Greater Anglia has unveiled a mock-up of one of its new Stadler Flirt trains at its Norwich depot.
In total the train operating company (TOC) is spending £600 million on 378 new carriages from Stadler’s in Switzerland, which are due to enter service from 2019.
The Flirt’s will have ‘fast’ Wi-Fi according to the TOC, with air conditioning, plug points and better access because of a lower floor design.
They are due to operate between Norwich and London, on the Stansted Express, and on regional routes.
The trains will operate in the following configurations on the following routes:
10 electric 12-carriage intercity trains, for Great Eastern Main Line, Norwich, Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree, Colchester, Chelmsford, Stratford and London Liverpool Street
10 electric 12-carriage trains for the Stansted Express service
24 four-carriage and 14 three-carriage bi-mode trains, for Marks Tey to Sudbury, Norwich to Sheringham, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Cambridge, and Ipswich to Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Cambridge and Peterborough.
Take a tour of the new mock-up:
Greater Anglia deputy managing director Mike Kean said: “We are very excited to be replacing every single one of our trains and very pleased to be able to offer stakeholders and rail user groups a glimpse of what’s to come by showing them the mock-up.
“Replacing all of our trains represents the biggest ever investment in trains in East Anglia.”
The railway trade union RMT says it has written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd calling for the Conservative Party to drop plans to merge the British Transport Police (BTP) into a new national infrastructure police force if re-elected.
Within the Tory manifesto – under a section entitled ‘strengthening the police and security services’ – it talks about combining the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Ministry of Defence Police and the BTP to create a new national infrastructure police force. The resulting organisation would improve the ‘protection of critical infrastructure such as nuclear sites, railways and the strategic road network’.
RMT has said it was hypocritical of ministers to praise BTP officers for their bravery following the terror attack in London on June 3 while planning such a merger. There are already steps being taken to integrate Scotland’s BTP force with Police Scotland.
BTP, which describes itself as one of the oldest police forces in the world, has more than 3,000 officers stationed around the country to protect the travelling public and railway staff.
The force has its own firearms unit as well as a dedicated team for dealing with unattended items on the railway, the BTP Specialist Response Unit (SRU). Through its Project Griffin, BTP also provides training to rail industry staff to raise awareness about the risk of terrorism on the network.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said, ‘Rail staff are the eyes and ears of the rail network who are especially trained to help prevent terrorist attacks yet one day the government is praising rail workers as heroes and next day they are cutting rail workers – it is not only hypocrisy it is also pure folly.
‘On top of this the Tory manifesto is proposing to abolish the British Transport Police. Not only will this increase the terrorist threat by diluting a specialist police operation on the railway it will also mean that the force will be subject to a major reorganisation and no doubt cuts when it should be focusing on the terrorist threat.’
Greater Manchester light rail operator Metrolink has launched a specially designed tram in response to the Manchester Arena attack.
Paying tribute to the city’s spirit following the bombing on May 22, Tram 3022 features a worker bee, which has become an iconic symbol of the city.
The ‘Spirit of Manchester’ tram will run across the network.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “The incredible spirit of the people of Manchester has been what has sustained us all since last week.
“Our city has come together and the unity we have shown has made Manchester a beacon of hope around the world.”
The tram also carried a number of people to the One Love Manchester charity concert on June 4. Speaking before the concert Andy Burnham added: “The Manchester Bee has taken on a new significance over recent days and it is fitting that we display it proudly on the Metrolink as many of us head to what will be a memorable and moving event.”
Members of the public living in the West Midlands are being reminded they can air their views on how £3.4 billion investment should be spent on improving the area’s transport network.
From tram extensions in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country to new suburban rail lines, the money will be spent by Transport for West Midlands over the next decade to unlock the area’s economic potential following the arrival of HS2.
A six week consultation on its plan – the 2026 Draft Delivery Plan, which will set out a timetable for the construction of schemes. – concludes on June 9.
The responses will be considered when work begins on compiling the final version of the plan later this year.
Managing director of Transport for West Midlands Laura Shoaf said: “We want to hear people’s views on these proposed transport schemes that we feel will support the WMCA’s wider goals for economic growth, housing and skills.
“This blueprint has a key role to play in the future prosperity of our region, which is why I would encourage people to take this opportunity to have their say.”
A new digital learning programme will transform the way DB Cargo’s drivers learn their routes.
