The Minister for Transport, Chris Grayling, has said that the government is focused on the ‘operation, maintenance and renewal of the existing railway’ as it makes no specific commitment to new investment in its five-yearly high level output specification (HLOS).
The document sets out what work the government wishes to be undertaken during the next Control Period (CP) from 2019 to 2024 but doesn’t reference any specific projects.
In addition, no clear commitment has been made on the initial statement of funds (SOFA), but a further announcement is expected to be made ‘no later than 13 October 2017’.
In a written statement to parliament, Chris Grayling said the government wants the railway to become more focused on punctuality and reliability.
He added that the government expects to invest in further enhancements to the country’s railway but – in light of the recommendations for better planning and cost control from the Bowe Review – the government will be making the announcements separately, with more information expected in the autumn once assurances are made on the likely costs of work programmes.
The amount of maintenance work will be increased in CP6, however, to maintain safety and improve on current levels of reliability and punctuality.
In the HLOS it reads, ‘A critical underpinning for this statement is the need for the rail industry, and Network Rail specifically, to make significant progress in improving the efficiency of its activities.
‘This should result in a marked improvement in Network Rail’s productivity and real terms year-on-year efficiencies.
‘In particular, the secretary of state expects an ambitious implementation of route devolution to ensure competitive tension and improved understanding of costs through better benchmarking.’
Reacting to the news, chair of the Rail Supply Group Gordon Wakeford said, ‘Going forward, we urge Government and Network Rail to pay careful attention to the issues that can be caused at the end of a Control Period and the start of another, but we welcome today’s first major step in the CP6 process and, as a supply chain, look forward to working with them on this basis.’
RMT has repeated its call for public ownership of the railway following the announcement.
Network Rail’s annual report has revealed that it spent a record £3.9 billion across 2016-17 – 10 per cent more than in any previous year.
Infrastructure reliability and performance improved to become the best on record, according to the arms-length public body, but train performance has ‘not been what the industry would have liked,’ putting the blame down to congestion, severe weather and industrial action.
Across 2015-16, 89.1 per cent of passenger trains were on time but in 2016/17 that figure fell to 87.6 per cent.
In 2016-17 there was a renewed focus on transforming Network Rail into a more customer-focussed, cost competitive organisation and its pre-tax profits were boosted to £483 million from £411 million.
A statement on the Network Rail website added, ‘Cost efficiency remains a challenge for Network Rail, largely due to increased supply chain costs compared to regulatory assumptions in 2012, as well as much less access to the railway than was assumed then given the rapid rise in early morning and late night trains.
‘The Board has put in place a plan to ensure the organisation keeps within its financial budget for the remainder of the control period which will see some non-essential renewals work postponed. The company is also further reviewing its plans for the next control period (CP6) to better understand where further efficiencies can be made.’
Chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE said, ‘The extraordinary growth in passenger numbers means the network is now full in many areas, and this congestion inevitably increases delays when anything goes wrong.
‘It has also meant we have less access than ever before to make essential improvements.
‘We are leading the way the whole rail industry operates in the years ahead, by both embracing new technologies and working ever more closely together to deliver the most effective and efficient outcomes for passengers.
‘But there is much more to do to deliver the affordable and reliable railway our country needs.’
White Walkers were spotted patrolling King’s Cross station yesterday as fantasy drama Game of Thrones celebrated the launch of its seventh season.
The Iron Throne was placed in the station’s ticket hall for customer selfies on the chair of power and buskers played the series’ theme tune throughout the day.
It was all part of wider experiential advertising across four London Tube stations with special decorations, announcements and 1,000 Game of Thrones travel wallets handed out on the day of the new season’s premiere.
Transport for London’s (TfL) director for commercial development Graeme Craig said this type of activity provides vital funds to invest into modernising the network.
Graeme Craig added, ‘This has been a great opportunity for us to work with Sky Atlantic, who is utilising key locations on our Tube network as they promote the Game of Thrones Season 7.
‘We hope that today’s activities, particularly those at King’s Cross St. Pancras Tube station, have brought a bit of unexpected fun to the tens of thousands of our customers passing through the station.’
The event was booked by Sky Atlantic through Hello London, Transport for London’s media partnership with Exterion Media.
A joint venture between Keolis and Amey has become the new operator of Greater Manchester’s Metrolink tram system.
KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) takes over from RATP Dev, a subsidiary of the French state-owned RATP Group, with immediate effect with a contract to operate and maintain the system for up to 10 years.
The new contract focuses on improving operational reliability as well as customer service and security with an increased staff presence.
KAM has also committed to sourcing at least 40 per cent of supplier contracts within 25 miles of Greater Manchester and creating more than 300 jobs, including drivers, apprenticeships and traineeships over the course of the contract.
Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the transport for Greater Manchester committee, said, ‘KeolisAmey Metrolink is a partnership between two international transport and infrastructure management specialists, with the experience and skills to operate Metrolink, create jobs, support the growth of the local economy and deliver innovative and pragmatic solutions that offer better passenger experiences.
‘Together we will further realise the full potential and benefits of the unprecedented growth and investment we are overseeing in the network.’
Aline Frantzen has been appointed the managing director of KAM, having previously worked with Yarra Trams, the world’s largest light rail network in Melbourne, Australia, which is operated by Keolis.
She said, ‘We are looking forward to working with Transport for Greater Manchester, our partners and the community to implement our exciting plans for what is already a high-performing network.’
Keolis is a French global public transport operator and Amey an infrastructure asset management specialist.
Metrolink was launched in 1992. It now serves 93 stops across seven different lines along almost 100km of track, with a fleet of 120 modern trams catering for more than 38 million journeys a year.
Almost as soon as the Swanage Railway closed in January 1972, a railway preservation society was set up to try and restore the service for the now-isolated Dorset community.
Finally, 45 years on, the branch line connecting Swanage and Corfe Castle with the South Western main line at Wareham has been reinstated. Sadly, many of those that took up the challenge all those years ago were unable to see their project realised.
For the next two summers, Swanage Railway will operate a trial diesel service on the line, which will connect to South West Trains services at Wareham. If it proves popular, regular passenger services could return to the line.
The restoration of the line began just a few months after it was closed by British Rail with the formation of the Swanage Railway Society. It was one of many routes lined up for closure as part of the post-Beeching cuts.
The society’s challenge was made more difficult when British Rail tore up a northern section of the line near Furzebrook. But, bit by bit, the society’s dedicated volunteers have been bringing the line back to life.
Reconnecting the Swanage branch line to the national rail network has cost £5.5 million – paid for with a £1.8 million grant from the government’s coastal communities fund, £3.2 million from Purbeck District Council and a £500,000 legacy donation from BP.
Photo: Andrew P.M. Wright
Photo: Andrew P.M. Wright
What the Swanage Railway Society has done, with the support of South West Trains and Network Rail, is evidence of the role heritage railway associations are playing in bringing regular passenger services back to communities as well as boosting local economies. Swanage Railway, which carried 211,000 passengers last year, claims the line is worth £14 million a year to the Purbeck economy.
ENCOURAGING START
June also saw the reopening of Hayles Abbey Halt station between Toddington and Winchombe – a station which hasn’t seen any passengers for 57 years.
The chairman of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust, which helped fund the project, said it was a ‘wonderful example of what can be achieved by volunteers’. The line will be served by request by Great Western Railway diesel services and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.
Passengers will need to remember to tell the guard if they want to get off at Hayles Abbey Halt and passengers planning to catch a train from the station will have to flag it down but it is a victory for community rail nonetheless.
Mark Woolley, secretary of the Swanage Railway Trust, said the passenger numbers recorded in the first week following the line’s reopening were ‘encouraging’.
‘We are of course closely monitoring the take up and are carrying out customer surveys as part of our marketing strategy.
‘For example, last Thursday (June 15) the first train was as good as full with up to 50 passengers waiting for tickets by 10.30. On the last train of the day a gentleman got off the previous SWT mainline service down train, and purchased a ticket to Harmans Cross having flown in from Hamburg.’
HELPING OUT HERITAGE
A report produced by the All Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail in 2013 tried to put a figure on the national economic value of Britain’s 100+ heritage railways, estimating that they were worth just shy of £250 million a year to the country – although this figure was only given as a rough calculation.
The report made a number of recommendations, which it felt would create a healthy environment for heritage railways to operate. These included making the planning process less complicated and restrictive, encouraging the introduction of more ‘public tourist services’ on heritage lines and calling on heritage railways themselves to look at how much more effectively they could market their offering online and through social media.
Says Mark, ‘From our perspective, there has been progress on the key recommendations contained in the report. For example, we benefit from permitted development rights within the boundaries defined in the original 1885 Act of Parliament that authorised the building of the Swanage Railway.
‘We also have an excellent working relationship with the local authorities in fulfilling a key public transport objective. This can obviously be a good influence in respect of other heritage railways although, to date, I don’t believe that there has been any change in primary legislation.’
MUGS AND POCKET WATCHES
Sometimes the economic value of steam comes from the popularity of locomotives themselves. Visitors rushed to the National Railway Museum in York to see the Flying Scotsman following its £4.2 million restoration. The famous engine even has its own line of merchandise, with fans able to purchase their own Flying Scotsman T-shirt, mug or pocket watch.
The nationwide tour that followed also had a big impact on the heritage railways Flying Scotsman visited. The East Lancashire Railway recorded its highest visitor numbers since the railway reopened in 1987 thanks in no small part to the engine.
