The UK’s Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, says he is ‘absolutely certain’ that the South West route’s Class 707 Desiro City trains will be taken on by another operator.
The new operator of the South West franchise – a FirstGroup/MTR joint venture – has already confirmed it will be replacing the trains in 2019 – even though they are only just going into passenger service now.
Grayling was speaking at the launch of the new South Western Railway (SWR) brand at Waterloo station on 4 September.
SWR has said it will invest £1.2 billion in the new franchise and the event was an opportunity to show off the first Class 444 train to sport the new livery.
During the launch, a framed image of one of the route’s new Aventra EMUs in SWR livery was presented by Bombardier. The 90-train Aventra fleet will replace the Class 707 trains which were ordered by the route’s previous operator, Stagecoach.
Image: Bombardier Aventra
As of yet, Angel Trains, which owns the 707s, has not found a new owner for the fleet.
‘The franchisees have no obligation to use the existing trains,’ said Chris Grayling. ‘This is a different strategy it’s about having a more harmonised fleet of trains that improves efficiency, improves ways of working.
‘It does mean that Angel Trains has a fleet of Siemens trains that won’t have a home after 2020, but we’re not in a position today where we have got a surplus of trains on our network, and I’m absolutely certain they will find a home and help deliver longer trains and more capacity in other places.’
SWR’s new managing director, Andy Mellors, added, ‘What we really want on our suburban network is a homogenous fleet of trains that really drives the maximum possible performance and capacity on the existing network that we’ve got.’
Read the full article in the September issue of RailStaff magazine
The Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn has launched a new initiative to help the rising number of homeless people who use the London Underground as a place to sleep.
Thanks £300,000 in funding, a dedicated team will help find accommodation, provide access to support services, or reconnect people with family and friends to prevent them from ending up sleeping on the streets.
London mayor Sadiq Kahn said, ‘We’re starting to see progress in helping rough sleepers off the street for the first time in nearly a decade, but there’s still a long way to go and I am determined to make sure homeless people get the strong support they need.
‘My new night-time transport team will work across our buses and Tubes to help people before they end up sleeping on pavements.
‘I’ll continue to work closely with councils, homeless organisations, and Government to make sure there is a way off the street for every rough sleeper in London.’
Londoners can help alert the outreach team to anyone who needs their help by using the online Streetlink service.
Key business organisations in the North East have called on the government to replace Tyne and Wear Metro’s fleet of trains over growing concerns of reliability, resilience and capacity.
The light rail system has the same rolling stock from when it was launched in 1980 and Nexus – in collaboration with the The North East England Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of British Industry and Federation of Small Businesses – is rallying support to encourage the Department for Transport to finance a new fleet.
The metro operator said the current trains are some of ‘the worst-performing of their kind’ and that the cost of maintaining the fleet will grow sharply if they are not replaced.
Nexus has a detailed £400 million business plan for a new train fleet and associated depot upgrades, which it said is worth more than three times the financial investment in terms of ongoing benefits to North East England.
Confederation of British Industry’s regional director Sarah Glendinning said the metro is vital for the area and that businesses are ‘concerned about the capacity and resilience of local infrastructure’.
The Federation of Small Businesses’ north east development manager Simon Hanson added, ‘The age of the Metro fleet and its reliability problems are becoming more of a concern.
‘It is impossible to imagine the North East without Metro but we need to see investment if it is to continue to thrive and support the economy of our towns and cities.’
When the Elizabeth line is completed in 2019 it will not just represent a great feat of 21st century engineering.
The route’s core has required the construction of a brand new underground railway and the above-ground sections out to Shenfield in the east and Reading in the west have needed careful modification. In both cases, expert contractors and resources have needed to work in collaboration to be effective.
Total Rail Solutions (TRS) was one of those contractors, providing the plant services supporting the electrification works being delivered by Network Rail.
ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS18001 certified, Total Rail Solutions is one of the UK’s leading providers of fully managed safety critical rail plant services and its logo is a common sight on possession sites. The company is also the sponsor of the Rail Team of the Year category at this year’s RailStaff Awards.
Working in tandem
Projects recently undertaken by TRS demonstrate how a variety of stakeholders are often required to work in tandem to deliver critical infrastructure works.
TRS was contracted by Balfour Beatty and AMCO to help deliver two extremely high-profile enhancement projects on the Western route. TRS supported AMCO on the electrification of the Severn Tunnel last year and has been working with Balfour Beatty on the Crossrail works around Maidenhead. For both projects, experts from TRS were embedded in the project teams to ensure the right plant was deployed in the right places.
Says Paul Bateman, chief operating officer, TRS, ‘We are pleased to be involved again with the RailStaff Awards. We sponsored Rail Manager of the Year several years ago and this time we are pleased to be back sponsoring Rail Team of the Year.
‘Total Rail Solutions is all about teamwork, working hard with our partner companies to deliver high quality engineering using our extensive range of plant and equipment. RailStaff Awards gives us the chance to nominate some of the teams we work with and also to pay tribute to those staff who put in that little bit extra on the job.’
Teams in all areas
Tom O’Connor, from event organiser Rail Media, said the award is there to highlight the hard work of teams in all areas of rail businesses.
Says Tom, ‘The railway relies on teams of engineers to build it, teams of technicians to repair it as well as onboard and station teams to run it. That’s not forgetting those in administrative, health and safety and recruitment departments. Good team work shouldn’t be taken for granted. Very little would get done without it.
‘Most of those who are nominated for these awards don’t put in all the extra effort to receive recognition, but that doesn’t mean we, as an industry, shouldn’t make an extra effort to celebrate them for it.’
All the information about this year’s event can be found at www.railstaffawards.com
An iconic metal statue in Birmingham has been uprooted to make way for Midland Metro’s £149 million extension.
Based in Victoria Square for 24 years, the six tonne Iron: Man was lifted out of the ground by two cranes on September 5, marking the beginning of work on the tram extension to Westside – days after it received full financial backing.
Iron: Man was blocking the path of the new line and will now be cleaned by conservation specialists and put into storage before its return in 2018.
Preliminary groundworks began in the summer but the Department for Transport announced that major work will be underway on behalf of Midland Metro Alliance (MMA) in weeks after pledging £59.8 million to the project on September 1.
The remainder is being sourced from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Birmingham City Council, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and third party developers.
Once it is fully operational in 2021 the tram route will be one of the first in the UK to operate on battery power alone.
It will feature five new stations: Town Hall, Centenary Square, Brindley Place, and either side of the Five Ways roundabout in Edgbaston.
