Network December 2015

May the force be with us

How a police partnership

is delivering a rapid

response

Also...Elsenham: 10 years on

Christmas upgrade: 12 days of improvements Meet the freight team

DECEmbEr 2015THE magazinE for our pEoplE

2network / DeCeMber 2015

December 2015

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barry robinson,track section manager

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Contributor’s welcome

What’s making news across the business

network knowledge

On the cover: Photographed in a position of safety, Andy Sinclair, BTP officer, and Chandris Webb, mobile operations manager, patrol hotspots in Croydon. Read the full story on pages 10 to 12.

welcome to the final network of the year – and what a year it has been.

I’m proud of what we have achieved and there is plenty more to come. I’m one of more than 20,000 people working over the Christmas period to improve the railway. You can read all about it on pages four and five, and find out about the upgrade works on pages six and seven.

You can also find out how british transport Police and network rail have joined forces as emergency intervention units (pages 10 to 12), while on pages 13 to 15 we meet the freight team.

tina Hughes, our level crossings user champion, talks about the tenth anniversary of her daughter’s death on pages 16 and 17 and how the tragedy can continue to help us make level crossings safer.

And finally we look at how fatigue risk is being managed in works delivery (pages eight and nine).

Have a fantastic Christmas and new Year and network will be back in February.

orr Half-yEar moniTor The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its latest performance data and analysis for the first half of 2015-16.

It covers Network Rail’s performance in punctuality, asset management, enhancement projects delivery, finance and efficiency between April and October 2015.

Mark Carne, chief executive, said: “The latest monitor clearly shows that the steps being taken across the business are bearing fruit for our customers and passengers.

“Our railway is the safest, fastest growing network in Europe and the number of faults with the infrastructure that cause delay is at record low levels and continues to fall.”Read more at connect/content/news/ 2015/dec/ORR-half-year-monitor.aspx

THE rEsulTs arE inResults from the 2015 Your Voice employee opinion survey are available now and have been sent to line managers to discuss with their teams.

More than 18,000 Network Rail people took part in the survey, an increase of five per cent from 2013.

Ian Iceton, Group HR director, said: “I am delighted so many of you took the time to complete the Your Voice survey and want to thank you for sharing your views with us. The information provided will allow every manager and department across Network Rail to look more closely at what is working well and what can be improved.”Read a summary of the survey results on the Your Voice Connect page.


in the spotlightAs winter starts to bite, Dr Neil Strong, environmental manager, talks about keeping passengers moving

Read more from page 13

grEaTEr foCus for CHangE programmEs Network Rail will reduce the national portfolio of change programmes, focusing on those which will bring maximum benefits and where the strongest demand for them exists within the business.

Seven priority national change programmes have already been identified by Network Operations and agreed by the Executive Committee in September. These are Maintenance Effectiveness, Delivering a Better Timetable, ORBIS, Business Critical Rules, Planning and Delivering Safe Work, People and Change Culture and Lean/structured continuous improvement.

An Executive Change Decision Panel agreed that a further six national change programmes should also continue. These are Digital Railway, Electrical Safety Delivery, Cyber Security, Enhancements Improvement Plan, Renewals Improvement Plan (a new programme) and Track 10 point plan (needs to be more clearly defined).

The panel reviewed 24 national change programmes and agreed that 75 per cent of them would be stopped and closed, reduced in scope, deferred or transferred to business as usual activities.

Suzanne Wise, Group general counsel and company secretary, said: “We believe these decisions will result in minimal impact on permanent programme staff. Where an impact is expected it is our intention to redeploy those affected by making the most of their transferable skills. We will, wherever possible, remove consultants first.”Read the article in full at connect/content/news/2015/dec/Greater-focus-for-change-programmes.aspx

HEnDy rEporT publisHED Sir Peter Hendy has published his report into Network Rail’s five-year funding programme to 2019, outlining that no projects have been cancelled.

The majority will go ahead for delivery by 2019 and those remaining will be delivered after that.

