Railway Strategies Issue 103 Final Edition

RAILWAYS T R A T E G I E Szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Final Issue 103

New Desiro Class 350/4 delivered to

First TransPennine Express

F o r S E N I o r r A I L M A N A G E M E N T

Network Rail announces

half-year results

ORR reports 8.9 per cent increase in

freight usage

HS2 Paving Bill published

Network Rail’s 30-year view

First Radical Train entrants

win funding

London Underground

reveals vision for the future

NEWS

Interview : Network Rail’s director of rail freight Paul McMahon discusses how the

sector has developed and talks about plans for the future

See Page 25

FOCUS ON

l Freight & Logisticsl Stations

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ChairmanAndrew Schofield

Managing DirectorMike Tulloch

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As 2013 drifts steadily into history, we can reflect upon the past twelve

months before gazing into the crystal ball at 2014. News of the

proposed route for the second phase of HS2 came early in the year;

the entire project remained under the spotlight throughout 2013,

culminating in the publication of the hybrid paving Bill for phase 1 at the end

of November. Another major project surfaced at the beginning of the year –

Crossrail 2, the north-east – south-west complement to Crossrail 1, which is

currently progressing inexorably through/under London. Innovation has provided

an increasing focus through the year, with the Enabling Innovation Team

promoting new thinking around the industry. Network Rail and the ORR engaged

in the final round of negotiations for the CP5 programme, with emphasis on

efficiency, reliability, asset management and level crossing safety. ERTMS,

electrification, tram-trains and IEP also made the news, as did the franchising

process which was given an overhaul.

And what of 2014? Well we know that Network Rail will embark on its

CP5 programme; that Crossrail will complete its major tunnelling drives by

the year end; that HS2 faces a defining year; that there should be at least

two franchise awards (Essex Thameside and Thameslink, Southern & Great

Northern); that the Northern Hub, Borders Rail, Reading station, Birmingham

New Street station, and Thameslink programmes will all move towards their

conclusions in subsequent years; and that our railways will continue to attract

more passengers and freight.

We would like to wish all our readers a safe and successful 2014

From the Editorzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzHave your details changed? Are you reading someone else’s copy of Railway Strategies?Please email: [email protected] to amend your details or request a regular copy

Issue 103 ISSN 1467-0399

Railway Strategies by emailRailway Strategies is also now available by email as a digital magazine. This exciting development is intended to complement the printed magazine, which we will continue to publish and distribute to qualifying individuals, whilst also giving added value to our advertisers through a more widespread circulation. To secure your continued supply of Railway Strategies in either digital or hard copy format, please contact our subscriptions manager Iain Kidd ([email protected]).

‘Tis the season to look back (and forward)

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FeaturesIntervIew – Paul McMahon 14 Libbie Hammond

the right coating can make it better than new 28 Dan Macdonald

Handle with care! 30 Malcolm Watson & Tony Synnott

excess Baggage 34 Kevin Price

raising the Standard 36 Kevin Lacey Chinese investment in HS2 63 Vincent King

Profiles

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzContents

Zos Zvolen 26First Group 38taylor woodrow 52Anchor Systems 58Allied Insulators 60PSI transcom GmbH 64GvB 71 DPP 74BeA Sensorio 78 Mtr nordic 84 BaneDanmark 88 České Dráhy 91McCulloch rail 93 Keymile 96

74

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84

News 15

Focus on... Stations On track for a

sustainable station 44 Lee Fairburn

Ensuring quality & value for station fit-outs 47

Andrew Jackson

London Bridge station: A platform for the future 48

Paul Byrne

Focus on... Freight & Logistics

Wagons roll 18 Lloyd’s Register & Drax

A new concept for rail freight vehicles 20

Ross Jackson & Tom Zunder

Rail strategies for becoming a supply chain

partner in Europe 23 Dewan Islam

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzContentsIndustry News 4

Research 13 Freight 17

Rolling Stock 24 Stations 42

Rail Alliance 49 Contracts 50

Products & Services 56Health & Safety 68

Integrated Transport 70Conferences & Exhibitions 100IMechE Training Courses 100

18

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4 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

O n 21st November Network Rail published its

half-year results (for the period 1st April to 30th

September 2013) which revealed that

£2.74 billion, some £15 million per day, was

invested in improving and building a bigger, better railway

– 33 per cent up on the same period last year and

53 per cent higher than just four years ago.

Patrick Butcher, group finance director, said: “The

railway continues to experience tremendous growth and

we are responding to that demand through the biggest

sustained investment programme since Victorian times.

“With a million more trains and half a billion more

passengers than ten years ago our railways are all but full.

We are squeezing all we can out of the existing network

and new railway lines, such as HS2, must be built to

deliver the step-change in capacity that Britain’s vital rail

arteries need.”

