includes a fleet of 21 new trams and a new maintenance depot at Wednesbury.

Cheshire’s historic viaduct refurbishment completed l A £17m project to refurbish and protect Grade-II listed viaducts at Holmes Chapel and Peover in Cheshire has been completed.

The work included brickwork repairs and waterproofing, installation of drainage and the removal of water stains on the walls. The Crewe to Manchester and Sandbach to Northwich lines returned to normal service on 24 February.

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NEWS I Infrastructure

Above Stockport station masterplane

Plans for the transformation of Stockport station are revealed l Stockport Council has launched a masterplan to regenerate the area around Stockport rail station and strengthen its connections as a transport hub for the town centre.

The vision, designed by professional services consultancy WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff alongside design architects BDP and economic consultants Ekosgen, will transform the station into a modern facility that provides a welcoming environment for passengers and breathes new life into the surrounding areas.

Proposed work includes redeveloping the concourses, creating better access to platforms via a new footbridge, direct links with car

parks, and improvements made to the existing subway.

The masterplan also sets out improvements to the links between the rail station, transport interchange and the town centre, providing better access to the surroundings.

Estimates predict that the redevelopment of the station and the surrounding area could result in 1,800 to 2,000 new jobs in Stockport, due to the town’s connectivity and workforce.

Sitting at a key position on the regional and national rail network Stockport station has always been important both locally and for Greater Manchester, and handles over

3.5m passengers a year.

Work on securing the funding to turn this into a reality will now begin.

Project director Adrian Kemp from WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, said: “The team has drawn on extensive expertise across a range of services, from rail infrastructure to economic assessment and transport planning, to design an ambitious but deliverable masterplan.

We look forward to seeing these designs brought to life to transform Stockport station, improving both connectivity and the visitor experience for more than 3m passengers who travel through the station every year.”

Crossrail publishes key milestones for 2016 l With just over one year to go before the first Crossrail services begin running, the project is entering a complex and crucial stage.

2016 will see the major fit-out of the new tunnels and stations across the network.

Meanwhile the first Crossrail test train, being constructed in Derby by Bombardier, will roll off the production and go through a rigorous testing programme before being allowed to enter service in May 2017.

Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief executive said: “Following the completion of tunnelling last year, Crossrail’s focus is now on the complex task of fitting out the new tunnels and stations with the necessary infrastructure and railway systems to enable TfL-run services to commence through central London in 2018.”

Crossrail’s milestones for 2016 include: • Installation of over 40km of permanent track

•

• •

•

•

in Crossrail’s tunnels will be completed and work will commence on the installation of over 4km of platform screen doors.

Some 1.5m metres of cabling will be used in mechanical and electrical systems such as overhead line equipment. The complex task of furnishing the tunnels and stations with ventilation, signalling systems, communications etc will continue.

A major new Crossrail depot will be constructed at Old Oak Common.

The first Crossrail trains will leave the Bombardier facility in Derby and go for track testing ready for delivery to London.

The first package of station improvements on above ground sections between Liverpool Street and Shenfield will take place throughout the year.

Step-free access works at stations along the rail route will begin this summer.

• A new interchange at Paddington linking the existing Underground station and the new Crossrail station will be built between April and August.

• Network Rail will continue major surface works on the existing rail network. The construction of new ticket halls will begin at stations including Ealing Broadway, Hayes & Harlington and Southall.

• A new diveunder at Acton will be complete by the end of the year.

• Other major trackwork across the route and electrification in west London and Berkshire will continue.

Howard Smith, TfL’s operations director of Crossrail, said: “This will be a crucial year for the project as we progress towards the start of Crossrail services with new trains running on tracks from May 2017.”

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INTERVIEW Peter Austin

Building a

change culture

You have to be agile and responsive to fulfil the conditions of today’s rail franchises. LOROL MD Peter Austin talks to Gay Sutton about transforming the London Overground into service excellence and creating an operating organisation that has change management at its heart

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hen LOROL (London Overground Rail Operation Ltd) began operating London’s overground suburban train services in 2007 on behalf of Transport for London, expectations were high. Indeed, the terms and demands of the new concession were high.

After years of underinvestment in the railways that were brought together to form London Overground, TfL promised more than £1.4 billion to be ploughed into staff, rolling stock and station refurbishment. It therefore followed that the concession to operate the newly created London Overground included tough incentives to run the railway to the highest standards. A whole range of performance indicators were introduced with strict financial punishments if the operator failed to deliver.

Left Using the smartwatch technology to keep staff and passengers informed The task of fulfilling this demanding vision and delivering the required step change in operating performance was entrusted to LOROL, a new joint venture between MTR Corporation of Hong Kong (50%) and Aviva Deutsche Bahn (50%). A completely new management team was assembled, and began operating the concession from a new headquarters building, with new HR and new management systems. The pressure to start from scratch and hit the ground running was enormous.

Current managing director Peter Austin has been with the company since the very beginning. As finance director on takeover, he was responsible for putting in all the financial systems for the new company, a task that could make or break relationships with the existing staff. “It’s a job that always fills me with dread, because one thing you can’t afford to get wrong is the payroll system,” he said.

“Ultimately, this is a people business.”

The staff who were transferring from the previous franchises were wary, he admitted. But the transfer went ahead smoothly, thanks to the support and help

Main picture Peter Austin, managing director, LOROL

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INTERVIEW Peter Austin

Abovee The launch of the new five car trains

of the outgoing franchisees, and a great many of those original staff have risen through the ranks and are still with LOROL today.

Why change lies at its heart One of the impressive things about LOROL is that it has managed an incredible amount of change to services and infrastructure improvements since 2007. “In some ways we are a change management organisation that operates a railway,” Peter said. The first task had been to reverse the debilitating effects of previous low budgets. This meant improving the run down rolling stock, increasing service frequency, addressing the poor hygiene and lighting at the stations, staffing them from first to last train, and making them more pleasant and secure environments for the passenger. But that was only the beginning.

“We’ve introduced completely new fleets of rolling stock, we helped commission and introduced services to the new East London line, we have introduced driver only operations across all of the routes, we’ve delivered a £35 million plus station improvement programme without closing the railways. And we’ve delivered numerous other change projects on the railway from brand new stations, to carriage washers to ticketing systems.”

From just 600 staff in 2007, the organisation has 1500 today and has tripled the number of trains in service.

“Opening the East London line, for example, was a huge exercise in recruitment for us. We needed around 250

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drivers, and around 120 station staff for the new services, so we recruited and trained them. And you have to make sure you get the right people in the role.”

Serving Stratford, LOROL also played a key role in getting people to the London Olympics. “We did a great deal of preplanning, advance maintenance, and a lot of contingency planning in the run up to the Olympics,” Peter commented. “As a result they were then pretty special times for us and the railway ran exceptionally well.”

Alongside this, LOROL increased the length of the majority of its trains, to increase capacity to meet the considerable passenger growth seen on the network.

This involved a huge feat of construction and engineering.

Being multiple units, the extra cars had to be inserted into the existing train formation and deliver the same driving characteristics as the existing cars. Meanwhile, many station platforms had to be extended, sidings were increased in length and additional sidings built to stable the trains overnight. “And of course,” he concluded, “the sheds at the maintenance depots had to be extended as well.”

A different management style This very diverse range of initiatives were managed through well developed and honed management processes. “The way we do this is by putting a change management structure around the project, normally comprising a separate director, project director or a sponsoring director, with a multifunctional project team beneath that.”

The team effectively acts as a bridge between the operational functions and the project, and reports to the LOROL business executive, which oversees both the dayto-day running of operations and also the project delivery.

It’s a structure that has worked well over the years, and which also played a major part in the successful assumption of the West Anglia services last year.

A big bite of the cake Taking on the West Anglia services on 31 May 2015 was an enormous step change for LOROL. In one giant move, the company increased its business by one third, growing the workforce by 300 staff, adding another 300 trains a day, along with a further 104 miles of track, and 24 more stations.

The transfer from Abellio Greater Anglia was managed in three distinct phases. The first was planning. TfL intended to make some significant investments in West Anglia, with the aim of achieving the same performance and station standards as LOROL had created on the Overground. “That included the regularity of cleaning, implementing our penalty and quality regimes,” Peter explained, “and staffing stations from first to last train every day.”

During the planning stage a great deal of valuable work was done on idea generation, visualising all the options for the service, identifying how the operations would ultimately look, the steps by which this could be achieved, and what it would cost. The second phase was mobilisation, which then led to the final takeover phase.

How this worked in practice “To manage the takeover effectively, we appointed a project director who worked with the customer services director here at LOROL who assumed the role of general manager for the West Anglia routes. We then treated West Anglia is a mini separate business until it was fully integrated into the Overground network. It had a shadow executive made up of a senior manager from each function reporting in to the general manager.”

Their remit was to ensure all the details in the plans were implemented effectively. So they would regularly review progress and compare that to the plans. “If they thought we needed to do something different within their delegated authority they’d either get on with it, or if it was something material they would come back to the main business exec for our views and support. It’s a system that works pretty well.”

It was extremely hard work for the first couple of weeks. In spite of excellent planning, LOROL had taken on six trains that had been out of passenger service for three years, and proved to be not as reliable as expected.

As a result, priorities had to be assessed, agility was required to adapt the plan, resolve the issues and bring progress back on track. “The key problem was reliability of the doors,” he explained. “So we put the planned fleet refurbishment on hold for about six weeks while the fleet

was put through a door realignment process, to ensure they operated smoothly.”

West Anglia is now largely integrated into LOROL and is operating as one of its service groups, with continuing support from Abellio Greater Anglia who are still providing drivers for the Romford line, as well as rolling stock maintenance and a few other short-term services.

More change ahead Looking to the future, there are numerous plans and targets for further development and improvement of the Overground network.

Electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking line will take place this year, and the line will reopen in 2017. “It’s a big project. We will have to extend a lot of platforms and lower the track so we can put the electric wires up under bridges. That line has been a victim of its own success, there are just far too many people for our current trains to cope with. The electrification will pave the way for a new fleet of four car trains to double existing capacity.”

Meanwhile, re-tendering for the Overground concession is currently taking place, and this is likely to result in more change for everyone involved in its operation. Both of LOROL’s JV owners are bidding separately for the contract and this in itself has created an unusual set of circumstances. “It does result in a degree of uncertainty for staff,” he admitted. However, Peter and the rest of his management team are focusing fully on the ongoing operation, and carrying forward the long-term vision, which is one of growth and investment.

“We are very proud of what we’ve achieved over the last nine years. The railway has been transformed, but there is still a lot more to do. London’s population is growing and is likely to be 10 million by 2020. The real challenge is to continuously improve performance while providing more capacity to keep up with demand. We’re exploring a whole range of options and it’s an exciting thing to be part of.”

Top Gospel Oak station

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ENGINEERING

Electrification: enabling productivity As the first phase of the Digitally Enabling Electrification scheme comes to a close, Ben Clark speaks to Adam Locke of Laing O’Rourke and Ali Najimi of Atkins to discuss its successes and its potential for driving unprecedented levels of productivity into the future of infrastructure development

T

Below Trimble survey

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he UK’s current electrification programme is the biggest the country’s rail industry has ever seen.

Over the coming years billions of pounds will be invested into upgrading over 2000 miles of the Midland Mainline, Great Western and Northern routes to create a faster, greener, quieter and more reliable network across some of the UK’s largest and busiest lines.

Electrification work is never a simple process. It involves multiple design, construction and manufacturing partners coming together to install key pieces of infrastructure across considerable geographies. With increasing pressure from rising passenger numbers and the subsequent demands for greater capacity and reliability, plus the scheduling and funding issues that have plagued the programme from the start, doing so in a quick and efficient manner is critical.

However, a number of challenges currently stand in the way of successfully achieving this, and a collaborative research project co-funded by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and Innovate

UK, and made up of, Laing O’Rourke, Atkins, dhp11 and Imperial College London, set out to overcome these. As one of 11 programmes funded under the Enabling the Digital Railway initiative, the Digitally Enabling Electrification (DEE) scheme is targeted at applying digital technology to enhance productivity in electrification through effective use and exchange of information. Work on the Staffordshire alliance contract on the West Coast Mainline has been a key platform upon which the industrial research and alliance partners, Atkins and Laing O’Rourke, have been able to learn from and develop their solutions.

Taking a deeper look Many of these issues start at ground level, or rather below it, where the foundations required for electrification masts are submitted to unseen environmental factors that amount to variations in their positioning compared to the original design. This results in a lot of on-site possession time being spent making adjustments to the equipment

“In order to quickly capture the position of each foundation we have been trialling a number of technologies such as drones, point cloud, photogrammetry and LIDAR to accurately assess what adjustments need to be made, so we have demonstrated the potential here,” Adam continues. “The next problem of course is how we then pass this new information on to all the other partners to continue these efficiencies.”

Left Drone live capture feed Inset left Survey results in model

Enabling digital communications

in order for it to fit, and therefore reduces the productivity of each possession time. It also raises safety concerns as much of this work is carried out at night, in the rain and at height. Considering that each construction site is essentially hundreds of miles long, being able to avoid such a loss in productivity has the potential to create huge savings in both time and cost.

“What we want to be able to do is enable the industry to bring pre-adjusted components from the fabrication shop onto site that can go up in place as they are and therefore drive efficiency and safety benefits into the possession period,” explains Adam Locke, project director at Laing O’Rourke. However, at this point even more problems impede progression. Firstly, how to rapidly survey a site to see the exact foundation positioning, and secondly, how to quickly share this information in order to make the necessary adjustments in a timely manner.

Working together, the research partnership has been developing three critical solutions that have the potential to help realise an efficient and digitally enabled process.

At present most companies involved in the design and construction phase of such a project have their own digital design tools that have resulted from years of investment and development. However, within the electrification segment there has so far been no effort to facilitate an effective interface between these separate systems. Ali Najimi, senior engineer and project manager at the programme’s design partner Atkins, explains that until now whilst all designs would have been carried out on state-of-the-art BIM software, this would have been passed on to the contractor – in this case Laing O’Rourke – in the form of thousands of sheets of paper. This data would then need to have been re-input to be compatible with their own systems.

“What we needed was an open standard where any manufacturer, contractor, designer or installer can share and access an open design format,” he says. “This is where the research group’s solution, called OLEDEF (Overhead Line Electrification Data Exchange Format) comes in. Using XML (Extensible Markup Language) the new format provides the widest compatibility to be interpreted by anyone using BIM software. Not only does this massively increase the speed of the process from design to construction, but it also means that all designs can be kept fully up-to-date.

“This was in line with one of our other main focuses on the project which was to incorporate the PAS 1192 standard into electrification schemes – this is the code of practice for the collaborative production of engineering and construction information. Therefore meaning that all the parties involved in the project can develop their own models with the level of detail that is relevant to their stage of the cycle, and then share it in a data environment.”

Having established methods for capturing rapid surveys and quickly sharing this data, the next step for

Below Ali Najimi, senior engineer and project manager, Atkins Bottom Adam Locke, project director, Laing O’Rourke

15

ENGINEERING

the research programme was to develop a digital tool capable of modelling everything efficiently. “Atkins have spent all this time investing in their digital design tools and producing an XML file, which can now hold critical information like where a component will be, along with its rotation, height, what mast type it needs and so on thanks to their design and the survey data,” highlights Adam. “We then needed to apply this to our own design software to make use of the information very quickly.

The great thing is that across the electrification project Network Rail has a standard set of components and we have created incredibly detailed virtual 3D models of each of these. These can then be selected, adjusted and installed by the software according to this design file in order to recreate a virtual railway line. Because of how detailed this is we can then accurately schedule, fabricate and install the real thing, with all of the adjustment work being carried out before it goes to site, thus increasing possession productivity.”

Railway team who called for the audience to actively embrace such solutions, Adam and Ali both highlight the event as a success and both see a positive future for digital electrification.

“What we have done is prove the concept,” says Adam. “We’ve shown that you can create a model from a library of components, you can do quick surveys and you can share this across an open data environment. The next step is to properly deploy this on a real project and we have a very unique opportunity to do so as, together with Atkins, we will be working on the East West Rail project where we hope to carry the system’s development onto the next level. Of course, if another opportunity comes up sooner we would jump at the chance to get an even earlier win and really demonstrate its advantages on a full-scale project.”

Ali echoes this sentiment going on to emphasise: “The one thing this project has really shown is that there are real savings to be had both in terms of time and cost.

It’s about increasing the overall productivity of each possession time and therefore creating a much more efficient programme on the wider project level.”

Looking beyond the present

Right F & F Series 2 cantilever

Sharing this knowledge As the two-year research project recently came to an end, a dissemination event held at the end of January at the National Railway Museum in York, was the perfect stage for the partners to share the benefits such practices could bring to the future of electrification. With 80 key representatives from across the UK rail industry, including Philip Bennett from Network Rail’s Digital

16

What is perhaps even more key to take from the DEE is its implications far beyond electrification. Similar systems are being developed in the signalling sector and other rail developments can potentially follow. Even further afield Laing O’Rourke is already applying the same approach to its work in the water industry and are also looking at its applicability to upcoming bridge contracts. Similarly, Atkins’ highways division is keen to find out what benefits it could bring them. “Ultimately, the benefits of this project are of interest from an entire BIM point of view across the wider construction industry,” Ali notes.

Digitisation will be playing a crucial role in the rail industry’s development over the coming years as it looks to meet the growing capacity and reliability needs of the network. We already see it being rolled out to enhance the passenger experience and in creating a far improved signalling system. However, by implementing it in to the design and construction phases of the enormous electrification scheme, the DEE is proving just how much potential it can have in bringing significant time and cost savings to a project where both these aspects pose challenges. As a society we have arguably been living in the digital age for a number of years now. Yet, as its benefits trickle down throughout various industries our ability to bring about significant change to infrastructural development is only just starting to emerge. Ultimately, not only is the work carried out by the likes of Laing O’Rourke, Atkins, dhp11 and Imperial College London so vital to achieving this, but it also suggests that the network will very much be the better for it as it moves forward.

NEWS I Infrastructure

Work to begin on South Yorkshire’s Tinsley Chord Exchange Square, Manchester city centre

Metrolink begins running to Manchester’s new Exchange Square When fully opens in 2017, the Second City l Trams have now begun running into Exchange Square in the heart of Manchester shopping and leisure district, marking the completion of the first stage of the £165m Metrolink Second City Crossing.

Construction work started on the 0.6k stretch of line between Victoria Station and Exchange Square in summer 2014, and has been fast-tracked with a European Regional Development Fund grant.

Crossing will call at transformed and newly built stops at Deansgate-Castlefield, St Peter’s Square, Exchange Square and Victoria Station.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “Getting the Exchange Square stop up and running weeks before Christmas is a significant achievement – and one that would not have happened without European funding to fast-track the work.”