Regarding funding, Sir Peter wrote: “Network Rail is planning to release

£1.8bn of investment through the sale of non-core and lower value assets, including the sale of some of Network Rail’s property assets. The Government has also been able to increase the limit on Network Rail’s Government borrowing by a further £700 million.”Read the full report at networkrail.co.uk/Hendy-review

“Keeping the railway running in the autumn and winter months is a big task. Engineers and maintenance teams will be out in force, tackling floods, high winds and – particularly in Scotland – heavy snowfall, doing their best to prevent delays.

“I get involved with how the weather affects trees and leaves falling on the tracks, assisting teams in the routes who are out removing the obstacles.

“There are lots of reasons for trees falling, which passengers won’t be aware of. Storms Barney and Clodagh caused around 100 trees or large branches to fall onto tracks in November.

“Barney made an impact because we had a mild autumn meaning leaves fell late. Having more leaves on the trees can actually result in more of them falling due to a ‘sail’ being created in high winds. Clodagh likely benefitted from the waterlogged soil after all the recent rain.

“Severe weather can affect the railway but we’ll have dedicated people out there, working in tough conditions to keep it moving.”


Barry’s CHristMas presenCebarry robinson, track section manager, is proud to be keeping britain on the move this festive season

barry is one of more than 20,000 network rail people who will be working on the railway over Christmas


Working for you

Barry is no stranger to hard work. He’s been in the rail industry for 32 years and

always on the front line. This Christmas he will be leading

a team in Leeds as it works to make important upgrades to the rail network.

He said: “I’m working this Christmas mainly to give the younger lads in the gang time to spend with their children.

“My lad is 18 now so I’d rather see those who have younger kids enjoying time with their loved ones.

“I’ll be working Christmas eve into Christmas Day, but I’ll still manage to get some turkey at some point.”

fifteen minutes of fameHaving been in the industry since 1983, there isn’t much Barry hasn’t seen or done, but he was pleasantly surprised when he was asked to be the face of the latest ‘check before you travel’ campaign.

“It’s great to be recognised. I hope the public can understand more about the work we do and that our relationship with the public improves.”

So what has kept Barry in the industry for so long?

“I love my job and what we do,” he said. “We’re responsible for the safety and performance of the rail network; everything we do has a direct impact on the rail user. It’s a big responsibility to have and one myself and the team doesn’t take lightly.”

Whatever the weather “I really enjoy working outside. The summer and winter sun always makes you smile. But of course I work in all weathers – you can have four seasons in one day at times.

“Winter is the worst, especially if you’re working nights as you never see daylight.

“I’d be lying if I said it’s always fun. I’ve been out in the horizontal rain for full shifts and I can tell you that no matter what gear you have on, the rain will

‘Check before you travel’ posters and screens are up in stations across the network to remind passengers to plan their journeys during the improvement works

FinD OUt MOre Railway upgrade works over the Christmas period on pages six and seven

eventually find its way through. “There are certain jobs you can’t

do in the extreme cold. We have to be careful that we follow all guidelines and don’t do anything that could negatively impact track safety.”

Dream team “Safety of the team is always my main priority. That’s a big change from when I first started in the railway and we hardly had any protective equipment. Today we know that if we can’t work safely, we can’t do the job.

“It’s important we enjoy what we do, and the company of those we do it with. After all, we spend more time as a group together than we do with families.

“We know each other’s birthdays and get together outside of work.

“We are part of our own family in a way – the railway family.” n

Barry on: the campaign

“I’m really proud to be the face of the latest ‘check before you travel’ campaign. The work we do means that it’s safe for the trains to travel. And passengers will be even safer. We should all be proud of our work – I certainly am.”

railway upgrade plan“The railway is more popular than ever, with more people than ever using it. We need to upgrade the railway to ensure we can keep the public moving. And Christmas is the ideal time to do it because fewer people are using the trains.”

advice for people new to the industry “Take note of what you’re told by the experienced people in your teams. Never be afraid to ask for help or guidance.”

Downtime “I work as a scout leader in my downtime. It’s a way for me to give back to the community and teach the young ones about the dangers of the railway, too.”

Dinner time “I’ll try anything once. If I was to have a favourite food it would have to be spicy – I can down a vindaloo no problem.”