Hayles Abbey Halt in 1960. Photo: D H Ballantyne
Hayles Abbey Halt today. Photo: Malcolm Ranieri
But there is one particular challenge that heritage is wrestling with that the mainstream industry can relate to. Another issue highlighted in the parliamentary report was the demographic challenge which could make restoration projects like the Flying Scotsman all but impossible to carry out in decades to come and derail the positive influence of the heritage rail movement.
Concerns had been expressed about how a rise in the pensionable age would affect volunteer numbers in the future and how the increasingly complex training requirements for safety critical roles could put potential volunteers off. However, the report also looked to the positive. It gave examples of heritage railways partnering with training providers and suggested there was a healthy number of young volunteers coming forward.
HERITAGE SKILLS TRAINING ACADEMY
In 2013, Severn Valley Railway (SVR) launched its own pilot training programme: the Heritage Skills Training Academy (HSTA). The pilot programme is now coming to a close but SVR is confident about the future of the scheme and hopes to recruit another two apprentices in 2018. SVR received around 50 applications for each apprenticeship place offered and it has self-funded the majority of the £21,000 a year cost per apprentice – although any donations are welcome.
Apprentices at the HSTA learn the skills required to maintain and further restore the railway’s rolling stock fleet and infrastructure while studying for NVQ Level 2 and 3 qualifications in mechanical engineering. SVR’s apprentices have even been able to carry out contract work for other heritage railways.
There’s enough evidence to suggest that heritage railways remain relevant to the modern network. Ardent railway enthusiasts, like those in Swanage, who refuse to give up on railways, even when others have, seem to be as important now as ever.
Making his first speech since being appointed HS2 minister, Paul Maynard says the high-speed line is no longer a pipe dream. Phase 1 has been approved by parliament and initial construction work has begun. The utility diversions, the land clearance and environmental surveys are all underway.
The procurement process for the rolling stock have been launched. Plans for an initial three new stations are in progress. A shortlist of companies to run the West Coast Partnership – which will operate the first HS2 services – has been drawn up. Multi-billion pound engineering works contracts are soon to be awarded. The political case has been won but the public one has not.
Maynard, who still oversees the rail and accessibility portfolios, was addressing audience members at the High Speed Rail Industry Leader’s annual all-day conference at the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. It was a fitting location: Birmingham, the city from where HS2 will stem from and where HS2 Ltd is headquartered. Thinktank is situated across the road from the planned HS2 terminus on Curzon Street.
CHEERLEADERS
Around 140 industry leaders, political figures and delegates, compered by BBC Breakfast presenter, Steph McGovern, gathered to discuss the wider economic benefits of Britain’s second high-speed line. One key strand of debate – and what Maynard described as the ‘main challenge’ – centred on improving public support and the need for ‘cheerleaders’ – just without the pom poms.
‘The political case for this project has largely been won, but I know I have to keep on running it,’ said Maynard. ‘But we as a sector have to remember that while we may get excited about overhead wires, what actually matters is the change it can make to individuals lives,’ he added, touching on the impact high- speed has had on Bordeaux, Utrecht and Lille.
‘The main challenge is to ensure the public properly understand that HS2 is not just an engineering project, it isn’t just a way of delivery a very complicated piece of infrastructure, it’s about much more than that.
‘I am one of the cheerleaders for that but everyone in this room has to be as well.’
As well as the minister’s keynote speech, a number of industry figures shared their experiences and visions for HS2 – including a fast-paced PechaKucha-style presentation from the Young Rail Professionals on transforming passenger experience.
Paul Griffiths, HS2 Phase 2 development director, said that lessons could be learnt from Crossrail, which had done a ‘fantastic job’ in terms of selling the project’s benefits to the public, its ingenuity and the engineering that had gone on.
BENEFITS TO MANKIND
Adding to the narrative, Laing O’Rourke’s high-speed director, Nadia Savage, said that engineers are good at talking about moving so many million cubes of muck, or moving lifts so many 100ft high in the air, but were not so good about talking about ‘the benefits to mankind.’
‘I am an engineer, but I’m absolutely certain that the success of HS2 will not be measured by engineers it’ll be measured by economists, measuring the impact of the regeneration. So the jobs matter, the skills matter, the fact that we’ve created new opportunities in connecting people matters. And that’s what we need to work on, using language that connects with people, real-life people and isn’t dry, dull and boring.’
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS
During peak construction HS2 will directly employ 25,000 workers, many of whom will be trained at the National College for High Speed Rail, but the impact afterwards would be ‘many, many’ times that number, said Maynard.
West Midlands’ mayor Andy Street – the former managing director of John Lewis – attended, as did his deputy Bob Sleigh. Sleigh predicted that 104,000 jobs, 2,000 apprenticeships and business opportunities for 700 companies will be created in the West Midlands’ area alone.