The achievementsOver the past six months some significant investment

milestones have been reached, including:

l New, bigger, better facilities have been delivered at

King’s Cross as its £550 million renovation and rebuilding

nears completion providing a magnificent gateway to the

north and sees a concourse three times the size of the

old one

l Opening of the new concourse at Reading station as

part of the ongoing £850 million project to unblock one of

Britain’s worst railway bottlenecks

l The start of work to connect towns of the Scottish

Borders to Edinburgh with the building of 30 miles of new

railway – the £300 million Borders Railway project

l A more reliable and affordable railway for the people

of Manchester, Liverpool and the North West as we

continue with the £400 million project to electrify the

railway in the region

l More reliable and faster services delivered with the

successful completion of the £100 million resignalling and

modernisation of Nottingham and its approaches

l A major bottleneck on the East Coast Main Line has

been removed with the completion of the £47 million

Hitchin flyover

l Faster journeys for passengers along the Midland Main

Line connecting Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and other

towns and cities to London as a result of a £70 million

improvement programme

l Completion of the £10 million scheme to modernise

the railway between Shrewsbury and Wrexham.

As well as these major milestones over 5000 projects

have been completed over the last four-and-a-half

years (since the start of the current CP4 funding

period – 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2014). These are

smaller, but just as important projects aimed at making

incremental improvements to the railway for the benefit of

passengers, and have seen:

l Over 2000 miles of track renewed

l Improvements at over 500 stations across the country

l Almost 200 lifts installed at stations

l Over 140 platforms lengthened across London and

the South East

Web: www.networkrail.co.uk

Network Rail’s half-year resultsNew platforms, new lifts, new information systems, new concourses, new footbridges,

new track; all have featured as record investment has been ploughed into Britain’s railways over the past six months

Patrick Butcher

The Borders Rail Project

North West electrification

Reading station

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First phase of NW electrification deliveredl Electric trains have started to operate over the railway between Newton Le

Willows and Castlefield junction outside Manchester Piccadilly, marking the

commissioning of the first phase of the £400 million North West electrification

project on time and under budget.

The next major improvements will arrive in December 2014, when electric

trains will be able to run from Liverpool to Manchester via Newton le Willows

and Wigan and from December 2016, when they will run between Preston and

Blackpool, Manchester and Preston and Manchester and Stalybridge. This will

be followed by the completion of trans-Pennine electrification from Stalybridge

through Huddersfield on to Leeds, York and Selby by December 2018.

First TransPennine Express will start running direct electric services using ten

new Siemens-built Class 350/4 from Manchester Airport to Glasgow from the

30th December. These new trains will deliver an increase in capacity of more

than 80 per cent on this route

National Infrastructure Planl In a statement on 4th December, the Chief Secretary

to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, updated the

Government’s National Infrastructure Plan. This includes

£375 billion of investment in over 600 energy, transport,

communications and water projects, many of which

are already underway – and many which have already

previously been detailed.

Key announcements in the rail sector include:

l A further £50 million for the redevelopment of the

Gatwick Airport railway station

l Confirmation of a UK guarantee for the £1 billion

Northern Line extension to Battersea

l A new study into southern rail access to Heathrow

l A new investigation into access to Stansted on an

existing study of the East Anglian mainline

l The Government’s stake in Eurostar will be sold off as

part of a new £10 billion privatisation programme.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Industry

New MDl Abellio UK has selected Jamie Burles to

succeed Ruud Haket as managing director of the

Abellio Greater Anglia franchise. Jamie is currently

a bid director at Abellio UK, where he is managing

the company’s bid for the new Thameslink

franchise. He will continue in that role until the

decision on franchise award, and will take the

reins at Abellio Greater Anglia on 1st April 2014.

Adam Golton (currently finance director of Abellio

Greater Anglia) will be interim managing director

following Ruud’s departure at the end of January 2014.

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Pendolinos for the ECML?l Plans have been revealed by open access operator GNER to introduce a high

speed train service on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross,

Newcastle and Edinburgh in three years’ time. New nine-coach Pendolinos

would operate the service, cutting the average London-Edinburgh time to

3 hours 43 minutes, with potential for even shorter times if 140mph running

could be achieved after the route is resignalled in 2018.

New sleeper factory openedl Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport, has officially

opened a new state-of-the-art factory in Doncaster which will supply of thousands

of essential sleepers to keep Britain’s railways running. Doncaster Concrete Sleeper

Factory, which will employ around 45 people, will supply around 400,000 concrete

sleepers each year for Network Rail to use around the network. Between 700,000

and 1,000,000 sleepers are needed each year. Concrete sleepers are used on all the

busier inter-urban and long-distance rail routes as well as those carrying heavy freight

tonnages. The supply of sleepers has been limited to a reducing number of companies

over recent years.

Trackwork Moll is a new company which managed the design and build of the

factory and is contracted to supply sleepers to Network Rail for the next ten years. It is

jointly owned by Trackwork of Kirk Sandall, Doncaster and Leonhard Moll Betonwerke

of Munich, Germany.