Railway Upgrade Plan

As millions tuck into their turkey, more than 20,000 Network Rail colleagues will be working over

the Christmas period to deliver a better, more reliable railway for passengers and freight as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan.

Signallers, maintenance staff, engineers and office-based support staff will all be playing their part in what is a crucial time of the year for the rail industry.

planning for success Almost 500 individual improvement projects will be carried out across

Britain to deliver new station facilities, longer platforms, extra tracks, new junctions and thousands of pieces of new, more reliable equipment.

The work is timed to take advantage of a relatively quieter time of the year when, on average, fewer than half the usual 4.5 million people use the railway each day – enabling Network Rail and train operators to minimise disruption as much as possible.

Since last Christmas there has been even more emphasis on robust contingency plans and more detailed risk analysis in the run up to possessions.

new station facilities, longer platforms, extra tracks, new junctions and more reliable equipment will be

installed between 24 December and 4 January

tWeLVe Days OF CHristMas

5

2

41

3

for more details on

each location, see page 7


Colleagues from all over the network will be working to upgrade the railway over Christmas

CHeCk BeFOre yOU traVeL Travelling over the Christmas period? Please check before you travel and encourage others to do the same online at nationalrail.co.uk

It’s led to improved hand-back performance and a reduction in safety incidents every bank holiday since December 2014.

Mark Carne, chief executive, said: “The number of people travelling by rail continues to grow to record levels and this Christmas and New Year’s investment programme forms a key part of our Railway Upgrade Plan that is aimed at meeting surging demand and improving and expanding our congested railway network.”

Here is a snapshot of just some of the work taking place (see map, page 6):

1: Kettering-Corby – 24 to 28 December Upgrade of the line and facilitation works for an additional line.

The upgrade will deliver a speed improvement and create capacity for more passenger service trains to and

from London St Pancras, also allowing freight services to operate in each direction.

2: Haymarket – 25 and 26 December Renewal of Haymarket East Junction, Glasgow Queen St to Edinburgh Waverley. The work is helping to prepare the line for electrified services from December 2016.

3: Cardiff – 27 December to 3 January The latest phase of the programme to modernise life-expired signalling equipment across 192 miles of track between Newport and Port Talbot.

4: Stafford – 27 to 28 December Track renewal work at Weedon, resignalling and construction of a new flyover at Norton Bridge. The programme will remove the last remaining bottleneck on the West Coast Main Line, providing additional capacity for passenger and freight services.

5: London – 24 December to 4 January A 10-day programme as capacity works are carried out as part of the Thameslink Programme, requiring a closure of London Bridge and Charing Cross Stations. Local services will run to/from New Cross with bus replacements to Charlton and Deptford.

The completed programme, in 2018, will give passengers spacious new trains running every two-three minutes through central London in the peak and a completely rebuilt London Bridge station. n


Safer working

How a road traffic accident led to major changes in works delivery shift patterns

AwAke to the DanGer?


since the accident fatigue risk in works delivery has been reduced significantly

fasT faCTsMeasuring fatigue

Network Rail uses the Karolinska Scale of Sleepiness (KSS) to measure fatigue – a nine-point scale ranging from one (extremely alert) to nine (fighting sleep)

The fatigue tool calculates scores in a range from 0 to 100

A score of 50 represents a 50 per cent chance that a worker will experience high levels of fatigue and possible micro sleeps (a brief sleep episode that lasts up to 30 seconds) on that particular shift

The fatigue tool only attempts to predict the average effect of shift patterns. It does not account for individual factors such as exercise, diet and quality of sleep.

Travelling alone, a member of the track team based in Scotland, had only been driving

for 15 minutes when the accident occurred.

He had been returning to the depot at the end of his shift when the Network Rail van he was driving crashed into a lamp post.

Although he couldn’t fully remember, the driver – who was injured but made a full recovery – believed he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Colin Hamill, works delivery project manager, investigated the accident which happened in 2014. He said: “By using

the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Fatigue Calculator to analyse his working hours prior to the accident, we saw a trend of the hours he had worked which would produce high-fatigue risk index scores for a shift of that design. We concluded that his pattern of working could be one of the contributing factors to the accident.”