Further north, Maynard said 120,000 jobs and 100,000 homes could be supported in Cheshire and Staffordshire and 180,000 in Greater Manchester, where the estimated boost to the regional economy is £1.3 billion. Such a seismic change to the industry offers up the opportunity to ‘change the way the rail industry looks’ he added, to address the gender balance as well as other examples of diversity.
GOOGLE’S EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS
Once the line is operational, Britain’s railway capacity will be boosted, being able to carry an extra 300,000 people every day and it is an attractive piece of infrastructure for business, according to HS1 chief executive Dyan Crowther. ‘Google is coming to the St Pancras/King’s Cross area, it’s putting its European headquarters there,’ she said. ‘Google’s not going there because of chance, it’s going there because of the high-speed connections and the regeneration that has occurred in the area.
‘Saint Martins College has moved to King’s Cross and the Olympics wouldn’t have come in 2012 if we didn’t have the high-speed route.
‘You walk around there now and it’s a buzzing place.’ But it’s not just about maximising the project’s potential in the UK. Will Roberts, High Speed Rail Industry Leaders director, said that the UK should have a generation of engineers that are capable and confident of building and running high-speed schemes around the world.
HS2 is no longer an ‘if’ but a ‘when’ and from the conference there was a clear message. There will be a plethora of opportunities and it’s about debating the positives, the possibilities and maximising its potential, to shift the expectations of what HS2 can do for Britain. Cheerleading starts here.
Construction firm Kier has announced a takeover of McNicholas Construction.
Kier is one of the UK’s biggest construction firms and has previously worked on the refurbishment of King’s Cross station (pictured above) and the regeneration of Epsom station.
McNicholas is headquartered in Hertfordshire and employs 1,880 members of staff. It offers a multitude of utilities services to the rail sector.
Kier CEO Haydn Mursell said that the incumbent CEO of McNicholas and his team will remain with the company.
Mursell added, ‘The acquisition of McNicholas builds on Kier’s strategy to accelerate growth and hold leading positions in its chosen markets.
‘It is a highly complementary addition to our utility services business and enhances our presence in the power, rail and telecoms markets, with its long-standing client relationships.’
Kier did not confirm the financials of the deal in an announcement on its website.
Rising passenger numbers and additional services have helped Edinburgh trams return an operating profit two years ahead of schedule.
The network opened to the public in May, 2014, but it was not expected to achieve a profit until 2018.
Results published in June show that the network achieved a pre-tax profit of £252,000 in its latest accounts but it was forecast to make a £170,000 pre-tax loss by December 2016.
Edinburgh Trams’ managing director Lea Harrison said, ‘Over the past year we’ve seen patronage increase by 10 per cent and revenue rise by 12 per cent.
‘These encouraging figures have been driven by our move to increase the frequency of trams combined with our ongoing commitment to exceptional service.
‘We’ve recorded industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction and exceeded the expectations of the initial business model, but we’re not about to become complacent.
‘We’ll continue our efforts to further improve services and strengthen the tram’s position at the heart of the city’s transport network.’
Railway mountaineers again took on the Three Peaks by Rail challenge in aid of Railway Children – the charity which supports vulnerable young people around the world.
This year was the event’s 15th birthday. Since the first trek, participants have summited 45 times and climbed around 50km.
This year, 172 people signed up to undertake the gruelling trek, which took place between 15-17 of June. The challenge is to scale the highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland: Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in less than 48 hours.
Few were surprised to see that the BTP clocked the fastest time, completing all three mountains in just 12 hours, 19 minutes and 44 seconds.
The event raised £185,000 for Railway Children, taking the overall total to £2.7 million. To provide some context, Railway Children says a donation of just £4 will pay for a child in India to go to school for a month. Direct Rail Services raised the most money (£14,000).
Says Katie Mason, events manager at Railway Children, ‘The Three Peaks by Rail is our biggest event of the year and where we always see the rail industry at its best, all working together to raise funds for some of the most vulnerable children in society.
‘Brian Freemantle of the DfT team has now completed the challenge a record breaking 11 times and raised in that time £100,000 in support of Railway Children – an amazing achievement.
‘We had a fantastic group of volunteers on the train, many of whom help us out year after year. One of the on-board crew recorded a staggering 72,000 steps walked, so without even leaving the train they covered almost as much ground as the competitors. It just shows their amazing commitment and how integral our volunteers are to everything we’ve achieved.
‘A special thanks also goes to the companies supporting this year’s challenge – CMAC, Direct Rail Services, Network Rail, Rail Delivery Group, Rail Gourmet, Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, Riviera Trains and Virgin Trains.’