Patrick McLoughlin at the opening of the Doncaster Sleeper factory


More people travel on the railway

today than ever before and demand

for passenger and freight services

is high and is expected to rise

significantly in the future. By assessing how

demand is likely to change, these market

studies will help form the basis of planning

where rail travel will go in Control Period 6

(2019-24) and beyond. They also determine

what kind of services will be needed to achieve

three important outputs: enabling economic

growth, reducing carbon and the transport

sector’s impact on the environment, and finally

improving the quality

of life for communities and individuals.

Network Rail’s group strategy director, Paul

Plummer, said: “The investment decisions we

make today will last for generations and it is

vital that we base them on solid groundwork.

These market studies have been developed in

consultation with rail industry partners and wider

stakeholders and they are the crucial first stage

towards planning the future for the railway.

“The next stage will be the creation of a series

of route studies, which will develop choices to

deliver the conditional outputs across the four

markets in each of Network Rail’s devolved

routes, and to test them against our funders’

appraisal criteria. I look forward to continuing to

work with the rail industry on the next stage of

the long term planning process.”

Michael Roberts, director general of Rail

Delivery Group, said: “It is a mark of the

industry’s success that demand on Britain’s

railway continues to rise, and all parts of the

sector are focused on providing growing

numbers of customers with the best possible

services. If we are to meet that demand while

ensuring we have a railway fit for the

21st century – one that delivers for passengers,

businesses and taxpayers – it is crucial that the

industry plans ahead.

“These studies provide a solid foundation

on which we can build a more detailed

understanding of how and where passenger

and freight demand will change in coming

decades, helping us ensure that taxpayers’ and

passengers’ money is invested as efficiently as

possible.”

While the market studies provide predicted

demand figures and the kind of services

needed to deal with that demand, they do not

suggest infrastructure improvements. Those

will form part of the next stage.

Divided into four market sectors: London

and south east, regional urban, long distance

and freight; the documents are the first in a

new style of research designed to look ten to

30 years into the future. Each market study

prediction is set against potential growth or

decline scenarios for the national economy. All

market studies were drawn up to reflect HS2.

Some highlights of the studies are:

l London and south east: The rail market

in London and the South East is dominated

by demand for travel into central London, in

which public transport predominates with a

90 per cent market share. Roughly half of the

trips into central London involve use of National

Rail, delivering 575,000 people into the centre

each day. Historically, the market for central

London commuting has grown at an average

rate of 1.5 – 2 per cent annually but there is a

prediction of 1.3 per cent in the peaks going

forward. Growth in the off peak – is steady

at four per cent and predicted to continue

at that level.

l Long distance: At present around

150 million long-distance journeys are made

by rail annually. This suggests a ten per cent

rail mode share overall, although rail dominates

the market for travel between many large

cities (such as Leeds-London). In the case

of those cities, demand is predicted to rise

between 108 and 145 per cent by 2043 if the

UK economy grows, or by 40-50 per cent if it

struggles.

l Regional urban: Unlike commuting

into London, very few people are willing to

commute into regional urban centres if the

generalised journey time is greater than

60 minutes. Improvements to generalised

journey times within this 20-60 minute range

will have a large impact where both the

number of people in the population catchment

of the origin station and the number of jobs in

the catchment of the destination station are

high. The study predicts a growth of up to

114 per cent in the Manchester commuter

market by 2043 if the economy booms, or

between up to 67 per cent if not.

l Freight: Total freight traffic, in terms of

tonne kilometres moved, is forecast to increase

at an average of 2.9 per cent per annum

through to the year 2043, implying that the

size of the market more than doubles over

this period. This particularly reflects expected

growth in the intermodal and biomass sectors.

To download the market studies please go to: www.networkrail.co.uk/Long-Term -Planning-Process/

The 30-year view

Where will Britain’s railways be in 30 years time? The first steps on the way to finding the answers have been published in the form of four market studies. These form part of the industry’s long-term planning process.



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Reading viaduct reached key milestonel The construction of a new 2km viaduct

in Reading has reached a key milestone

after the first pre-cast concrete beams,

which will form the base that trains will run

on, were lifted into place. Part of Network

Rail’s £895 million redevelopment of the

railway in Reading, the viaduct will cut

delays caused by congestion on the tracks

to the west of the station when it opens

in 2015, creating more capacity for an

additional four passenger trains per hour as

well as more freight trains. This is achieved

by allowing fast passengers services to and

from places like Bristol and South Wales to

fly over the lines to Newbury, Basingstoke

and the south west of England.

The work to install the beams was

carried out by Network Rail’s principal

contractor, Balfour Beatty. The beams were

fabricated by Shay Murtagh in Ireland and

shipped to Liverpool docks before being

transported to Reading by road.

The construction of the viaduct will

also allow Network Rail to complete

the widening of Cow Lane, a notorious

bottleneck on Reading’s road network.