Digging deeper “These results spurred us on to dig a little deeper into the shift patterns in works delivery, using the calculator to assess the fatigue risks due to our shift design. The results showed that the existing shift set up we had produced a high fatigue risk score.”

Using the calculator a number of changes have been made. Works are now planned so that shift lengths will

generally not exceed 10 hours instead of 12.

“We have to say generally because in exceptional circumstances, like an emergency, we could require those extra hours,” explained Colin.

“These circumstances are reviewed through the tool to assess the next shift, with the potential to adjust the timings to bring any fatigue level that exceeds acceptable limits back within those limits.

“Staff are also not requested to work more than 60 hours within the same week and all rosters are assessed using the fatigue tool and reviewed by the Works Delivery Safety Group before they’re set.”

“The key to successful management of staff fatigue is processing of the actual hours worked through the tool on a regular basis as these very often vary from the set rosters. This allows patterns and poorly planned works to be identified and learned from.”

risk reduction “Using the tool we have reduced our fatigue risk in the number of shift exceedances by 90 per cent; in the same period we’ve also seen a rise in productivity levels.

“We’re currently rolling out this process in delivery units across the Scotland route so that our rosters are both safer and more robust and allow safe levels of overtime to be worked.

“Everyone is simply working smarter to be safer.” n

FinD OUt MOre For safe driving tips, go to http://tinyurl.com/drvsafe

The Lifesaving Rules are at the heart of Network Rail’s safety vision – everyone home safe every day. Find out more at tinyurl.com/LifesavingRules



Safety and performance

on the Beatnetwork goes on patrol in an emergency intervention unit


Since 2012 Network Rail has been working to get to railway incidents faster using

emergency intervention units (EIUs), a joint venture with the British Transport Police (BTP).

Using a marked police vehicle with specialist equipment, a BTP officer and mobile operations manager (MOM) are able to respond to and deal with specific railway incidents quickly and safely.Network joined Chandris Webb, MOM, and Andy Sinclair, BTP constable, to see how they work together in the South East route.

Chandris Webb: “Andy and I will go out in our area to check hotspots for vandalism, fly-tipping and trespassing, using the car as a deterrent so people know places are being watched. We also patrol level crossings – going through a red light at these can result in prosecution.

“Safety and preservation of life are the main focus – if we get a call to a trespasser on the tracks the blue lights will go on, but it’s not about getting there and Andy arresting them – our priority is their safety.

“Suicides and attempted suicides make up a big portion of our responses and, where there is a fatality, cause the most disruption. The police have a duty to investigate all fatalities.

“As a MOM I have the local rail knowledge to help Andy. I can go to an incident and tell BTP which lines are open and which ones are affected. This way we don’t have to stop all the trains.“If we can be of benefit to the railway by reducing response times then we will go off area. Every minute we save means more chance of lives being saved, less disruption to passengers and less cost to Network Rail.”

Andy Sinclair: “The EIU has allowed BTP to form a real partnership with Network Rail, helping towards our target to reduce rail disruption by 20 per cent by 2019.

“The collaboration brings many benefits, with safety at the top of the list. All BTP response officers are track safety trained and, if a MOM isn’t present, will make a judgement call whether to go trackside.

“But in doing this we would have to ask for all the trains in the area

Chandris (above) and andy are based at Croydon and will patrol various high-risk areas and respond to any call outs during their shifts



to be stopped which would disrupt many passengers. Our force control would prefer that a MOM is there from the start to keep officers safe – Network Rail’s track safety is more detailed than ours – and keep disruption to a minimum. This is what the EIU is all about.

“I benefit from Chandris’ expertise and knowledge of the routes and tracks, and I have blue light responsibility so

if the situation is serious we can get to places quickly. In normal traffic a journey could take a MOM up to an hour but with lights we can get there in 15-20 minutes – it’s a huge difference.