As well as the Westside extension, MMA – which includes the WMCA, Egis, Tony Gee, Pell Frischmann, Colas Rail along with sub-alliance partners Barhale, Bouygues UK and Auctus Management Group – is also working on three other extensions.
The other extensions cover: branching off the existing city centre line to connect to Curzon HS2 station and on through Digbeth and north Solihull to the airport; a route between Brierley Hill, Dudley and Wednesbury connecting to the existing line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton; and an extension along Pipers Row in Wolverhampton.
West Midlands’ mayor Andy Street said, ‘Extending the Metro through the city centre to New Street station has already proved a tremendous success. People like the trams and want more of them.
‘That’s why we will be tripling the size of the network over the coming decade so our towns and cities are not only better connected to each other but also to the HS2 high speed rail line.
‘This will help create a transport network that can underpin economic growth and jobs and bring greater prosperity for everyone in the West Midlands.’
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has revealed a track worker was hit by a train on August 22.
At 12:06, a train travelling around 48mph “struck a glancing blow” to the worker between Wimbledon and Raynes Park stations, Greater London, according to the RAIB, leaving the affected individual with minor injuries.
A statement on the RAIB website reads: “We have undertaken a preliminary examination of the circumstances surrounding this accident.
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has signed contracts with two firms to improve its Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) and identify ways it could promote the UK’s rail expertise post-Brexit.
As part of the evolution of RISQS, two contracts rather than one concession have been granted for Britain’s railway’s supplier pre-qualification scheme.
The previous RISQS service provider was Achilles Information but from May 2018 Altius VA will provide IT, verification and management services, and Capita will deliver audit services.
The RSSB said that the new contractors will improve the scheme by:
Introducing a new easy to use platform with more functionality to replace the current IT system
Improving cost effectiveness to make RISQS fairer, more transparent and provide better value for money
Working with the Rail Supply Group, the Rail Delivery Group and other key industry bodies to identify ways RISQS could be a platform to promote UK rail expertise post-Brexit
Introducing the ability to access data in the scheme for industry learning
Providing the ability to integrate with buyer systems
Responding more quickly to changes in industry requirements.
RISQS is used by Network Rail, London Underground and more than 100 other buyers with more than 4,000 supplier members throughout Britain’s rail industry.
Rolling stock leaser Porterbrook has appointed a new chief executive officer.
A former senior figure at FirstGroup, National Express and Eurostar International, Mary Grant brings with her 20 years’ experience in the transport sector and replaces Paul Francis, who retired from the role in July after 20 years.
Ms Grant will join the company’s board on September 13 and said she was excited and looking forward to creating a new vision for the company.
Porterbrook chairman Phil White added, ‘Mary has an excellent reputation within the transport sector and I am looking forward to working with her and welcoming her onto the board. Mary’s experience and knowledge of the industry will be a great asset to the company.’
Overhead power cables on the line between Edinburgh and Glasgow, via Falkirk High, will go live for testing this weekend.
From September 2, the line will enter a testing and safety validating process ahead of the introduction of new electric trains later this year.
The electrification of 46 miles of railway between Edinburgh and Glasgow is an important milestone in the delivery of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, delivering a 20 per cent reduction in journey times and 30 per cent more capacity
With the cables carrying 25,000 volts of electricity, Network Rail is launching a campaign to highlight the dangers of an electrified railway, working with British Transport Police, Scottish Football Association and local council education departments across six local authority areas.
Kevin McClelland, route delivery director for infrastructure projects, said, ‘Energisation is an important phase of work to test and validate the new equipment and ensure it is operating as it should.
‘As well as ‘live testing’ the equipment, the energisation phase of work is critical to ensuring the safe introduction of the electric trains that will operate on the route from later in the year.’
Project managers are often the ones in the firing line but seldom do they get the recognition they deserve for a job well done.
A scheme that runs to time and to budget isn’t news, but when a project faces delays – often as a result of factors that are out of the team’s control – it is the project managers who have to front it out. Good news items go under the radar all the time in the mainstream press, fortunately there are trade titles who know the real story. ‘Project managers are the unsung heroes of the rail industry; working hard in the background to deliver against challenging, and often moving targets,’ said James Collinson, managing director of the Network Certification Body (NCB), sponsors of the Project Manager of the Year category at the RailStaff Awards 2017.
CHANGING RAILWAY LANDSCAPE
NCB is an independent assessment and certification body for the railway industry, a fully accredited Notified Body (NoBo), Designated Body (DeBo) and Assessment Body (AB). Project managers play an increasingly important role within the company, providing oversight to the knowledgable engineering teams.
Major infrastructure and rolling stock programmes that NCB is supporting include the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), Wessex Capacity Improvement Programme and the introduction of the new Caledonian Sleeper fleet.
James went on to explain why project managers are at the centre of everything the industry does. ‘When their relentless pursuit for delivery is achieved, they move on to the next project and start all over again. Being able to reward these determined people, who are behind the changing railway landscape, is what this event is all about.’
DETERMINATION AND DEDICATION
The RailStaff Awards ceremony is entering its 11th year this year. The 2017 Project Manager of the Year award will be handed out at the Ricoh Arena on 7 October – the fourth time the event has been hosted in Coventry.
Stuart Gough, NCB’s head of sales and marketing, said the award helps to celebrate the often creative methods project managers use to meet targets and deadlines.
‘As an organisation that has introduced and grown our own project management function, we recognise the huge value a project manager brings to a business.
‘Project managers lead with determination and dedication to deliver the very best results for the project, making sure the outcomes are aligned to the clients’ expectations. This category is about recognising project managers who clearly display a broad range of techniques and skills to ensure projects are delivered on time and to budget, and often in complex situations.’
CrossCountry has teamed up with the Scouts Association to show young people how to stay safe on the railway.
The three-year partnership has two steps. Stage One undertakes to educate Scouts on rail safety. Stage Two encourages Scout leaders to contact community rail partnerships and station adoption groups and arrange visits to local stations. Where possible Scout Packs will be encouraged to adopt their local station. The partnership aims to educate 150,000 young people within the next two years.
Says Chris Leech, business community manager, CrossCountry, ‘I am a true believer that young people have the loudest voices and arguably the biggest social network in society. Given the right information and a small amount of responsibility they can become great ambassadors.’
Emphasising the safety goal of the exercise Chris says, ‘This programme encourages young people to be responsible ambassadors for rail safety.’
Within two days of the launch of the partnership, Chris and colleagues were inundated with positive messages from railway employees associated with the Scouting movement. ‘They endorse and celebrate our approach,’ says Chris.