Network Rail’s Orange Army clears the damage from Storm Desmond

Flooding on the West Coast Main Line north of Carlisle

Debris strewn across the railway north of Carlisle

l Network Rail’s Orange Army worked flat out to re-establish rail links between England and Scotland after unprecedented amounts of rain buried the line underneath 8ft of flood water.

Storm Desmond hit the north of England, Northern Ireland, north Wales and southern Scotland, between the 4th and 5th December bringing record breaking levels of rainfall.

Cumbria took the greatest hit clocking a record 341.4mm of rain at the Honister Pass.

The usual monthly rainfall for Cumbria is 146.1mm.

By Sunday 6th, the railway north of Carlisle was under 8ft of floodwater. Once the water subsided on Monday the Orange Army set to work removing debris and mud from the railway, repairing track and infrastructure and putting temporary measures in place to enable trains to run through the area. Engineers then

continued to repair damaged signalling and electrical equipment for full services to resume.

Trains began running again between Workington and Carnforth, Carnforth to Skipton, Appleby to Carlisle and on the West Coast main line from Preston and Carlisle on Monday.

The West Coast main line north of Carlisle was reopened on Tuesday afternoon, while the Workington to Carlisle section, which was severely damaged by flooding and two landslides, re-opened early Wednesday morning.

Commenting at the time, Debbie Francis of Network Rail said: “Before trains are able to run normally large amounts of signalling equipment, including safety-critical electrical cabinets, need to be replaced following extensive flood damage and work will continue to take place over the coming days.”

l Plans to build the new Tinsley Chord, connecting the rail network with the South Yorkshire tram network, have been approved by the Department for Transport.

When completed, European-style tramtrains will be able to run between the rail and tram networks for the first time, providing a direct service between Sheffield city centre, Rotherham Central railway station and Parkgate retail park.

Network Rail can now begin work on the 160 metres of new track and overhead lines to carry the electricity to power the tramtrains, as well as constructing a small building to house lineside equipment.

Andrew Penny, area director for Network Rail, said: “Construction work on the ground can now get underway on this exciting project that will see the first tram-train service in Britain being piloted in Yorkshire.”

Largest investment in railways since Victorian times set to continue l Sir Peter Hendy has published his review into Network Rail’s five-year funding programme to 2019, and concluded that the majority of the programme can go ahead as planned with extra investment generated primarily from the sale of non-core railway assets.

Announcing the results of the review, Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, said: “The extra investment secures a Railway Upgrade Plan that delivers better stations, faster, more frequent and longer trains and a safer and more reliable railway for millions of passengers and businesses.

“Working closely with the Department for Transport we have ensured that no infrastructure project has been cancelled and the bulk of the investment programme will be delivered by March 2019. Some projects will cost more and take longer than originally expected but we will see the job through to deliver better journeys for passengers. My review has clearly found that the original plan was unrealistic and undeliverable.”

An eight-week consultation by the DfT on the report’s findings started in early December.

17

ENGINEERING - case study

Enlarging the

Farnworth Tunnel

A specially designed TBM from Tunnel Engineering Services adapts to the unexpected, and completes the enlargement of the Farnworth tunnel ready for electrification

Above The tunnel completed and ready for rail line and electrification system installation

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T

unnel Engineering Services (UK) Ltd (TES) recently provided a specially designed tunnel boring machine (TBM) in support of the Network Rail route electrification project between Manchester and Preston via Bolton which when completed will electrify one of the North West’s busiest routes and allow faster trains with more passenger space.

As part of the construction works there was a requirement to reconstruct/enlarge the Farnworth Tunnel which is on the line about 4km southeast of Bolton. The reconstruction was

required because the original tunnel size would not allow the installation of the new overhead power lines required by the new trains. As well as the tunnel rebuild, some 1,600m of track through the area also had to be lowered to ensure smooth running of the electrified rail line.

Challenges The original tunnel was constructed in the mid 1830s and runs over a length of some 270m. The construction comprises a mix of brick and stone lining with stone

The TBM, named Fillie, had to bore a new 270m long tunnel, removing some 30,000 tonnes of material and install 1,940 concrete lining segments to complete the new tunnel. Work started at the site in March 2015 in preparation for the arrival of the TBM. Prior to works starting, construction of the TBM itself was something of a challenge. Having to excavate the original tunnel with Victorian interlocked solid stone work, brick lining and the surrounding ground meant that the design had to be not only durable to enable the very hard stone work to be removed but also flexible enough to enable excavation unit changes relatively quickly and easily as the ground conditions changed during the tunnel advance.

The location and proposed route of the new Farnworth Tunnel was such that it effectively required the removal of pretty much all of the existing tunnel alignment and also required the excavation for the new tunnel to, at times, pass very close to the original smaller diameter Farnworth (running) Tunnel that was built in the early 1830s.

Above The largest TBM to be built in the UK under test at the TES site

Designing the TBM

portals through a mix of ground conditions.

Prior to the electrification reconstruction works commencing, over 1,500 ground investigation bores were made to establish what ground types would need to be handled by the tunnelling machine during the excavation operation.

After examining the market, TES was approached as the potential TBM manufacturer with a brief to design what ultimately proved to be the largest TBM ever constructed in the UK.

Because of these proximities it was decided that a full face TBM would not be appropriate for this drive. After careful consideration of the predicted conditions both for ground and tunnelling works, TES, in co-operation with the team from tunnelling contractor J Murphy & Sons Limited (Murphy), ultimately designed the 9m outside diameter open face shield, with leading edge forepoling boards for initial ground support at the face, that utilised centrally-mounted twin mining booms that could each carry a roadheader drum cutter and/or a bucket excavator. In the event, despite not having been initially designed for this use, ground conditions meant that booms were also utilised with a combination of hydraulic breaker and bucket depending on the ground type encountered.

TES received the first enquiry about a possible tunnelling machine from Murphy in November, 2014. The

19

ENGINEERING - case study

Above The various tunnelling options of the twin boom TBM including roadheader, pecker and bucket excavator modes

initial brief was that the machine would need to handle foam concrete, solid stone brick and what was believed to be softer ground types along the tunnel bore route. In barely one month an initial design for the excavator-based TBM was presented and Murphy agreed to proceed, provided the unit was ready to be on site no later than July 2015.

In just seven months, by July 2015 TES had completed the design, built and completed testing on the shield section of the tunnelling machine. By the end of July, whilst TES was finalising testing of the segment lining erector in the yard, engineers from Murphy were dismantling the front end of the shield alongside TES engineers for transport to site. The complete unit was ultimately dismantled at the TES yard in just two days.

At the Farnworth Tunnel site, in association with TES engineers, Murphy rebuilt the whole machine in just 5 days. The machine commenced tunnelling immediately on completion of the build.

Preparation Whilst the machine was under construction, from March 2015, Murphy had commenced preparation works with the construction of the launch portal for the TBM and filled the old tunnel from end to end completely with 7,500m3 of foam concrete. This was intended to provide support to the old tunnel and surrounding ground as it was excavated. Despite the more than 1,500 test holes

20

drilled to investigate the ground conditions, the drive actually encountered far more sand than was predicted.

The excavation removed all of the old tunnel, upsizing the diameter by some 2 to 3m to 9m (outside diameter).

The route ran mostly on the line of the old tunnel which included an existing curve. The new tunnel curve however was not as tight as the old one to allow the new route to handle the newer trains. However, the new tunnel route passed very close to the alignment of the Farnworth (running) Tunnel, passing by with as little as 2m clearance at times.

As well as removing the old tunnel, the new route also required the invert of the old tunnel to be excavated because the upsizing of the existing tunnel was confined vertically due to limited ground cover over the drive. However, once the new track is completed the track horizon is not expected to be much lower than the old track.

Tunnelling works At the start of tunnelling works the excavator booms were fitted with roadheader drum cutters which were used to cut through the old tunnel headwall. The high stone strength caused significant vibrations when cutting which meant that the use of the drum cutters had to be limited. So, once sufficient of the headwall was removed it was decided to exchange the drum cutters for hydraulic pick units or peckers to limit the impact of excavation

vibrations on the machine structure. Whilst the original TBM design did not take into account use of peckers, the interchange was made possible with minor modifications so the tunnelling process could proceed. However ground conditions deteriorated into running sand at times which caused delays as Murphy had to inject ground stabilisation resins ahead of the face.

This was also a necessity where the tunnel ran beneath the alignment of the A666 road. As the tunnel passed beneath the road, the surface experienced some anticipated subsidence. However plans had been put into place should this occur and the road was resurfaced back to its original level during an overnight operation with minimal, if any, disruption to this busy traffic route.

It proved possible to safely excavate while concurrently installing and grouting sections of the tunnel wall as was originally planned. At one other point in the excavation a running sand inrush occurred with some 100t of sand burying the machine face. This caused a further delay as the site had to be open cut using a shaft to re-stabilise the ground over the TBM face. However the remedial works worked very well and despite the ground problems the TBM completed the new 270m tunnel on 30 October, 2015.

The outcome Commenting on the project from the TBM manufacturer’s viewpoint Geoff Clarke, managing director of TES said: “This perhaps is one for our own record books. From the date of the first enquiry back in November 2014, through design, build, test, delivery, commissioning, tunnelling, holing and scrapping of the TBM at the end of the project, the whole thing was completed in less than 12 months from start to finish.

This was despite the fact that as far as we know this is the largest tunnelling machine built to date in the UK. This was an excellent job all-round in the time frame available and it was only possible due to the time and effort of our TES team working in complete concert with the Murphy team over the whole project duration. This was not always the smoothest running project but it does show what British engineering can really achieve when it needs to whatever the conditions.”

Mick Boyle, project manager for Murphy said: “The tunnel has now been secured for many decades, providing a more efficient railway for Network Rail and passengers. This has been an exciting project to work on, especially with the TBM, and demonstrates the skills of our team and the effectiveness of our partnership working.”

For Network Rail Nick Spall, route delivery director London north west infrastructure projects said of TES’s involvement in the Farnworth Tunnel project: “On behalf of Network Rail I would like to express my thanks to the entire team at Tunnel Engineering Solutions for the sterling efforts over the past few months to develop and manufacture the Farnworth Tunnel Boring Machine. The attitude and efforts of the company’s team have played a significant part in helping to ensure the successful delivery of the Farnworth Tunnel project as we have strived to create a one team ethos amongst all the key players, something clearly embraced by your organisation.”

The new section of electrified rail line was fully operational by mid-December of 2015.

www.tesuk.co.uk Left The TES machine holes at the end of the 270m drive

21

HEALTH & SAFETY

A new strategy

for rail

The rail industry is working together under the leadership of RSSB, to develop a Health and Safety Strategy that will identify a clear way ahead. JOHN ABBOTT, RSSB director of external engagement, explains

W

e all want our workforce and our passengers to get home safely every day. Taking health and safety seriously in everything we do ensures that this will happen by more than just good luck.

The rail industry has a good track record – we are mature in our understanding of risk and the GB rail network is one of the safest in Europe. We have developed a good understanding of where our health and safety risk lies, from knowledge of previous incidents – although some remaining areas are less well understood.

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Figure 1

see maintaining and working on and around the system tells us we are already doing lots of things well. It has been developed recognising that to set a clear, successful strategy for the next 10 years, there has to be strong leadership and collaboration at its heart.

As leaders within the industry we need to be working together, across organisational boundaries, to unlock possibilities that cannot be achieved working in isolation.

The strategy will not replace or duplicate efforts within individual companies but will support the industry, at a time of increased scrutiny and pressure, to deliver more for less, whilst improving performance in all areas: operational, health and safety, project delivery and value for money.

The strategy sets out to: • provide a focus for leadership in key areas where collaboration will deliver health and safety performance benefit • be a reference point for how health and safety is managed on the railway, and • identify collaborative strategies where cross industry action will deliver improved management of health and safety risk.

Leaders of course already collaborate with each other to manage health and safety risks, but it was clear in developing the strategy that more can be done. RSSB already facilitates leadership cooperation on health and safety and provides a structure for sector groups in which risk is discussed and better understood. They also sponsor improvement plans and promulgate good practices, tools and research, which enhance the industry understanding of the risks we need to manage. There are already established tools and process such as the taking safe decisions framework and other guides which help industry to develop tools to better understand and manage risk. See figure 2.

Figure 2

In acknowledging this disparity and recognising that we need to work together better to improve known risks, leaders have decided to create this strategy.

Strong leadership and collaboration Health and safety is integral to a successful rail industry; this new strategy provides a framework for industry to focus on specific areas in which greater collaboration will achieve greater gains in health and safety performance.

The fact that most people do not, quite rightly, question the safety of the train they use every day or of those we

Moving forward The strategy identifies nine management capability areas for improvement, (illustrated in figure 3). Each of these has an owning or governing group at a national level, supported or facilitated by RSSB, with a clear set of deliverables to support then industry in making the step changes required. These groups will concentrate the efforts on the output we need to ensure real change and benefits are delivered, through better collective use

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Figure 4

of technology, better assurance regimes and developing people. As we develop as leaders and as our industry understanding of risk continues to mature, we will be able to better manage health and safety in the future.

Figure 3

Providing a reference point may, at first glance, seem to be unnecessary – especially to those senior managers with many years of rail experience and who have developed an innate understanding of how it all works. If you ask 10 different people how the industry manages health and safety they will all give a slightly different version. We need to create a common ‘story’ using the various elements of the railway that describes how it is organised to manage health and safety.

We know we don’t induct everyone with the same information, and that managers with the same length of service might also have differing levels of knowledge. We want to create useful materials to enable a shared and common understanding, and which companies can use to induct staff joining the industry with the same, basic and useful knowledge.

Understanding the issues The strategy highlights 12 priority risk areas for leadership focus. They are all areas which have had attention – but the level of maturity and understanding varies considerably. For each priority area, we have set out a vision, the current level of maturity of understanding and the case for collaboration. We need to ensure that by focusing on all these areas as we design, build and maintain and operate the railway we are working together to improve health and safety for our workforce, our passengers and the public. See figure 4.

A good example is road driving risk, an area where we are aware that we don’t currently have sufficient information to fully understand how to better protect our workforce, and indeed our passengers when we transfer them on the rail replacement bus services.

Other areas such as level crossings are well established focus areas, in which risk is well understood. Here the

24

challenge is with the public interface and reducing the prohibitive costs to reduce the risks.

All of the 12 risk areas need the industry to come closer together, to share knowledge, ideas and resources to support activity to improve those areas of risk management and deliver the changes needed.

Figure 5

The Health and Safety Strategy has been developed by industry for industry. It will support understanding and enable collaboration and delivery of the changes we have to make if we are to enhance our health and safety performance and by doing so support delivering a more efficient, effective and safer GB rail network. RSSB is there to support the industry – logistically by supporting the various cross industry groups, with technical expertise to help inform and model risk and carry out research where needed.

Bringing industry together – from core organisations to those who help support a safe and efficient railway such as suppliers, British Transport Police (BTP) and others _ will help to deliver the changes to health and safety that we know will have the maximum impact. Developing a rail industry that better understands and manages its health and safety risks will mean we can be confident our employees and our staff will get home healthy and safe everyday – and that has to be something we can all agree is worth working towards.

NEWS I Rolling stock

Artist’s impression of catenary-free trams in Birmingham’s Victoria Square

Lithium ion batteries to be fitted to Birmingham’s trams l Birmingham is to be the first city in the UK to use cutting edge battery technology on its trams. The initiative means that overhead power lines can be dispensed with in architecturally sensitive areas of the city, and where their installation would require extensive preparatory engineering work.

The West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority has given the go-ahead for a plan to fit the latest generation of lithium ion batteries to Centro’s fleet of 21 Midland Metro Urbos 3 trams. Once installed on the tram roofs, the batteries can be recharged by the overhead lines along other parts of the route.

Catenary-free running had previously been ruled out because the supercapacitors used for on-board energy storage on similar CAF-built trams on networks in Zaragoza, Seville and Cadiz in Spain, were not deemed powerful enough for the steep hills of Birmingham’s Pinfold Street. New developments in lithium ion

battery technology now make them robust enough to handle the gradients.

Four tram extension projects are earmarked for catenary-free sections: Birmingham Centenary Square, Birmingham-Edgbaston, Birmingham Eastside and Wolverhampton city centre.

No overhead cables are to be installed around the 182-year-old Town Hall in Victoria Square for Metro line extension to Centenary Square, and significant savings will be made by avoiding the need for extensive infrastructure work to roads, bridges and buildings for overhead lines.

Catenary-free operation, meanwhile, is expected to save a further £650,000.

Cllr John McNicholas, chairman of the ITA’s delivery committee, said: “The application of battery technology on this scale in the West Midlands will be a historic first for the UK light rail industry and the modern era of British tramways.”

The new Gatwick Express trains begin entering service l The first of a fleet of 27 new Electrostar trains has entered service on the Gatwick Express, carrying passengers between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport. The trains, which were manufactured

by Bombardier at their Derby plant, will replace the current 30-year old train fleet.

The new £145m fleet comprises 108 carriages and comes equipped with power sockets throughout, on-train Wi-Fi and overseat lighting. The 2x2 seating offers more leg room and under-seat storage capacity, and will include more First Class seats.

Designed with two double sliding doors per carriage, passengers are able to get on and off the train more easily, reducing boarding and alighting times, and reducing amount of time the train is kept at stations.

Gatwick Express passenger services director, Angie Doll said: “The new fleet will replace 30-year old trains which are not designed for today’s airport passenger, and will transform the travelling

experience.”

Further improvements are planned for the Gatwick Express service including a new rail station, more trains, and an improved network. The aim is to double capacity at Gatwick by 2020, and ultimately to nearly treble it by 2035.

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Risk management in Australia A new risk management approach is delivering integrated safety management across Australia. Railway Strategies reveals how it provides a cross discipline view, reduces risk throughout the enterprise and enables local expertise to be shared nationally

A

unique new approach to manage safety across Downer Rail’s operations is leading the way in how safety and risk is managed in the rail industry in Australia. The approach has won safety awards for Downer for its holistic cross discipline and enterprisewide design to managing safety in its rail business.

The approach, termed SHREQ (Safety, Health, Risk, Environment and Quality), applies contemporary risk management strategies to the identification of safety risks connected to key business operations and functions.

This covers all disciplines including health and safety, rail safety, environmental management (including stakeholder management) supply chain and procurement and quality. Active Risk Manager (ARM) from Sword Active Risk underpins the approach, providing real-time data to support all project and business operations, including the National Rail Safety Risk Registers.