“Everybody wins with this – BTP, Network Rail, train operators, passengers and especially those that are vulnerable or risking their lives on the railway.” n

Safety and performance(continued)

as well as track safety, Eiu officers are also trained in 4X4 driving, forensic body recovery and complex fatality recovery

fasT faCTsPolice partnership

The EIU approach is based on safety and performance

The collaboration between BTP and Network Rail improves response times through both arriving at incidents together

Anglia, Wessex and South East routes all have one unit each

BTP part fund it, with Network Rail paying for vehicles and recruiting dedicated MOMs.



Meet the team

Members of the freight team talk to Network about their successes and challenges, and the changing face of the industry

FreIgHt exPeCtAtIons


What does the freight team do?Ed Wilson: The company

is working to a devolved model with greater responsibilities given to routes. Rail freight can’t be run like this because major freight flows aren’t confined to one route. The supply chains require Network Rail to think not geographically, but by the products we are facilitating the delivery of.

Rita Handley: Our freight responsibilities include supporting rail freight growth and working with the sector to deliver performance, safety, capacity and capability at an efficient cost.

What does your role involve?Steve Walston: Helping customers make the most of our network by co-ordinating requests to run bigger and heavier freight trains which makes better use of limited rail capacity.

Rita: Supporting route freight teams and operators and the wider business with performance analysis, focusing on our freight delay targets – we’re tasked with getting freight trains to their destinations within 15 minutes of schedule. I also look at delays caused to passengers by freight, making sure we keep this to a minimum.

Ed: My role includes working with the routes, freight operating companies (FOCs) and the wider freight sector to improve performance.

forty people make up the freight team, based in london, milton Keynes and across the routes. They work with network rail colleagues, foCs and others, such as ports, to grow and improve freight on the network

Meet the team(continued)

Can you give some examples of who you work with?Steve: BMW has a plant in Oxford where it manufactures Minis to be sold globally. Around 90 per cent of those made for export are transported by rail to Southampton for the Far East, and to Purfleet for Europe.

Ed: Mendip Rail distributes aggregate from two of the largest quarries in Europe. Every month 500-600,000 tonnes of aggregate is delivered to construction sites across the south, which is about 110-120 loaded trains per week.

What are some recent highlights for the team?Rita: We’ve made some huge performance gains since this Control Period started, exceeding our targets last year. This isn’t just our success – it’s collaboration between the routes, train planning and others in the company.

Steve: Trains transporting cars are often longer than the infrastructure allows but we’ve been able to increase the length of BMW’s Southampton train above the 550m route limit to 665m. Trials took place first to ensure it didn’t cause delays.

Ed: Providing a safe and reliable freight network with the level of enhancements taking place is not an easy task. We run a yearly survey for end users and FOCs. For FOCs we had targeted 60 per cent satisfaction and have achieved

rita Handley, acting freight performance manager

steve Walston, access coordinator

Ed Wilson, senior route freight manager

Rachel Gilliland, acting freight director“Christmas is an important time for rail freight, with most of the food and presents people buy having been transported by rail at some stage. The team does an amazing job all year round working with the routes, FOCs and their end customers on performance, safety and capacity improvements, helping to grow rail freight against a challenging economic backdrop.”


fasT faCTsFreight Britain

Almost 700 freight trains run across Network Rail routes every day

Each year the rail freight industry carries goods worth more than £30bn

Without the rail freight industry, 7.6m more lorry journeys would be needed to transport goods annually

Each tonne transferred by rail rather than by road cuts CO2 emissions by 76 per cent.

69 which is great news. For end users satisfaction is at 73 per cent. While there’s room for improvement, these results are comparatively good.

What challenges are you faced with and how do you deal with them?Steve: The increasing size of freight containers means they can’t fit over parts of the network. Working with engineering colleagues to find suitable routes using the latest structure measurements has seen some great successes, but continued investment to rebuild bridges and improve clearances is vital.Ed: The freight industry is becoming increasingly volatile. Coal decline has

britain’s freight industry generatesmore than £1.5bna year in economicbenefits for uK plcthrough improvedproductivity andreduced congestion

happened much sooner than forecasted, so we have to work harder and smarter. One area where growth will increase in the next 30 years is in ‘domestic intermodal’ – companies like Tesco distributing by rail. This is high risk due to low margins but we must work closely with stakeholders to harness this opportunity now.