As well as railway staff, BTP officers are right behind the scheme. Says PC Joe Turner, ‘This is really important because a lot of our work is making sure that people are safe on the railways. The kids are really enthusiastic. Getting to see the control room, going down and seeing the trains moving about and getting an explanation on how everything works means they definitely have a better awareness of their own safety and others.’
The scouting movement dates from the start of the last century. A British army officer, Robert Baden-Powell, developed the idea for scouting, based on self reliance and woodcraft, whilst on reconnaissance missions in the hills of southern Africa during the Boer War. His book, ‘Scouting for Boys’ became a best seller. The motto, ‘Be Prepared’ has inspired generations of scouts. The British scout movement is thought to number over 452,000 young people.
Edinburgh Trams has turned a profit – two years earlier than anticipated.
The light rail system, owned by the city of Edinburgh, notched up a £252,000 pre-tax profit on its electrified, low-platform, balance sheet.
Says Edinburgh Trams managing director Lea Harrison, ‘We’re delighted with these results and they firmly reflect the growing popularity of the tram. 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.’
Passenger satisfaction is at an astonishing 99 per cent. All this has been achieved in two years.
Says Lesley Macinnes, Transport Convener for the city council, ‘These are fantastic figures, demonstrating how popular trams have become. It’s especially welcome news so soon after the capital’s trams were nationally recognised for having the highest customer satisfaction rating of any public transport operator in the UK. Full credit to everyone at Edinburgh Trams for the sterling job they’re doing.’
The original business model for the tram network predicted the first positive returns would arrive in 2018 and forecasted a pre- tax loss of £170,000 for the year ending December 2016. The Scottish capital’s streetcar success story hosts over 5.6 million passenger journeys a year. The runaway success story of Edinburgh Trams should inspire further light rail developments.
London’s Paddington station has seen a sharp increase in retail sales over recent months, rising by 40 per cent between April and June 2017.
This comes as the Paddington Lawn development is completed. The £13 million upgrade commenced in July 2015 and has introduced 16 high-end retail units. These have been leased by brands such as Kiehls and Thomas Pink, bringing a new look to Paddington retail.
Named after the site of a former stationmaster’s garden, the Lawn now sits alongside a refurbished, open-plan ticket office.
The Grade 1 listed station is preparing for an increase in passenger traffic once the Elizabeth line (Crossrail) platforms open next year. Network Rail is working with English Heritage to ensure that Brunel’s 163-year-old station is updated sympathetically ready for the rush.
Network Rail commercial director for retail Hamish Kiernan commented, ‘The completion of Paddington Lawn gives commuters a new high-quality shopping experience. Convenience shopping has never been more popular, and our stations are becoming destinations in their own right due to the wide range of new retailers and food options available to commuters and visitors alike.
‘Britain’s railway stations are great symbols of our industrial heritage, and regeneration projects like Paddington Lawn ensure the spaces created by Victorian visionaries remain relevant and fit-for-purpose.’
Interestingly, part of the increase in visitors has been attributed to the popular Paddington movie, and the release of Paddington 2 in November is eagerly anticipated.
Five years after the ceasefire of World War I, the Transport Benevolent Fund (TBF) was established to support the families of industry workers who had returned from the battlefield.
Almost a century later you could be forgiven for thinking that – with such wide-ranging social care provisions in place – there would be no need for such a charity but, as TBF’s CEO John Sheehy explains, there is.
The needs of its members in 2017 might be different from those in the 1920s but the non-profit organisation is as relevant as ever, awarding £2.25 million to members in the past year.
‘You would like to think that in this high-tech, modern world there would be no need for an organisation like TBF. Sadly, there is a need today as much as there has ever been,’ says John.
‘This includes cash grants to help cover short- term hardship from sickness to debt advice, legal help on non-employment matters and also bereavement grants. Increasingly, we are finding that stretched NHS services are affecting our members, who are having to wait longer for a diagnosis and/or medical treatment.
‘We can help our members with medical benefits such as second opinions, scans and tests, a wide range of complementary and alternative therapies, medical equipment, prescription pre-payment certificates, help with the cost of laser eyesight correction and convalescence.
‘TBF is all about helping people in the public transport industry.’
Making a difference
The charity currently has more than 53,000 members and is committed to making a difference.
This year it is the official sponsor of the RailStaff Awards’ Station Staff of the Year category, a prize for hard-working and respected colleagues who strive to improve the station experience for fellow staff and customers. This covers transport police, retail staff, station supervisors and customer service personnel.
‘We at TBF are proud to sponsor the Station Staff of the Year category at this year’s RailStaff Awards,’ says John. ‘It’s a great recognition of the valuable work carried out by all station staff – whether customer facing or behind the scenes – providing help and support to the travelling public, sometimes in very difficult circumstances. That’s why TBF is here to help our rail staff members when they find themselves in need or distress.’
Membership
Anyone engaged in the public transport industry in Great Britain is eligible to join the TBF. Membership costs £1 a week and covers financial, health and welfare benefits for the member, their partner and dependent children. In some cases membership is paid for by the employer; acknowledging the advantages of membership in helping to improve members’ work-life balance and reducing staff turnover.
‘The Fund is run by a board of trustees, the majority of who work in the industry and decide on all benefits,’ adds John. ‘Members’ needs and circumstances are all different, so the discretionary awards are made on the individual merits of each case. TBF’s patrons are numerous and include leading figures in the major transport groups and trades unions.
‘TBF is different and makes a difference. Membership is not an insurance policy; the Fund does not make loans, so the money granted is for the beneficiary to keep.
‘There are no different levels of membership fees, there’s no catch – the £1 a week is a flat rate membership fee giving the member and their family access to the extensive range of financial, health and welfare benefits.’
Future
According to TBF, it is the fastest growing charity exclusive to the industry and is committed to helping as many industry workers as it can.
‘If the current trend of need continues we would very much like to further expand membership enabling the Fund to help all those in need,’ John adds.
More information about this year’s event can be found on the RailStaff Awards website: www.railstaffawards.com
Figures have revealed that the Night Tube has contributed £171 million to London’s economy and exceeded expectations on passenger numbers in its first year.
The mayor of London Sadiq Kahn said the service has ‘significantly boost’ the capital city’s night-time economy and supported thousands of jobs following the news that eight million journeys have been made – 15 per cent more than anticipated.
Some London Overground night services are expected to launch later this year as London works towards a 24-hour transport system.
Sadiq Kahn said, ‘I remember the excitement of all the passengers boarding the train that night and I’m so pleased that the enthusiasm of Londoners has stayed strong ever since. No one could have predicted just how successful the Night Tube would be for our city.