Jason Breton, general manager, risk & regulatory affairs at Downer, said; “We have developed the first Australian ‘live’ risk register that operates across disciplines, is enterprise-wide and national.

“Our framework is underpinned by our use of Active Risk Manager and the roll out of our SHREQ initiative has transformed our approach to safety and other areas of risk management. Business exposure is minimised, activities are targeted where they are most needed and, most importantly, safety is improving on an enterprise-

26

wide basis. The potential benefits for the Australia rail industry are enormous.”

The success of the framework and its implementation is clearly measurable in the results. Downer has seen more that 50 per cent improvement on its Safety Interface Agreement (SIA) programme. Aligning processes with the latest regulatory requirements and monitoring performance with potential risks identified, has enabled the company to support facilities and projects to meet its customer requirements and statutory audits.

How the approach was developed SHREQ was developed after Downer identified that safety risks were being treated as individual, discreet risks, with no benchmarking of controls or actions, understanding of the risk drivers, or how these might be connected to other parts of the enterprise.

At the time Downer’s risk registers held information about workplace safety hazards in isolation from other environments and workplaces, which meant that risks were segregated from the wider enterprise and other projects. Head office compiled a report on high or critical risks only, which meant that low risks with enterprise wide implications, were lost.

Recognising and valuing that local knowledge was key to developing the framework across the business – resulting in the Downer SHREQ approach.

Managing rail safety and risk in practice The company’s new approach moved from site-based paper documentation to a system that could develop local expertise to be shared nationally. Traditional areas of work health and safety are identified, assessed, recorded and monitored. Strategic risk and opportunities; quality, including product safety, internal audit and resolution of issues and supply chain and procurement are all managed using ARM. Project risks are also identified and recorded, both during the tender phase and during negotiations of new contracts.

Embracing a risk culture As well as the deployment of ARM throughout the organisation, the success of the holistic approach in Downer can be attributed to its management team and the risk culture that the company has embraced.

It has appointed a team of SHREQ auditors for each project and each site, as well as a management team that is focused on continuous improvement. Risk rating the quality audits means that rail safety critical risks (called A risks) can be identified, as well as triggers for a potential risk event. Changes and corrective action can be made across the traditional siloed areas of system, supplier, product, work health and safety.

The benefits - eliminating risk across the enterprise With the new approach, safety risks once held in silos across Downer’s national rail facilities, are exposed via ARM. Risks are registered for each project and site in the usual way and ARM enables a comparison of all risks within a site to be filtered with only the highest risks identified.

Lower level project risks not rated as significant can still be identified and tracked at an enterprise level. This means that while considered low risk at the project or site level, their repetition may have the potential to risk harm to employees, the community or stakeholders if left unmitigated. Using the SHREQ framework helps to mitigate such risks.

Brett King, Downer’s rail safety assurance manager said; “The SHREQ framework allows for both risks within individual projects, as well as risks across the business, to be identified and mitigated. We achieve this using ARM which provides real-time data and transparency to our internal and external stakeholders.

“ARM also allows the business to review the links between root cause and systemic failures across multiple sites. This provides a proactive approach to controlling risks and implementing mitigation plans at other locations.”

Improving safety and meeting legislation Downer Rail recently reached 12 months’ LTI free – which means that there has not been an employee injured at work resulting in a day off, since January 2014, at any sites or depots.

“While safety risk management is fundamentally improved – we had a reduction of injury rates over the last 18 months since using the SHREQ framework _ importantly risk management is also greatly increased across the business. The safety of Downer people, the community and the environment are at the core of our activities and operations, and ARM plays an important role in this,” concluded Breton.

About Downer Downer’s Rail division has over 100 years’ experience delivering total rail asset solutions for passenger and freight customers and has an extensive national footprint in approximately 20 key rail locations across Australia. The company has delivered more than 1,150 passenger cars to Australian customers, including 624 Waratah passenger cars to Sydney Trains, Australia’s largest ever rolling stock project.

It supports customers through the life of their assets – from initial feasibility and design through construction, production and operations and eventual decommissioning.

Downer also has strategic partnerships, including the Downer Bombardier joint venture, which supplies passenger trains for Queensland Rail and the Public Transport Authority (PTA) of Western Australia and provides maintenance services for all of PTA’s metropolitan fleet.

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INFRARAIL PREVIEW

Exhibitors prepare for Infrarail 2016 Some 200 companies are now making their final preparations for Infrarail 2016, which opens its doors at ExCeL London from 12 to 14 April

Above Keynote speeches, technical seminars and project updates will form an integral part of Infrarail 2016 Below Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE will deliver a keynote address on the middle day of Infrarail, 13 April

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T

he eleventh in a long-established and successful series of exhibitions, this latest Infrarail show will once more bring together companies supplying the systems, equipment and skills for all elements of the railway’s fixed assets.

Leading firms serving the sector will be showcasing technologies and services covering track construction and maintenance, signalling, communications and electrification as well as installations such as stations and maintenance depots. Also present will be companies specialising in consultancy, recruitment and training, occupational health and security.

Most exhibitors will be presenting significant innovations and developments in technology, providing visiting engineers, managers and buyers with a great opportunity to explore the latest that the supply sector has to offer. And more than 60 companies will be taking part in the event for the first time, many bringing new ideas to the market.

Familiar features will include The Track, sections of track provided by Tata Steel for the display of rail-related equipment and products within the exhibition hall.

The Yard area in the hall will allow the display of heavy

plant and machinery, and participating companies will be publicising their skills needs on the Recruitment Wall, alerting those attending to possible future career opportunities.

New initiatives There will also be new initiatives aimed at helping suppliers. The Rail Alliance will be presenting its Rail Mentoring Scheme for the Rail Supply Group aimed at assisting SMEs to join the industry’s supply chain, and a new Business Matching Service allows key buyers and decision makers to attend pre-booked meetings at exhibitors’ stands.

Free entry to Infrarail for visitors who pre-register gives access to a busy programme of activities over the three days of the event, all aimed at providing valuable insights into trends in technology and policy. A highlight will be a keynote speech each day, with Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE and David Waboso, capital programmes director for London Underground, already confirmed as speakers. Technical seminars, industry briefings and project updates will run throughout the show and there will be open discussion forum sessions

led by industry experts at a feature entitled The Platform.

Visitors and exhibitors will also be welcomed at an informal Networking Reception towards the end of the first day of the show, hosted by Mack Brooks Exhibitions.

Among organisations supporting Infrarail this year are Network Rail, London Underground, the Railway Industry Association and the Rail Alliance, members of which will occupy a dedicated area of the show. Joining the list of show partners is Crossrail, the Transport for London body responsible for creating the capital’s new railway, and HS2 Ltd, the company developing the high-speed rail network between London, the West Midlands and the North of England. Both will have a stand at Infrarail, providing opportunities for companies serving the rail infrastructure market to possibly learn how they can become involved in these once in a generation projects that are poised to reshape the national network.

Docklands venue This will be the first time Infrarail has taken place at the state-of-the-art ExCeL London venue in the capital’s Docklands. Sharing its hall will be the Civil Infrastructure & Technology Exhibition – CITE 2016 (www.cite-uk. com). Open to Infrarail visitors without re-registration, this will showcase many of the civils products and services needed for rail projects, as well as for highways, utilities and communications networks, and will include a conference programme featuring topics of interest to visitors from the rail sector. Together the two shows will form the UK’s biggest infrastructure event this year.

More than 6,600 senior managers, technicians and industry specialists visited the two combined events at Earls Court, London, in May 2014, taking advantage of a valuable chance to learn more about technological innovations and trends, and enjoying a unique networking opportunity.

Registration to visit Infrarail 2016 and its associated events free of charge is now open via a link from the show website www.infrarail.com. Online registration closes at midnight on 11 April. For visitors who prefer to register on arrival at ExCeL London, a £20 entry fee will be payable.

The latest details on all that will be happening at Infrarail and CITE can be found at the show websites, together with the latest lists of exhibitors. For additional information contact the organising team at infrarail@mackbrooks.co.uk.

Main picture above Workwear and PPE will be among numerous products on display Inset Exhibitors will explain the latest developments in key areas such as electrification

Infrarail 2016 Venue:

ExCeL London, Hall Entrance N1/N2

Dates:

12 – 14 April 2016

Opening times: Tuesday 12 April 10:00 – 17:00

Wednesday 13 April 10:00 – 17:00

Thursday 14 April 10:00 – 16:00 Show website: www.infrarail.com Contact:

infrarail@mackbrooks.co.uk

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SECURITY

UAVs: Blue-sky thinking?

Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, have soared in popularity in recent years. Peter Derry, innovations director at Interserve, assesses the possibilities and contingent risks of using drones for security purposes in the rail industry, as well as their wider applicability for the sector

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Peter Derry is innovations director at Interserve

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he commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles has really begun to take off over the past few years.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the number of private and public sector organisations in Britain issued with permits for flying UAVs commercially increased by 80 per cent between January and October 2014. More recently we’ve seen a number of major corporations make high profile commitments to the use of UAVs, such as Amazon’s recently unveiled plans for its Prime Air service, which will use UAVs to deliver packages to customers within 30-minutes of ordering.

With up-front technology costs falling, hundreds of companies in the UK are now making forays into the

world of UAVs. Their use remains predominantly for monitoring and evaluation purposes – for example for land surveys and building inspections. But with further technological advances on the horizon, we can expect UAVs to take a more active role in proceedings in future.

So what could UAVs offer the rail sector? They are already being wholeheartedly embraced by some of the industry’s leading organisations, for security as well as other surveying and maintenance purposes. Others are taking an ultra-cautious stance and implementing blanket bans on their use until further field testing has been carried out. Whatever the current approach, it’s fair to say there are very few organisations out there who don’t

believe that UAVs will play a role in the industry at some point in the future – the question is how and when, and what benefits and risks they will bring.

The flying eye in the sky We have long become accustomed to our transport networks being monitored by a plethora of cameras and CCTV devices. As well as providing evidence for criminal enquiries, they help passengers to feel safer and operate as a deterrent for those intending to commit criminal acts.

The prospect of using UAVs to monitor vulnerable areas appears to be the logical progression of the eye in the sky we have come to rely upon so much. Indeed some have already made this leap; in 2013, Deutsche Bahn began trialling the use of UAVs at graffiti hotspots in Berlin, Leipzig and Cologne to deter would-be vandals and capture video evidence of any crimes committed.

In the UK, problems such as the vandalism of carriages and metal theft remain a primary concern for rail operators. Between 2013 and 2014, cable theft on the UK rail network caused over 1,100 hours of delays and cost operators an estimated £2.5 million. With large depots and lengthy sections of track to monitor, UAVs could provide operators with a cost-effective way to protect against this kind of security breach.

At present, the vast majority of open-air track has to be monitored by security guards and maintenance operatives, as it would be prohibitively expensive to deploy fixed cameras along many kilometres of rail line.

By using UAVs to carry out the arduous work of physically checking the tracks and fencing for trespassers or security breaches, operators could improve the efficiency of their monitoring operations while freeing up staff to look after higher value, higher risk assets.

By removing employees from the front line of the tracks themselves, UAVs would also provide an invaluable boon to health and safety – a key concern for any security operator whose remit includes live train tracks.

If it sounds too good to be true...

There’s no doubt that, used carefully and in the correct application, UAVs could yield significant efficiencies for the industry, especially in the field of security. However, rail operators need to go into any UAV programme with their eyes wide open, as there are several inherent risks when it comes to UAVs, whether used in a security capacity or for anything else.

Looking beyond the rail industry, some sectors are already utilising UAVs extensively in day-to-day operations. The construction industry, for example, has been an enthusiastic early adopter of the technology, using UAVs to survey and photograph building sites and

gather information about materials and ongoing works.

Construction sites, however, are relatively easy-tocontrol areas; with a relatively small surface area, clearly demarcated boundaries, few overhead obstructions and tightly restricted access for members of the public.

Deploying a UAV over a railway line is a far more dangerous business. Besides needing to be navigated over huge linear stretches of track – a challenge in itself given regulations around maintaining line-of-sight – the UAV pilot would have to contend with the ever-present risk posed by live overhead lines, overhanging vegetation, and even passing trains. Urban construction sites are relatively sheltered – how would a UAV fare in windy conditions over an open expanse of railway track?

The issue of privacy and data security also presents a major challenge. With huge stretches of Britain’s railway lines passing through densely populated areas, accusations of snooping could easily be levelled at UAV operators.

Moreover, the audio/visual data gathered by UAVs could, if it fell into the wrong hands, actually exacerbate security breaches rather than help to prevent them.

Regulation and enforcement A recent report by Lloyd’s of London entitled Drones Take Flight warns that one of the biggest challenges facing UAVs in a commercial environment is the patchy nature of regulation as it currently stands; although it’s clear that progress is being made in this regard. Specific permission from the CAA is now required for all UAV flights carried out for commercial purposes. Furthermore, the person in charge of a UAV must maintain direct, unaided line of sight with the device, measured as 500 metres horizontally and 122 metres vertically, at all times to help prevent collisions.

As well as observing the latest legislation, it is crucial for rail operators and suppliers to put in place their own guidelines for the use of this technology. At Interserve, our in-house UAV centre of excellence has used the experiences of both our construction and facilities management teams to establish guideline protocols for the deployment of UAVs. Any team which plans to conduct aerial work has to determine advance flight paths and landing sites, thereby reducing the risk of collisions and of privacy infringements. Stakeholder liaison plans also now include advance warnings regarding the use of UAVs to help protect the privacy rights of local residents.

To mitigate the risk of a UAV coming down on a section of live track, there is a middle ground that can be considered in the form of ‘tethered’ solutions, whereby the UAV is held in a certain place using a fixed cable.

This cable also provides the unit with additional power, increasing the duration of each flight. A tethered UAV

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SECURITY

Inset UAVs are currently most commonly used for monitoring and evaluation would reduce the regulatory burden on the operator and require far less investment in pilot training; however its static nature limits the effectiveness of the unit in monitoring large stretches of track.

When it comes to protecting the data generated

by UAVs, it is often simply a case of applying existing processes to the new technology. Companies already offer employee guidance on how to protect email and computer systems from viruses and hackers, for example by using encrypted passwords. There is no reason why the data generated by drones can’t be protected using the same systems. Operators just need to make sure that they have a robust data management process in place and that their employees fully understand the data they are dealing with and how best to protect it.

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Keeping our heads Perhaps the biggest risk we face when it comes to UAVs is in getting carried away and not using our common sense. We must remind ourselves that UAVs are not a panacea; just because a UAV could be used to solve a problem, doesn’t mean it should. It would be all too tempting to excitedly wheel out a UAV to check a breach in a high perimeter wall – without realising that you could achieve the same effect with a camera on the end of a pole in half the time, for half the cost!

Our ability to gather and evaluate data also needs to keep pace with this new aerial technology. Flying the UAV may be the exciting bit, but the real value lies in being able to understand the data it produces. In the future, UAVs will be able to do this themselves. Some construction

companies, for example, now have intelligent UAV systems which can survey a mound of materials and estimate how many lorries will be needed to transport it. Using these automated algorithms, drones could not only help us to monitor and maintain large railway estates but also play an active role in helping us to establish robust asset management plans.

Some are also beginning to explore how UAVs can be developed to do more than just look. A number of universities, for example, are trialling the addition of cutting arms and small tools to UAVs which, in theory, could be used to carry out small-scale maintenance and repairs mid-flight. It is through this evolution of the technology, whereby drones could perform

multiple, active roles, that we will start to see real benefits for commercial operators in the rail sector and beyond.

Like most nascent technologies, UAVs do not come problem-free and in order to avoid the worst dangers, careful planning is needed by both rail operators and their suppliers. This should not dissuade us from their use, but it ought to make us more wary of heralding them as a silver bullet solution.

As the supportive technology continues to evolve apace, the applications for UAVs in the rail industry will undoubtedly expand. However, it is important that we consider the implications of their use now, and have the right protocols in place, in order for us to be ready to embrace them in the future.

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Innovation

European Patent 1697 196

Patent of the Month

This month, patent attorney ROSIE HARDY discusses some of the complexities of patenting and protecting GEC’s new multi-level rail management system

Rosie Hardy is a patent attorney at leading intellectual property firm, Withers & Rogers

T

he rail industry adheres to the mantra to ‘innovate’. Innovate to increase capacity. Innovate to improve customer experience. Innovate to reduce carbon emissions and costs.

There are many organisations helping to drive forward this innovation. For example, in the October edition of Railway Strategies magazine we heard how the Future Railway Programme is working to find innovative solutions to certain challenges which exist in the industry and deliver a railway of the future.

Due to the complexity and variety of problems in a railway network travel, there has been a recent focus on developing more efficient rail management systems. One particular system has been designed by General Electric Company (GEC) to optimise railway operations using a multi-level, system-wide approach. This technology is able to consider the interrelationships and impacts of multiple levels to optimise the overall railway system.

The GEC multi-level rail management system As might be expected, GEC has strategically protected the multi-level system using patents. The family of patents around the world includes granted European Patent 1697196. From this patent document, we find the multi-level optimisation system includes processors to share data between different levels. This data may relate to the unique operating characteristics, constraints and parameters of a railroad infrastructure level, railway track network level, individual train level, consist level and individual locomotive level. The levels cooperate by interchanging data so that the performance of each level is optimised whilst taking account of the others.

As a result, the overall operation of the railway system is improved. The patent document also highlights numerous

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benefits, including how the multi-level system can optimise fuel consumption and the subsequent cost and carbon savings.

Given its commercial importance, GEC has also filed other patent applications to seek patent protection for other aspects of the multi-level optimisation system.

The importance of securing innovation The innovation process involves three key steps; invent, protect and commercialise. Patent protection is essential to the innovation process because it interconnects the inventing and commercialising steps. It allows businesses to ring-fence an invention for up to 20 years. With its patent protection, GEC is able to control the multi-level optimisation system to build a market and restrict its competitors.

Failing to obtain patent protection by jumping directly from the inventing step to the commercialising step will mean an invention is unsecured. GEC understands that without safeguarding its intellectual property, a competitor will have the freedom to copy its multi-level optimisation system. This would ultimately compromise the commercialising step for GEC and allow competitors to unfairly profit from its innovation.

Innovation need not be revolutionary or reserved for certain sized innovators. Routine problem solving with step-change improvements is also valid innovation that can be harnessed by the industry. The threestep innovation process of inventing, protecting and commercialising is applicable to all innovation and has a business enhancing effect. More rail companies could benefit by using savvy patent protection to make their problem solving more commercially viable.

www.withersrogers.com

INNOVATION - case study

A unique scaffold system

Construction and engineering firm J Murphy & Sons Limited harnessed its innovation culture to create a mobile scaffold system specifically for the challenges of the Farnworth tunnel reinforcement scheme

Above The custom designed scaffolding system in use in the Farnworth tunnel

F

arnworth tunnel is a twin Victorian brick tunnel near Bolton. As part of a Network Rail project to achieve a faster and more efficient train service between Manchester, Bolton and Preston, the up tunnel required re-boring to allow for electrification. The enabling works included reinforcing the down tunnel to ensure it was able to withstand the effects of the UK’s largest tunnel boring machine reboring the adjacent tunnel.