Rita: We’re constantly collaborating with FOCs and looking at the future of the industry. Growth forecasts for freight are included within rail modernisation plans to aid capacity. From 2019, new off-peak timetables for the Western route will allow a freight train every 15 minutes, making a huge difference to the industry. n


Level crossing safety

eLsenHaM 10 YeArs onTina Hughes talks about making level crossings safer and how remembering her daughter’s death can keep network rail focused

In 2005 Olivia Bazlinton (pictured left) and her friend Charlotte Thompson were killed at a level

crossing in Elsenham.An Office of Rail and Road

prosecution resulted in Network Rail being fined £1m for “culpable corporate blindness and complacency”.

Four years ago Olivia’s mum, Tina Hughes, became Network Rail’s level crossing user champion at former chief executive Sir David Higgins’ request, helping the company to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

Ten years on from the tragedy Tina told Network about her work with the

business and the progress made.“Things have changed phenomenally,”

explained Tina. “The biggest and most important change has been the introduction of more than 100 level crossing managers based in routes. They know all about their level crossings, the risks and the locals.

“I really believe that had there been a level crossing manager in Elsenham back in 2005, Olivia and Charlie would be alive today.”

“They would have known the history, understood the risks and have temporarily taken the pedestrian footpath out of service until a safer option was available.”


FinD OUt MOre Watch Tina Hughes’s interview at connect/content/news/2015/dec/Elsenham--10-years-on.aspx

Mark Carne, chief executive“Tina is an extraordinary woman whom we admire enormously for her bravery and for the inspiration she gives us every day. We have made huge strides in level crossing safety over 10 years and I’m proud of the fact that our level crossings are the safest in Europe. But they are still hazardous places and there’s still much more that we can do, working with communities to make level crossings even safer.”

Rob Havercroft, level crossing manager“As a level crossing manager I will know that crossing like the back of my hand. We work with user groups and local residents and get an appreciation of their issues and concerns. Closures are a very important part of our role; if we can’t close a level crossing then we make it safe.”

Engage and explain“I’ve witnessed some difficult negotiations between communities and Network Rail. It’s hard for me to understand how people can get so passionate about keeping a level crossing open. It’s a very emotive subject which is why it’s important that Network Rail engages communities earlier to explain the dangers.

“Level crossing safety is everyone’s responsibility. If you live near one, get involved in the community and show them how Network Rail is working to make things safer for them. Level crossings are dangerous and the right level of protection must be put in place.

“It’s been 10 years since my daughter’s death – but really about five years since the investigation and Network Rail changing its attitude to risk and safety. I don’t want this focus to diminish.

“I want Network Rail to remember

what happened at Elsenham and continue to use it as the reason to keep changing things, rather than wait for another accident and another family to go through what we’ve been through.

“I don’t want Network Rail to have to deal with another incident like this.” n

tiMeLine4: A safety report from 2001 and a risk assessment written in July 2002 also highlighted the potential of an accident at the level crossing. Neither document was acted upon. Network Rail did not disclose this evidence to the coroner, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, or the regulator.

5: To prove negligence and instigate change in practices, Tina Hughes took a civil case against the business in 2008, three years after the coroner had returned a verdict of accidental death.

6: Previous chief executive David Higgins joined the company in February 2011, just as previously undisclosed evidence was discovered by Tina.

7: In 2012 Network Rail pleaded guilty to three breaches of health and safety laws, admitting it had failed to carry out a sufficient risk assessment, properly control protective measures at the level crossing, and failing to prevent the girls from being exposed to the risks that led to their deaths.

8: Network Rail was fined £1m, with the judge saying there had been “culpable corporate blindness and complacency.”

9: At the time of the fine, David Higgins had already set up the national level crossings team, engaged Tina as our user champion, and changes were underway.

10: Around 105 level crossing managers have been introduced over the past four years.

11: Almost 1,000 level crossings have been closed in the 10 years since the Elsenham tragedy, with more closing every period.