‘It truly demonstrates how London is open at all times of day and night.’
The Night Tube was launched in August with services now running Fridays and Saturdays on the Victoria, Jubilee, and most of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
The 1/4 mile of track needs to be replaced and the section is expected to reopen on August 21.
Network Rail’s chief operator officer for Anglia Simon Ancona, said:, ‘We have an army of experts and specialist teams who are working day and night to remove the wagons as quickly as possible.
‘Once they are out of the way we can replace the tracks, carry out the necessary repairs, reopen the line and get passengers on the move again.’
Local leaders have expressed fury at the government’s decision to pull the plug on electrification of South Wales and the Midlands.
Concerned at ever-escalating costs, plans to wire up the line between Cardiff and Swansea have been short circuited. In the Midlands wires will end at Kettering. The line north to Sheffield and Nottingham will not now be electrified. Similar plans to electrify the Oxenholme – Windermere branch in the Lake District have also been earthed.
An optimistic DfT stressed new bi-mode trains – capable of running on diesel engines as well as electric – would in fact improve services beyond Kettering and Cardiff.
With distressing chronology, the government a few days later announced diesel engines would be phased out by 2040. This applies only to road vehicles. However, clean air campaigners believe full-throttle diesels are fated for the choker.
Back in London, Transport supremo Chris Grayling has moved to re-assure the industry that Crossrail 2 – the north-south London link – will go ahead.
In a startling choice of terminology, Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, said, ‘Over recent weeks there have been growing concerns that Crossrail 2 would be quietly dropped. Today’s joint statement by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, offering their full throttle support to this vital infrastructure project, is excellent news for both London and the whole of the UK.’
North-south, sparks continue to fly as north country leaders and the Welsh accuse the Westminster government of London-centric transport priorities.
Says Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan, ‘It’s extremely disappointing news after such a long campaign with powerful agreement between all the parties and businesses here. I’ve spoken to Chris Grayling about this and told him what I think. Again, the East Midlands is losing out because of cost overruns with other rail projects elsewhere. There are a lot of questions around these bi-mode trains that still need to be answered.’
Morgan, who is treasury select committee chairman added, ‘I never give up. The argument for electrification has not gone away.’
Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) recently responded to the Irish Government’s ‘National Planning Framework’ (NPF) consultation in relation to the future national transport needs of the Republic, Tim Casterton reports.
This in lay terms was the key opportunity for IÉ to set out its market stall to the government. IE outlined the benefits of rail for passenger journeys, commuting and longer-distance business and leisure and also the carriage of freight.
The ability to reduce national carbon emissions through modal transfer from road is a key theme, with IÉ stating that a four-lane motorway has just one third the carrying capacity of a two-track commuter railway (noting also the difficulty in constructing new road capacity in urban areas).
Roads in Dublin are now amongst the worst congested in Europe – testimony that past policy failings have facilitated continued car dependency in Ireland. The NPF consultation is additional to the land transport policy review undertaken by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport’s (DTTaS) to assess future investment levels for rail within the Republic to 2040 and beyond.
IÉ has developed a business vision which extends infrastructure and rolling stock investment to enable maximum contribution to the transport network by journey time improvements, better service frequencies on high-volume commuter and Intercity lines and better connectivity across Dublin. The IÉ response is not slow to point out that rail has the greatest potential for attracting motorists from cars – a principal objective in ‘Smarter Travel’.
RAIL FOR TOURISM
IÉ expounded the key benefits of the railway in a national planning context with rail enjoying a high market share on routes between key economic centres, for example Westport-Dublin (40 per cent), Cork-Dublin (39 per cent), Sligo-Dublin (33 per cent) and Limerick-Dublin (26 per cent), the correct use of such data rather than misleadingly including areas where there are no rail services and road transport taking 100 per cent of the market.
Rail enables tourism, a key economic factor in Ireland, with around 260,000
overseas tourists and 770,000 domestic tourists using the rail network each year – this without a rail connection to Dublin Airport. The luxury tourism market now uses rail with the Rail Tours Ireland ‘Emerald Isle Express’ launched in 2014 followed by Steam Dreams ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’ and the Belmond Grand Hibernian sleeper train introduced in 2016. Cruise liner passengers can now use dedicated trains from Cobh (near Cork) to get to Cork or Killarney.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Other benefits of rail are also highlighted, such as social inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities (11 per cent of journeys made under Government free travel scheme), safety – IÉ having one of the best safety records in Europe (highlighting 1,300 road fatalities from 2010-16 cost the Republic over €2 billion), environmental and sustainable (IÉ’s 2020 emission reduction target already surpassed), almost 75 per cent less greenhouse gases per passenger km than road vehicles and freight using 15-25 per cent of the direct energy per tonne-kilometre than transport by road.
In the Greater Dublin Area, road congestion is estimated to cost up to €650 million per annum whilst services like the DART have alleviated the problem with over half a billion passenger journeys since opening in 1984. Growth of a third in commuting with matching increases in road congestion are expected by 2041 and rail therefore needs to help alleviate this even more.
INTERCITY RAIL SERVICES
The IÉ response highlights the need to address previous journey time advantages between cities that were eroded with recent motorway construction in the Republic, mostly completed by 2010. Recently some redress of this has taken place on the Dublin – Cork main line to increase the number of 100mph stretches and the 06:15 Cork to Dublin service now achieves a 2hr 15min schedule. More infrastructure investment on all major rail routes to allow more competitive journey times and increased train frequencies is crucial to allow rail to be a part of the sustainable and balanced national transport network.
Adequate funding for maintenance and renewal is vital for rail and further capacity works in the Dublin area is also required. The cross-border service from Dublin to Belfast, part of the European TEN-T Core network, requires infrastructure investment to raise speeds to 100mph and service frequency to hourly as well as future electrification. End-to-end journey time improvements are recommended as: Dublin – Belfast 1.5 hours, Dublin to Cork: two hours and Dublin to other provincial cities: less than two hours. This aim is to underpin the future viability of Intercity service operations and promote better regional and inter-regional transport attracting more tourism and discretionary rail travel giving environmental and economic benefits and savings.
DART – MORE ELECTRIFICATION
Iarnród Éireann considers that the DART expansion programme should be the priority transport project for the greater Dublin area and that, once completed, it would benefit the network as a whole. Further electrification out to Drogheda, Maynooth and Hazelhatch would bring major environmental benefits and reduced emissions. The construction of the DART Underground tunnel to link the ‘northern line’ with the Kildare line is a key factor and includes a number of new city centre stations. IÉ are currently engaging with the NTA to look at technical solutions that could reduce costs for the project.