The reinforcement involved spraying shotcrete onto reinforcement cages installed to the 270 metre long tunnel to a depth of 200mm. With work due to be completed over ten weekend possessions lasting 54 hours each, efficiency on site was essential.

The solution In addressing the key drivers of working as quickly as possible while protecting the track and ensuring staff safety, Murphy engineers designed a bespoke alloy scaffold tower mounted on a Road-Rail Vehicle (RRV) trailer which enabled three staff members to easily and safely install pre-cut 1.2 x 2.4m steel reinforcement to the tunnel arch. The bespoke components produced by manufacturer Youngman consisted of cantilever platforms fixed to the midsection of the main frame plus feet bolted to the tower and located in specially fabricated rails which were attached to the Chieftan RRV trailer.

The rails allowed the tower to slide to within 100mm

of the edge of the trailer, the cantilever working platform overhanging to enable easy access to the arch. As well as installing the steel reinforcement, the platform was used for installing ten steel rib arches in a 12m section of the tunnel.

This was necessary as the existing brick lining had been deformed, reducing the clearance, and required a double layer of mesh reinforcement. Upper sections of the rib arches required an additional hydraulic lifting arm which was specially designed by Murphy and attached to the RRV. The mobile unit was moved in and out of the tunnel as required, minimising mobilisation time and ensuring the project was delivered safely and on time. The working platform enabled access to the existing arch at both crown and axis level providing the site team with a Safe System of Work certification for working at height, ensuring staff safety and maintaining efficient progress.

Another RRV trailer was customised to accommodate the Meyco Oruga robot which handled the precision shotcrete work.

Safety first The platform provided a safe working load of 275kg per platform level up to a maximum of 950kg per tower.

The manufacturer, supported by Murphy’s site team, incorporated key design features such as an ergonomic integral ladder system for increased grip and safety, advanced guard rail and 3T (through the trap) fall protection and frame horizontals with 500mm spacing and ribbed tubing for increased grip. The design also had a patented double action trigger-operated locking claw, floating spigots for easy assembly and dismantling, selfcleaning adjustable legs and deck board edge protection and an easy to use toe board system.

Michael Boyle, Murphy project manager, said: “Creating a bespoke scaffolding solution so that the challenging Farnworth down-tunnel enabling works progressed smoothly and safely was essential to the success of this project. It is just one of many great ideas across Murphy that shows our ability to approach a problem from a different angle so that we can achieve results for clients.

The Bright Ideas® initiative brings innovation to the forefront of Murphy’s culture. Teams are not only recognised for being innovators using their expertise creatively, but also help to make future projects a success.”

Murphy encourages all employees working on projects to come up with innovative solutions to problems and challenges. The Bright Ideas® initiative was introduced in 2012 to maximise the diverse range of innovation taking place on projects and benefit the whole business. Since then over 400 ideas have been gathered and evaluated, with some being developed into tangible solutions captured on Murphy’s Innovation Microsite. The best ideas across the company are rewarded every month with a prize and submitted for awards.

www.murphyinnovation.com 35

MAINTENANCE

Innovation: rolling stock maintenance

Artificial intelligence is with us today, and spreading into many industries. Bhoopathi Rapolu sets out how it can revolutionise rolling stock maintenance

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Bhoopathi Rapolu is head of analytics, EMEA, at Cyient

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ithin the rail industry, anything which helps keep trains moving, avoids operational delays and improves customer experience, is worth pursuing. Many OEMs are now investing significant resources into one of the most valuable and potentially rewarding currencies in business: Big Data.

In rail, and specifically when it comes to rolling stock maintenance, big data is synonymous with condition based maintenance (CBM) and predictive maintenance (PM). Thanks to the rapidly expanding scale of manufacturing and asset maintenance industries, they are now adapting to the wider applications of advanced algorithms on consumer generated big data.

Though CBM and PM are commonly adopted practices in rail industry, the scope of CBM is far wider than that of PM. CBM usually constitutes the direct application of diagnostic monitoring in real-time, making sense for assets and sub-systems that give us enough time to act after reading their condition. It also makes perfect sense for most of the diagnostic monitoring scenarios such as monitoring wheels, axles, high level

network issues etc. However, CBM fails to address those systems which don’t give enough time to act upon or systems that directly influence customer experience.

For example, if you identify a malfunction in the doors using a diagnostic monitoring system, there is rarely time to fix them without impacting delay and customer comfort. Ideally, OEMs want to be aware of any potential failures well before they happen, and act upon them so that they don’t happen during production/operation. A PM solution helps to manage these assets so that OEMs will not end up in such a failure scenario. Similarly, with mission-critical safety-related systems like bridges, some of the signalling assets that simply cannot be allowed to fail are good candidates for the implementation of PM solutions. For all other assets, CBM is sufficient and PM may not be required, because there is enough time to take action.

However, the application of big data is not limited to CBM and PM. As the industry produces more data from its assets and from a variety of maintenance management systems, proven big data applications from other industries (such as in e-commerce, social

media, online search etc) become increasingly relevant to the rail industry. One of these applications is in artificial intelligence (AI), which is already being applied within rail in a variety of ways:

Situational intelligence Usually, situational intelligence means having complete knowledge of the operations and greater control over bringing things into order, if required. Train operations companies (TOCs) can achieve situational intelligence by collecting real-time data from their trains as they are in operation and analysing it in three different dimensions: spatial, temporal and nodal.

Firstly, the spatial component gives the real-time location of trains and their respective systems and subsystems in each train. With this, you can understand where things are and how they are performing through geospatial orientation.

The temporal view can then be added to provide insight into the performance of assets according to a time scale – spanning from how they are performing in the real-time to the last minute, hour, day, and week and beyond.

The final element of situational intelligence is nodal, which is the inter-relationship and hierarchy of various sub-systems across the entire fleet. Analysing data along nodal dimensions gives us the ability to view the interdependencies of various systems, and exposes root causes for failures and system behaviours.

Figure 1: Spatial-temporal-nodal model of AI engine

Analysing Big Data in these three dimensions in real-time works like a ‘collective mind’ that can expose both opportunities and threats in train operations. Its combination with recent advancements in computational efficiency now allows for massive scale searches for anomalous patterns, which produces results in minutes. As a result, comprehensive surveillance becomes possible and critical clues for impending failures

become much harder to miss. Some of the advanced statistical analysis models available today can produce ranked lists of findings, so that investigative resources can focus on those which are the most significant and alarming. Once the most frequent and common issues are identified, routine analysis can be automated and run regularly, leading to more effective resource allocation. Certain industries like utilities are already using such systems today for network monitoring and asset maintenance.

Operational intelligence Operational intelligence meanwhile uses the power of data and its capability to extract the right information at the right time to improve the effectiveness of rolling stock maintenance. For an example of how this might work, think of the product recommendation engine on Amazon.com. Or friend suggestions on Facebook or contextual ads on Google search: welcome to the world of Artificial Intelligence.

With the growing volume of sensor and maintenance data beginning to reach the scale of consumergenerated data on the internet, the rail industry is now ready to exploit the capabilities of AI. Challenges such as identifying a root cause to a problem and finding the most suitable repair action are very similar to those already solved in the consumer space, where AI is already widely used. Today cutting-edge algorithms can mine tons of operational data for TOCs and provide them with recommended actions for most unscheduled maintenance issues.

In terms of operational intelligence, some of the relevant AI techniques to address problems like fleet monitoring and asset maintenance in the rail industry include knowledge based systems, case based reasoning, genetic algorithms, neural networks and fuzzy logic etc. They eliminate the need for lengthy root cause identification and arrive at the required repair action more quickly, leading to faster repair, reduced maintenance cost and increased fleet availability and customer satisfaction.

Train operations and maintenance data can be used to build maintenance knowledge-based systems similar to the IBM Watson super computer. Such AI systems can then perform simple tasks such as scheduling engineering works in the most optimised fashion, providing lists of tools and inventory required for a given job, and presenting the possible impact of the issue on fleet availability just in case the maintenance engineer wants to ignore some of the jobs.

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MAINTENANCE

Figure 2: Knowledge based systems The key promise of an AI engine is that it can capture and encode valuable domain and expert knowledge of engineering works, as well as safety requirements and guidelines, to automatically optimise how track possessions, engineering trains and personnel resources are assigned to various engineering works.

MTR Corporation of Hong Kong, for example, uses AI to streamline and automate their quarterly planning and weekly scheduling of all engineering works. The solution helps them to maximise their resource utilisation while adhering to all the maintenance rules, regulations and guidelines. As a result, MTR has realised an improvement of more than 50 per cent in overall maintenance efficiency in addition to significant savings in cost and time.

Looking further forward, the benefits of an AI engine will be multiplied when suppliers providing engineering works are integrated into the process. With the AI engine, feedback (eg request feasibility, resource availability, safety and potential conflicts with other requests) can be given within seconds instead of weeks. This allows hundreds of planners to immediately refine or change their plans if necessary, instead of having to wait several days or even a week.

Asset intelligence When it comes to asset intelligence, the continuous data streams produced from various sub-systems in trains help OEMs build digital twins that represent physical systems in real-time. By running the train’s digital twins to establish their performance patterns, it is possible not just to predict the failures of systems, but to monitor and assess long term performance asset metrics such as reliability and availability, and come up with suggested areas of improvements in product design. When continuous improvements are applied to their product design, OEMs can achieve a significant competitive advantage.

The practice of building digital twins of critical assets is currently being applied in industries such as aerospace and heavy engineering for instance to effectively monitor and control them remotely in real-time

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Overall, the underlying motive for applying AI is the ability to identify ‘failure signatures’ and immediately take corrective action once they are detected. Analytics techniques such as the recurrent event models produced by AI are very useful in determining expected field failures, while advanced data mining techniques such as association and sequence analysis can be used to identify failures which coincide, as well as failure patterns where one failure is followed by other, while decision trees and neural networks are employed for building predictive models.

Establishing root-causes to events and failures is central to building knowledge based systems, and alongside the aforementioned numerical data analysis, a number of other techniques are also being used to support the practice of predictive maintenance. Text mining, for example, is increasingly being leveraged to gain insights into this space. Advanced failure models are also available today to come up with residual useful life (RUL) in components, sub-systems and systems. In addition, there are parametric as well as non-parametric methods which are being used to analyse recurrent failure events within repairable systems: Wayne Nelson’s mean cumulative function (MCF) is a popular nonparametric method, while the two most commonly used parametric methods are the homogeneous poisson process (HPP) and non-homogeneous poisson process (NHPP). The CROW – AMSAA model is one example of an implementation of the NHPP which allows an analyst to model deteriorating systems.

Given all that has been discussed above, it’s clear that the application of artificial intelligence is not a quick-fix, or an off-the-shelf solution which can be quickly implemented and used to support predictive and condition-based maintenance. The correct analysis of big data to create situational intelligence, operational intelligence and asset intelligence though has the potential to be revolutionary, transforming the way OEMs across the rail industry approach rolling stock maintenance.

These three areas, if applied correctly, demonstrate that the rail industry is not only ready to use artificial intelligence solutions, but that it can take on and build upon the learnings it has taken from the consumer internet to make AI an application for the present, not just the future.

Rail Alliance

Recent new members of the Rail Alliance Manpower

Flip Up Seat Ltd

Doncaster Chamber of Commerce

Leading supplier of white and blue collar, permanent and temporary engineering and trades personnel.

Web: www.manpower.co.uk

Provider of toilet seats which are sprung in the upright position so that they do not get urinated upon.

Email: info@flipupseat.com Web: www.flipupseat.com

Award winning independent membership organisation supporting and representing Doncaster’s private sector.

Tel: 01302 640100 Email: chamber@doncaster-chamber.co.uk Web: www.doncaster-chamber.co.uk

Premier Hytemp Approved global supplier for many critical metal components in wellheads. Valves, top drives and down hole tooling to the major original equipment manufacturers and leading service companies in the oil and gas industries.

Tel: 01313 334 140 Web: www.premierhytemp.com

DAE Systems Ltd Provider of fabricated, welded and machined components and assemblies, engineering development and project management of safety-critical products and systems as well as fans and air movement systems.

Tel: 01249 652 652 Email: enquiries@colstonltd.co.uk Web: www.colstonltd.co.uk

Optical Coating Technologies Premier applicator of optically clear coatings onto thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, acrylic, PPSU and polyurethane to provide optically transparent abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, UV resistance, anti-glare, anti-static and anti-fog properties onto safety glasses, lenses, visors, digital signage, TFT and LED touch screens etc.

Tel: 01827 63 489 Email: info@optical-coatings.com Web: www.optical-coatings.com

Hack Partners Provider of a breakthrough level innovation via consultancy and technology services.

Tel: 07462 858 243 Email: hello@hackpartners.com Web: www.hacktrain.com

GAI-Tronics Design, engineering and manufacturing company delivering communication devices for use in arduous and safety critical environments.

Tel: 01283 500 500 Email: sales@gai-tronics.co.uk Web: www.gai-tronics.co.uk

Crowle Wharfe Engineers Ltd Precision engineering company specialising in overhaul, fabrication and machining of bespoke and multiple run products for safety critical and demanding environments.

Tel: 01724 710 455 Email: ian.siddle@cwelimited.com Web: www.cwelimited.com

AJT Engineering Ltd Engineering service provider including machining, cladding, sub-arc, repair, assembly, plating and heat treatment.

Tel: 01224 871 791 Email: info@ajt-engineering.co.uk Web: www.ajt-engineering.co.uk

AKKA Aeroconseil UK British arm of the AKKA Technologies Group, a global engineering consultancy taking on work packages across the signalling, rolling stock and infrastructure domains.

Email: marketingakkagroup@akka.eu Web: www.akka.eu

Claytex Services Ltd A consultancy and provider of systems engineering tools including Dymola, Reqtify, ControlBuild, AUTOSAR Builder and CATIA Systems. Also developers of a number of application libraries using Modelica to simulate the complete vehicle covering powertrain, vehicle dynamics and thermal management.

Tel: 01926 885 900 Email: sales [@] claytex.com Web: www.claytex.com

Envira Products Ltd Envira Products owns and distributes an innovative range of industrial and commercial de-icers specially formulated to combine high performance de-icing in conjunction with a caring approach to the environment.

Tel: 0333 5778 988 Web: www.enviraproducts.com

Exova Warringtonfire Fire testing expert with specialist knowledge for products used on rolling stock. Working with manufacturers, suppliers, designers, architects and engineers across a wide range of sectors including rail, marine, construction, aerospace, automotive and defence.

Tel: 0330 222 0321 Email: Europe@Exova.com Web: www.exova.com

Sheffield Hallam University Materials & Engineering Research Institute (MERI) is a dynamic interdisciplinary research institute within the University dedicated to addressing industrial problems from materials analysis to infrastructure management.

Tel: 01142 253 500 Email: meri@shu.ac.uk Web: www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri

Zircon Software Ltd Provider of software engineering services across the full software engineering life-cycle covering high integrity/safety systems, internet enabled systems, testing and test systems, system/software support services and technical consultancy.

Tel: 01225 764 444 Email: info@zirconsoftware.co.uk Web: www.zirconsoftware.co.uk

ABB Ltd Provider of power, electrification and technology products and solutions to the transportation sector.

Tel: 01925 741 111 Web: www.abb.com

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

39

MAINTENANCE

Breaking the back of overwhelming detail Neil Singh explains how developing a clear view of the big-picture can help improve the safety-productivity dynamic in rail maintenance

B

Below Neil Singh, Petrotechnics

ehind the operation of any rail network are two essential, but often contradictory priorities: productivity and safety. Ensuring one, without compromising the other, is a constant challenge, particularly in an organisation as complex as a rail network.

Most rail networks represent huge national investments of time, money and effort. They appear straight-forward to commuters waiting for the 8:15 to Paddington, but are in fact highly complex. They are not just a collection of track, signaling, trains, power and people. Trains get from A to B thanks to the daily interactions between them all. It is these interactions that dictate how the network runs. They also make the rail network an extremely dynamic operation, with an almost infinite number of variables – all of which have the potential to affect safety and productivity.

Safety v productivity - finding the balance The point at which the tension between productivity and safety is most keenly felt is maintenance. Given the demands on the rail network, and the growing volume of passenger and freight activity that it must support, the pressure of finding the balance is increasing. On the one hand, there is pressure to complete more and more

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rail maintenance work within very tight timeframes with limited resources. On the other, the task, location and infrastructure must be properly assessed to ensure that these maintenance jobs themselves does not cause harm to people, the environment or the infrastructure.

There are any number of ways in which a seemingly insignificant error, like a piece of equipment left track-side, or an unexpected event such as a hidden wasps’ nest in an overhanging tree, can escalate into a major problem.

Seemingly inconsequential operational events, activities and decisions have an immediate impact on maintenance schedules but can also roll up into something substantially larger. Like the hurricane caused by a butterfly flapping its wings, some of the biggest headaches on the railways can have some of the simplest and unexpected causes.

Equally, commercial reality puts significant pressure to get more work completed in a shorter time frame.

Rail infrastructure companies are observing more ‘at risk’ behaviour, where workers are taking chances and exposing themselves to high levels of risk in order to get more done. When times are tight, and the pressure is on, safety becomes a compliance issue rather than a lifesaving issue. The difference is a subtle but important one.

The problem with visibility Of course, the complex interactions involved in scheduling and carrying out maintenance are largely invisible to passengers. Rail travel is one of those things that people only talk about when it goes wrong. And so despite attention from media, politicians and public alike, when bank holidays are disrupted, most people do not see the lengthy decision chains and variable work schemes behind a late train.

The problem is that many of these interactions are also invisible to managers and decision-makers.

Although there are rules in place to govern and manage maintenance scheduling and work execution, there is only a limited amount of data available to support informed decision-making and few controls in place to make sure rules are being followed. Line managers are left to make decisions based on their experience and instinct. Often there is no global view of where the work is happening or who is doing it – let alone that it will be done safely.

Where the bigger picture comes in To maintain the most effective balance between safety and productivity, rail infrastructure operators must find

a way to simplify that complexity. They need to see the big picture and still find the relevant detail so that every decision enables safe delivery of work.

However, if we go back to our definition of the railway as a series of interactions, it soon becomes clear that the ‘bigger picture’ is not a static portrait. Nor is it a twodimensional one.

