Network July 2015

juLY 2015The magazine for our peopLe

Where the waste goes when it’s cleared from the lineside

Reuse, recycle,

regenerate

Also...App to the future – My Work 2

Front line tea time – innovations causing a stirSafety and performance – on track with new kit

July 2015

You can read Network in print or online at http://goo.gl/GJ4AVI

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Tony masciopinto,site manager, Whitemoor material handling Depot

100% Network is a carbon neutral publication printed on Cocoon Silk (130gsm) 100% recycled stock. Do your bit and recycle Network.

Contributor’s welcome

What’s making news across the business

network knowledge

On the cover: Alex Salter, site operative, on site at Whitemoor Materials Handling Depot. Alex speaks about the company’s focus on recycling lineside waste on pages six to nine.

Continuously improving our performance, doing what we do more effectively, being better every day – it’s what we all aspire to.

On pages six to nine, we look at how we are reusing the materials we take from our linesides, not only improving the appearance of the railways, making them safer and more efficient, but also reducing the cost to the taxpayer.

We also look at how we are improving how we work, including new equipment (pages 12 and 13), the updated My Work app (pages four and five) and – most importantly – a new innovation helping rehydrate people on the front line (pages 10 and 11).

We are making a step change in performance through the biggest ever investment in the railway. We look at one of the biggest projects – Norton Bridge – on pages 16 to 18.

Finally, catch up with news from around the network on page 19.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

geT Your Voice hearD The 2015 Your Voice survey opens on 14 September and closes on 16 October.

The survey is used to work out what things most influence how people feel about working at Network Rail.

Everyone will get the opportunity to complete Your Voice, people with a Network Rail email address will be able to fill in the survey online, and paper versions will be made available to those without a company email address.

goVernance upDaTe Chairman Richard Parry-Jones (pictured) has announced his intention to step down this month at the end of his three-year term.

The current Commissioner of Transport for London, Sir Peter Hendy, will replace him as chairman of Network Rail.

Richard said: “It has been an honour to serve in this nationally important role, and a pleasure to work with colleagues across the industry. I am proud of the progress we have made on many fronts and would like to thank all our incredibly dedicated staff for their hard work, our customers for their business and their understanding when not everything goes to plan, and the public for their growing support for the industry.”Get a full update on the company’s governance structure on Connect

2NetWOrk / JULY 2015

“Serving as a protected work area, offering shelter from weather and trains on adjacent track, MMTs will bring safety and performance improvements.

“The first MMT arrived in June and driver training starts this month. In July and August its first on-site testing and commissioning will be undertaken in the north east (LNE). Seven more MMTs follow with the next ones coming to the south east (October) and east midlands (December).

“Front line teams tested operational procedures, and it was hugely valuable. All of their suggestions, like additional storage, removing sharp edges and improving floor surfacing to minimise slips, made it into the final design.

“It’s a first for the network so I’m proud that the first MMT is coming to the north and will make a difference where it’s really needed.”

in the spotlightAndrew Keens, project engineer, gives an update on mobile maintenance trains (MMTs)

Full story on page 10

cp5 enhancemenT pLan reViseD Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, has announced a number of rail projects, including the TransPennine electrification programme, will be paused. A review of Network Rail’s enhancement portfolio will also take place.

The vast majority of Network Rail’s £38bn railway upgrade plan continues with hundreds of schemes under way to deliver a better railway.

Mark Carne, chief executive, said: “During my first year in the job I have looked closely at every aspect of our business and it has become clear that Network Rail signed up to highly ambitious five-year targets set by the regulator. Based on historic improvements from a low base, we were overly optimistic about the capacity of our company and our supplier base to step up several gears in order to achieve the plan, especially

given the complexities of a network that is at full capacity much of the time.”

The company is leading a review of all projects and will report back to the Department for Transport in autumn, forming the basis of a new, deliverable plan.Read more on Connect

cusTomer focuseD Special customer-focused training for operational staff is being rolled out across the network from the end of July.

Patrick Hallgate, route managing director, Western, said: “While we train our station colleagues on how to deal with the public, we’ve not done so with our operational people who are often approached by members of the public.