Traditionally, drivers have had to learn a route by physically travelling over it but – thanks to a collaboration with Track Access Services – drivers are able to do this digitally.
The rail freight operator has filmed routes across the country using a specialist camera to create an online programme that drivers can access via tablet or computer.
This means that drivers can easily review the route multiple times while reducing the number of trains on the UK rail network, and therefore cost too.
Head of resources at DB Cargo Andrew Byrne said: “This has opened up huge potential for us and for the whole rail industry as it provides a more efficient and effective method for route learning and retention of route knowledge.
“We have filmed around 40 per cent of the UK rail network, covering a substantial number of routes already. We are continuing our work so that we can roll out digital route learning even further.”
Four innovations that will improve the maintenance of rolling stock are ready for development.
Funded by the RSSB, the innovations will help to deliver greater capacity, improve safety and reduce the time and cost of maintenance during inspections, according to the trade body.
The projects have been put together from teams at universities throughout the country, including Brunel University which has come up with a system to automate the servicing of passenger train fluids.
Brunel’s project covers the topping-up of water, windscreen wash and the emptying of effluent. A scaled-down version is currently being designed and built before the team build a full-scale working prototype to be tested and installed into a maintenance workshop. Tendering will then take place.
Heriot-Watt University in conjunction with Cranfield University has invented the cab front cleaning robot. This robot applies constant force to its cleaning head as it moves across the surface to ensure it reaches all the pockets and concaves. The sides of trains are currently cleaned by machines using rollers, meaning certain spots are missed and have to be manually cleaned.
Southampton Solent University put forward am automated, non-destructive testing techniques for railway wheelsets, using infra-red and electro-magnetic sensors to detect cracks, and the University of Birmingham’s process for automating inspection techniques with 3D printing to add material back onto the surface of wheels to repair any damage.
Carolyn Griffiths has become the 132nd president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Ms Griffiths – who founded the UK’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch – succeeds Jon Hilton as the president.
She is also a non-executive director of Irish Rail and volunteers with the Engineering Council and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Credit: Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
She said: “I am hoping to work alongside other institutions to see if we can together find a framework which will promote further collaboration in areas where we have common professional interests. After all, there are few engineering endeavours that engage only a single discipline of engineering.
“I also think it will be important to work in parallel with members and staff to find new ways of delivering value to engineers, employees, key decision makers and potentially also those that interface with engineering. And I want to examine what we can do to further equality and diversity in our profession.”
Drivers, guards, cleaners, station staff and managers from one train operating company are to turn a shade of orange for one day.
Great Western Railway staff along the Cheltenham to London Paddington line will be wearing an item of orange clothing to raise money for charity Meningitis Now on May 26.
Staff wearing an item of orange clothing have been asked to make a £1 donation and members of the public can donate too – or seek advice – from the Meningitis Now staff that will be based at every stop on the route, that includes: Cheltenham Spa, Gloucester, Stroud, Kemble, Swindon, Didcot Parkway, Reading and London Paddington.
As part of the event the ‘Meningitis Trust’ named locomotive will be in service and running along the South Cotswold line starting from Cheltenham at 8:31am, and then heading to London Paddington to arrive at 10.45am.
If you’re a rail enthusiast looking for a new home we may have just found the dream location for you.
Clive Emson auctioneers has listed Torre Signal Box (pictured above) on its website for a guide price of £85,000 to £115,000.
The former box and three-storey property is situated on the platform of Torre railway station, Torquay, and even has planning permission to transform it into a holiday home.
The website listing describes it as a “truly spectacularly rare opportunity” and adds that it is “one of the most unique conversion/development opportunities for miles around”.
The ground floor is the living area, the first floor has a bedroom with en-suite facilities and a landing and the second floor has an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area.
According to Historic England, Torre Signal Box was built in 1921 and is a listed building.
One thing is for certain, there would be no excuse for missing your train in the morning.
Passengers will be unable to stop at Rotherham Central station this bank holiday weekend as Network Rail conduct work in preparation for the Tram Train pilot.
Essential engineering works will take place to demolish and replace College Road bridge this weekend, meaning the station will close following the last train on May 26 and re-open for the first train on May 29.
While the station is closed Network Rail will install a higher bridge at College Road to allow the overhead lines that will power Tram Trains to be safely fitted underneath.
Engineers will also bring the signalling system for the Tram Train into operation.