Remodelling of the northern Cow Lane

bridge will finish in 2015, as it cannot be

completed until the tracks above it are

moved on to the new viaduct. At this point,

motorists as well as rail passengers will feel

the full benefit of the project.

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A tunnel being strengthened with concrete sprayed onto fabric. This process is soon to be applied to sections within Whiteball tunnel

Whiteball tunnel improvementsl From 18th January, Network Rail will be carrying out works to repair Whiteball

tunnel to prevent the aging structure from deteriorating. In addition, work will be

carried out to expand the drainage system and to improve the embankment around

the area as part of a wider programme to alleviate flood risks posed by extreme

weather.

Around three miles of track will be renewed and seven units of switches and

crossings relaid separately at Taunton and Tiverton to enable trains to travel at a

higher speed of 80mph.

Whiteball tunnel is a 1000m long Victorian brick arch structure built in 1844 which

has deteriorated over the years. To prevent potential brick fall the tunnel lining was

previously relined with wire mesh; during this railway closure a new concrete lining will

be applied to the worst areas of the brick arch to prevent future deterioration.

The Tiverton end of the tunnel has also been identified as a potential flood site, as

it was amongst the locations affected by the extreme weather condition in December

2012. The track was flooded owing to excess water spilling from the cess as well as

blocking the culverts in the area.

Achilles renews partnership with Professor Sue Arrowsmithl Achilles – which manages Link-up, the rail industry supplier

registration and pre-qualification community – has renewed its

sponsorship of the Chair of world-renowned public procurement

expert Sue Arrowsmith – Professor of Public Procurement

Law and Policy at the University of Nottingham. Achilles has

worked with Prof Arrowsmith since 1996 and is renewing its

partnership ahead of the biggest change to

EU Directives in almost a decade.

Professor Arrowsmith and Achilles have worked together since 1996. As well as

sponsoring her Chair at the University of Nottingham, Achilles also supports the series of

conferences Public Procurement: Global Revolution, of which Prof Arrowsmith is Director.

Professor Arrowsmith provides case notes for THEMiS – Achilles’ online ‘troubleshooting’

service for procurement professionals. She also shares insights at conferences organised

in partnership with Achilles, and supports the EU Services team – who run practical training

courses and workshops covering the full range of EU procurement topics.

The renewal of Achilles and Prof Arrowsmith’s relationship comes ahead of the biggest

modernisation of EU rules and regulations since 2004.

One of the first beams is ‘flown’ into Reading viaduct



l From 2012-13 the number of passenger

journeys on Britain’s rail network rose again

to more than 1.5 billion. Freight volumes also

increased, with tonnage up by 11 per cent.

Providing the capacity to handle continuing

predicted growth in use of the network is

generating significant business opportunities for

companies active in this key sector.

‘The UK Rail Market 2013’ from Brooks

Market Intelligence Reports (www.

brooksreports.com provides a concise

overview of the structure of the rail sector in

Great Britain and Northern Ireland, detailing its

main participants and its future programmes

to form an invaluable concise guide to the

complexities of this busy market.

The report covers the role of Government in

leading development of the system and how it

is regulated. It summarises details of Network

Rail’s spending plans for the five years from

2014 to 2015, known as Control Period 5.

These include major electrification programmes,

key projects like Thameslink and the Northern

Hub and the development of new routes. Also

covered is the planned HS2 high-speed rail

system.

An up-to-date overview of passenger

rail franchises includes franchise-holding

companies, contract periods and the latest

traffic figures, as well as coverage of non-

franchised passenger operators and principal

freight train operating companies.

London’s Crossrail scheme is featured in a

section on Transport for London, as well as

coverage of the London Underground, London

Overground and Docklands Light Railway

systems. The report also includes the latest

status of UK light rail and light metro systems.

Current rolling stock procurement

programmes are detailed, and the report

is completed by a sector-by-sector guide

to principal suppliers to the UK rail market,

including:

l Rolling stock/components/subsystems

l Vehicle maintenance equipment and

services/refurbishment

l Revenue collection, access control,

passenger information systems and station

equipment

l Track products and maintenance/renewals

equipment

l Signalling & communications equipment

l Traction power supply and electrification

systems

l Civil engineering and construction/

infrastructure maintenance

The report also includes numerous links to

organisation websites and to key documents,

enabling users to research specialist topics

more deeply.

New report: The UK Rail Market 2013

The full report, which reflects the status of the market as at October 2013, may be obtained from Mack Brooks Publishing Ltd at www.brooksreports.com


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Crossrail reveals first completed train tunnel l Europe’s largest infrastructure project, Crossrail, has unveiled its first completed train

tunnel 18 months after tunnelling machine, Phyllis, started her 6.8 kilometre journey

from Royal Oak to Farringdon.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, Infrastructure Minister Lord

Deighton and Deputy Mayor for Transport Isabel Dedring have become the first

visitors to set foot inside the completed train tunnel, entering via what will be the future

Crossrail Farringdon station.