“As a public organisation, service is

key. We want to demonstrate our passion and commitment to serving the public and improving their railway.

“All of our front line staff represent Network Rail and it is important that they are equipped with the tools of doing so in the most passionate and professional way.”Look out for more information at your local delivery unit



Data-driven railway

MOvINg ON apphow the updated orBis my Work app is helping the company make better decisions


Using iDevices, front line teams are capturing data on railway assets every day through a

number of intelligent apps.As My Work 2 – an enhanced

version of the My Work app, launched in September 2014 – is rolled out across the business, Network spoke with two people to gauge the impact on how they collect data and use it to carry out maintenance and renewal work.

michael goodwin, system support manager, rugby “There’s now a clear focus within the business on building a rich data stream that will allow us to predict where and when maintenance needs to take place.

“To do that, we need to capture the information upfront through mobile apps. With better data we can run reports on specific assets and, if we discover that the asset is likely to fail every 11 months, we can carry out predictive maintenance before the asset fails.

“My Work 2 will improve this process. By adding condition and work history for each asset we’ll have more information to make better decisions. We’re still in the early stages of capturing this data, but we’re definitely on track. It’s becoming clearer that accessible, accurate data is the only way we can maintain the railway to the high standards the industry demands.”

Daren pulley, team leader, infrastructure maintenance, saltley “Eliminating paperwork has been a massive benefit. My Work is already making a big difference to our daily work schedule; we’re closing more work orders and there are no delays in getting that data into Ellipse, or risks it could go missing. For the people planning our

work it’s far more efficient and that will obviously improve how we work out on track.

“We’ll certainly welcome the enhancements. Access to walkout reports will give us precise locations of assets, while condition history means we can analyse previous maintenance work for a better understanding of the asset. It means we’ll be able to see if the same job is being done over and over again – and if that’s the case we can highlight this, look at the root cause of the problem and carry out the right maintenance or renewal work to solve it.” n

michael goodwin (left) said the app will help the company carry out work before assets fail

fasT facTsMy Work

My Work is an ORBIS mobile application that allows users to organise and prioritise their workload

Reduces paperwork thanks to a digital management process

More than 2.5 million work orders have now been closed via the app.

orBisOffering Rail Better Information Services

The ORBIS programme is a seven-year digital transformation scheme due for completion in 2018. The asset information function will operate the new capabilities developed by ORBIS.

FinD OUt MOReGo to the My Work Connect pages connect/communities/orbis/my-work.aspx

1. Work bank – Allows users to review, update, cancel and move work orders stored in the system to keep work up to date and avoid duplication

2. Condition history – Visible for each asset to enable on site trend analysis

3. Work order history – Enables users to see condition measurements and readings for each asset they are working on

Finger tips: what’s new with My Work 2

4. Walkout reports – View walkout reports associated to a work order. Displayed in walk order this speeds up the process to generate and complete walkout inspections

5. Overdue work indicator – Identify overdue work to ensure it is completed

6. Scripts and data collection – View forms and carry out more effective work via the app out on track.

my Work is available through the app catalogue


reCYCLINg the raILWaY

as the tidy lineside approach continues, network looks at where unused assets go

once they are cleared from the railway

Tidy linesides


Piles of abandoned waste material like steel rail, concrete sleepers and ballast are slowly

but surely becoming a thing of the past as the lineside clear ups continue.

Last year, 1,215 lineside sites were cleared as part of ongoing efforts to rid the railways of scrap. This saw some two million tonnes of waste collected, including 71,752 tonnes of steel.

As well as the safety and performance risks, a messy lineside gives a poor impression to passengers and lineside neighbours.

But what happens to the waste that is cleared? Where does it go and what contribution is it making to the overall network?

“The top line is that as much waste material as possible gets put back into the infrastructure,” said Frank Shewry, National Supply Chain materials business support. “That’s around 20 per cent of recovered materials, including rail, sleepers and ballast re-used in the infrastructure.