The Tram Train pilot is delivered by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Network Rail, Northern, Stagecoach Supertram and the Department for Transport.
It will enable vehicles to run on both the Stagecoach Supertram system and the national rail network between Sheffield and Rotherham once it is complete.
Repair work is to be begin on the Cutty Sark railway bridge in the next few weeks.
Located outside of Glasgow, the bridge sits on the Argyle line between Bargeddie and Baillieston railway stations and passes over the A8.
Network Rail will strengthen the main girders and bridge deck, blast clean and repair the metalwork, apply corrosion protection to steelwork, paint the entire bridge, repair masonry and clear adjacent vegetation.
For safety reasons a contraflow will be in place on the A8 near to the Showcase Cinema for 20 weeks from June 5.
The project is part of a wider programme of maintenance on Network Rail’s structures which is designed to extend their lifespan and keep the network safe and reliable.
Network Rail programme manager Billy McKay said: ‘Delivering this work in 20 weeks is a logistical challenge but we have planned the job carefully with our contractors and will complete it with the minimum possible inconvenience.’
Transport for London has revealed that more passengers than ever are using mobile phones to pay for their fares.
The local government body – which is responsible for the capital’s Tube and tram network, as well as most of the internal National Rail services – recorded around 31 million ‘pay as you go’ journey’s from 2016 to 2017, the highest figure it has recorded yet.
This figure accounts for almost one in 10 contactless journeys in total across the network.
Android, Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay can all be used to make pay as you go contactless smartphone payments by touching the device on a yellow card reader, much like a customer would use an Oyster card.
Transport for London has accepted contactless payments on the Tube and rail since September 2014.
Network Rail has begun piling on the 17 mile line between Preston and Blackpool North stations.
The upgrade work is part of the North West electrification, a £1 billion investment to deliver more reliable, cleaner and quieter train services by May, 2018.
The piling is expected to continue for several months and will for the most part will take place over night to minimise the disruption to services and the risk to workers.
Piling is a process which involves installing foundations every 50 to 60 metres for the masts and gantries that will carry electrified wires along the railway.
It is a noisy activity because it involves driving steel piles deep into the ground to provide a secure base for the gantries, as well as the noise from vehicle movements.
A lance corporal, lance sergeant and warrant officer make up the first cohort in East Midlands Train’s ‘Train into Work’ programme.
The trio will work with the TOC’s customer service teams and be introduced to the rail sector in the hope of easing their transition into civilian life.
East Midlands Trains (EMT) has said the work placement – which is opened to members of the armed force who are in the final year of their contract – is the least it can do for the selfless military personnel.
Made up of Mark Bunning, of Derbyshire, Andrew Finlan, of Nottingham, and Mark Evans, of Lincolnshire, respectively, the group will shadow station managers and work on services across the East Midlands Trains network at Nottingham and Lincoln Central stations.
In addition, they will shadow train dispatchers, gate line staff and ticket office clerks.
Career guidance will also be provided to the candidates, regardless of whether they progress with EMT.
Mark Bunning, who will be based at Nottingham station, said, ‘Seeing how all the different jigsaw pieces fit together to make the picture whole has been a real eye-opener.
‘I can see all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into ensuring services are running smoothly and how to communicate this to customers at stations and on board trains.
‘I’m looking forward to getting around and seeing how the business works from an operational perspective and then continuing to develop my customer-service skills.’
David Hornsey is the employer engagement manager for the Career Transition Partnership, who help members of the armed forces find work after leaving the service.
He said, ‘Work placements such as this provide a fantastic forum for those individuals in the process of leaving the armed forces to gain on-the-job experience in the civilian workplace and the feedback I’ve received from the team so far has been extremely positive.
‘We’re looking forward to continuing the Train into Work programme with East Midlands Trains and helping more service leavers pursue careers within the rail sector.’
Vivarail has announced that its first two D-Trains have come off the production line and are ready for sale.
The firm has scaled up its production capacity meaning the aluminium-bodied Class 230s can be delivered in early 2018, ahead of schedule.
The D-Trains can be supplied as either two or three-car units powered by either diesel and electric (DEMU), battery – with a range of up to 50 miles – or diesel/battery hybrid engines.
Vivarail is converting retired London Underground D78 Stock trains to make the D-Trains, which are viewed as affordable options for regional train services for urban and rural areas.