DART – AIRPORT LINK
IÉ considers that a DART link to Dublin Airport, where passenger numbers are hitting new records each year, is vital despite this not being included in the National Transport Authority (NTA) strategy for greater Dublin.
IÉ has identified an undeveloped alignment and has noted that it should be preserved to enable future connection from the airport to the DART and the Dublin – Belfast Enterprise service with a new junction at Clongriffin. This aim supports the EU White Paper – ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area’ which sets as a key objective the connection of core EU airports to the TEN-T rail network which includes Belfast – Dublin – Cork in Ireland.
Dublin Airport was accounted Europe’s fastest-growing airport last year, handling 28 million passengers with growth expected to hit 40 million passengers in the relatively near future. The government currently favours the ‘Metro North’ scheme, a brand new standard gauge rail link between Dublin and the Airport, however IÉ considers the DART extension would complement the New Metro North proposal and significantly reduce road congestion on the approaches to the airport, particularly along the very congested M50 and its approach roads.
RAIL FOR SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGIONS
Rail to regional cities requires sustainable development within the rail network catchment areas to support existing and possible new stations. Several routes suffer presently from low population densities. In the Cork area, the local authorities are seeking new stations on the Cork to Mallow main line, these linked to local developments that would increase population density. IÉ supports this proposal. Galway requires additional track capacity between the city and Athenry to support enhancement for commuter services and, on the Galway to Limerick line, IÉ would wish to see the flooding issues in east Clare (Ennis area) addressed to warrant increased service frequencies.
The key message from IÉ to the NPF is that the targeted development of rail services along with other wider initiatives could support a critical mass of population and economic activities in the regional cities and counter balance the concentration of growth in the Dublin area.
FREIGHT TO BOOST EXPORTS
The response touches briefly on freight highlighting that, despite generating less than a quarter of the emissions of road haulage and advantages in road decongestion, it is not supported in any way by state funding and operates on a purely commercial basis. The NPF looks towards ways of improving both the national carbon footprint and reducing road congestion.
There is a clear message in the response that the absence of state funding for capital investment to attract modal switches, new traffic will only be gained where there is a very strong commercial focus, this currently limiting it role to niche markets. Capital funding would be required to invest in both new terminals and rolling stock unless a third-party funded those elements. New rail freight business opportunities that could require investment and policy support include biomass, mineral ore and pulpwood amongst other traffics. Many of the Republic’s export comedies use rail including zinc ore, timber products, soft drinks and health supplies (this being the top export commodity with an annual value of $31 billion).
ROSSLARE EUROPORT – GATEWAY TO EUROPE
IÉ owns and operates Rosslare Europort, situated in the south east of the country and the nearest port to the European mainland. The port is the second-largest seaport in Ireland for unitised road freight and is crucial for the economy and employment in the regional hinterland and the national economy. IÉ states the need to improve connectivity to the Port, noting that the direct link to mainland Europe will be more vital post Brexit.
A desire to deepen the port to accommodate modern larger high-capacity vessels and develop the port into a multi-modal facility including the development of a rail-freight interface is expressed. The South Eastern coast line from Dublin serves Rosslare for passengers and there is also the currently out of use (but still intact) line to Waterford and the west. The two priorities would deliver great benefits to the regional and national economy and take some pressure off an increasingly congested Dublin.
RAIL – KEY FOR IRELAND’S ECONOMY
IÉ’s highlighting these proposals in its response isn’t just a shopping list for funding, but a list of proposals that will help the Irish economy develop and help meet environmental targets.
Relief of congestion in cities will keep business flowing and reduce CO2 emissions, new commuter services will get people in to work, improved Intercity will help boost the tourism market and better airport connectivity will boost Dublin International Airport.
More rail freight would assist manufacturing businesses and the economy with better links to Europe via the ports, however a fresh look at the benefits of modal-change funding for economy boosting businesses by the Government may be needed. So clearly not just a wish list, but a list of proposals to lift the Republics economy.
Seaton Rail is returning in 2017 to support the RailStaff Awards once again.
Seaton Rail will be putting its name against the Trainer or Training Team of the Year category at the awards evening this October. It comes at a time where the company is working hard to develop its own training department.
‘The RailStaff Awards is a great platform to celebrate the success of individuals in the railway industry. It is an honour to be a part of that by sponsoring at the event,’ said the company’s managing director and founder, Shane Seaton.
ACCREDITATION
Shane launched Seaton Rail in 1995 and now runs the company alongside his son, Matthew.
Based in Bridlington, the company’s core business is possession and works planning services. In 2008, it also began offering contingent labour supply, training and on-track protection and warning services. It is the training department which, in recent months, has gone from strength to strength.
Courses provided by Seaton Rail range from track safety training, to health and safety and first aid. The company is also approved by Network Rail to carry out the vital workplace assessments which are required to maintain safety and standards within the industry.
Last month, the company confirmed that from June it would be offering three-day Safe Work Leader courses from its facilities in Bridlington and Goole. The previous month, it announced it was now accredited to offer Individual Working Alone (IWA), Controller of Site Safety (COSS), COSS
Overhead Line Permit (COSS OLP) and COSS Conductor Rail Permit Testing using a Live Line Tester (COSS CRP LLT) training courses.
Seaton Rail is an approved Rail Training Accreditation Scheme provider (RTAS) through the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) and is a member of the Association of Railway Training Providers (ARTP) and the British Safety Council.
Shane himself is involved in staff training in his role as compliance manager. The position involves conducting inductions, delivering training sessions and distributing safety bulletins and chairing safety meetings.
SO MUCH FUN
Shane directly trains the company’s new trainers and understands the important role they play in a skills-short industry. He was at last year’s event to see NTRS pick up the 2016 award. Throughout the years, the category has recognised trainers and teams from various disciplines from those providing customer service to those delivering the Samaritans suicide intervention courses.
‘It was an enjoyable evening from start to finish,’ said Shane, describing the Hollywood/ Bollywood-themed event. ‘We are still talking about last year’s event, it was so much fun.’
Adds Shane, ‘It is hugely important to recognise the success of individuals in the industry.’
Images of what some of Greater Anglia’s (GA) new fleet of trains could look like have been revealed.
The operator has released a number of computer-generated pictures of what customers can expect of the 58-train Stadler Flirt fleet, which is being built in Switzerland.
The trains will enter passenger service from 2019 on intercity and regional routes as well as the Stansted Express.