“Non-serviceable material gets processed and sold on to external customers. Scrap rail, for example, gets cropped and sold to TATA, who can repurpose it for use in rail. Surplus metal is made available to approved dealers via a bidding process and we sell material to the general public through our website.”

around 20 per cent of recycled lineside waste is put back into the railway

fasT facTsIn numbers (2014-15)

1,215 lineside sites cleared

71,752 tonnes of steel collected from lineside

120,433 tonnes of scrap metal sold from MHDs

£3,052,016 external sales revenue

£1,776,642 internal sales revenue

£22,511,748 scrap metal sales

£5,632,043 recycled ballast revenue.

Tidy linesides(continued)

Tony Masciopinto, site manager “The most obvious benefit to the public is that it enables us to keep the linesides tidier and safer.”

Frank Shewry, National Supply Chain, materials business support“Surplus metal is made available to approved dealers via a bidding process.”

suitable for reuse on the railway with the rest sold or crushed to create recycled concrete.

Tidier and safer Tony Masciopinto is site manager at Whitemoor where he leads a team of 20 people. He believes there are many benefits to this recycling approach.

“What we do here makes sense on different levels,” he said. “The most obvious benefit to the public is that it enables us to keep the linesides tidier and safer by taking in the scrap.

“But there’s also a strong business case for this as we not only generate revenue but when we are able to use sleepers and rails again it saves us even more money.

“Also, it means we don’t have to send the waste to landfill, which is an expensive business and isn’t good for the environment.” n


state-of-the-art machinery Whitemoor Materials Handling Depot (MHD) is the biggest of Network Rail’s three facilities that receive waste, along with Crewe and Westbury.

Covering 40 hectares of formerly derelict railway land in Cambridgeshire, the MHD receives around half of the waste material collected from across the network, either from lineside clearances or track replacement works.

This means it sees daily arrivals of waste from track panels to switch and cross units, sleepers to used ballast and everything in between.

When it arrives, state-of-the-art recycling machinery sorts waste into what can and cannot be used again, the reusable stuff gets sold on and what’s left over gets broken up.

Each year around 650,000 used concrete sleepers are returned to the depots, of which around 130,000 are


FinD OUt MOReFor more details about the programme visit railwayrecycling.co.uk

of old redundant materials. Over a couple of days we blitzed the site with everybody in the works delivery team getting involved, including staff who don’t normally experience the lineside environment. We cleared a couple of tonnes of sleepers,

Mark Robertshaw, development manager, works delivery, said: “Bridlington station on the Scarborough-Hull line has had some substantial renewal works done recently and it became clear that we’d uncovered several years’ worth

From beginning…

rail, screws chairs and assorted scrap from the lineside and these were shipped off for sorting.”

Supply Chain first and foremost. This makes sound business sense, not least because from our point of view it is much more cost effective and helps our budgets significantly when we are planning works. If we didn’t have this option,

Ann Gardiner, planner, works delivery (track), said: “Up here in Scotland we have a large programme of plain line refurbishment projects and have tried wherever possible to use material through the National

...to end

we’d be in a position where materials would need to be bought in new every time.”

Alex Salter, site operative “It’s good to be part of a team that is contributing to the business and the environment in such a positive way.”

saFe teaa track refreshment trolley is among front line ideas causing a stir

Track Safety Alliance


An on-track refreshment trolley is just one of the front line ideas being trialled by the Track

Safety Alliance (TSA). Track workers were able to test the

prototype, which will allow people to get hot and cold drinks while they are out on track, at an industry event last month at Grange Sidings, Stoke-on-Trent, and give feedback to make improvements on the design.

Adrian Fricker, safety improvement specialist, said: “The welfare, or Safe Tea trolley, can be moved around on track. It will have tea and coffee facilities and also a fridge to store cold water.”

ideas from the front line The idea came from a recent TSA staff reps’ conference, and it’s not the first time the front line has helped introduce innovations. Steve Featherstone, IP track programme director, explained:

“Every few months we get more than 200 front line representatives together at these conferences, including our people and those from major suppliers.

“The front line reps tell us what they are concerned about and together we work on solutions. The tea trolley is just one of the many things that we are looking at. For example, we recently launched anti-fog safety glasses that do not steam up when you are working. These were developed as a direct result of feedback from the front line.”