The trains are being prepared for construction at the Quinton Rail Technology Centre near Stratford-upon-Avon.
The announcement follows an incident on December 30 when a D-Train caught fire on a test run – there were no passengers onboard at the time and Vivarail staff were able to leave the train safely. An incident report by Vivarail found the fire was caused by a fuel leak.
Prior to the fire, a trial service of the D-Train had been planned with operator London Midland but was later cancelled.
Following a spike in demand from customers, Chiltern Railways has announced an increased timetable for the 121 Bubble Cars before they retire.
The TOC’s last two remaining Class 121 trains were first brought into service in 1960 and later bought by Chiltern in 2003, but – with maintenance costs increasing – the decision was made in March to put them into retirement.
The last day of service will be on May 19 from which point the Bubble Cars will be put up for sale.
Famed for being the last trains in service that use vacuum brakes, the single-carriage trains are recognisable for their small size and open environment which allow customers to see ahead through the train’s front windows.
Since 2003 the two trains have serviced the 18-minute journey from Princes Risborough to Monks Risborough, Little Kimble and Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire.
Managing director of Chiltern Railways Dave Penney said: “Since we announced the retirement of the class 121 Bubble Cars in March, we’ve been inundated with requests from rail enthusiasts and members of the public wanting to take a last ride.
“As we near their final day, we anticipate even more interest so we have added additional services out of peak time to accommodate the extra passengers.”
On the final week of service from May 15 until May 19 there will be one additional service per day departing from Aylesbury at 16.39 and arriving at Princes Risborough at 16.53. This is in addition to regularly scheduled services during peak time.
On the final day of service on May 19 – which will be marked with a short ceremony at Princes Risborough station at 12.15pm – there will also be these additional services:
(Place of departure, departure time, arrival time)
Princes Risborough to Aylesbury 12.50, 13.04
Aylesbury to Princes Risborough 13.19, 13.33
Princes Risborough to Aylesbury 13.50, 14.04
Aylesbury to Princes Risborough 14.19, 14.33
Princes Risborough to Aylesbury 14.50, 15.04
Following their retirement the number of services running daily will remain unchanged.
An unexploded World War II bomb has forced the closure of the Birmingham New Street to Lichfield Trent Valley line.
According to London Midland, the section will be closed for the rest of the day (May 15) with emergency services in attendance.
The TOC is advising passengers affected by the disruption to use alternative transport to complete their journeys.
West Midlands Police has said that the explosive device was found at a construction site in Priory Road.
Officers were called to the scene at 9.45am and after an initial consultation a precautionary 500m perimeter was put in place, with houses and businesses in the surrounding area being evacuated and, because it runs parallel to the A38, train services affected too.
In addition the police said that a bomb squad was on route to the site as of the last update.
The Central metro station in Newcastle has been twinned with Tower Hill Tube station in London to share best practice as tourism gateways in their respective areas.
Nexus – the public body which owns and manages Metro – welcomed 18 frontline staff, including workers from Tower Hill station, for a knowledge sharing day on May 11.
The two stations were twinned because both are situated close to visitor attractions, hotels and shops.
Metro services director Chris Carson said: “This visit has been a great experience for Metro staff. They have had the chance to meet with their colleagues from London Underground and talk with them face to face about a whole range of issues connected with customer care.
“By sharing knowledge we will be able to make improvements to what we offer our customers here in Tyne and Wear.”
Piling will begin on a stretch of the Midland Mainline in Northamptonshire this weekend (May 13 and 14) as part of the ongoing work to electrify the line.
Between Kettering and Corby, Network Rail will mostly be piling – installing foundations for the masts and gantries every 50 to 60 metres that will carry electrified wires along the railway – overnight to minimise the disruption to passenger services. The work is expected to last for several months.
Residents have been told to expected some disturbance as piling involves driving cylindrical steel piles deep into the ground to provide a secure base for gantries and is, therefore, a noisy activity.
In addition, from Friday night (May 12) until Saturday (May 13) morning, Network Rail will be carrying out essential trackside vegetation clearance from Glendon Hall to Little Oakley and from Little Irchester to Kettering.
Passengers across Scotland will benefit from new digital customer information screens (DCIS) which are being rolled out across 28 stations.
In total ScotRail Alliance has already installed – or will soon be installing – 94 DCISs at stations across the country by the end of the summer.