They gained a glimpse of how the most significant addition to London’s transport

network in a generation will look when it opens in 2018, and enclosed a time capsule in

the remaining section of Crossrail’s first tunnelling machine, Phyllis.

The ministers met several of the workers including apprentices that have been

constructing the new passenger tunnels underneath Farringdon station. Crossrail is

on target to deliver over 400 apprenticeships with more than 260 apprentices already

working on the project.

l Among the items included in a Crossrail time capsule were a 2013 edition of

the London A to Z donated by Phyllis Pearsall’s company who TBM Phyllis was

named after, a Crossrail ‘Start of Tunnelling’ mining tally and a tunnel phone used to

communicate without standard telephone signal.

Crossrail’s seven giant tunnelling machines are approaching 25 kilometres out of

42 kilometres of new train tunnels that will link east and west London. Another

14 kilometres of new passenger, platform and service tunnels are

being constructed below the new Crossrail

stations. Phyllis is the first

tunnelling machine to

complete her tunnel

construction with another

three 1000 tonne,

150 metre long tunnelling

machines due to complete

tunnelling at Farringdon in

the coming year.

Selection of items included in the time capsule that will be left with TBM Phyllis

Crossrail reveals the first completed

train tunnel in November 2013

Colas Rail buys on-track tamping machines business from Ameyl Colas Rail has expanded its Rail

Services operations by acquiring

Amey’s on-track tamping machines

business. The £5 million deal comes as

Amey focuses on its core offerings of

asset management, rail projects, metro

services, track renewals, signalling

and electrification to deliver ambitious

growth plans.

Overwhelming support for Crossrail 2 l Transport for London (TfL) and

Network Rail have published the

findings of the Crossrail 2 non-

statutory public consultation, which

shows overwhelming support for the

proposed new rail link between south

west and north east London.

The Mayor of London, Boris

Johnson, who believes this project

is critical to boosting capacity on

the suburban rail network and to

galvanise economic growth in this

part of the capital, has welcomed the

results, which shows 95 per cent of

almost 14,000 respondents ‘strongly

supporting’ or ‘supporting’ the

principle of the scheme.

Even with the Tube upgrade

works and the delivery of Crossrail 1,

additional capacity on the transport

network is needed to cope with

London’s forecasted population

growth. Crossrail 2 would create a

new high frequency, high capacity

rail line with shorter journey times

between southwest and northeast

London. TfL and Network Rail will

together consider the Crossrail 2

consultation findings and will make

recommendations on the next

steps to the Mayor of London in

spring 2014. If a decision is taken to

progress, more detailed consultations

would then take place.

London Underground (LU) now carries more

people, more safely and reliably than ever before,

with customer satisfaction at record highs and

crime at an all-time low. However, with London’s

population set to grow from 8.4 million today to around

ten million by 2030 – the equivalent of a Tube train full of

people every week – the Mayor and TfL have set out how

they will continue to invest billions of pounds to support

jobs and growth and build a Tube network that meets the

needs of customers in the 21st century.

Night Tube

From 2015, Londoners and visitors to the capital will

be able to take the Tube home at any hour of the night

on Fridays and Saturdays, supporting London’s vibrant

night-time economy and boosting businesses, jobs and

leisure opportunities. Weekend services will run through

the night on core parts of the system – initially comprised

of the Piccadilly, Victoria, Central and Jubilee lines and

key sections of the Northern line.

This network, which will be expanded to include other

lines in subsequent years, will dovetail with existing

24-hour and Night Bus services to give passengers an

extensive and integrated service throughout the night.

Station staffing

The trend of ticket sales away from ticket offices has

surged over recent years and today less than

three per cent of all Tube journeys involve a visit to a

ticket office. In future therefore, rather than being remote

from customers behind closed doors or glass windows,

Tube station staff will not be based in ticket offices, but

in ticket halls, on gate lines and on platforms, ready

and available to give the best personal and face-to-face

service to customers.

As now, all Tube stations will continue to be staffed and

controlled in future, with more staff visible and available

than today in ticket halls and on gate lines and with the

same number of staff on platforms. Staff equipped

with the latest mobile technology, such as tablet

computers, will be able to monitor and manage stations

on the move.

Improvements

The huge Tube improvement programme underway

will continue, with billions of pounds of investment to

deliver more frequent, reliable and accessible services

and enhanced stations, providing greater capacity to

tackle increasing numbers of customers. It also includes

a continued rigorous focus on improving customer

journeys and meeting the Mayor’s commitment of

reducing delays by a further 30 per cent by 2015, when

compared to 2011 reliability levels.