Adrian said: “At the conference in February we were discussing fatigue and someone said one of the challenges was that some track workers couldn’t get a cup of tea around site.

“The unit may seem unusual to some, but I believe it can make a big difference. After all, it has been developed by our front line people for our front line people.”

Brilliant idea “The prototype unit has been purchased by Amey Rail. I’ve been working closely with Dave Sowter, business improvement manager at AmeySersa, who has helped push this through from their side.

“Feedback from the trial has been excellent. Track workers told us it was a ‘brilliant idea’. Other contractors were even asking us how they can order one for their company.

“It is our intention to rigorously trial this to seek as many views as possible, so all input is welcome.” n

pictured: adrian fricker and Dave sowter serve the brews at a recent demonstration event

sHaRe yOUR vieWsShare your views on Connect, or send your thoughts and suggestions through to Adrian at [email protected]

fasT facTsSafe Tea trolley

Developed by the TSA, the Safe Tea trolley is the result of ideas from the front line

At June’s TSA conference, new modifications to the unit were agreed

Amey Rail has already purchased a unit

A fatigue management programme, which runs until June 2016, is helping the business address the risks associated with fatigue. Read more on Connect.


Production waste is a big problem for the rail industry. Things like digging out too much

ballast when working on track renewals can mean painstaking hours of rework to get it right.

When this happens, the risk of overrunning on possessions increases, this can add cost to projects.

But what if people could get it right first time? The Infrastructure Projects (IP) track innovation team believes people can do just that, thanks to some innovations in digging technology.

rail revolution Emma Smith, scheme project manager, explained: “We’ve just hosted a demonstration in Stoke-On-Trent of a precision digger and roller system – two pieces of kit that can help revolutionise

the way we lay and upgrade track. “There is nothing new about diggers

being used on the railway, but the Komatsu Intelligent Excavator combined with Topcon’s Sitelink3D, not only controls the dig depth and width to prevent production waste, but allows project teams to digitally plan and control worksites from any location.

“The single best feature of this system is that it removes the need to have a survey technician and potentially the machine controller anywhere near the excavator. It embodies safety and performance.”

Dig deep “Sitelink3D allows data like site details, team locations, equipment being used, dig depths and exclusion zones to be programmed into the system and

Track innovation

new technology is reducing waste, making the railway safer and more reliable

ROll WitH it


The Bomag roller has been modified to make it suitable for use on track. it

uses technology to read the earth

it is working on and adjust its

compaction power to achieve perfect

results

Komatsu has teamed up with Topcon to create a precision digging system that excavates to the exact millimetre, preventing over digging and maximising time on site

accessed through tablet devices. “The project team programs the dig

depth to the millimetre into the system and the intelligent excavator prevents the operator from over digging,” said Emma.

“The innovation team is working to make sure that the rail industry is an early adopter. I think it’s a real game changer.”

rock and rolling The Bomag/Rexquote roller can be used to compact ballast and create a level surface to build or relay track.

Dawn Hooper, managing director of Rexquote, said: “There are sometimes issues with uneven ground at worksites. The technology on the Bomag roller scans the track bed underneath and alters its power to ensure the perfect amount of compaction. So instead of going backwards and forwards again

and again, we can ensure of the perfect ground conditions much faster.

“The roller has been used in the civils market for years and has proved very successful. It has recently been modified and is going through approval so that it can move along rail track. It can make a big difference to how the industry works.”

Doing more, for everyone Emma added: “Both pieces of kit will help us get things right first time on work sites. It will mean we can do more with the time we have and be even safer than before. For our customers and passengers it means less disruption, less chance of overruns, higher hand-back speeds at a lower cost and a more reliable railway.

“We’re working with experts all of the time, looking at new ways of making what we do safer and more effective.” n



Capacity planning

Time in our handsmore people than ever are choosing rail to get around. how is network rail working to deliver a better timetable for customers and passengers?


Passenger journeys have reached a record high – 1.654 billion in 2014-15. That’s a 70

per cent increase over 12 years, and numbers are expected to continue to rise.