The new screens are brighter, clearer and show real-time data for connecting transport such as nearby bus, ferry or flight times, alongside train times.
Currently “dot matrix” signs can only display text and basic diagrams but the HD screens will give more detailed information with images and video on train disruptions.
ScotRail Alliance’s programmes director Ian McConnell said: “We’re working hard to improve and renew stations across our network. Customer information is hugely important, and the more detail the better.”
The stations that have already had or will soon have new DCIs are as follows:
The International Railway Sports Association (USIC) and the International Union of Railways (UIC) have agreed to donate the proceeds from their sporting events to a chosen charity.
Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) will benefit from money collected from USIC sporting challenges held across the world, including a futsal tournament in Czech Republic, bowling in Bulgaria and angling in Ireland.
Médecins du Monde Executive Director Joël Weiler said: “At Médecins du Monde, we very much appreciate this joint initiative from UIC and USIC.
“We are deeply grateful for the international mobilisation of both organisations and of all the people that feel concerned by our cause.
“This gives us hope, as we see that the values of solidarity and tolerance are shared and passed on.”
A leaked version of the Labour party’s election manifesto includes plans to nationalise Britain’s railways.
Among a number of proposals, the draft manifesto, which had been leaked to several media outlets, advocates bringing the railway back into public ownership as existing franchise agreements expire.
Under the plans, Labour will introduction a Public Ownership of the Railways Bill to repeal the Railways Act of 1993, which privatised the railways, if the Labour party is successful in the general election on 8 June.
Building on the platform of the publicly owned Network Rail, a new public rolling stock company would be formed too.
The manifesto reads: “In public ownership, we will deliver real improvements for passengers by freezing fares, introducing free wi-fi across the network, ensuring safe staffing levels and ending driver-only operation, and by improving accessibility for disabled people.”
Striving to tackle the country’s rail capacity problem, companies are making a sustained push to digitise the railway. Stewart Thorpe reports from the Digital Rail Summit to find out what progress is being made.
Would anyone hack a railway? That was the leading question in an investigation carried out by Koramis to discover just how vulnerable the railway network is. The German IT specialist partnered with security firm Sophos in 2015 to create a real control system for what appeared to be a real rail network somewhere in the world – it was in fact simulated.
The results from Project HoneyTrain, says SNC-Lavalin Rail and Transit principal consultant David Robson, were ‘a little scary’. Complete with real CCTV feeds, in-cab driver videos and a fully operating customer-facing website, over a six- week period the control system was attacked 2,745,267 times.
‘I think the sheer volume of attacks shows that people don’t care if it’s a railway, they’ll happily have a go at hacking because it’s fun,’ says David, who has a background in developing control systems.
‘During an interview with the chief research officer, he stated that HoneyTrain was a great experiment to analyse the adversary’s moral limits. He went on to say that they had attackers derailing trains and running them at full speed into a dead end. These hackers did not know this was a pretend railway, as far as they were concerned they’d found a railway and thought they’d have some fun.
MISCONCEPTIONS
Held at international law firm Bird & Bird’s London office, David’s talk at the Digital Rail Summit focused on overcoming two common misconceptions: that no one would hack the railway and that its systems are too sophisticated to infiltrate. The HoneyTrain report was the most startling of a dozen presentations held at the summit on 26 April, which examined the major initiatives to digitise the railway.
Referring to an incident which saw Devon County Council held to ransom for £3,000 for the safe return of its allotment waiting list, David says that hackers will hack anything and that this needs addressing on the railway network. But it is not a case of a one-off change, cyber security is an evolving subject that needs constantly reassessing. Legacy equipment needs protecting as well as new technology and staff need training to prevent them giving system access to malicious software.
‘We need to accept that the world is getting more and more connected. Cyber security is not going away. Cyber security incidents are only likely to increase. Do we really need to wait for a major incident before we start taking this as seriously as other safety issues?’ David concluded.
SMART TICKETING
The digital railway may have its challenges but there are great opportunities to seize as well. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is trying to create a ‘frictionless’ customer experience with the introduction of smart ticketing across the country. Demanding that all train operating companies (TOCs) make Oyster-style cards available to customers by 2018, Secretary of State Chris Grayling is a driving force behind the change.
Smart tickets will allow for great information management, to be able to accurately calculate peak load and to figure out how many passengers are coming through and ways to influence that traffic, as well as making it a better user experience.