Lord Andrew Adonis praised what he described as a ‘railway that fundamentally works’, addressing the Institute of Railway Operators’ (IRO) annual member’s lunch last month, while acknowledging some of the challenges still to overcome.
The Labour peer talked about the image problem Southern has created for private railway operators and how the current political climate could make it difficult to deliver the kind of nation-changing infrastructure projects that he has spent much of his career pushing for. HS2 will change the economic geography of the UK but had the hybrid bill come through parliament in five years time it may not have received the same backing, he believes.
A few days later, Lord Adonis, who is the chairman of the independent National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), issued a statement urging that the government not allow Brexit and a hung parliament to delay major infrastructure projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2. The latter’s exclusion from the Queen’s Speech raised some eyebrows. The NIC published a list of 12 priority projects that it believes the government needs to progress over the next 12 months. Railway projects listed included Crossrail 2, HS2 and the so-called HS3 link – billed by some as Crossrail for the North.
‘Britain’s historic weakness has been to underinvest in infrastructure, and to adopt a stop:go approach even where decisions are taken in principle,’ said Lord Adonis. Nothing symbolises this more than the long-running saga of Heathrow Airport. A third runway was agreed in principle 14 years ago but there has still not been a firm decision to proceed.
‘There’s no point saying Britain is open to the world if you can’t get to and from the rest of the world because Heathrow is full.’
The statement included comments made by Lord Adonis during a speech he delivered to the Institution of Civil Engineers on 29 June.
He said, ’Brexit and the hung parliament must not lead to dither and delay on the key infrastructure challenges facing the country. We need to press on with decisions on Heathrow, HS2 to the North of England, new electricity generating capacity, and radical improvements to digital communications, to underpin jobs and economic growth.
‘Rapid progress in the next year on these top 12 major projects and priorities is an acid test of the Government’s commitment to the ‘jobs first Brexit’ which the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, argued for recently.
‘All of these have been agreed in principle, but require decisive action to get them moving in the new parliament. They ought to be at the top of ministers’ in-trays, and they ought not to linger there a day more than necessary.’
The announcement included the timetables that the NIC hopes the government will stick to. This includes introducing the hybrid bill for Phase 2a of HS2 and the final route for Phase 2b by the end of July, publishing a detailed integrated plan for HS3 by the end of the year and producing a funding/construction plan for Crossrail 2 by the end of 2017.
Back for 2017 in its new home of Loughborough University, the RailSport Games gave the industry’s brightest sports stars the opportunity to bring back a gold medal for their companies and colleagues.
The tournament – now in its 24th year – saw teams and individuals take part in 12 different sports at venues around the campus, giving competitors the opportunity to use the same world-renowned facilities favoured by many of Britain’s elite sports men and women.
Challengers took to various pitches, courts and courses throughout the two-day competition, which was held between the 8-9 July. Among the winners were Irish Rail, Network Rail, Hitachi and East Midlands Trains.
Andrew Midgley, managing director of TXM Recruit – a sponsor of this year’s event – entered a 5-a-side team for the first time this year. He said, ‘This event’s good for team building, getting some of the guys together at the weekend, but also to come and enjoy it and see some of our customers in a social environment.
‘We’re looking to do a little bit more in terms of sponsorship of events and engaging with customers – and also the lads love their football so it’s a good opportunity to get them together.’
Following the first day’s competition, a charity exhibition match was held between a combined BTP and Metropolitan Police team and the Railway Barbarians, which included squad members from Railway RFC and the Celtic Rail Barbarians.
The match, which was sponsored by Panasonic Business, was organised to show solidarity for colleagues caught up in the Manchester and London terror attacks, and to raise money for the British Red Cross Solidarity fund.
A partnership between the RSSB, the rail supply industry and eight universities has secured £92 million to help make the UK a world-leading centre of railway excellence.
Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier Transportation are among 17 industrial partners that have invested £64 million and the UK Research Partnership £28.1 million into the partnership.
The group, which is part of the newly-created UK Railway Research and Innovation Network, will use the money to establish three world-class centres of excellence for research.
These will focus on:
Digital Systems: Located at the University of Birmingham, this centre will focus on railway control and simulation, data integration and cybersecurity, condition monitoring and sensing, and improved methods for technology introduction.
Rolling Stock: Led by the University of Huddersfield in collaboration with the University of Newcastle and Loughborough University, it will focus on high value rolling stock systems, whole life asset optimisation and through-life management, and energy management.
Infrastructure: Led by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and Heriot-Watt University.
The RSSB said that the centres will be able to develop world-leading technologies and products for trains, railway systems and infrastructure to deliver a better, more reliable and efficient railway.
When the second phase of Battersea Power Station was completed in the 1950s – giving the building its iconic four chimneys – the site around it on the south bank of the Thames was part of the capital’s industrial heartland.