Planners Charmain James and Julian Starkey met with Fiona Dolman, capacity planning director, to talk about how the company is working to deliver a better timetable for all.

julian: “There’s been a lot of change in the planning team. Has it helped get us where we need to be to make real changes for our customers?”

fiona: “Yes, most definitely. Last year capacity planning moved to Group Strategy from Network Operations. In a short time, we have restructured the leadership team to enable greater direction, focus and support for our workforce. It’s fair to say, there’s been significant staff turnover and I want to create an environment where the team stay and have the opportunity for career progression. Our internal academy is a key driver for retention and our programmes – Industry Access Programme (IAP) and Timetable Rules Improvement Programme (TRIP) are both focused on delivering a zero defect plan and a better timetable for the industry. All this creates credible and positive changes for our team, our customers and the industry.”

charmain: “The internal training has been important. It’s helping us retain good people, and build on our experience.”

fiona: “You’re right. It will help us to build a robust team focused on structured continuous improvement. We’ve trained 68 people to become LEAN practitioners and we’re starting to see on a daily basis how a continuous improvement mindset is being embedded across the function. For example, some of the tools in LEAN are helping us pinpoint the route cause analysis of why things are done in the way they are and systematically helping us apply a different approach – all focused on driving out the defects in the timetable.”

julian: “I know we’re working towards a zero-defect timetable. How is this going?”

fiona: “This is our long-term aspiration and we’re making progress. Last year we had 24,566 defects in the timetable, things like inaccurate dwell times, beating our target of 27,600. This year the target is 25,900 and our target next year is 17,750. Each defect we remove means a better journey for passengers.”

charmain: “How important are the TRIP and IAP programmes in zero-defect plan and creating a more effective timetable?”

fiona: “Absolutely vital. TRIP is all about collecting information from signallers, train and freight operators on things like dwell times, platform reoccupation, headway, sectional running times and junction margins. We then identify defects and work collaboratively with the industry to systematically drive them out of the timetable.

“IAP is a two-part programme. Phase one saw us implement a suite of decision support tools to enhance the existing access planning process. Phase two, which we’re working on now, is about creating a revised access and timetable planning process to deliver more certainty and more opportunities to deliver engineering work.”

julian: “Historically we’ve planned two timetables a year, but we’ll soon be moving to a 12-month timetable. How will this help to drive improvements?”

fiona: “We used a 12-month timetable to plan for the Olympics and it worked very well. It will require more planning with the industry, but it will mean fewer changes. We feel this can deliver high levels of timetable planning performance. We’ll be aiming to roll out a 12-month timetable from December 2016.” n

Tim Jackson, head of performance, Freightliner Heavy Haul Ltd “It is vital to Freightliner that we can offer a reliable and consistent service to our customers, particularly in those sectors that face strong competition from road freight. With the rail network becoming increasingly congested, it’s ever more important that timetables are built on accurate timings. We’re working together to improve the timetable for everyone.”

Left to right: fiona Dolman, charmain james, and julian starkey

Untanglingthe

Staffordshireknot

Building bridges and redirecting rivers to improve the railway for

millions of passengers

Railway improvement



Passengers who use the West Coast Main Line (WCML) may be familiar with Norton Bridge. It

is the point where northbound trains turn left for Crewe and Liverpool or right for Stoke and Manchester.

It’s a vital pivot in the network and one which, since it was built in the 1830s, has served its purpose well.

But with capacity demands on the route at an all-time high, major intervention was needed to bring the junction up to current standards and futureproof it for decades to come.

The result is a project that is creating a new junction to run in parallel with the old one, including a flyover crossing the WCML. It will effectively untangle the lines, roads and bridges at a particularly busy part of the network.

The work is being delivered through an innovative alliance involving Network Rail, Atkins, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail.

Starting in 2013, the project is due to complete next year. It reached an important milestone recently when a key bridge to enable the earth moving process to begin – Bridge 5a as it is known in the works programme – was installed.

meet the team neil hancock, programme sponsor “What we’re doing is removing the last major bottleneck

on the WCML. Passengers may get a glimpse of our work but there’s so much going on and the scale of the programme is tremendous with 11 new bridges, four river diversions, six miles of new track and a million tonnes of earth moved.”

eric pritchard, senior construction manager “We work hard and we work as a team, so when we reach

a milestone like the completion of Bridge 5a, there’s a real sense of pride and achievement.