Therefore, successful rail maintenance scheduling should not be a question of running a straight up-anddown to-do list and ticking things off as they are finished. Priorities can change in a very short amount of time, and the order of work gets shuffled around. There are consequences to each of those moves: a change in people, equipment, location, or time required will cause additional changes to other areas of the maintenance schedule.

This changing environment is the bigger picture, and rail operators need to understand those consequences and make allowances for them in the planning process in order to run a safe and productive rail network. They need a far more dynamic way of managing maintenance scheduling that takes into account all the factors that affect job scheduling and the way that they interact with each other.

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MAINTENANCE

Painting a picture in relevant detail To do this, they need a view of all operational activity that takes into account the three key dimensions of each job: time, location and risk.

Risk is the important factor here. It is often last-minute or unexpected risk that prevents scheduled maintenance from going ahead. And of course, when risks are ignored, safety is compromised. The compliance approach often relegates risk to just one of a number of factors to be considered. But by choosing risk as the prism through which all work is defined, planned and executed, it becomes much easier to schedule rail maintenance effectively – and so keep to productivity targets.

For many organisations this will require a change in culture and its associated processes and procedures.

There is no silver bullet or simple switch that can be flicked to transform a complex operation like a rail network. But if a technological solution cannot do all the heavy lifting, it can certainly play a key role in enabling a new risk-centric approach.

Help with data analysis The right systems can make information transparent to all levels of the organisation at any time. They can provide that essential three-dimensional view: not just what is happening now, but what happened before and what happens next. It can make clear the inter-dependencies and relationships between individual jobs, disciplines,

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equipment and schedules.

It does this by acting as a central repository for all data inputs, and then converting this data into useful decisionmaking information through visualisation techniques or reporting capability. One of the challenges that rail managers face when trying to get the bigger picture is not necessarily the shortage of data. It’s more often about hardto-find or hard-to-use data, which is then trumped by the need for quick decisions with the best information available.

Conclusion Visualising and understanding the bigger picture in this way helps reduce the number of coordination issues that arise when planners are unable to see what other works are scheduled at their worksites. It reduces the number of re-planned jobs caused by unknowns on the railway. It enables better use of ‘possessions’ (maintenance periods when all train movement operations are stopped), because all teams can see what work they have on their radars for a given location, and what is planned in that possession.

Crucially it also provides all necessary information about jobs up front. During planning, risk assessments and controls can be incorporated in a timely fashion to ensure a coordinated and safe execution of work.

Decision-makers have the information necessary to plan work effectively around safety requirements. In this way it supports a better safety-productivity dynamic – with no compromises.

NEWS I Appointments David Clarke becomes technical director at RIA

New strategic rail director for Atkins

Will Whitehorn appointed president of CILT

l David Clarke has been appointed technical director of the Railway Industry Association, where he will represent members’ interests in the areas of safety, technical standards, technical strategy, research and innovation.

David has over 30 years’ rail industry experience. Prior to joining RIA he was the innovation director at RSSB and responsible for the cross-industry Future Railway Programme.

His earlier career includes deputy director, rail technical at the Department for Transport, and director for two of the major rail infrastructure contractors.

David is currently working for the University of Birmingham, a number of other universities and the Rail Supply Group to pull together the case for rail centres of excellence in the UK, and will continue this for up to 4 days a week while picking up his RIA responsibilities. He will go full time at RIA from 18 April when his work with the Universities and RSG is completed.

l David Brewer has been appointed market director for the strategic rail market at Atkins.

In this role, he will be responsible for leading the strategic rail client team in delivering a portfolio of services and projects ranging from strategic advice through to large EPC schemes. He will also lead the development and delivery of Atkins’ long term market strategy both in the UK and overseas, which utilises new technology and innovations placing Atkins at the centre of the future digital railway.

David joins Atkins from Highways England where he was the network delivery and development director, leading a team of six directors each running a regional business unit as well as the traffic technology division. He was a member of the executive committee and formerly a board director of Highways England, and has a wealth of experience in leading multiple large complex programmes.

l Will Whitehorn, director of Stagecoach and chairman of Transport Systems Catapult, is to become the next president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

Having served as vice-president for the past four years, he takes up the one-year position on 20th May. Will began his transport career with British Airways before moving to Virgin Group where he worked for 25 years. He helped establish Virgin Atlantic on the global stage and spearheaded Virgin’s move into rail. He was a founding director of London and Continental Railways and went on to lead Virgin’s bid for the West Coast Mainline franchise. In 2004 Will became president of Virgin Galactic, a spaceflight company within the Virgin Group, overseeing the construction of the world’s first commercial spaceship.

He takes up the new post during a period of technological change, with the emergence of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

Jeremy Westlake takes up the financial reins at Network Rail l Jeremy Westlake has joined Network Rail as chief financial officer. He brings a wealth of experience in senior leadership roles across transport, engineering and manufacturing both in the UK and overseas, including a strong focus on driving continuous improvement, reducing costs and maximising efficiency. He comes from the post of senior vice president of finance at Alstom Transport in France, and replaces Patrick Butcher, who moves to the Go-Ahead Group in March.

Jeremy will lead Network Rail’s finance function, which includes group finance, treasury, internal audit and risk, planning and regulation, and long-term planning and funding. A member of the company’s executive committee, he will report to chief executive Mark Carne and will sit on Network Rail’s board as an executive director alongside the chief executive and the non-executive directors.

McNaughton to chair UIC rail forum l HS2’s technical director Prof Andrew McNaughton has been appointed chair of the Paris-based International Railways Union (UIC) inter-city and high speed rail forum.

Prof McNaughton’s appointment is recognition of his expertise in the world of high speed rail.

He is the first Briton to hold the post.

HS2 Ltd’s role in designing the UK’s new high speed rail network has pushed forward the sector’s understanding in a number of areas including integration of high speed rail with urban development and regeneration; environmental assessment and mitigation measures; and in the area of technical advancement delivering high reliability on what will be an intensively used high speed railway.

Welcoming his appointment Prof McNaughton said: “I’m delighted and honoured to be appointed chair for the UIC inter-city and high speed rail forum, which is where the world’s high speed rail experts meet to exchange best practice and develop new advances.”

Bombardier engineer to chair the Young Rail Professionals l Sabrina Ihaddaden, who works as a signalling systems engineer for Bombardier Transportation in Derby, has been elected chairman of the Young Rail Professionals and takes up the position on 8 March.

Having graduated from Lancaster University and the French engineering school Arts & Metiers ParisTech, she joined Bombardier Transportation as a graduate engineer in 2013.

The following year, she gained recognition as Young Achiever of the Year by the Chartered Management Institute. Filled with confidence and belief in what YRP could achieve, she put herself forward to chair YRP’s first ever regional committee, the East Midlands committee.

Since 2015, she has played a leading role as national vice-chair to cement the regional structure before being elected national chair.

Sabrina succeeds Stephen Head, who is stepping down after 1 year in the role.

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SKILLS

Ready to learn

Images courtesy of Network Rail

As skills shortages are starting to bite, LIBBIE HAMMOND talked to Alasdair Waddell, recruitment specialist at Network Rail, about the lessons that can be learned from its highly successful apprenticeship scheme

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W

ith the Government’s plans to reach three million apprentices by 2020 and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills stating a commitment to making England’s apprenticeship programme the best in the world, the overall issue of apprenticeships remains high on the agenda.

Apprenticeship schemes not only play a part in meeting objectives to boost skills and drive-up productivity for the country as a whole – they also widen access for young people to the professions and build the high level technical skills needed for the jobs of the future.

Skills strategy Indeed, the construction and rail sectors have long appreciated the value that apprentices bring to their businesses and many businesses already have sophisticated and highly regarded schemes in place.

One such organisation is Network Rail, which prides itself on its very competitive and thorough apprenticeship programme, that offers candidates the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge, in some cases up to degree level, while working and earning.

At the time of Patrick McLoughlin’s announcement, Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive explained that the company needs a highly skilled workforce to enable it to deliver its multi-billion pound railway upgrade plan and a network fit for the 21st century. “That’s why we have a steadfast commitment to training and developing everyone from apprentices and graduates to up-skilling our 35,000-strong workforce and others across the industry with the latest digital, technical and engineering skills,” he said.

Why apprenticeships are so important

The last six months have seen quite a flurry of activity in this area, with the Prime Minister sharing his plans in August to boost apprenticeships and transform training (including a controversial Apprenticeships Levy) and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announcing an ambition to boost apprenticeships across the road and rail industry – pledging 30,000 apprenticeship places in the sector during the lifetime of this Parliament, with help from a transport strategy led by Terry Morgan, chairman of Crossrail.

It is clear that The Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme is a vital component of its recruitment strategy, and as Alasdair Waddell, recruitment specialist at Network Rail explained, it has been for a decade. “With a growing railway that is getting busier every day, we need to ensure we attract and develop a pipeline of valuable talent into our workforce to help us maintain our 20,000 miles of track and keep people moving. Today, more than 2000 apprentices have been through our scheme.”

Eighty-three per cent of these trained apprentices also still work for Network Rail, with many progressing onto senior positions within the company, proving again that its investment is being returned. “Our scheme has a retention rate well above the average, with a 95 per cent

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Images courtesy of Network Rail

SKILLS

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completion rate, more than 20 per cent ahead of the sector average of 74 per cent. This means that the young people we’re training are staying with the company and growing through our programme,” added Alasdair.

What also makes schemes such as this so important is the diversity of activities in which trainees can be involved. So at Network Rail for example, apprentices that complete the scheme can go on to develop their careers in a number of areas across the company.

“The apprentices we have trained have progressed to become national aerial survey specialists, assistant track maintenance engineers, as well as team leaders and technical officers,” highlighted Alasdair. “Some on our current programme are working on the government sponsored Thameslink Programme – one of our biggest construction projects as we rebuild London Bridge and the railway around it.”

they’ve graduated, and today these people are working throughout the business in roles across signalling, telecoms, engineering and project management.

“A couple of examples of graduated apprentices that have gone on to excel within our business include Reece Martin, a senior project engineer. He joined our Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme in 2006 and has gone on to become a senior project engineer overseeing national development projects across the country, he’s also been promoted to a senior management position and gained his Institution of Railway Signal Engineers license.

“Another great example is Adam Fountain, now a scheme project manager, responsible for managing a £5 million maintenance project, which is crucial to keeping Britain’s railway moving. Adam has also been promoted four times since joining the scheme in 2006 and managed a number of large project teams along the way.”

Creating future leaders

Continually improving

Many of the skills learned can be transferred across departments, as well as in different companies and even across industries. But as Alasdair noted, a high proportion of individuals remain with Network Rail once

While the scheme is obviously very successful, Network Rail is continually making improvements and appreciates that the benefit of the approach is not all about business success but the human element as well. Therefore, as

Middle left Mark Carne and 10 apprentices from 10 years of the scheme Alasdair. “We are keen for candidates who enjoy a more practical working environment, who embrace problemsolving tasks and want to kick-start their career by getting into work rather than continuing in the classroom.”

Conclusion part of the Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme’s tenyear anniversary, the organisation commissioned an employee survey to capture their views on the value that apprentices bring to the organisation. “That survey looked at what the scheme offers our apprentices and we’re thrilled to see that the partnership works both ways. Forty-seven per cent of our apprentices achieved professional accreditation earlier than their peers who hadn’t taken part in an apprenticeship, while 62 per cent felt they made a direct impact on the company at an earlier stage.”

What also sets the scheme apart is its inclusive nature – Network Rail doesn’t set an upper age limit for applicants for example. “The minimum requirements for applicants are four A*- C GCSEs, including English, Maths and Science however it is a candidate’s personality and aspirations that we are most interested in,” emphasised

It is easy to see why Network Rail’s scheme can be held up as an example to other businesses that might be weighing up the benefits of creating an apprenticeship programme, and Alasdair would encourage those considering it to go ahead. “We think it is a fantastic way to boost your workforce,” he stated. “Apprentices have delivered fantastic results year-on-year for Network Rail and bring fresh thinking, a willingness to get stuck in and an eagerness to learn that really sets them apart.

“As a company we’re very proud of our apprenticeship scheme; it’s attracted a wide variety of talented people to our company who we’ve been able to nurture and develop. For anyone thinking about pursuing an apprenticeship, I would recommend strongly considering it. Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to learn in a hands-on fashion while getting paid, as well learning valuable life skills along the way – why not give it a shot!”

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STRATEGY

Understanding tomorrow’s travellers

Providing a rail service that is competitive and compelling requires a solid understanding of the travelling public. MIRJA SICKEL discusses the six types of motivation and behaviour identified by research from Amadeus, and what this means for rail operators

U Below Mirja Sickel is head of sales and marketing at Amadeus Rail & Ground Travel

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nderstanding your customers is a key element of success for any business, but this can be easier said than done. What if your customers’ needs and preferences are constantly evolving, as is certainly the case for travel companies? How do you ensure you offer them the right products and services, in the right way, at the right time?

Rapidly increasing access to information – both from travel providers and other travellers via social networks – is changing traveller expectations and purchasing behaviours. At the same time, travel providers have access to more and more information about their customers, both from searching and booking data and from external sources. The rail industry is, therefore, faced with an unprecedented opportunity to achieve a better understanding of the traveller and offer customers truly personalised experiences, in turn unlocking new revenues and securing customer loyalty.

In order to help the industry better understand future traveller needs, Amadeus recently commissioned a study from consumer trends experts Future Foundation, which identified the different types of travellers that will emerge over the next fifteen years. The study found that demographic divisions and the traditional ‘business versus leisure’ segmentation used in travel are no longer enough to categorise travellers, especially as trends like flexi-time grow and people have more choice about when and how they travel for work. Instead, it examined traveller motivations and behaviours to identify six traveller ‘tribes’ that will emerge to shape the industry by 2030:

 Simplicity searchers value ease and transparency in travel planning  Reward hunters often desire indulgent and luxurious experiences  Social capital seekers make travel choices with online audiences in mind  Ethical travellers allow their conscience to be their guide  Cultural purists seek to immerse themselves in the local way of living  Obligation meeters travel for a specific purpose These are not mutually exclusive, and travellers will often identify with multiple groups at different times.

The challenge for rail operators will come down to understanding which tribe the travellers falls into, and when, so they can cater to them appropriately.

The six tribes In the future, information overload will become a real concern for some travellers. Already a single Google search can produce tens of millions of results – more than one person can read through to plan a journey.

Simplicity searchers will try to avoid this, looking to book everything at once through a single channel with limited decision-making on their part. Rail operators with user-friendly interfaces who can bundle their offerings, such as packaging rail travel with hotel stays and entertainment options, will appeal strongly to this group.

Above all, Simplicity searchers expect travel providers to

pre-empt, and take care of, their needs.

Similarly, reward hunters are eager for personalised offers. While in the planning stage, reward hunters are very open to targeted offerings, but once the journey begins they will expect everything is managed and will not want to be contacted by travel providers. Tailored bundles that provide unique and memorable experiences will be key to appealing to this group, such as door-todoor service combined with first-class carriage seats that will help them feel taken care of. Extras such as cashless payments and HD video streaming directly to personal tablets via in-carriage Wi-Fi will also add to the indulgent feel of their journey.

Memorable experiences are also important to social capital seekers, but for a different reason: these travellers are looking to build their ‘social capital’ through priority treatments that can be shared with their online audiences. They prefer highly personalised experiences, and welcome relevant services being offered throughout the journey. Technology is key to these travellers, especially shareable tech such as virtual reality tours to help them pre-plan their journey. Extras like seat upgrades or complimentary meals or drinks that can be easily photographed – and high-speed Wi-Fi and 5G connections to ensure they can be shared – are key to making social capital seekers feel like valued customers.

Ethical travellers’ core ethical values are reflected in their purchasing behaviours, and they’ll expect personalised offers that indicate awareness of this. It’s important to remember that this is far from a homogenous group: some will be focused on their environmental impact and want to offset their carbon footprint; others will be travelling with social ideals and looking to volunteer, or at least mitigate the negative impact of their journey. Green ethical travellers have always, of course, preferred rail over other travel modes, and this will continue in the future.

While some traveller tribes want providers to gather information and ensure a highly personalised experience, cultural purists will reject the use of data-driven algorithms making suggestions based on their past. They want the flexibility of not having set plans or having their previous experiences guide their future plans. These travellers want to experience the local lifestyle on the ground _ something that travelling by rail certainly offers.

They enjoy feeling like they are discovering something, searching for inspiration and making decisions as they go. Rail companies will need to offer plenty of á la carte services that provide a local flavour, such as tours with local guides, or real-time translation apps to help break down barriers.

Obligation meeters are travelling for a specific purpose: they must be in a particular location at an appointed time. They are often willing to pay extra to remove anxiety around arriving on time and, like simplicity searchers, are happy to have their entire journey booked at once. A personalised bundle that allows travellers to

meet their obligations and another set of needs at the same time would be ideal, such as a seat in a firstclass carriage for a social capital seeker travelling to a conference for work, or a regularly booked seat in a quiet car for a commuter looking to get work done en route to the office. These travellers will appreciate extras that help them feel they will meet their obligations, such as smartphone notifications on whether or not the train will reach its destination on time.

The rail opportunity Although certain traveller tribes stand out as immediately relevant to rail companies today, providers need to consider all types of traveller and how they interconnect, as these tribes represent their future customer base. For example while business travellers tend to be obligation meeters, they increasingly want their leisure preferences taken into account when booking a journey. Commuters, too, shouldn’t be overlooked: they represent a large and regular customer base whose needs also must be met to prevent them from going elsewhere for their travel needs.

Each traveller tribe has its own wants and needs when planning a journey; gathering and analysing data will help rail operators understand the motivating factors for a traveller and provide their ideal offerings. Technology will play a key role in this, not only in analysing information, but also in providing offers to travellers. Some customers will want ambient technology that escapes into the background, or to avoid technology at all. Others will want smartphones or other technologies at hand throughout the journey, constantly updating them on their options.

Technologies such as biometrics or neural scanning will give insight into traveller feelings and motivations. Each traveller tribe will have its own expectations, and it will be important that rail operators are able to meet them.

As the travel industry continues to become a customerdriven sector, it will become increasingly important for rail companies to link their offerings with traveller behaviour to encourage loyalty and more bookings. Simple segmentation, relying on demographic attributes is no longer enough as personalisation to meet traveller needs becomes the way to encourage loyalty among travellers.

It’s time for rail companies to focus on what motivates the traveller.

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ROLLING STOCK

Are you sitting comfortably?