The power station is now being transformed into a modern commercial district – flanked by luxury apartments for the city’s thriving professional population. The whole of the surrounding area of Nine Elms, Vauxhall and Battersea appears to be in some state of redevelopment. High-end supermarkets built to serve future residents are, for the time being, occupied by construction workers, preferring orange PPE to a suit and tie.
Behind Battersea Power Station, work is underway on the Northern line extension (NLE), which will link the new development to the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line at Kennington station. TfL received permission to proceed with NLE in 2013 and the initial preparatory works began two years later. A joint venture between Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke (FLO) was appointed to deliver the project and tunnelling works began earlier this year.
The £1.2 billion NLE project is the first addition to the Tube network since the Jubilee line extension and will be built mostly using private-sector money. The new line will pass beneath the Victoria line near Vauxhall and includes new stations at Nine Elms and the Battersea Power Station site.
Once the tunnels are complete, the station fit-out will begin in 2019 and the railway will be ready for its first passengers in 2020. TfL has said the line will support 25,000 new jobs and the creation of 20,000 new homes.
LONG DRIVE AHEAD
Jonathan Cooper, a project manager for the extension’s tunnelling programme, said he remembered travelling into London when he was still at school and seeing engineers delivering London Underground’s last major extension project. Jonathan wouldn’t have imagined that 20 years later he’d be leading a similar scheme. He said good progress had been made since the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) began its drive in March from the Battersea Park shaft.
Two TBMs, Helen and Amy, are being used to excavate the 3.2 km north and south-bound tunnels. Heading east from the shaft at Battersea, the TBMs are now slowly making their way towards Kennington, moving approximately 50 mm an hour and installing around 20 precast concrete tunnel rings a day. The north-bound tunnel is the most advanced, having made its way through around 450 metres of stubborn London clay so far. Further down the route, a team is excavating the station box at Nine Elms.
Photo: TfL.
The ground conditions encountered by NLE’s tunnellers are similar to those Crossrail’s engineers confronted. The specification of the TBMs was actually based on those used to create Crossrail’s tunnels – albeit on a slightly smaller scale.
‘One of the trickiest parts of the job is really dealing with unknown ground conditions and unforeseen obstructions in the path of the TBM, which we then have to get together with our contractor and agree an approach which makes sure we minimise the impact on programme and on cost,’ explained Jonathan.
There have been some other challenges, including wells appearing where they shouldn’t be. ‘It was 10 metres away from where it was shown on the plans, so historic information is not always accurate.’
The TBMs will complete their drives in the autumn, but that won’t be the end of the tunnelling programme. Smaller mining equipment will be used during a closure of the Northern line at Christmas to connect the TBM tunnels with the Kennington loop. Jonathan explained how the NLE tunnels will actually be larger than the existing Northern line tunnels to accommodate a walkway, which would make it easier to evacuate passengers in an emergency.
SUPPORT TEAM
Just as critical as the cutting face at the front of the TBM is the conveyor system behind it that removes spoil from the site. A barge carrying 1,600 tonnes of material had just left Battersea for Essex, said Jonathan, where it will be turned into arable farmland.
The excavated material is mixed with water and a foaming agent to make it more workable and it is then carried along a conveyor belt system through the tunnels and out of the shaft.
‘We also have all the support staff above ground which support the operation,’ said Jonathan. ‘Forklift drivers that move the segments around the yard. We have slingers and signallers which then enable the lifting of the segments down into the pit bottom onto the locos. We have the conveyor systems that take the muck out.
‘Without those, without all of these support systems, none of this tunnelling could actually take place.’
The excavated material is mixed with water and a foaming agent to make it more workable and it is then carried along a conveyor belt system through the tunnels and out of the shaft.
‘We also have all the support staff above ground which support the operation,’ said Jonathan. ‘Forklift drivers that move the segments around the yard. We have slingers and signallers which then enable the lifting of the segments down into the pit bottom onto the locos. We have the conveyor systems that take the muck out.
‘Without those, without all of these support systems, none of this tunnelling could actually take place.’
As well as the technical challenges of tunnelling beneath London’s surface, Jonathan has to juggle the needs and concerns of stakeholders along the route. These range from the developers that will build over the line once construction is completed and some of the area’s oldest residents. The tunnels will go 20 metres or so beyond the station at Battersea, taking the extension right up to the boundary of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION PROJECT
Jonathan called the NLE a ‘once in a generation sort of project’ and an important one for maintaining tunnelling skills within the UK. ‘It’s been a small enough project that I’ve been able to get involved in a large number of areas,’ he said.
The project runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At any one time, there is a team of around 45 people working on site.
Jonathan, who joined the team in 2013 after moving from another part of TfL, is getting ready to take his young family on a summer holiday in the Alps. A well-earned break, you feel his colleagues would say.