Across the Tube network, delays to customers’

journeys have been reduced by 40 per cent since

2008/09 and 54 per cent since 2003. More frequent

trains will be introduced across a wide range of

lines, including a 20 per cent increase in capacity on

the Northern line next year and further uplifts to the

frequency of Jubilee and Victoria line services, to 33 and

36 trains per hour respectively at the busiest times.

Metropolitan line customers are now travelling on

a new fleet of air-conditioned trains with open, walk-

through carriages, and these are now being introduced

on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, with the

District line to follow shortly.

A vision for the future of the Tube


Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and

the managing director of London

Underground, Mike Brown have

set out their vision for the future of

the Tube, including a new 24-hour

‘Night Tube’ service at weekends and more staff visible and available at stations to help

customers buy the right ticket, plan

their journeys and keep them safe

and secure

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Improvements to make journeys easier and more

convenient for customers include:

l Contactless bank card payment technology will

be rolled-out on the Tube network from next year,

providing customers with another convenient way to pay

for their travel. Customers will no longer need to queue

just to convert their currency (pounds and pence) into the

Tube’s currency (Oyster and tickets)

l Wi-Fi coverage will be rolled out to all remaining

below-ground Tube stations by the end of 2014, with

the exception of four stations that are currently undergoing

major upgrade work, so that customers can more easily

access web and other digital content on the move at

stations across the entire network

l Improved customer service training and

technology will be provided to all station staff, and

mobile devices with up-to-the-minute information on

ticketing, train services and the local area will be provided

to staff across the network so they can help customers on

the spot

l The network will become more accessible. More

raised platform sections and boarding ramps are being

introduced, information and signage is being improved

and, building on the 66 Tube stations which are already

step-free, 27 additional Tube and Overground stations will

be made step-free over the next eight years. The proposed

staffing changes will ensure that the current turn-up-and-

go service for disabled and visually impaired passengers

continues and the disability training given to staff will be

further enhanced

l More and better ticket machines will be introduced

as part of a strategy to make life easier for passengers.

Improvements include providing quicker and easier refunds

– by Tube staff, at ticket machines or online – automatically

completing journeys when customers forget to swipe out

and introducing personalised customer accounts on the

TfL website to give increasingly tailored information and

services.

l Work is also underway to improve the Tube’s

stations, with major redevelopments underway at

Tottenham Court Road, Victoria and Bond Street.

Improvements to retail and services at stations are

planned, with more than 30 stations already identified

where real improvements could be made over the next few

years, including Canary Wharf and Embankment.

Future Tube stations

LU staff are and will remain the operational heart of the

station. In future, they will be equipped with the latest

mobile technology which allows full control of the station,

even while they are mobile. No longer will they have to be

confined to station control rooms or ticket offices in order

to serve customers, manage stations and ensure the

highest standards of safety and security.

A new, simplified staffing model will reflect the fact that

customers have different needs at each of the different

types of station across the network. Many busy Tube

stations will have to deal with queries from less familiar

customers, including tourists, so enhanced visitor centres

will be provided at those stations. All Tube stations will

continue to be staffed by LU employees across the whole

day while services are operating, providing face-to-face

customer service and information across the whole

network.

The changes to the operation of stations and

improvements to customer service will be delivered while

also reducing the overall cost of running stations, to

provide better value for money for customers and

tax payers.

From 2015, LU proposes to operate stations in four

different categories:

Gateway stations

The main visitor entry points to London, with a high

proportion of people unfamiliar with the Tube network.

These stations – Euston, Heathrow Terminals 123, King’s

Cross St. Pancras, Liverpool Street, Paddington and

Victoria – will all have enhanced and redeveloped Visitor

Information Centres to ensure tourists and visitors are

welcomed and offered the best possible service.

Customers will be able to purchase Oyster cards, pick

up maps and other information such as interchange

information on other TfL transport modes, like bus services

or Barclays Cycle Hire. There will be 30 per cent more staff

in ticket halls than today, and an increase in overall ticket

selling capacity of 33 per cent.

Destination stations

Busy stations in Central London that have high volumes

of customers and include busy commuter and tourist

destinations, such as Bank/Monument, Embankment,

Leicester Square and Oxford Circus. These stations will

have 30 per cent more staff in the ticket hall than today.

Metro stations

Serving predominantly inner London communities, with

many regular users, such as Clapham South and Mile End.

These stations will have dedicated customer service staff

with the latest in mobile technology permanently located in

ticket halls.

Local stations

Smaller stations, mostly in Outer London or beyond that

have lower customer numbers and serve mainly regular

customers, such as Rickmansworth and East Putney.

These stations will have staff stationed in ticket halls

providing help to customers who need it. zz

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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz High Speed Rail

The hybrid Bill, effectively the planning

application for the scheme, will give the

Government the powers to construct

and operate the railway. It will also

give those affected by the proposed line the

opportunity to petition Parliament, both for

and against the proposals, and have their

case heard by a committee of MPs.