Stewart Beck of Southco explains how innovative hinge technology used in the aerospace sector could cost effectively improve seating comfort and enable the railways to compete with air travel

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here is considerable discussion in European media about the intention of governments and rail partnerships to seek to compete more effectively with short-haul flights by improving the infrastructure and service of Europe’s high-speed rail network.

Cost and time remain key drivers when choosing a mode of travel. However, as airlines promote optimum passenger comfort through ergonomically designed cabin layouts, expectations of a more sophisticated travel experience are equally manifesting themselves in the minds of rail passengers. So with the high-speed rail network forecast to continue growing steadily in years to come, will rail seating stand up to comparison with the aerospace industry seating benchmark?

Compared with aircraft, the rail seat is typically larger and boasts more space and legroom: yet the passenger’s complete onboard comfort zone is under scrutiny when it comes to defining value for the passenger in terms of comfort and functionality.

What is the onboard comfort zone?

Above Airline seat positioning technology that could enable the railways to compete for comfort Opposite The innovative hinges that form the foundations of positioning technology

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The onboard comfort zone is that area of space which passengers can call their own, in return for the purchase of a travel ticket. It may have various features depending on which section the passenger is in.

However, every seat, regardless of class and ticket price, will have ‘touch points’ which impact perceptions of comfort and functionality. These relate to elements like headrests, armrests, drop-down tray tables, tilting screens and tablet holders, whose functionality can be optimised

through sophisticated positioning hinge technology.

Positioning hinge technology created by Southco has been proven in the aerospace and automotive industries, with developments driven by the key design consideration of providing ultimate comfort and easy operation at every possible touch point.

Improving the passenger experience So how can this hinge technology be adapted for rail to deliver that all-important first impression of customer comfort and convenience?

There is an increasing expectation for infotainment screens incorporated into passenger seating. These can be adjusted to the optimum viewing angle using a simple positioning hinge with integrated friction technology.

For economy seats without such screens, a tilting shelf with similar integrated positioning technology that allows the passenger to fine-tune the viewing angle of their own tablet or smartphone is an attractive option.

A positioning hinge allows for infinite adjustment increments and resists movement due to vibration, train acceleration and braking or gravity. The latest technologies eliminate the variation and quality issues associated with spring washer solutions, creating maintenance-free, highly reliable and consistent screen adjustment.

Most economy carriages currently have tables which fall into the space above the passenger’s lap. Adding a friction hinge provides a simple means to enhance the passenger experience by allowing the table to be positioned according to the preferences of the

passenger, but preventing the table from descending in an uncontrolled manner once it has been adjusted into place.

Meanwhile, armrest joint mechanisms can also benefit from reliable constant torque technology. Asymmetric torque allows the armrest to be lifted with little effort by the passenger, but it contains enough resistance to stop it from falling or dropping unexpectedly.

Headrest functionality can also be enhanced by the use of these positioning mechanisms to provide customised support, improving comfort and reducing travel fatigue. The unique advantage of asymmetric torque is that the headrest can be easily pulled towards the passenger but resists the weight of the passenger’s head leaning against it.

Adjustable headrests are now considered standard issue on aircraft, in every class of seat. This is certainly not generally the case for the rail seat, where a majority of headrests have not been designed with passenger comfort in mind.

How is reliable positioning achieved?

The most commonly used alternatives for providing positioning in rail interior applications include devices based around spring washers, which are clamped using a threaded tension bar or bolt. While a low-cost solution, these devices typically have the disadvantage of high variation and inconsistency, as well as a relatively low cycle life before repair or adjustment is required. This means the total cost over the life of the application could be excessive, and certainly the chances of a passenger noticing the poor quality are increased.

Friction technology, however, is straightforward: finelytuned torque elements are mounted to the hinge axis to provide repeatable asymmetric torque. The design effectively removes internal clearances within the hinge so there is no play or backlash introduced into the joint.

Part of the know-how involves balancing the static and dynamic frictions of the hinge joint. Too much static friction and the result is a ‘stick-slip effect’ resulting in a very unsatisfying jerky motion _ too much dynamic friction and the wear rate of the mating surfaces increases significantly. For the hinge to move smoothly, repeatedly and with constant resistance and minimum wear rate, the relationship between the surfaces must be in harmony.

The asymmetric torque gives the advantage of resistance to the object when descending but less resistance to the lifting effort. This is achieved as the torque element works like a spring, opening slightly when rotation occurs in one direction to lower the torque, and clamping down tightly on the shaft when rotating in the opposite direction to maximise the resistance. This relationship is not significantly affected by changes in temperature, which can be a problem with viscous fluid dampening devices.

Simply varying the quantity and orientation of these elements enables the creation of hinges and systems perfectly matched to the weight and feel for

each application, with the torque and ‘feel’ remaining consistent and smooth across an extremely high number of cycles.

When the seat reaches its end of life or a predetermined refurbishment period is over, then, if necessary, the hinge can be replaced without any specialist expertise, safe in the knowledge that the joint will again outlast the next set of upholstery. This compares favourably with the more frequent overhaul typically required to refurbish seats.

This technology is at the heart of a number of offthe-shelf solutions for mounting into most plastics, composites and metal structures. A range of products is now available to suit torque requirements for applications as small as a flip cover on a mobile phone sized device, right up to supporting panels or equipment weighing 15kg or more. Torques can range from fractions of Newton-centimetres to 10s of Newton metres. The upper boundary is only restricted by package constraints and by the limits on the forces customers are likely to apply. Very heavy loads can be supported using added counterbalance features that work in combination with the friction technology.

This technology can be overmoulded into plastic or composite structures or integrated into custom housing designs and configurations to suit the application. It can even be combined with dampening, detent and counterbalance features to exactly match the functionality desired by the designer and the end user.

These innovative technologies are now all available as standard solutions to the rail industry to allow the on board comfort zone to compete with that of airlines and other forms of transportation, and promote the highest levels of passenger comfort from economy class right up to business/ first class. Friction-based solutions can improve the feel and perception of quality for headrests, armrests, tables and infotainment devices _ in fact, every major element of the onboard comfort zone.

Use of these solutions will enable rail operators to promote highly ergonomic passenger comfort zones, thereby meeting the expectations of the more sophisticated travel experience expected by the modern rail passenger.

www.southco.co.uk.

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Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd

Platform for

growth

Under the experienced operation of RATP Dev, Manchester’s Metrolink tram network has undergone extensive growth over the past few years and continued focus on delivering an unrivalled service to its millions of passengers remains top priority as it moves forward

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s one of the UK’s largest and most important cities, ensuring Manchester’s large population has access to reliable public transport has been critical to the city becoming the industrial and economic hub it is today. At present 2.7 million (and counting) inhabitants are spread across nearly 500 square miles of Greater Manchester, served by a network of ten local councils. Facilitating such substantial transport demands, Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) Metrolink network has grown since it was first opened in 1992 to become the UK’s largest light rail system.

Having been managed by experienced international operator RATP Dev since 2011, Metrolink today covers

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Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd

VolkerRail VolkerRail is part of MPT, the joint venture delivering the Manchester Metrolink Phase 3 project. Utilising VolkerRail’s in-house rail resource and plant MPT has installed over 60km of tramway across Greater Manchester. As well as installing new track over a variety of traditional and innovative track forms, VolkerRail has faultlessly installed new sections of railway connecting into existing networks. These range from simple maintenance renewals to complex full track replacements and motorised turnouts and crossings.

The Airport Line The new 14.4km Airport Line, which extends from St Werburgh’s Road to Manchester Airport, is a combination of integrated and segregated on-street tramway, sharing a highway corridor and was completed more than 12 months ahead of schedule.

Second City Crossing The Second City Crossing will provide an additional link between the existing St Peter’s Square tram stop and the recently upgraded Victoria tram stop, connecting to heavy rail lines.

93 stops across 93 km of network with a total of 109 vehicles. This translates into around 33 million passenger journeys a year, or 90,000 a day. As with many of the figures that define Manchester’s size, these numbers continue to rise and a quick look back over the past five years under RATP Dev’s operation demonstrates just how rapid this rise has been.

In 2010 the company’s employee level sat at 386, a number that has nearly doubled to today’s 723. A

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£1.5 billion investment into expansion by Greater Manchester has seen the network treble in size, thanks in part to a new 14.5km line to Manchester Airport in 2014 – the city’s largest ever expansion project to be completed in one go. Interestingly, the Manchester Airport expansion was completed a year ahead of schedule. This period has also seen more reliable Bombardier M5000 trams replace the existing fleet of T68s and the relocation of the Network Management

Centre (NMC) to its new Trafford Depot.

Speaking with Railway Strategies Managing Director for RATP Dev in Manchester, Chris Coleman keenly points out that the political unity and working synergies between Greater Manchester’s local councils, TfGM and RATP Dev are vital to the network’s continually successful performance. “From an operational perspective there are several key factors that underpin the successful service we operate,” he says. “Firstly, the preventative maintenance and management of the network’s assets carried out by our teams to ensure optimum infrastructure reliability is second to none. Then there is the maintenance of the fleet and tram reliability, which now stands at an impressive rolling average of 23,989 Mean Distance Between Service Failures (MDBSF). So we’re certainly bucking the trend for vehicle reliability. We can’t talk about our success without acknowledging the great people we have working for us in Manchester. Over the past five years they’ve experienced significant and continuous change and their flexibility, professionalism and commitment has just been incredible throughout.

We simply couldn’t have done any of this without them.”

3 Way Building Services 3 Way Building Services are proud to have been associated with Manchester Metrolink since 2007.

Our works have included refurbishment of offices, kitchens and toilets, works to improve stations, bridge and tunnel pointing, masonry repairs, drainage works, paving etc. We have PIC + PTS trained operatives.

We trust that the experience we have gained will hold us in good stead for continuing a long-term relationship with both operators and owners of the Manchester Tram network.

With demand continuing to rise, providing greater capacity on its existing network courtesy of a new Tram Management System (TMS), which is now installed on 90 per cent of the network, is also a key strength of Metrolink. “This provides us with the flexibility to cope with increased patronage during peak times and major events by providing an optimal service without the traditional block signalling system that only allows one tram in a section at a time,” explains Chris, who goes on to evidence the main interchange for all services at Cornbrook, where

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Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd

Waterman Group Waterman Group is proud to have been involved in a wide range of schemes supporting the Metrolink over the last 15 years.

Its teams provide specialist civil and structural engineering services including structural examinations and assessments, scour inspections, BCI scoring and appraisal, structural strengthening and asset refurbishment.

It looks forward to continuing its longstanding relationship with the Metrolink teams into the future.

capacity has nearly doubled from 26 to 45 trams per hour in each direction since TMS was implemented.

Topping these strengths off is a passionate and experienced team of people focused wholly on delivering an unrivalled customer experience. Indeed, RATP Dev’s defining vision reads: “Delivering an excellent customer experience in transport,” and Chris attributes this to its people. “There is a great spirit of teamwork here and although each department has its own remit, they

will come together and work towards what we need to deliver,” he says. What results is a very respectable customer satisfaction score for Metrolink of 85 per cent (up from 83 per cent in the previous year) compared to the National Rail Passenger Survey score of 81 per cent and the Bus Passenger Survey’s 88 per cent. A number of accolades sit atop RATP Dev’s mantelpiece to support this, including Operator of the Year 2013 and Highly Commended recognition in 2014 and 2015 at the Light Rail Awards. More recently it has been named Operator of the Year at 2016’s UK Rail Industry Awards.

Ever committed to growing and improving its network, Metrolink is currently in the middle of the major Second City Crossing (2CC) programme, which is designed to increase capacity, flexibility and reliability with the introduction of a second line to intersect the heart of Manchester. With its first stage – the opening of Exchange Square stop – already completed in December 2015, the project is well underway and Chris notes the scheme’s importance in line with political devolution and the creation of a Northern Powerhouse. “The Northern Powerhouse will enable regional leaders to ensure the right decisions on transport priorities are taken to benefit the North of England,” he highlights. “Further connectivity between Metrolink and other modes of transport, along with easier access and ticketing solutions, will enable the region to be even more successful in the future and we

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Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd

Neary Rail Neary Rail are a railway civil engineering contractor, established in 1994. We are able to undertake a wide range of light and heavy rail works supported by our UKAS accredited SQE systems and recently gained Network Rail Provisional Principal Contractor License.

Our reliable, flexible and honest approach to delivering work, along with our desire to always provide safe, high quality and zero hassle solutions, makes us the first choice for many of our clients.

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want to continue to support our client, TfGM, through the next stages associated with this devolution.”

Other schemes of particular focus at present include looking at a new 5.5km extension to Trafford Park, which will provide a critical link for 1,300 businesses and 33,000 workers, the continued roll out of TMS onto the Bury line and supporting TfGM’s public transport smart ticketing project named ‘get me there.’

As Chair of the UKTram Executive, Chris is pleased about the UK’s current light rail development that is ongoing at Metrolink and also on the Nottingham Express Transit and Midland Metro networks. “The light rail industry has and will continue to remain extremely healthy as it brings with it a number of environmental and economic benefits over other modes of transport,” he says. “It has proved itself as an effective and efficient means of transporting high numbers of passengers directly into and around the heart of a city, serving local needs by connecting communities and supporting businesses. In Greater Manchester, for instance, Metrolink has helped to regenerate areas such as Salford Quays, which is now home to the BBC and other media outlets and recent research has shown that living near to a Metrolink stop will add an average of £12,000 to the value of a property.”

Keen to support this continued growth in the best and most effective way possible, the UKTram Executive is focused on promoting the real benefits of light rail and how it can help to regenerate the regions and communities they serve. It is also a core platform from which to mobilise collective action across the sector by sharing best practice and implementing initiatives to reduce costs and improve the service. In addition to this,

in April 2015 RATP Dev, which also operates ten other tramways around the world, set up the ‘Tram Club’.

“Made up of representatives from the worldwide light rail and tramway network, the club has the aim of increasing competitiveness, sharing best practice and improving the effectiveness of areas such as operations, engineering and customer experience,” Chris highlights. “Ultimately, the future is looking extremely bright for light rail and we at RATP Dev plan to be at the forefront of it.”

With this in mind, Chris very much sees the future of Metrolink in the hands of its people and ensuring that confidence was maintained when RATP Dev took over the network was a key part of the transition. “Defining our progression are our three core strategic objectives: to be operationally excellent, to be customer focused and to be fit for the future,” he outlines. “As a business we’ve doubled in size organisationally and trebled in size operationally over the last few years. This has required a major reorganisation with the creation of new positions, new people, new skills and new processes in order to future proof the business through such a change so that we are equipped to deal with tomorrow’s challenges.

“Last year we launched our Leadership Academy, which saw more than 100 managers in the business go through a bespoke four-day training programme that proved to be extremely successful. The aim was to equip our leaders with the skills and knowledge to support our people through change as well as deliver the service improvements people expect from us. The loyalty and commitment of our people has ensured we’ve got to where we are today and it’s important that we continue to invest and upskill them for the future.”

As far as the future is concerned for Manchester’s

light rail network, RATP Dev is currently in the process of tendering for its continued operation beyond 2017.

Alongside this however it is also ploughing ahead with major schemes designed to bring about even more improvements to Metrolink. “It is going to be another busy year for us for several reasons,” Chris explains.

“This summer a major blockade to restore the twin-track running and redevelopment of a new stop at St Peter’s Square in the city centre will be carried out. This will involve closing this section and splitting the network over a period of eight weeks whilst the station and track layout is completed. Our top priority for this project of course is ensuring we continue to deliver as good a customer experience as possible throughout the transition.

Alongside this more rolling stock will continue to be delivered, so our fleet team will be commissioning the new vehicles and getting them ready for service alongside the additional daily allocation of 93 trams.”

In addition to capacity and reliability improvements, the Metrolink network will also experience major efforts into its customer experience with a number of projects already well underway. “We recently introduced Customer Network Managers into our NMC to provide a ‘customer

Left Chris Coleman at the opening of the airport line on 3 Nov 2014 with Peter Cushing, Metrolink director at TfGM conscience’, in what is traditionally a heavily operational environment,” Chris continues. “These managers oversee our contact centre and the team who manage our Twitter account, which currently has more than 25,000 followers. We’ve also created Customer Ambassadors whose primary role is to provide customer service to our 90,000 daily customers on the front line. These have already proven themselves to be a key part of our customer service offering and feedback from passengers has been extremely positive. We will be doing more work throughout 2016 to advance both of these initiatives.”

Helping to roll out TfGM’s new smart ticketing project, managing a number of major events and continuing

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Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd

to recruit and upskill new and existing employees will also all be key parts of 2016. “We also want to focus on upgrading our four-star EFQM business excellence rating to five stars,” Chris adds. “Overall, it looks set to be another busy year for us but we relish the challenge and we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with TfGM to deliver the aspirations of the region and for Metrolink.”

www.ratpdev.co.uk www.metrolink.co.uk

UPDATE

Who is RATP? Under the RATP Dev umbrella 70+ global subsidiaries include tram, metro, bus and rail networks across Europe, the USA, South America, Africa and Asia. With nearly 60,000 employees the company generated a turnover of 5.25 billion euros in 2014.

RATP Group is the fifth largest public transport company in the world, primarily responsible for operating the vast intermodal transport network in Île-de-France, including Paris, which transports over 14 million people a day.

On the 11th February 2016 Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd was named ‘Operator of the Year’ at the prestigious UK Rail Industry Awards in London. The company was praised for its delivery of consistently high standards of service alongside the ongoing expansion programme and the benefits being brought to its passengers. Speaking after the event, Chris Coleman expressed: “To receive an accolade like this is the culmination of what have been some extremely challenging yet rewarding few years. It is a fantastic accomplishment and one we simply couldn’t have delivered without the great people we have working for us locally, the support we’re have from our parent, RATP Dev, and our partners in TfGM.”

Solaris Technologies Solaris Technologies Ltd is a multidisciplinary engineering partner with a wealth of expertise in delivering integrated heavy and light rail signalling, power and communications system solutions to high profile, safety critical projects such as the Manchester Victoria Station and Second City Crossing Metrolink improvements. Solaris is currently in contract with RATP Dev Ltd providing electrical system upgrades so that the existing infrastructure continues to meet the requirements of EN 50122 2:2010 & EN 50122 1:2011 for the safe operation of DC electrical traction return systems.

With a relationship that stretches back for many years, Solaris supports the main contractors with specialist management, engineering and installation activities such as; tram control and indication (points and signals), highways interface (road traffic junctions), traction power systems and electrical distribution installations which are fully NICEIC certified.

Solaris has provided testing support to the Metrolink main contractor organisations and RATP Dev Ltd with testing of the new tramline sections and interfaces to the existing infrastructure. These activities include the initial traction energisation, traction short circuit testing and test dynamics of the first tram on the new infrastructure at line speed, allowing the interface between the fixed infrastructure systems and the rolling stock systems to be safely proved. All work carried out by the company is supported by extensively detailed, self-produced work documentation, reports and certification. This documentation supports the main contractor’s hand over to RATP Dev Ltd for driver training and entry into operational passenger service.