SMEs in the West Midlands will benefit from a new EU-funded pilot scheme that aims to help them capitalise on HS2 contracts.
Phase 1 of the high-speed line – which was given royal assent in February – will terminate in Birmingham and to help businesses in the area engage with the tendering process, the University of Wolverhampton’s West Midlands Manufacturing Club (WMMC) has launched ‘Get on Track’ to help firms identify and capitalise on supply chain opportunities.
The free test scheme is being part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and includes three, one-day classroom based workshops, live webinars and dedicated one-to-one telephone support delivered by rail tender specialists Thornton & Lowe.
WMMC is looking for 10 SMEs to participate in the pilot on selected dates during August and September, with the full programme expected to cost up to £3,000 when it officially launches in November this year.
WMMC’s business development manager Rebecca Macdonald said, ‘Located at the heart of the planned HS2 network, the spotlight will inevitably be on manufacturers from the region to take their share of the available spend but we recognise some may not be at ease with formal tender processes.
‘The common misconception is that HS2 is only open to major players. ‘Get On Track’ has been specifically designed to make the opportunity more accessible to Midlands SMEs; equipping them with the know-how and more importantly the confidence to tap into the wealth of opportunities HS2 can present for them too.’
Two Class 373 power cars that were on there way to be scrapped are to be given a new lease of life with the National College for High Speed Rail (NCHSR).
The power cars have been donated to the college’s campuses in Doncaster and Birmingham. Alstom will refurbish the two power cars before they arrive at the training centres.
Eurostar has retained and refurbished eight Class 373s, but the rest are to be scrapped. One power car has already been saved this fate and is now on display at the National Railway Museum (NRM).
Says Clair Mowbray, chief executive of the NCHSR, ‘This generous donation of two power cars allows us as a world-class college to offer our students the opportunity to develop real-life skills using industry-leading technology. Support like this is crucial for us to ensure that we can properly train and prepare the future workforce for the rail and infrastructure industries.
‘We are very grateful for the support we have received so far from business and industry leaders. As an employer-led college, we are still keen to hear from employers wishing to show support in addressing the current engineering and rail skills gap.’
Transport for London (TfL) has launched a new map that highlights underground sections of the network to help those with claustrophobia and anxiety.
Set in the style of Harry Beck’s iconic Tube map, parts of the network – as well as the London Overground, Dockland Light Railway and TfL rail services – have been given a grey overlay to illustrate that it’s underground.
TfL said there are 270 stations on the London Underground but that more than half are above ground.
The map joins a selection of specialist maps made by TfL, including: a Tube map avoiding stairs, taking bikes on the Tube, and toilet facilities on the network. The new map was created following customer suggestions.
TfL’s director of customer strategy Mark Evers said, ‘Making the Tube network accessible for everyone is one of our top priorities.
‘This new map is just one of the tools we have created in response to feedback from our customers on how we can make the transport network more accessible, making travelling easier and more comfortable for all our customers.’
Anxiety UK CEO Nicky Lidbetter said, ‘I sincerely hope that the map will encourage those with claustrophobia and/or panic attacks who have previously avoided this form of public transport out of fear, to re-consider their use of the Tube.’
Train companies across the country are adopting a new initiative to let customers buy cheaper advance tickets up to ten minutes before travel.
First introduced by CrossCountry in 2015, customers of Grand Central, Greater Anglia, Northern, TransPennine Express, Virgin Trains East Coast, Virgin Trains West Coast and those using the Caledonian Sleeper will now be able to benefit from cheaper advance tickets on their day of travel.
Until now, advance tickets have largely only been available to buy until midnight the day before travel.
Advance tickets are limited one-way tickets offering better value for money on specific long distance services. In general, the further ahead they are booked, the cheaper the advance fare will be.
The Rail Delivery Group said that sales of advance tickets has increased almost four-fold in the last decade.
Anthony Smith, the CEO of transport industry watchdog Transport Focus, said, ‘Passengers will welcome this change as it will provide them with a greater opportunity to have access to cheaper tickets.
‘No doubt many passengers travelling with these eight train companies will take advantage of this offer.
‘We look forward to the other train companies introducing this opportunity soon.’
The Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) has appointed Capita to to provide audit of its Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS).
RISQS helps suppliers sell to the UK’s rail industry by providing a qualification scheme for them to be formally recognised as capable suppliers of products and services.
Including Network Rail and Transport for London, the RSSB said the scheme is used by 118 buyers to give them the confidence to work with around 4,300 suppliers.
The previous RISQS service provider was Achilles Information, whose contract runs out in April, 2018. Capita has signed a three-year contract with the option to extend it to five years.
Capita’s Supplier Assessment Services will deliver the audit and assessment services so members know that the suppliers they use are compliant with current legislation. Capita will work in partnership with Altius VA, who will provide the IT infrastructure, verification and management services, and the RSSB.