A bi-mode and intercity train at Ipswich station. Credit: Greater Anglia.
A CGI side-view of a bi-mode train. Credit: Greater Anglia.
In total, GA is spending £1.4 billion on replacing its current fleet with 169 new trains. Of that 58 trains are being made by Stadler and the rest by Bombardier in Derby.
Managing director Jamie Burles said, ‘We’re very excited about our new trains. They’re part of our transformation of the railway in East Anglia. They will enable us to provide a nicer travelling environment and more seats, as well as faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys.’
The stirring beauty of the Welsh valleys can appear to mask the challenging mix of social issues faced by the region’s former mining towns and villages.
Following the decline of heavy industry, the South Wales Valleys have had to confront high levels of unemployment and poverty.
Better commuter rail links between Cardiff and the Valleys is seen as one way of boosting employment in the region. If the jobs don’t exist in the Valleys then create better infrastructure to get the workforce into the economic centres.
This is one of the arguments underpinning plans for a South Wales metro system. Proposals supported by the Welsh Government back the opening of new routes and increased service frequencies to rural communities.
Delivering the infrastructure needed for the Metro will also require fresh engineering skills – some of which will be homegrown thanks to new partnerships between the rail industry and training providers.
Coleg y Cymoedd
Coleg y Cymoedd was formed in 2013 following the merger of College Ystrad Mynach and Coleg Morgannwg. It is one of the country’s principle further and higher education providers and is split across four campuses in the Valleys: Rhondda, Nantgarw, Ystrad Mynach and Aberdare, where a brand new campus is due to open.
The site in Nantgarw is home to the college’s £3.3 million rail engineering facility, which opened in 2015. In July, training provider Intertrain and resource supplier Ganymede Solutions held an ‘On Track for Success’ celebration event at the college to welcome the first group of rail infrastructure apprentices to come through their new joint scheme. Ganymede and Intertrain received around 80 applications from talented young people who live in the surrounding area hoping to join the apprenticeship programme.
‘The college has given us the opportunity to set up the apprentice programme which has been successfully run in the North,’ said Garry Taylor, associate director at Intertrain, which has its headquarters in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and is supported by 12 training centres throughout the UK.
Through a comprehensive selection process, a final group of 13 apprentices was eventually chosen. On the day, the group were three weeks into their 12-month course. The event served as a chance to highlight the opportunities that lie ahead and demonstrate some of the skills that they had learned since the start of the programme.
Says Garry, ‘We’re all here today, fundamentally, to celebrate the success of the apprentices that we see behind us. And it’s a new venture, a new celebration between three partners.’
Intertrain was set up in 2003. The company initially operated out of the managing director’s living room and has grown to become one of the largest railway training providers in the UK. Intertrain began offering apprenticeships in 2011 and has now trained around 1,000 apprentices – some of which have gone on to hold senior positions in the industry. ‘The system works but we have to have the buy in,’ said Garry.
The apprentices will divide their time between the college and being on site. They will be deployed by Ganymede, which has several contracts in the region and is the primary supplier of contingent labour to the LNE, Wales, Western and Wessex routes, in small teams to worksites around the country. They will help Network Rail deliver on its extensive maintenance activities in Wales, which in an average year involves the renewal of around 70 kilometres of plain line, as well as all the other necessary maintenance and repair works.
David Stanbury, Network Rail’s route programme director in Wales – someone else who began his career as an apprentice – and Jan Barrett, route C&P manager Wales at Network Rail, described the kinds of projects the apprentices would be working on during their apprenticeship. To demonstrate the variety of work, their presentation referenced the large-scale renewal carried out on the grade II listed Cynghordy Viaduct earlier this year.
‘For me, investment in apprentices is investment in our business future,’ said David. He went on describe the rail industry as a ‘fabulous family to work for’ and a positive environment for apprentices. ’They feel as if they can make an impact in the company.’
Earlier in the year, the Welsh Government announced it would be increasing its funding pot for apprenticeships from £96 million to £111.5 million for 2017/18 in order to tackle skills shortages in key sectors. Vikki Howells, Assembly Member for the Cynon Valley, explained how the government wanted to increase the number of 18 and 19-year-old apprentices and get more learners to pursue qualifications at Level 4 and above.
‘You’re going to be the benchmark for the others,’ said Stuart Fraser, account director at Ganymede, talking about his hopes of expanding the programme to run more frequently in the future.
Stuart described Ganymede’s rapid growth since he joined the company eight years ago. From having a team of around 35 operatives in 2009, Ganymede now has around a thousand skilled operatives on its books.
‘This has been achieved by building on our great reputation for delivering on our promises to where we have become a go-to company in the industry for any workforce solution,’ said Stuart, who also stressed the company’s strong safety culture – one of its core values is ‘safety first, safety always’ – which is embedded into the apprenticeship programme.
Having also joined the industry as a trackman in the mid-1990s, Stuart had a few words of advice for the new starters. ‘I started back in 1994 and to this day I am frequently asking questions, I’m still learning,’ said Stuart. ‘If you don’t ask, you’re never going to fully understand the purpose of what you’re doing or more importantly get to where you want to be in your career. It’s the old adage, “you get out what you put in”. So, stay focussed, stay committed and enjoy your futures and more importantly always strive to be the best that you can be.’
Garry also described how things had changed since he joined the industry in 1999. At that time, he received a two-day course, which he had to pay for himself, and was sent out on track almost immediately. He went on to do a civil engineering degree and later discovered his passion for training.
‘Nothing is out of reach,’ said Garry. ‘You will make a career for life, something you can be proud of.’
That sentiment was echoed by the chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), Neil Robertson. One of NSAR’s functions has been to shape the new Trailblazer apprenticeship standards in rail and the organisation is also actively involved in the attraction and placement of new apprentices.
Neil described how many of the industry’s senior decision makers started their careers as apprentices. ‘You are in jobs that will be well paid,’ he said, addressing the group. ‘You’ve made a good choice.’
Collaboration
Coleg y Cymoedd’s smart, modern campus is a stark contrast to the mining heritage of the surrounding community in Nantgarw. The college is actually located on the Nantgarw colliery site, which closed in the mid-1980s.
Much of the celebration event focussed on the opportunities that are available to current railway apprentices. However, Matthew Tucker, director of business services at Coleg y Cymoedd, again stressed the benefit of the programme to the surrounding area.
Matthew believes the apprenticeship programme offers an opportunity to pursue a career with excellent earning potential and progression pathways. ‘They want to work in the sector,’ he said, acknowledging that the apprenticeship programmes wouldn’t be possible without the support of industry partners. ‘We can’t do this without collaboration.’