“We were genuinely delighted to watch the first MOXY articulated hauler roll over the bridge. But that’s only the start of the next big challenge – using the bridge to move enough earth to fill 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools across the WCML.”

phil holland, structures manager “This presents obvious challenges because we’re

building rail and road bridges over an operational line.

“Building Bridge 5A was a particular challenge as we were manoeuvring 53-tonne sections into place within five metres of the railway. We did a lot of work under adjacent line open conditions to prevent disruption for passengers.”

norton Bridge is a key point on the West coast

main Line

fasT facTsNorton Bridge in numbers

78 new signals

Six miles of track

11 new bridges

Four river diversions

One million tonnes of earth moved is being reused on site.


The project has required the diversion of a national grid high-pressure pipeline just north of searchlight Lane, near chebsey

The project has seen four rivers diverted, with wildlife safely relocated (left)

Railway improvement(continued)

FinD OUt MOReRead more about the work of the Staffordshire Alliance. Visit: networkrail.co.uk/improvements/stafford-crewe/

The train operating company view gary steele, customer services manager, Virgin Trains “Junctions can have an

adverse impact on both capacity and scheduling – they can be complicated to operate and difficult to maintain.

“At Norton Bridge, the current layout dates back to the 1960s and affects all users of routes into and out of Stafford station.

“The work at Stafford and Norton Bridge, which includes 78 new signals, improved track layouts and a new flyover, will increase capacity, reduce journey times and improve reliability, all of which adds up to a better experience for our customers.”

The passenger view adam smith, perry Barr “I use the WCML regularly for work as I make frequent trips to and from Manchester and

Liverpool, and sometimes to Manchester Airport if I have to fly from there.

“At busy times you can almost guarantee you’ll be left waiting between stations and these delays can sometimes make it difficult to plan.

“The delays on north-bound trains from Birmingham led to me missing connections, so I tended to use Heathrow as it was a better service.

“I’m pleased to hear it’s getting sorted out as it will make organising easier, especially when it involves airports or meetings.”

FinD OUt MOReRead more about our suicide prevention training on Connect

Have your say: suicide prevention

neena naylor, train dispatcher at Birmingham new street, whose intervention made a real difference

Connect delivers breaking news and company updates daily, giving people the chance to

have their say on the topics that matter to them. Over this past month, people have taken to the intranet to praise Neena Naylor, train dispatcher at Birmingham New Street, who may well have saved a life after she approached a distressed woman on the platform. Here are just a few of the comments.

“Outstanding, Neena, well done. Thankfully your awareness and training saved the day and more likely the lady’s life. You should be really proud.”mark fearn, York

network news

scotland: The forth Bridge has been awarded World heritage status by unesco (united nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation). read more on connect and connect mobile news.

govia Thameslink railway: southern and gatwick express routes will be incorporated into the govia Thameslink railway (gTr) franchise on 26 july, making it the largest rail franchise in Britain, carrying around 273 million passengers a year.

Women in engineering Day: Louise Bungay, assistant asset engineer in cardiff, joined hundreds of network rail women around the network on national Women in engineering day, to get more women to consider a career in engineering. she said: “engineering is still considered a male role but attitudes are improving and it is important we encourage more women to think of it as a career.”

“I attended the Samaritan’s Managing Suicidal Contacts training course and found it was most interesting and informative. I recommend people attend if they can. Contact Joelle Lever [email protected] for more information.”hilary Butler, milton Keynes

“I hope you were able to debrief properly with someone afterwards, and it hasn’t affected you too much. I attended the training course last year, and although I haven’t had cause to use the methods yet, I am glad that I’ll be better prepared should I need to intervene.”rachel fullard , London

London: chief executive mark carne joined more than 60 people from network rail’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff network archway for the annual pride celebrations in London.


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Network July 2015

Documents

Transcript of Network July 2015