Capita Supplier Assessment Services managing director John Edmunds said, ‘It is an incredibly positive endorsement of our reputation for delivering solutions and value to the rail and construction industries within the built environment.’
Crossrail has released a series of photos revealing the work taken to install the line’s overhead catenary system.
A team of engineers are working all hours to install two 25kv overhead traction power systems in the tunnels, using more than 1,500km of cable to supply power, lighting and ventilation systems.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
Credit: Crossrail.
The main power supply in the tunnels will come from two new supply points and their associated autotransformer feeder stations, which are being built at each end of the new railway along with autotransformer sites in east and southeast London.
The Transport for London (TfL) run railway will be named the Elizabeth line when services through central London open in December 2018.
Prime minister Theresa May has opened a new railway sidings in her Maidenhead constituency.
The £4.5 million sidings have been installed as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan and will ease congestion on the railway, allowing Great Western Railway (GWR) to increase its capacity at peak times by introducing a further three new eight-carriage Electrostar trains.
The new Electrostar services were extended from Hayes & Harlington to operate between Maidenhead and London Paddington in May this year at peak times.
The newly-opened sidings have been delivered 18 months early, and electrification between Maidenhead and London Paddington was also completed ahead of time after being funded and delivered by Crossrail. The new sidings will be used by Elizabeth line trains from 2019.
Network rail western route managing director Mark Langman said, ‘It is a real honour to have the prime minister with us to officially open the sidings which will allow more of the fantastic new GWR electric trains to run between Maidenhead and London Paddington.
‘By delivering the sidings 18 months early it allows passengers to enjoy the benefits of electrification and our Railway Upgrade Plan sooner than expected.’
The opening of a new £21 million train modernisation centre in Widnes, Chesire, is the start of a new Alstom legacy.
That was the message from Alstom Europe’s vice-president Gian-Luca Erbacci, who was present today (June 29) for the grand opening.
The 13,000 square metre site is the largest rolling stock modernisation facility in the UK, according to Alstom, and it will work on the €28 million contract to re-paint the 56 train fleet of Class 390 Pendolinos, which are used by Virgin on the West Coast Main line.
Alstom said the majority of recruits – including an 80-strong repainting team – have come from the local area.
‘We have a team of 80 people in place to deliver our first contract, repainting the beautiful Pendolino trains and that includes five new apprentices, showing our commitment to skills,’ said senior vice-president of Alstom Europe Gian-Luca Erbacci. ‘We want this to be just the start of our story in Widnes. We have already committed that if we win contracts like Transport for London’s Deep Tube Programme, we will build the new trains here, and we look forward to the Alstom Training Academy opening in September.’
Graham Construction has been awarded a contract from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to refurbish two Glasgow subway stations.
As part of SPT’s modernisation programme, Shields Road and Bridge Street subway stations will be upgraded.
Work at Shields Road will begin in July and at Bridge Street in August.
SPT senior director Charles Hoskins said, ‘We have already worked with Graham Construction on a number of our stations and it fully appreciates our need to continue to run services while the modernisation programme rolls out and the importance of maintaining our high standards of customer care in our stations during the works.
‘This investment by SPT will also see Graham Construction continue its investment in apprenticeships, graduate employment, work experience and curriculum support activities in our area, which has already seen a total of 25 individuals benefiting from this approach.’
Transport for London (TfL) is asking for the public’s feedback over plans to treble the size of Camden Town tube station.
Under plans to radically improve and modernise the station – which is used by 30 million customers a year – a new entrance with three new escalators will be constructed on Buck Street.
Managing director of London Underground Mark Wild said, ‘Upgrading Camden Town Tube station will improve journeys for the tens of thousands of customers who use the station every day.
‘The first consultation we held demonstrated overwhelming support for a station upgrade and we are now seeking views on our more detailed plans.
‘We want to significantly improve journeys through Camden by giving customers a modern step-free station that is more spacious, accessible and equipped to support growing demand and the growing number of homes and jobs in the area.”
A Kent social enterprise which employs British veterans has secured a multi-million pound Network Rail contract.
Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, the manufacturing division of Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), will become the sole signage provider for Network Rail.
BBMC employs 120 people – more than 70 per cent of whom are ex-service personnel, or have a physical or mental disability – and has provided signs for the rail company for more than 25 years.
BBMC director Geoff Streetley said, ‘As we are solely a not-for-profit enterprise, any surplus we make is immediately reinvested back into the company to give ex-service personnel and people with disabilities the opportunity to find sustained and rewarding employment – whether that is directly through BBMC or through the various employment services we offer at RBLI.
‘We are appreciative of Network Rail for recognising the knowledge, technical ability and the hard-working attitude of a commercially successful group of people who can be too often pushed aside in the world of work.’