RDG’s managing director of technology services Dennis Rocks says that they’re working to connect disparate ticketing systems to break down the virtual barriers.
‘What we’re saying is that, some time between 2020 and 2022, magstripe will be the least used ticket fulfilment, but it will still be there,’ says Dennis.
‘The challenge to us is how we move from what is a fairly analogue age into a digital age and eventually how we also move away from card and into using phones. It’s all about the customer and doing the right thing.’
The fact that there are currently 600,000 smart cards in circulation, compared to 920 million magnetic stripe cards used across 2,500 stations every year, helps to put the size of the transformation into perspective.
DENMARK ERTMS
A central part of the digital railway programme is the implementation of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and Hanne Nybo Johansen of Atkins has been leading the rolling out of ERTMS level 2 in Denmark since 2014.
‘The traditional railway has a lot of signals, ERTMS level 2 is a detailed radio-based system which continuously transmits the data to the cab on the train,’ explains Hanne, who says that the project’s implementation will reduce the number of traffic control centres from 60 to two. ‘It will enable us to double the number of passengers travelling on the rail by 2030.
‘We are looking forward to having about 80 per cent of the delays caused by the signalling system disappear after introducing the new system. We are also looking into the reduced cost of maintenance and operation cost.
‘It might not be an overnight big bang but it is a big bang done in a very short time. It is also the first time it is being done nationwide and it is a chance to get to this whole solution approach rather than people managing their own systems. This is all about getting a more attractive railway.’
Representatives from Siemens, Alstom, EAMS Group, ESP Group, Huber+Suhner and Nexus Alpha spoke about ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’ aspects of digitising the railway.
Figures from Bird & Bird spoke about the respective legal perspectives on a number of topics and members of the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions too.
Above all else, the Digital Rail Summit showcased the opportunities that are available to the rail industry to overcome its capacity conundrum without the need for expensive infrastructure projects.
Britain was at the forefront of developments in the railway and, if events such as the summit continue to provide the platform to share and discuss experiences, there is every hope that Britain can be at the forefront of the digital railway revolution too.
Thanks to event sponsors ADComms, Amey and Costain, lanyard sponsors Westermo Data Communications and Bird & Bird for hosting the Digital Rail Summit. The next event is the Rail Safety Summit which is taking place on September 13, followed by the Rail Sustainability Summit on September 14. For more information go to www.railsummits.com.
When Transport for Greater Manchester’s head of rail, Amanda White, joined the body in 2014, it had one major goal in mind.
Manchester had just signed a devolution deal with Whitehall in which the city set specific objectives around the better integration of public transport in Greater Manchester.
One priority was to look at how stations are managed and whether the current model makes the most of the city’s assets.
Amanda joined TfGM from HS2, where she had been designing the route from Birmingham to Manchester. She had slowly been making her way up to the North West even then, she joked. For the past two years, one of her priorities has been to add some meat to the bones of Manchester’s rail devolution plan. The first substantial detail was published in TfGM’s ‘Case for Change’ document in March.
Although only a proposal at this stage, it clearly signals TfGM’s intentions. The authority said it wants to own and manage 97 stations around Greater Manchester, including Manchester Piccadilly. By owning the stations, TfGM can look at long-term investment programmes and tailor the facilities to match the communities they serve.
‘At the moment the rail stations are the missing piece of the jigsaw for us,’ says Amanda. ‘Because we can’t have as much influence as we do say with your Metrolink infrastructure or your bus infrastructure.’
Photo: Goonerette/ shutterstock.com.
She went on, ‘Even today, we don’t have any responsibility for the stations but we do receive the complaints, so there’s confusion about ownership now.’
Having worked in the industry for 14 years, Amanda understands all too well the network’s complex ownership structure. Prior to working for HS2, Amanda was at Network Rail. Out of university, she joined Network Rail’s electrification and plant division in York, eventually moving down to London to work on enhancement schemes.
She explained why she felt the current system wasn’t delivering for the city and wider county on the issues of . ‘The rail industry is focussed on running trains, they’re not incentivised,’ said Amanda, adding that the industry doesn’t have a remit to explore opportunities for local regeneration or integrated travel.
Starting with the basics
Of the 97 stations mentioned in the document, around half are unmanned and three of them serve the Glossop line outside the Greater Manchester boundary. The largest by far is Manchester Piccadilly, the fourth busiest station outside of London.