Solaris has adopted and provides the best safe delivery systems and processes identified during the Metrolink Phase 3 extensions (60km). These extremely effective collaborative practices led to the multi-award winning Manchester Airport Line extension opening 12 months ahead of schedule.

This approach allows the Metrolink stakeholders to work together flexibly and cost effectively to bring about improvements to the public network. Solaris is investing time into new and emerging technologies, which are key to the future innovation and evolution of Metrolink’s service offering to the growing demands of Greater Manchester.

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mechan

Raising standards in depot

maintenance

In a game of word association, if we were to say “Mechan,” you’d probably respond with “lifting jacks.”

Who could blame you – drop into your local rail maintenance facility and you’re likely to see a ribbon of the firm’s flagship yellow jacks standing to attention at the side of a track.

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ut the Sheffield-based manufacturer is far from a one trick pony. Its wide portfolio of heavy lifting products ranges from bogie drops and turntables to bespoke traversers, for which it holds the record for the largest ever produced in the UK. It is now in operation at the Port of Felixstowe and has a capacity of 170 tonnes.

With almost half a century of engineering experience to its name, Mechan has developed a reputation worldwide for the safety and reliability of its products. It enjoys excellent links with depot operators and train builders, working regularly with the likes of Siemens, Hitachi, Network Rail, Bombardier and Alstom.

Innovation is at the heart of the firm’s success, in terms of its business practises and product development. As larger under floor modules are introduced and pressure increases to achieve ever faster maintenance times, Mechan is focused on providing equipment that offers speed, strength and precision, enabling today’s longer

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trains to be serviced without decoupling.

Lifting jacks are vital for access to bogies, wheelsets and underfloor components and their control systems are a key area in which technological gains are driving forward innovation.

Mechan is using the latest networking expertise to synchronise an unlimited number of jacks, whilst still producing a smooth and safe lift. By broadcasting the theoretical position of every jack in a chain at regular intervals, each unit can make speed adjustments so precise they are undetectable to the eye, correcting any height deviations.

And as the number of operatives needed in a depot reduces, the quality of information available increases commensurately. A chain of jacks can now be operated by one person from a remote, full colour touch screen that displays useful data about maintenance and servicing. The user can monitor an entire lift or focus in on a particular jack, making it easier to diagnose faults.

Sometimes, it is necessary to commission equipment tailored specifically to the physical constraints of a location, as well as its maintenance activities. Traversers are a perfect example of largescale installations that are built to order and Mechan is making a name for itself in this field, most recently designing two for Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe facility in County Durham.

Demand for these unique machines is much lower than other depot equipment and Mechan is one of the few companies in the UK able to showcase its ability to design and build cost effective bespoke products for any size or weight vehicle.

Newton Aycliffe is using two 80 tonne traversers to help produce the new high speed trains for the InterCity Express Programme (IEP), moving vehicles between 33 tracks inside the facility and out to the test area. Without them, this sophisticated production line would have needed to be three times as long.

Each traverser is different and the pair constructed

for Hitachi was made to a detailed specification. The internal unit has a special low profile design and fourmetre long hydraulic ramps, to allow the pit to be used as a thoroughfare when the traverser is not in use. The external installation has a more conventional construction, but was fitted with a canopy to protect new rail vehicles from the elements.

This is just one of four IEP sites for which Mechan has supplied equipment. Working with main contractor, VolkerFitzpatrick, a set of 40 lifting jacks and an equipment drop with two bridges have been delivered to the North Pole depot in west London. As the equipment drop is located in the centre of the depot, its unusual two bridge configuration had to be designed to enable one of the bridges to retract into the pit, so it does not detract from other work and normal operations can continue when it is not in use.

The firm has also developed a further two standard equipment drops for the new Stoke Gifford depot near Bristol. All three units use the same control philosophy to establish consistency and allow trained operatives to be moved between facilities if necessary. Finally, a three road equipment drop, 40 lifting jacks with a 15 tonne capacity and two bogie turntables are currently in production for the new train maintenance facility being constructed in Doncaster, again for Hitachi.

Working on high profile UK projects such as the IEP, Thameslink and Crossrail has provided a multimillion pound boost to Mechan’s order book, securing its fortunes in the short term. Due to the long lead times and extensive planning and design processes that accompany the production of depot maintenance equipment, the challenge now is to look for future opportunities that will help the business sustain its growth and open up new markets.

Through the efforts of its management team and by establishing an international network of agents, exports are playing an increasingly significant role in the firm’s success. Trade overseas accounts at present for 20 per cent of business, a figure that grows year on year and Mechan’s products are shipped across the world to key territories including South Africa, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Expansion continues as traction is gained in Europe and the Middle East, where equipment has already been supplied to high profile projects, such as the Cairo Metro Line Three.

Mechan is also looking to Europe to enhance its product portfolio. It has forged links with manufacturers that demonstrate a similar commitment to quality and durability, to bring a selection of third party innovations to the UK and Irish markets that complement its in house capabilities.

Laser measuring is a must for checking wheel, brake disc and rail wear and Mechan is representing two of the most advanced systems on the market. The handheld CALIPRI from NextSense uses three simple lasers to record all relevant wear parameters on wheelsets and

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mechan

tracks, whilst Visiona’s fixed location wheel measuring device, Wheelpro, is ideal for predictive maintenance, enabling repairs and replacement parts to be anticipated and scheduled in advance.

Improving air quality and the depot environment is growing in popularity among maintenance providers looking to make cost and efficiency savings through better recruitment and retention of staff. Again, Mechan has sourced a number of products offering clear environmental benefits, including automated sandbox filling systems that use a pneumatic pipe to eliminate dust and flexible exhaust hoods guaranteeing the removal of diesel fumes at source.

A cleaner, greener alternative to traditional shunters is also available to aid the movement of vehicles around a depot. The award winning, electric road and rail shunters are emission free, relying solely on battery power to trail loads of up to 500 tonnes.

In the last eight years, Mechan’s turnover and profit has doubled, due largely to streamlined processes, plus the continued investment in facilities, technology and talented staff. The firm has secured the internationally recognised quality, health, safety and environmental accreditations, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001 and added Investors in People to its list of accolades.

During a recent renewal of Mechan’s Investors in People standard, the assessor noted that the management team offered strong support for learning and development, both formally and informally, by encouraging employees to identify their needs.

Engendering an open and friendly work environment has allowed the firm to promote ideas generation and a sense of responsibility among staff, which is reflected

in the high level of customer service enjoyed by clients across the globe.

This ongoing focus on quality in all aspects of the business is attracting attention from the industry and earning recognition among colleagues and peers. Earlier this year, Mechan was presented with the rolling stock maintenance equipment prize at the international railway systems exhibition, Railtex and it has been shortlisted in the ‘subcontractor of the year – small’ category at the UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA) 2016. The winner will be revealed on February 11 at a special ceremony, held at Battersea Evolution in London.

So what does the future hold? Increasing passenger numbers and government investment in projects such as HS2 and HS3 are creating a wealth of home grown opportunities for Mechan to continue catering for the maintenance needs of existing rail depots and new build projects.

By delivering durable, cutting edge equipment and great service, the firm is positioned perfectly to attract new business on a national and global scale. The financial stability afforded by its recent success is being used to increase market share, develop new products and refine its existing range through the expansion of its design and sales teams. Apprenticeships in workshop and office roles have also been offered to a number of young people whose progress the firm sees as key to its longevity and growth.

To find out more about Mechan’s lifting and handling equipment, telephone (0114) 257 0563, visit www.mechan.co.uk or follow the firm on Twitter, @mechanuk.

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Express Glazing Contractors

A clear view

With unrivalled levels of service and experience behind it, Express Glazing Contractors continues to deliver to complex and demanding contracts across London and the rest of the UK

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merging in the late 1970s, Express Glazing Contractors (EGC) has grown to become one of the largest and most prominent glazing contractors in the country. Over this time the company has been successful at retaining many of its management and staff. It’s a success that means that

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there now exists an extensive wealth of experience and knowledge in the business – perfectly suiting it to the high demands put upon it. With many of its operations taking place within the M25, but also serving regular clients across the country, EGC has become a leading contractor, often delivering its services under the most extraordinary circumstances.

“It is this continuity of staff, combined with their extensive knowledge and experience of our products and services that really sets us apart in the market,” explains Chairman, Paul Rogers. “This large pool of knowledge has been obtained over many years of trading and delivering through economic highs and lows, storms, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, as well as providing services to blue-chip clients from the top of the highest buildings to underground facilities. This has continually allowed the team to provide a current, professional and rapid service installing glass, glazing and applied window film to such a diverse range of commercial clients.”

With operatives ready to be deployed 24/7 throughout

the year, EGC is able to respond to any demand whenever required. Notably, its services were called upon during the August 2011 London riots in order to board-up glazing for protection as well as to replace glass from violence-struck areas. The company’s emergency response was carried out in parallel to normal operations, and was delivered to a range of properties from retail units to government buildings. Accompanying this flexible, ‘express’ service, EGC also has a range of competencies including associated traffic management works, the ability to work in high level, sensitive and secure locations with specialist access equipment and abseilers, and glaziers qualified to work both ‘airside’ and ‘trackside’.

Over its long history, EGC has delivered to a range of high profile clients and projects including hotels like the Savoy and Connaught, government and embassy buildings, including the Houses of Parliament, retail units, transport hubs and a full variety of commercial and industrial facilities. Recent contracts that perfectly demonstrate the depth of capabilities that exist in the business include the replacement of 2800mm by 1500mm, insulated double-glazed units as part of the atrium roof of the Department of Health building in London. Following bird damage, the company was called to make-safe, survey, manufacture, supply and reglaze the 200kg panes, 120 feet above the ground.

In February this year the firm also completed an emergency job for one of its facility management clients in Hatton Garden, London, to make safe a double-glazed unit. The job required the replacement of a panel that was 2000mm by 3650mm large and weighed over 250 kg, which was made particularly challenging by difficult

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Express Glazing Contractors

access. Under tight time restrictions, EGC had a new unit manufactured by its supplier Pilkington Glass, whilst it put in place out-of-hours road management systems, specialist access scaffold and lifting equipment to carry out the work successfully.

As well as its commercial and industrial offerings, EGC has also amassed significant experience within the rail industry. “We have worked with this industry both on main rail and underground sites since the 1980s,” says Paul. Over recent years the company has completed high security glass installations and large-scale window replacements for clients such as A. Edmonds, Vinci, Proteq and H A Marks at a number of key mainline and underground stations around London. This year EGC responded to an emergency problem to repair and replace a large tempered unit at Waterloo International Station. Highly experienced glaziers with the correct rail certifications successfully installed the unit under complex and limited access circumstances, which measured approximately 1500mm by 3900mm. In September, the company also completed a large job to reglaze over 100 obscure glass panes at Harrow on the Hill Tube.

Working in such extreme and demanding environments, it is no surprise that health and safety features heavily in EGC’s agenda. “This always has to be the highest priority for us,” Paul emphasises. “In the early days of trading there was very little safety glass, so the company had to be very conscious of the need for safety in all its handling and glazing activities. This culture has developed continuously in line with modern advancements across all areas of the business as it

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interacts with clients and the wider public on a daily basis.

Training, accreditation audits and trade networking at the GGF (Glass and Glazing Federation) make sure that we are continually conscious of the needs and developments in health and safety, as well as best practice.”

As demand for its services grows, EGC is presently going through a programme of investment to secure its future with skilled tradesmen, despite a shortage in the industry, by actively participating with the GGF and supporting the foundation of GGF Training Ltd for flat glazing industry training. This will be accommodated by a move in 2016 to new larger and more modern premises, providing increased capacity for growth. As glass becomes increasingly technically complex and used more extensively in construction, the future for EGC, with its years of experience, will be positive. Paul notes that opportunities exist as competitors shy away from challenging inner-city logistics, and is confident that as long as its focus remains on delivering a quality service alongside superior health and safety consideration, EGC will continue to grow and develop with more new contracts and clients.

www.expressglazingcontractors.co.uk

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.

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 Infrarail 2016 Where: ExCeL, London Organiser: Mack Brooks Exhibitions Tel: 01727 814 400 Email: kirsten.whitehouse@mackbrooks.co.uk Web: www.infrarail.com 12-13 May 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 18 May 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 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 22-24 June Global Rail Freight Conference Where: Van Nelle Factory, Rotterdam Organiser: UIC Tel: +31 6 8104 3666 Email: jrodenhuis@europoint.eu Web: www.grfc2016.com 28-29 June 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 29 June -1 July Next Generation Rail Where knowledge creates solutions Where: National Training Academy for Rail, Northampton Organiser: RRUKA Email: secretariat@rruka.org.uk Web: www.rruka.org.uk/events/ngr2016

20-23 September InnoTrans 2016 Where: Messe, Berlin Organiser: Messe Berlin Tel: +49 30 3038 2376 Email: innotrans@messe-berlin.de Web: www.innotrans.de/en 5-7 October European Transport Conference Connecting the worlds of research, consultancy, policy and practice Where: Barcelona, Spain Organiser: Association for European Transport Web: etcproceedings.org 14-15 November Rail Revenue, Rail Customer, Rail Ticketing, Rail IT Where: Sofitel Legend The Grand, Amsterdam Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: 02070 921 237 Email: daniel.boyle@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/conference/rail-revenue 22-24 November Intelligent Rail Summit Where: Railway Museum, Naples, Italy Organiser: Railtech Tel: +31 627 841 198 Email: mbrouwers@europoint.eu Web: www.railtech.com/intelligent-rail-summit-2016

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

5 July 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 Train communication and auxiliary systems New and existing systems in use on today’s rolling stock flee

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

3 November Vehicle acceptance and approvals Introduction to acceptance procedures which apply across the rail network

12 July Vehicle dynamics and vehicle track interaction Understand the dynamics of railway vehicles to improve safety, comfort and asset life

7-11 November Introduction to railway signalling technologies An overview of railway control systems, subsystems and technologies used on UK main line and metro railways

13 July Vehicle acceptance and approvals Introduction to acceptance procedures which apply across the rail network

8 November Fleet Maintenance - Introduction Improve your processes and fleet maintenance processes

1 November 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.

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

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

2 November Traction and braking Principles of traction and braking for railway engineers

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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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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 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 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

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Above The high-performing galvanized, powdercoated steel-framed formwork Framax Xlife, for long life span even on high numbers of repeat uses Top Doka’s Heavy-duty supporting system SL-1 is being used at Red Line Underground project for prompt construction progress Below (L-R) Usama Al Saleh (Doka - Sales Engineer); Fabrizio Fara (ISG - Asst.

Construction Manager); Mohanraj Sadavisam (Doka-Project Technician); Andrea Bertini (ISG – Station Manager Katara); Jerico Lanto (Doka- Group Leader Engineering)

Going underground with Doka in Doha Aiding both the objectives for Qatar Vision 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2022, Doka has been supporting Qatar Rail’s ‘Doha Metro’ project, a mass-transport system that will assist Doha’s ongoing transformation into a modern centre for trade and industry

C

urrently, the project is on track for a 2018 launch where this state-of-the art integrated metro line will be one of the most advanced rail transit systems in the world, covering four lines that span 300 kilometres and 100 stations.

Construction of the Red Line, also known as the ‘Coastal Line’, commenced in 2014, and has a total of 14 underground and five elevated (at-grade) stations in the first phase, with a total route length of 40 kilometres.

A total of nine tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been allocated to the Red Line where to date, they’ve excavated an aggregate volume of 1.7million m3.

North underground expertise Salini-Impregilo is leading the construction of the Red Line North Underground, in a joint venture with SK Engineering Construction Company and Galfar Al Misnad Trading and Contracting. The first phase includes the construction of seven stations and 26 kilometres of tunnel.

Under Doka’s remit, the formwork scope comprises of

supplying formwork for all stations, running between 20 to 35 metres below ground level. 3,700 m2 of Large-area formwork Top 50 are used for the base slabs, outer lining and staircase walls, as the shape, size, tie-hole pattern and form-facing of the elements can be adapted to suit any requirement. 560 m2 of the high-performing Framed formwork Framax Xlife were applied for the outer lining walls, while 650 m2 of Framed formwork Frami Xlife, ideal for fast and economical forming, were used for the column and inner platform walls.

A volume of 3,700 m3 Load-bearing Tower Staxo 100 and Heavy-duty supporting system SL-1 were used for the decking of beam and slabs, with an additional 42,000 m3 for shoring of the beams and slabs.

Doka used the Supporting Construction Frame with a 2.40-metre extension to cast the 9.20 metre high outer lining walls in one go. The task was supported by the SL-1 system that allows the passage of Tunnel Boring Machines without disrupting the casting schedule of the concourse slabs.

In order to expedite the progress on site, Doka Qatar provided pre-assembly services for the Large-area formwork Top 50 base slabs, outer lining walls and staircase walls, as well as pre-assembly of the Staxo tables for the beams and slabs.

Royal visit Acknowledged as one of Qatar’s most important infrastructure projects, the Doha Metro North Underground project received a visit from Qatari Prime Minister, His Excellency Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, on 19th April 2015, who inspected the new network from the site of Al Qassar station.

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Qatar Rail

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

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

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.

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

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Qatar Rail

Arcadis Arcadis was appointed last year to provide architectural branding, design and construction consultancy services for the Qatar Rail Gold Line metro line in Doha, Qatar. This work follows an earlier involvement on comparable activities on the Red Line South metro line. The Gold Line is one of four lines under development in the first phase of Doha’s 354km metro network and is by far the largest single construction package on the Doha Metro, crossing the city from east to west. This ₏3.2bn contract includes 32km of bored tunnel along with 13 new underground stations fitted out with highend architectural finishes and state of the art MEP systems (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing), as well as services buildings, tunnels and entrances, in addition to landscaping, traffic and utilities works. Arcadis’ involvement in the project, which started in June 2015, covers the detailed design and co-ordination of architectural finishes for ten of the 13 new underground stations as well as associated MEP, structural and landscape design, plus construction support and consultancy services. 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

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

www.qr.co.qa

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Qatar Rail (Green Line Elevated and at Grade)

Focus on:

PMC Project Director for Green Line and Red Line North EAG, Jean Christophe Elis talks to Railway Strategies about the Green Line’s progress and some of the challenges that it has had to overcome

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ith 11 stations spread across 22 kilometres of track the Green Line (GRN), or Education Line, will be a critical link between the eastern district of Al Riffa and Al Mansoura in the west when it is completed in 2018. When opened, 3.2 kilometres of elevated and at grade (EAG) line will emerge from the underground at the Education City trough and extend westwards alongside the proposed Gharafat Al Rayyan and Dukhan highway. Of the total EAG length, 2.4 kilometres will consist of viaduct spans with the remaining length providing at-grade, tunnel and ramp sections. The project also involves the construction of Al Riffa Station.