1: On 3 December 2005, Olivia Bazlinton, 14, and Charlotte Thompson, 13, died when an express train hit them at Elsenham. Standing at the level crossing, they waited for their train to pull in before unknowingly walking out in front of a train coming in the opposite direction.

2: Network Rail described them as trespassers in the accident report.

3: After a similar accident at Elsenham years earlier, Her Majesty’s Rail Inspectorate had recommended the installation of a ‘second train coming’ warning. It was never installed.


thINGSyou need to know about...

5What is it?ClickRoster is a rostering tool for operations and maintenance teams. It aims to simplify the process by flagging up inconsistencies with contracted terms and automating fatigue and risk, while giving a clear picture of roster patterns.

Why has it been introduced?It is designed to improve the accuracy of the rostering process, removing the need to shuffle between Excel spreadsheets, saving time.

The tool helps planners to ensure people are well-rested, manage overtime and reduce the need for contractors.

phasing it inTraining has taken place in six of the eight routes, with Wales (December)

and Western (January) to follow. All routes will be using ClickRoster once training is complete and their contract terms are loaded onto the system.

The ClickRoster team is using the two-day training course to help people understand the benefits of using the single system for rostering, and help them overcome any challenges.

Who will use it?Resource managers, roster clerks, section administrators, section planners and section managers.

a user’s view Nicola Summers is a works delivery planner for Infrastructure Projects.

She told Network: “I was initially doubtful about the benefits for our team – we don’t run like a delivery unit, our work is more ad-hoc.

“I did my training in August and was quite excited about the system.

“ClickRoster allows me to see any manpower shortfalls I have based on people’s competencies.

“For me the most challenging part of using it is getting used to it, like any new system I suppose.

“The fatigue element is fabulous. We have a duty of care and this helps ensure we don’t break any rules or overlook anything that could lead to a safety issue.”

Phil Hufton, managing director, Network Operations“ClickRoster supports us in rostering our teams, ensuring safe, balanced work patterns. To get full benefit from the system we need to ensure it’s adopted throughout the business.”

FinD OUt MOreIf you have any questions about ClickRoster, you can contact maintenance at clickrostercomms @networkrail.co.uk

Safety and performance

Nicola Summers is a works delivery planner for Infrastructure Projects

Clickroster


reaD MOreFor more information on Employers for Carers, go to employersfor carers.org

Have your say: Being a carer

Ian Dornan, senior projects engineer, opened up about the issues he faced when he

became a carer for his wife, how his line manager and colleagues supported him through challenging times and how Network Rail has joined the Employers for Carers group. Here’s what you had to say:

“Thanks for sharing your story and letting us know the help that is out there for us all.” marianne Watt, glasgow

“It is so re-assuring to know there is help out there which Ian and others have highlighted is available. Well done for sharing your story Ian – your attitude to life is an inspiration to us all.” laurence forster, reading

“Always glad to get any help or a shove in the right direction. I have recently become a carer due to my wife suffering a stroke two months ago, so I look forward to see what practical help and advice Employers for Carers can offer.” robert Jones, liverpool

network news

sheffield: Work to lay 160 metres of new track for the Tinsley Chord to allow the uK’s first tram-trains to run in south yorkshire is set to begin. The project will allow tram-trains to run between britain’s rail and tram network for the first time.

Cumbria: The West Coast main line north of Carlisle has reopened just two days after it was submerged under eight feet of floodwater. front line colleagues had worked round-the-clock since the key route connecting England with scotland was completely submerged by water after storm Desmond battered the region.

oxford: an alliance between network rail, atkins, laing o’rourke and Volkerrail has been agreed, allowing works for the East-West rail phase 2, linking oxford, milton Keynes and bedford, to move forward.

brighton: The new Thameslink Class 700 train has had a successful first test run to brighton. The introduction of the trains is expected to provide 80 per cent more peak seats on routes into central london.

20network / FebruArY 2014

neWs on the move

register for the new-look Connect mobile on your work smartphone or personal device to read the latest

company news while you’re out and about.

simply click on the ‘mobile news’ icon on your work iphone or ipad, or go to connectnews.networkrail.co.uk to register with your network rail email address.

Network December 2015

Documents

Transcript of Network December 2015