From the day it receives the keys, TfGM says it will look to rebrand and deep clean the stations, first targeting what it can immediately improve – things like access and comfort. ‘We’re starting with the basics and building up,’ says Amanda.
Long-term plans have already been produced for 21 stations. Over the next 18 months, plans for the remaining 76 will be drawn up. In particular, they are looking at what services could be offered at stations to address certain community issues, says Amanda. A desk for community support offices could be created at stations with high levels of antisocial behaviour, for example.
TfGM’s role in shaping rail services in the North West has been growing for some time. As part of Rail North, it was one of the strategic partners whose feedback helped define the specification for the current Northern and TransPennine franchises. But the same kind of partnership wouldn’t allow TfGM to achieve all of its aspirations, says Amanda.
‘You can get so far with a partnership or alliance but you can never guarantee the delivery of the outcome that you’re looking for as a single owner or single responsible organisation.’
In the future, TfGM hopes to develop its capability, says Amanda. The idea of it operating services directly is not entirely unlikely and although a new 10-year operating concession was awarded for Metrolink earlier this year, TfGM may choose to follow Midland Metro and bring its tram services in-house in the future.
‘As our responsibilities grow and as our network grows it may be that in another eight years time when we’re considering what that contract looks like we might want to bring in-house, completely in- house, the operations and the maintenance work or it might be that we see that there are advantages to leaving it as a concession and that’s how we manage the rail stations.’
Amanda White
Solid foundations
TfGM already owns Horwich Parkway, which sits on the Manchester to Preston route. The initial outlining business case suggests that the 94 local stations could transfer to TfGM in the next two to three years. A target of the mid 2020s has been put on the three larger stations – Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road.
All of the operational staff for these stations would be transferred over to TfGM – a move that will provide more long-term stability for those employees, says Amanda. She believes that the infrastructure already exists within TfGM to begin running a portion of those 94 local stations straight away.
‘It really depends where we end up,’ says Amanda. ‘If we have a big bang and we get what we’ve asked for here with the 94 then we’re going to need to bring in a mobilisation team with the expertise to write up the contracts, legal agreements and do all the condition assessment that’s required alongside that. But on a very, very small scale, we do have the foundations of the right kind of expertise right across the organisation.
‘We already have our facilities management team who directly manage the maintenance of facilities, management of bus infrastructure and our own property estate. We have a very strong commercial, legal and financial team who are running the contracts for Metrolink as they stand. Plus the rail team that exists today which has within it our own very small, but completely relevant, asset management process for managing Horwich Parkway station.’
Governance
When the current Northern franchise launched last year, new operator Arriva set out how it planned to improve its stations. It has an obligation to the Department for Transport (DfT) to deliver on these plans. Under the Case for Change proposals, TfGM will instead have a contractual obligation to the train operating companies and a political obligation to taxpayers.
Says Amanda, ‘We’ll have a contract and we will have performance measures that are monitored through that franchise, but secondly we will be monitored through taxpayers and our own governance through GMCA.’
The rail infrastructure itself would remain Network Rail property. Major events and maintenance activities would require the same kind of close working that already goes on in the background.
‘There is no doubt that whatever we do the train operating companies and Network Rail will be our partners because Network Rail are the ultimate landlord,’ says Amanda. ‘We will always have to seek their approval and work closely with them to protect their assets.’
There may also be more opportunities to support the work of station adopters and community rail partnerships.
Says Amanda, ‘What we should do is actually open up more doors, generate more funding, improve the number of opportunities and relationships that can be generated with the CRPs, so we’re not going to walk away from those relationships either.
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‘We already sit within the steering groups that work with the CRPs, but we can bring in a whole host of other relationships with our health departments or our policing or skills and make the connections a lot easier.’
Transformation
Amanda was the only girl in her A-level physics class. She was also one of just three women out of 30 students to complete the university mechanical engineering course she was on. The rail industry presents opportunities to work on transformative projects, said Amanda.
‘With a project like HS2, it’s a legacy that you can leave, understanding that it’s my name behind that route design to Manchester. A lot of people will not like it, but I do actually sleep well at night knowing that we went through a process and a consultation which I know is the right thing to do for that infrastructure design and I’m proud of being part of that.’
Taking charge of Manchester’s stations may not transform the country in the same way as HS2, but the ripple effect could see more local authorities seeking greater control of their railways.