The RailSport Games returned to the East Midlands for the first time in 17 years to give staff from across the sector the chance to take home gold in their chosen sport.
Hundreds of challengers arrived at Loughborough University on 8 July to take part in the 24th annual RailSport Games. It is the first time the Games have been held in the East Midlands since 2000 when it was hosted in Nottingham.
Loughborough University’s sporting facilities are world- renowned and a popular training base for many of Britain’s elite athletes.
Twelve sports were held throughout the two-day event, with organisations such as Irish Rail, Network Rail, Hitachi and East Midlands Trains among the winners.
Thanks to RailSport sponsors Keltbray, Amtrain, Samaritans, TXM Recruit, RSSB, TBF, Panasonic Business, Dr Zak’s, Custom Clothing, Hitachi Rail, Network Rail, HS2 and One You.
Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) returned to RailSport hoping to emulate their successful run to the 6-a-side title last year. The team proved to be a dominant force in the competition once again, coming away with both the 6-a-side and 5-a-side crowns in 2017.
Having beaten the GWR Allstars to successfully retain their title, Irish Rail went on to do the double, toppling last year’s runners up, Lucchini Unipart Rail, 5-3 to win the 5-a-side competition as well.
Last year’s 6-a-side final between Irish Rail and Keolis Amey Docklands ended 2-1 and it was just as close this time around, with Irish Rail again winning by a one-goal margin (4-3).
In the 5-a-side competition, Irish Rail made it to the final with wins over RSSB, TES, Arriva and Network Rail. The tense final was 2-2 at half time, but Irish Rail pulled away in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals to beat the same team that dismantled them 4-2 in the group stage.
Train driver Trevor Hall was part of the 18-strong Irish Rail squad that made the journey over from Dublin. The team set off on a ferry from Dublin Port bound for Holyhead, Wales, on the Friday morning before the competition began, then caught three different trains and a bus to get to Loughborough University’s campus.
Says Trevor, ‘It’s been good mixing with the lads, some of them I remember from last year and some of which are very good players.’
Irish Rail’s chief executive, David Franks, praised his colleagues, ‘The Irish teams were absolutely delighted to win both the under 35 and over 35 football tournaments, particularly the over 35s who successfully retained the title they won last year.
‘The teams would like to congratulate Rail Media, the referees and everyone involved for organising a super tournament in Loughborough. They will be back next year to defend both titles.’
Sixteen teams took part in this year’s football tournament. A number of teams from the 2016 competition returned to better their result, including Northern Rail, whose teams were beaten semi-finalists in both the 5-a-side and 6-a-side competitions.
David Dawood, who works for Northern Rail at Deansgate station in Manchester, has been coming to RailSport for the last 15 years and has competed in both the 5-a-side and 6-a-side competitions. Since he’s been competing, his Northern Rail team have won the 5-a-side competition three times and the six-a-side competition once. Northern Rail matched their semi-final appearance last year in the 6-a-side and David said he was confident the team would be back next year to try and go one better.
Sammy Hudson of Jacobs Engineering was part of a six-man 5-a-side team from Birmingham. He said, ‘We all love football, so we want to be here to play but also to take part in events like this and represent Jacobs. It’s nice to be involved. It’s been very good fun so far – and hot! For us it’s our first one, but I think we will do it again.’
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.’
TENNIS AND NETBALL MAKE WELCOME RETURN
Several sports made a triumphant return to the RailSport Games in 2017.
Among them was netball, which organisers hope will experience a resurgence among the rail industry community following this year’s tournament.
The competition was won by East Midlands Trains (EMT), which also entered teams in the football and rounders competitions.
‘Our netball team came together for the first time on the day of the games so we are extremely proud to have taken the gold medal,’ said Lisa Angus, head of major projects at EMT.
‘The games were played with a great competitive spirit and we had fun along the way, so thank you to all the teams that took part, especially Unipart Rail who kindly swapped a fixture with us.
‘We really enjoyed the games, and will return again next year.’
The tennis competition may not have been played on the immaculate grass courts of SW19, but it did have Loughborough’s impressive indoor tennis centre. It was the first time tennis has been included in the RailSport Games lineup since 2005.
Network Rail’s Nick Sandham won gold in the mixed singles event, beating Eleanor Page in the final, before losing out to Eleanor and her partner Alan Wilkinson to take silver in the doubles alongside partner Gill Westwood.
With tennis back in the Games, there could be an opportunity for Great Britain to put together a team for the 2019 USIC tennis championships, having fielded competitors for the previous championships in Nuremberg in 2015.
‘I knew it was a great venue and one of the best tennis venues in the UK,’ said Nick, who has been playing tennis since he was 10 years old.
Based in York, Nick is head of communications for the London North Eastern and East Midlands route. The evening before RailSport, Nick had been talking to the media about the £200 million remodelling of Derby station.
In between matches, Nick talked about what he enjoys about his role off the court. ‘The opportunity for us to tell people about the story of improving the railway is massive,’ said Nick.
Around the corner from the tennis centre, the badminton singles was won by Olly Chalk from Chiltern Railways, with Network Rail’s Dan Bourne and Shuren Suthanthiran finishing in second and third, respectively. The doubles title was won by Dan Bourne and Shuren Suthanthiran with Thales’ Malcolm Leadbeater and Dean Carmichael (who was replaced by Olly Chalk part way through due to injury) taking silver and Tarmac’s Paven Prakesh and Giani Modha the bronze.
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
Hundreds ran themselves ragged under the blazing sun over the two-day event, but PRB Consulting’s David Greenwell ran further than any of the weekend’s competitors.
Starting with the half marathon at 10am, David returned in time for the start of the 5km course and later completed the 10km course on his own.
‘I wanted to set myself a challenge,’ said the technical head of rail compliance, who raised £400 for Macmillan Cancer Support in the process. ‘I saw an advert months ago for the Games and I wanted to do all three, but I talked myself out. Then I went to Railtex and saw Lianne [Rail Media’s head of events], asked if I could do all three and that was it.’
David, 54, said he has never completed an official marathon but has previously conquered the 100km (62 mile) London 2 Brighton Challenge.
A keen runner who travels the country with work, David crossed the finish line in third place in the half marathon, second place in the 5k and – unsurprisingly – was at the back of the pack in the 10k.
Overall, dozens of runners laced up their trainers to take in the sights and sounds of Loughborough’s 440-acre campus across the various distances.
Congratulations go to David Morris and Fleur Cox, who finished the half marathon in first place in their respective genders. Also to Peter Mallison and Sarah Gill, who came first in the 10km, and to Sam Bacon and Tara Watson in the 5km.