The Government believes that the new line –

the first to be built north of London for

120 years – is vital to meet the urgent rail

capacity needs on the main rail routes into

London. Parts of the West Coast Main Line

are full in terms of the number of trains

they can carry, many of which are full to

overflowing. There are similar issues facing the

East Coast and Midland Mainline.

The publication of legislation for phase one

marks a significant milestone in the project.

Once Royal Assent has been achieved, it

is expected that construction of the line

from London to Birmingham will begin in

2016/2017 allowing the line to open in 2026.

The Government has also published the

Environmental Statement for phase one of

the scheme. The document sets out in detail

the likely significant environmental effects of

the scheme. It will allow those on or near the

line of route to see exactly how they will be

affected and give details of the ways in which

the railway has been designed to reduce as

far as practicable impacts on the landscape.

These include:

l Around 23 per cent of the line between

London and the West Midlands will be in

tunnels and around 32 per cent lowered into

the ground with cuttings

l Landscaped earthworks and the planting

of at least two million trees will further help to

screen the railway, reduce the impacts of train

noise and integrate the line into the landscape

l Much of the earth removed during the

construction will be used to create these

earthworks, greatly reducing the amount

of earth that would have to be otherwise

transported, cutting lorry journeys and

associated congestion, disruption and pollution

l Drawing on Japanese technology, HS2

trains will be fitted with special features to help

reduce noise. Considerations include the use

of wheel fairings to cut the noise made by the

wheels on rails – the biggest source of noise

on any electrified railway; and eliminating the

gaps between each train carriage to cut noise

and boost aerodynamic efficiency. zz

HS2 took a major step forward at the end of November with publication of the Bill for phase one of the country’s new railway between London and Birmingham

Hybrid Bill for HS2 published

Call to action – join our research panel today!

l Railway Strategies and market research consultants Accent have joined forces to create an exclusive research panel for members of the rail industry to voice their opinions on the latest hot topics. Together the team will tackle the most pressing and urgent issues affecting rail, and we’d like you to get involved. We feel it’s imperative to listen to the voice of the industry when it comes to notable events and changes and we would like to hear from you. Every two months, we will issue a questionnaire on a hot topic, which will take no longer than five minutes to complete, and then feedback your views and opinions. Speaking about the panel, Rob Sheldon, MD at Accent said: “The research panel is a great way for industry professionals to express their opinions on the items topping the news agenda. What’s also really interesting is to have these viewpoints from across the industry and see the effects upon the sector as a whole.” Martin Collier, editor at Railway Strategies added: “We receive a lot of research-

based news stories, but what’s great about the panel is the research findings come from our readers. We can set the agenda and look in more depth at some of the topics affecting the rail industry, both now and in the future.” Topics will vary depending on what’s making headlines and will cover any ongoing subjects such as HS2 and where best to spend budgets? What passengers are saying and how to improve customer service are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, if you feel there is an important issue which needs the attention of the panel, simply let us know. Joining the panel couldn’t be simpler, all you need to do is email [email protected] with your details. Once you have signed up you will automatically be sent the bi-monthly questionnaire. All responses will be kept anonymous unless you express your consent to be quoted within Railway Strategies.

http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.php?contentid=18919&issueid=530&se=1&searchphrase=ca


Shaping the future of rail traffic managementl RSSB is working with

100%Open to build an ambitious

open innovation programme

on the future of rail traffic

management.

The programme known as

FuTRO (Future Traffic Regulation

Optimisation) portrays a vision

for a future of advanced traffic

management where train position

and speed management will

deliver a high capacity, on-time

railway. The launch of the first two

challenges was announced on

5th November:

l The Universal Data Challenge:

– How do we manage the future

railway through combining

diverse data sources in a timely

way?

l The Supermap Challenge:

– How do we create an accurate

and versatile map of the rail

network so that we can model

ways to optimise the system?

FuTRO is designed to support

the broader vision in the Rail

Technical Strategy where the

2040s railway is envisaged

to combine flexible, real-time

intelligent traffic management.

Control centres will know the

precise location, speed, braking

and load of every train on the

network to optimise operational

performance and keep

passengers informed.

Workshops held in 2013 have

helped pinpoint the focus of the

challenges and the associated

questions.

Architects sought to consider aesthetics of overhead line electrification l How can the design of gantries and cantilever structures be made more aesthetically pleasing?

The rail industry’s Enabling Innovation Team, which forms part of the FutureRailway programme,

has teamed up with HS2 to promote a competition through the Royal Institute of British Architects

(RIBA). The challenge – announced by RIBA Competitions in December, and funded by Department

for Transport – is looking for ideas from around the world to improve the appearance of overhead line

electrification.

In addition to new-build dedicated high speed lines like HS2, the Rail Technical Strategy includes a

vision for an extensively electrified network which has reduced reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable

resources. Rail industry proposals for CP5 and beyond include further electrification programmes.