“The biggest technical challenge with the project is time in the sense that the schedule is very tight,” begins Jean Christophe Elis, PMC Project Director. “This is especially true of the intermediate milestones, which relate to the completion of main structural items for the stations and giving access to contractors who interface with the project like highway and track contractors. Bringing in all the resources in co-ordination with this becomes a big technical challenge. So whilst the overall deadline for completion is reasonable, the intermediate milestones can be very tight and demanding.”

At the time of writing the Green Line EAG project’s team is busy readying the precast elements for the individual viaduct segments and whilst work on this is on schedule, Jean Christophe highlights some of the challenges they have had to overcome when it comes to the high quality production of concrete. “It can be difficult to ensure we are receiving consistently excellent quality from the concrete manufacturers,” he explains.

“You would imagine that because of the volumes required on this project as a whole the manufacturer would put in place a solid infrastructure, in terms of the quality and delivery, but a tight supervision by the Contractor still remains necessary. Training of the workers and supervisors is also a critical factor to the quality of the final product. Do it right first time is the subtitle of all the method statements here.”

Across the entire Qatar Rail Integrated Project, health and safety remains the highest priority. Markus Demmler, Senior Programme Director told Railway Strategies previously that the project had an AFR (accident frequency rate) target of 0.1 per cent but was operating closer to 0.06 per cent after well over 91.1 million man-hours completed on the project. Jean Christophe

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Qatar Rail (Green Line Elevated and at Grade)

goes into further detail to explain how this commitment is implemented on the ground, highlighting that its first approach is to make sure that the relationship between the contractor and the project management team is based on the mutual understanding that health and safety comes first. “We require that our contractors have a very high number of safety supervisors,” he says. “At present the requirement is one supervisor to every 50 workers and when we can have up to 3000 workers on site it is plain to see that a supervisor presence is strong.

“We also carry out regular surveys across the project with monthly management visits from both ours and the contractors businesses, to ensure that this clear understanding is kept up,” he continues. “Of course, all elements of PPEs are absolutely compulsory with zero tolerance and we make sure protection systems such as railings, platforms and proper accesses are very strongly implemented.”

This dedication to on-site welfare extends beyond the working zone as living conditions such as accommodation, catering facilities and shelter from the weather are all subject to regular inspection in order to meet the highest standards. Despite Qatar’s various major development programmes being the focus of such international attention over recent years, Jean Christophe commends the overarching attitude towards ensuring the highest standards of worker welfare are met and maintained. “I have been really pleased by what I have seen here,” he expresses. “The quality of work is high, the attention to the workers’ welfare is genuine and high levels of resources are put in place ensure that all of these are able to meet international standards.”

With work well underway and targets being met, the next challenge for Jean Christophe and his team on the Green Line EAG project is to get sub-contractors started on the project and bring in the necessary materials

for architectural finishes. “It will be a complex process getting all architectural materials approved and delivered to the projects across the entire metro project; also the specifications are very high for this prestigious project,” he concludes. “All the metro packages will require the same materials in the same time period, so the provision of this will be the next challenge as we move forward and we are aiming to have this in place by 2017.”

SMEET W.L.L. SMEET W.L.L., established by Qatari Diar, Barwa and The First Investors, is an innovative and progressive manufacturer and supplier of calibre building materials for the construction industry in Qatar.

It offers a one-stop-shop solution in designing, producing and delivering premium quality of ready mix concrete, precast concrete, blocks, kerbs & pavers and reinforcement.

SMEET is the preferred supplier for Doha Metro Projects and has a proven track record of more than 1,000,000m3 supply of concrete to all Metro Lines. SMEET Precast has been awarded to be an exclusive supplier of all precast tunnel segments of Qatar Rail’s Red Line North & South’s Underground projects.

Yüksel Insaat Yüksel Insaat is a privately owned, incorporated company having a capital of TL300 million. Yüksel has 52 years of experience in construction industry. For 2014, total assets and equity of Yüksel Group were recorded as US$ 1,165 million and US$ 372 million respectively. Approximately 7000 employees are working for Yüksel. As of 01 January 2015, the company had order book of US$ 4.32 billion (Yüksel share US$ 2.45 billion) and backlog of US$ 1.31 billion largely in public–sector infrastructure. Yüksel provides high–quality works and possesses ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001.

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Trackwork Moll

Light

sleepers Supplying Network Rail’s entire demand for concrete sleepers is no small feat for any manufacturer, but at only five years old Trackwork Moll is proving itself as wholly capable as it continues to drive improvements and capacity expansion into its operations 84

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ounded in 2011 as a joint venture between Trackwork of Doncaster and Leonhard Moll Betonwerke of Munich, Trackwork Moll is a key strategic concrete sleeper supply partner for Network Rail. With infrastructure projects continuing to develop across the company, the JV was set up in response to quality and cost needs demanded by the network and a ten-year contract was agreed upon to supply such high demand. With a total production capacity of 400,000 concrete sleepers per annum, the company has enough capacity to satisfy such volumes and in doing so is well on its way to becoming the UK’s foremost expert in concrete sleeper manufacture turning out both G44 and EG47 units.

Sleeper production at the company consists of two systems, a long casting line and a carousel system, which

combine to give it a very quick and cost effective delivery process. Being a relatively young facility as well means that much of the technology used is start-of-the-art.

Railway Strategies last featured Trackwork Moll back

in May 2015 when it had recently reached 100 per cent production capacity after months of hard work and development. Nearly a year on and new General Manager, Chris Dale, is pleased to report that progress within the facility is going well. “The general view of the company over the last year has been one of stabilising production as we transfer the plant from a construction and engineering site to a fully operational factory,” he says. “One particular focus has been on improving our efficiency so a lot of time and money has been invested into our people and our equipment to ensure that all the necessary skills and capabilities are up to speed.”

Echoing the company’s core remit of supplying challenging demands from Network Rail, Chris goes on to highlight Trackwork Moll’s competence in quick and flexible delivery. “We have a very good loading and stockyard capacity,” he explains. “Network Rail like our load-and-go offering, in that we can load full trains and have them immediately dispatched to the various projects across the network in a very short timeframe. Not only does our skilled and flexible workforce facilitate this, but it is also the result of an extremely healthy consultative relationship with our client. We are very much integrated within their operations and are communicating on a daily basis as to forecasted requirements and any last minute changes to those. It is this relationship of flexibility and proactive communication that ensures the end contractor gets their requirements on time and as expected.”

With such positivity resulting from the Network Rail contract, Trackwork Moll is starting to turn its attention towards the wider market as it looks to occupy a leading position in the UK industry. Chris points out the supply channels present through its JV parent company, Trackwork, through which Trackwork Moll is able to distribute. “We are also looking to supply out to the Nexus project in Tyne and Wear, so there are several things in place outside of our immediate focus,” he says.

Supporting these aspirations, increasing capacity and improving efficiency within the Doncaster site will be a key feature of the company’s future. Keen to expand its ability to produce higher volumes of the lighter EG47 sleeper, the early half of 2016 will see considerable investment

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Trackwork Moll

into new sleeper moulds. “Not only will this give us more capacity of EG47 availability for our customers but it will also give us greater flexibility and efficiency right across the plant,” says Chris. “As we move even further forward we will also be looking into introducing new processes to manufacture sleepers with under sleeper pads to bring about a more diverse offering.”

As for the immediate focus Trackwork Moll will continue its drive towards continuous improvement within the factory in relation to production efficiency and product quality. “Maintaining the training of our staff will be a key part of this,” Chris concludes. “Everything we do in this respect is underpinned first and foremost by safety, closely followed by productivity and quality. Making sure we are consistently developing these will play a key role in how we move forward from here.”

It is clear for anyone to see just how hard Trackwork Moll has worked over the past five years to set up such a modern facility and meet such high production volumes so quickly. Last year’s milestone of reaching the supposed production capacity of the facility could have easily been considered its biggest success, yet its continued drive for improvements and expansion arguably top this as it looks to cement its position in the UK industry even further. With new infrastructure projects coming onto the market all the time from both Network Rail and other UK networks, the future for Trackwork Moll and its growing production capacity looks bright.

www.trackworkmoll.co.uk 87

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

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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

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

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Nexus

Making

connections

Nexus’ modernisation programme for the UK’s most widely used and fastest growing transport network outside of London is well underway, and further integration is on the cards as it looks ahead

Below Tobyn Hughes, Managing Director of Nexus

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T

he Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, or Nexus as it is publically known, is responsible for Britain’s most frequently used public transport system outside of London – the Tyne and Wear Metro. With a transport budget of £210 million a year, Nexus owns and manages a Metro system serving five districts within the region with 60 stations. It also operates the Cross-Tyne Shields ferry service, as well as subsidised local bus services. In an attempt to improve the passenger experience and efficiency of the network, Nexus is currently halfway through an 11-year regeneration programme worth over £350m, which is already showing significant results.

Last year, the Metro transported over 39 million passengers across its network. This represented a five per cent increase on the year before, making it the fastest growing light rail system, again, outside of London. Tobyn Hughes, Managing Director of Nexus, says that this is a particularly significant achievement as it has not involved

the introduction of any new lines of stations. Instead it is the result of the ‘Metro: all change’ modernisation programme, a Government-funded scheme to drive improvements throughout the network by focusing on existing infrastructure.

“Our modernisation programme involves securing the long term future of Metro by replacing key pieces of infrastructure including tracks, signals and overhead lines,” he explains. “We are also improving the accessibility of our stations, and we have refurbished the interiors of our fleet of Metro trains, as well as carrying out essential work to prolong their life for up to 15 years. The investment is of paramount importance as Metro is 35 years old and the system really needs the money spent on it to ensure it continues to serve the public for many generations to come.”

Due for completion in 2021 and now at its halfway point, the modernisation programme is on course, meeting all timeline and budget targets. Just over

£200 million has been spent since 2010, which has involved three major line closures to replace 25km of track, the modernisation of 25 stations plus the complete refurbishment of 86 Metrocars.

“In total the Metro fleet comprises 90 Metrocars,” Tobyn says. “These trains are now into their 36th year of operation. This recent programme has extended the life of the fleet into the mid-2020s, however, we will need to have replaced this rolling stock by then. By working with the North East Combined Authority in talking to the Government, a full business case is being drawn up for submission to the DfT over the next six months. We estimate a cost of around £400 million to replace the fleet, including any associated work on the signalling equipment. So, whilst the current programme is about securing Metro’s ageing infrastructure, the next step will be about looking closely at the rolling stock.”

As another significant part of this current investment programme to modernise its Metro, Nexus has introduced a smart ticketing system under its Pop brand.

Further cementing its position as a transport network second only to London, the new system is the first of its kind outside the capital and, since its introduction in 2012, has already helped drive value and convenience to over 80,000 season ticket, student and Gold Card passengers. For the initial rollout, the strategy has been to bring all season ticket customers over to the smart system, as well as offering a ‘click-and-collect’ service to all Metrosaver and student passengers whereby they can order a ticket online in order to be loaded onto their cards the next day.

“As of November 2015 we have extended this offering with the launch of the Pop Pay As You Go service,” said Tobyn. “We have quickly grown to more than 1,000 cardholders largely through word-of-mouth following a launch event with Transport Minister, Andrew Jones MP

in November. A full-scale marketing campaign will start in January when we really expect sales to take off.” Focused on delivering even more savings and convenience to customers, the Pay As You Go users will see the best fare for them calculated automatically at all Metro validators and gates, with an average saving of 10p and 20p per journey for standard fares and day travel passes, respectively. The system can be topped up online or at other dedicated facilities, has a guaranteed daily price cap and last journey ‘overdraft’ facility built in to it. It is also being implemented on a growing number of bus routes across the North East.

Whilst ongoing improvements are being driven into Nexus’ existing light-rail network, the company is also looking towards expanding its presence across other parts of the region’s transport infrastructure. “We will be playing a greater role in the regional train services in North East England on behalf of local authorities,” says Tobyn. “The new Northern rail franchise contains not only partial devolution to Rail North but also the creation of a North East Rail Management Unit. This unit, the first of its kind in the country, will see performance, marketing and investment devolved further than ever before.

“We will be working with the new Northern Rail and TransPennine franchisees to build a structure that delivers meaningful impact for passengers, in the context of what promises to be an excellent franchise deal that will transform local services. Our role straddling both light and heavy rail services in North East England is an opportunity to drive greater synergies between the two, through smart ticketing, service quality and integration of services and investment in the longer term.”

Nexus will also continue looking closely at improving its local bus services with its Bus Strategy programme, which aims to reverse long-term decline in local bus ridership, maintain vital local accessibility, and deliver

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Nexus TXM Rail A new relationship to assist in the Metro reinvigoration programme TXM Rail, the Contracting Division of TXM Plant, is extremely happy to be working alongside Nexus to deliver the ongoing Permanent Way Reinvigoration Programme.

This will allow TXM, the market leading plant supplier, to show how its contracting business can work closely with a major client and bring innovation, both on and off site, to move track construction on the Metro to a new level.

TXM Rail brings with it key sub-contractors who have the same ethos towards continuous improvement and delivery reliability in the fields of overhead line and signalling.

The introduction of upgraded plant and attachments will improve the delivery aspect of the project whilst clever use of animation will be used to demonstrate to stakeholders and the travelling public how the works will be undertaken and how any disruption will be managed.

TXM Rail is looking to starting work early in the New Year and thanks Nexus for the opportunity.

better value for the ÂŁ60 million of public money that is used to support the bus network each year. One possible avenue, which Nexus is currently working towards, is a bus franchising scheme, a process of devolution whereby the organisation would tender for a series of contracts for the operation of bus services. The ambition here is to increase levels of integration across the local public transport network and improve the planning and operation of bus services in the region.

With challenges continually posed by increasing cost pressures, Nexus will be working hard over the coming

years to deliver its schemes for an improved network whilst at the same time ensuring it is able to reduce the associated operating and infrastructure costs. “We will continue to review all aspects of our capital programme to prioritise the most important projects and achieve this,� notes Tobyn. Ultimately however, based on its current growth successes and its unfaltering commitment to driving value throughout the network, the future for Nexus and indeed the North East of England as a whole looks positive.

www.nexus.org.uk

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Blackpool Transport

Illuminating

success

With visitor numbers seeing unprecedented growth levels at the world-famous resort, Blackpool Transport has implemented a successful development plan to continue driving value into the local economy

W

ith the oldest electric street tramway in the world, trams have been a major part of Blackpool’s transportation network since 1885. It’s an accolade that befits the international fame of Blackpool as an iconic resort with a wealth of heritage and commercial success.

Despite a decline in visitors to the resort over part of the twentieth century, its recent regeneration has been key to Blackpool’s gradual return to its former glory with visitor numbers remaining higher than any other resort nationally and continuing to climb every year. Critically, underpinning Blackpool’s early popularity as well as this modern resurgence is a robust and well-managed public transport network.

“Today Blackpool Transport is the main transport provider for Blackpool, Wyre and the Fylde Coast,”

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explains Managing Director for the company, Jane Cole.

“We run a regular tram service between Starr Gate and Fleetwood with our fleet of 16 Flexi Trams supplemented by our Balloon and Heritage Trams. We also currently run a network of 114 buses, which serve all the key destinations and local requirements for the 300,000 local residents and 20 million visitors.”

With demand increasing to such high volumes over recent years it has been key for the region’s transport network to develop in order to accommodate these numbers. As such, in 2012 the Tramway upgraded from a traditional network to a modern Light Rail System (LRT).

This followed an extensive four-year project, which saw 11 miles of track replaced, the creation of a new depot and the introduction of the 16 new state-of-the-art Flexi Trams. “While it is acknowledged that the modern system

was perfect for local transport needs, in tourism terms, Blackpool’s uniquely rich tramway history was such an integral part of the resort’s attractiveness, that some of the old tram’s are retained and operated entirely for tourism purposes,” Jane adds.

However, the ongoing development of Blackpool’s transport system does not stop there and upon joining the company a year ago following a successful career in the UK rail industry, Jane has set out an exciting five year plan to increase the brand’s profile in the region. “This includes delivering passenger and revenue growth on the trams and buses, investing further in our assets including the introduction of a new bus fleet, developing our people to deliver amazing customer experiences and continuing to preserve our heritage fleet,” she outlines.

Operating in such a popular tourist region as well as one that experiences demanding weather conditions, ensuring as effectively as possible that a reliable and well maintained service is delivered is a major challenge for Blackpool Transport. However, a long history of developing the network and understanding the local demands has been critical to the business’s ongoing success. A large network, high labour competence and robust vehicle efficiencies mean that Blackpool Transport can now offer low fares to all residents in Blackpool. A heritage of operating the network has also enabled the company to develop an unrivalled ability to co-ordinate assets and staff to meet the challenge of large visitor numbers and spikes in demand caused by events. A regular and thorough maintenance programme is also carried out to ensure salt egress from the coastline does not affect tram performance.

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Blackpool Transport

These strengths have been particularly demonstrated over the past 12 months as passenger numbers continue to rise. “Over this time we have been reviewing running times on all services, paying particular attention to peak times. For us, unlike a normal town, our peaks in relation to traffic congestion are Saturdays, Sundays and evenings during the illuminations,” says Jane. “As a result, we have increased running times on these days and have seen significant improvement in both reliability and punctuality. With regards to service revisions, we had a very poorly performing service that operated all over Blackpool and into Wyre and due to the nature of the route it was difficult to operate reliably. To overcome this we have split the service and introduced a northern and southern circular line, which has really improved performance.”

The success of such developments can be seen

clearly in the results from the past year. In 2015, Blackpool Transport saw a passenger and revenue growth of 30 per cent on the tramway, which significantly was accompanied by very little over crowding. The introduction of a new ten-unit fleet of Citaro Mercedes buses on route five has also resulted in passenger and revenue growth of eight per cent for the route, in line with a seven per cent increase across all other bus routes.

Even more importantly, highlighting the success of the heritage offering, this division has seen a 300 per cent increase in revenue over the last 12 months.

“Continuing this growth plan will be our major focus over the coming years,” concludes Jane. “In the long term, the vision is to be safe, profitable and to have a high value brand by delivering an amazing customer experience through a committed and engaged work force.”

www.blackpooltransport.com 101

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

F

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

Editor Gay Sutton

editor@railwaystrategies.co.uk Sales Manager Joe Woolsgrove

jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

www.railway-strategies.com

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