PEDAL TO THE METAL
Cycling events proved to be a big draw for competitors signing up to this year’s championships.
Three different length routes were available in the cycling sportive event: 65km, 100km and 160km.
David Nicholl from Thales clocked the fastest time on the short course, completing the route in just under two hours and 26 minutes.
The fastest overall time in the standard sportive (100km) was recorded by Chris Mollison from Keltbray who completed the course in just over three hours and 45 minutes, averaging a speed of 26.64 km/h.
The fastest time over the epic distance was clocked by Tom Corbett at just over six hours and two minutes, followed by Kevin Norman from Abellio Greater Anglia and Dave Meredith from East Midlands Trains.
The RailSport triathlon included a 400m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run – half the distance of an Olympic triathlon. Sam Bacon came first in the men’s side, with Sarah Tomlinson coming top of the time sheet on the women’s.
SCRUMMAGING IN SOLIDARITY
A charity exhibition match at the end of the first day’s competition contested between a combined BTP and Metropolitan Police (Met) team and the Railway Barbarians helped raise more than £3,000 to support victims of terror.
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.
Detective Sergeant Jason Schweiger from the BTP came up with the idea of putting on an exhibition match after receiving messages of support directed towards the BTP officer who was badly injured during the London Bridge attacks. At the time it was reported that he was a big rugby fan.
The police team included officers from both BTP and the Met while the Railway Barbarians was a combined squad made up of players from the Railway RFC and the Celtic Rail Barbarians.
BTP has had its own rugby union team since the early 80s and meets to play fixtures several times a year. In recent years, the Railway RFC and Celtic Rail Barbarians have played against one another to raise money for various good causes, but this was the first time they had played together.
One of the men who helped set the match up was Network Rail’s Adrian Suter. For Adrian, who was the duty station manager at London Bridge during the terror attacks in June, the day was an opportunity to put a positive focus on what had been a difficult couple of months.
‘It was terrifying,’ said Adrian. ‘Life-changing experience. Something you’d never want to go through again. One of the most harrowing things I’ve had to go through.’
Celtic Rail Barbarians’ Stewart Ekstrom-Gabb explained why the solidarity and respect shown in rugby was an appropriate way to show support to those affected by the events in London and Manchester. ‘It’s what rugby is all about,’ he said. ‘You can all take the pitch irrespective of ability.’
The match itself was won by the BTP/Met, 22-17. With five minutes to go, the score was locked at 17-17. The deadlock was broken by the BTP/Met captain Sam Powell who scored a try in the last play of the match. A guard of honour was performed as the teams left the pitch.
Stewart said the end result was inconsequential. ‘As long as we are able to raise some money to help those less fortunate than ourselves then it’s been a success.’
RSSB has produced a new set of standards that it hopes will clarify the safety obligations of heritage rail operators.
RSSB said the new standards would replace the ‘older obsolete standards’ which are currently used by the sector.
Three new standards are being proposed covering ‘Technical requirements for heritage vehicles’, ‘Certification of heritage vehicles’ and ‘Operation of heritage trains’.
Setting out the new standards, RSSB says that although heritage vehicles may still be required to meet current accessibility standards and operate with modern signalling and train protection systems, allowances had to be made to allow some older vehicles to operate.
In the past this was done by applying for a derogation from a particular standard but RSSB said its new suite of standards will address this, covering ‘all engineering and operational aspects’ of running heritage stock.
RSSB said in a post on its website, ‘The popularity and growth in the use of heritage steam and diesel locomotives, combined with operational experience, has led to a more structured framework of standards being proposed to help operators meet key safety requirements.
‘They replace older obsolete standards which lacked detail and had failed to keep up with growth in the heritage sector.’
The new standards are currently out for consultation but RSSB said it hoped they could be published before the end of the year.
Apprentices are now first in line to meet dignataries and VIPs at project sites. An enthusiastic PR campaign over the past couple of years appears to have shifted the view of apprenticeships. Comments about some apparent stigma around such schemes are beginning to feel less and less valid.
Such schemes are celebrated for the fresh talent they are bringing into the industry by widening the choice of routes to entry for young people.
In March, AECOM apprentices in Glasgow met their local MP. The visit was part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week – an awareness event that was also promoted widely south of the border by railway companies across the sector.
AECOM is one of the largest multi-sector engineering companies in the world, with that comes expectations of leadership on central issues like skills and diversity.
Industry-wide agenda
Russell Jackson, AECOM’s head of rail for the UK and Europe, said the company’s agenda reflected that of the industry as a whole. Issues such as skills, health and wellbeing – particularly around mental health – are at the top of its priorities.
‘Another of our priorities is around how AECOM’s scale and global capabilities can address the wider industry challenges,’ said Russell, detailing what he saw as the company’s main focuses in 2017. ‘That’s around the scale of the likely demand of the projects across HS2 and the affordability challenge that Network Rail has. How we can help with this and how we can respond to those challenges.’
AECOM employs around 650 people in its UK rail business – a substantial part of the rail division globally. As well as working on major projects like HS2, the Wessex Improvement Programme and Crossrail – for which AECOM has designed three of the new stations – the UK rail team supports the delivery of projects all around the world.
But its reach extends beyond these mega projects. The company recently celebrated the opening of Ilkeston station, which it designed. The station was funded by the government’s £4.5 million New Stations Fund – a far smaller project in terms of its price tag but one of significance for the communities in Derbyshire it will serve.
Important award
Having a constant flow of graduates and apprentices into the business is critically important. This year, AECOM is sponsoring the Apprentice of the Year category at the RailStaff Awards, which will be held at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on 7 October.
Last year, the category was won by Billy Welch, an apprentice working on the remodelling of London Bridge station. Although a relative newcomer, Billy had managed to make a significant contribution to the safe delivery of the project.
Russell said he found it extremely satisfying to see new starters go on to become advocates for their industry. ‘That’s why I think this award is so important,’ said Russell. ‘This isn’t just about apprentices that are already at this stage of their careers doing great things it’s also recognition of the people that will be future leaders.’
Both recruiting new staff and cultivating the next generation are part of this strategy. ‘That happens and we encourage STEM engagement at all levels – it’s vital to explain and bring to life the huge potential of a rail engineering career,’ said Russell, when asked whether AECOM employees were regular speakers at their local schools and colleges.
A nomination could be another simple solution to this complex challenge.
Nominations for the RailStaff Awards are now open. Visit www. railstaffawards. com/nominate and submit an entry today