The competition is open internationally to architects, engineers and designers. Team and

multidisciplinary entries are encouraged. Concept designs submitted digitally are required for the initial

application stage with up to ten shortlisted. Shortlisted designers will then have up to £15,000 each

available to fund the next stage of development of their scheme which will include producing a scale

model of their design.

The closing date for design submission is 29th January 2014

Innovators win funding to re-think the train

l The first four of eight finalists have been awarded investment as a result of entering

the Radical Train competition, run by the rail industry’s Enabling Innovation Team. The

investments, which are the first substantial tranche of competition funding to be released

from EIT, will be genuine enablers to the winning SMEs, organisations and consortia,

who now have the opportunity to practically demonstrate the viability of their proposals.

The ‘Radical Train’ challenge was set up to seek out proposals for new ideas which

aim to make a marked difference in the performance of trains on Britain’s railways,

encouraging ideas to re-think the fundamentals about rolling stock. A total of 56 high

level entrants applied and eight were shortlisted in May to develop their proposals further

to secure investment. The first four contracts have now been agreed supporting over

£6 million worth of innovation projects in the UK. The EIT is investing approximately

£2.5 million with the innovators contributing a similar sum. The first four successful

applicants are:

l Revolution VLR Consortium (Very Light Rail) consisting of TDI (Europe) Ltd (Transport

Design International), Unipart Rail Ltd, Warwick Manufacturing Group centre HVM

Catapult, Trelleborg PPL Ltd, Allectra Ltd and GKN Land Systems for their low carbon,

very-lightweight whole passenger railcar demonstrator

l Holdtrade Ltd, Transnet, Huddersfield University and HBA Ltd for their radical freight

bogie concept

l Thales and NewRail for their active adhesion monitoring project

l A confidential investment in emissions reduction and fuel efficiency technology.

Applications were assessed on their ability to realise significant improvements and

create benefits for passengers, freight users, train operators, the environment and supply

industry. The judges also considered the international market potential of the proposals.

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There are a number of challenges under the banner of the Future Railway initiative and you can find out more via the website: www.futurerailway.org/eit

R ail freight is vital to Britain’s economic success. It

contributes £900 million to the economy and plays a big

part in reducing congestion and carbon emissions. In

fact, according to Richard Price, chief executive, ORR,

‘[Freight] is the most transformed sector in the rail industry since

privatisation.’

Network Rail provides open access for freight operators on

its network, and Network Rail’s freight team provides support

to the industry to improve performance and freight growth. It is

committed to working with customers and stakeholders to fulfill

their business needs, as well as working with operators and

developers to commission dozens of new rail-served freight sites,

and help to grow freight on the network.

Challenging targetsPaul McMahon, who became director of rail freight at Network

Rail in June 2013, says that performance and capacity are the

two main aims for his team. Over the past five-year Control


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Period (CP4) freight charges for using the network have

reduced by a third as well as there being improvements in

the performance of freight trains. However, despite their best

efforts, Network Rail were finding it a challenge to meet the

targets that had been set by the Regulator: “Our target was

for 2.94 delay minutes per 100km, and yes, this has been

identified as a rather abstract measurement! We are currently

projected to finish the Control Period somewhere between

three and 3.5 delay minutes per 100km, but in 2011 when it

became apparent we weren’t going to meet the 2.94 delay

minute target, the Regulator got involved and as a result the

Freight Recovery Board (FRB) was set up.” The FRB’s purpose

is to promote improvements to freight service performance

(reducing delays to freight services) and protect the interests

of freight customers.

“At the FRB, now called the Freight Joint Board, we sit

down together with the freight operators (FOCs) to keep a

focus on current performance issues, and although we aren’t

Freight trains provide a vital service across Britain.

Libbie Hammond talked to PAUL McMAHON, director of rail freight at Network Rail, about how the sector has

developed and plans for the future

INTERVIEW I Paul McMAHON

Moving freight

forward

going to hit the exit trajectory that we were initially targeted

with, the engagement and the delivery is now vastly improved

compared to where it was,” Paul noted.

He was also pleased to add that the next Control Period (CP5,

due to commence in April 2014) would herald the arrival of a new,

simpler performance measure called the Freight Delivery Measure

or FDM. “This calculates the number of freight trains that arrive

on time, at their destination, and ‘on time’ includes 15 minutes of

leeway. The regulator set us a floor of 92.5 per cent, but we are

targeting 95 per cent FDM in the CP5, which is about the same

level of where we should be exiting CP4.

“Today we are seeing the best ever performance on record in

terms of freight punctuality even though we are behind the 2.94

target, and in CP5 with the new measure – assuming we

hit that target – then we will see a consistently high level of

freight performance and that will be with a measure that is better

and easier to understand for a person on the street, an operator

or shipper.”

Strategic Freight NetworkWhen it comes to capacity enhancements, Network Rail

delivers a range of schemes to support freight growth,

including the Strategic Freight Network (SFN) programme.

The SFN consists of a series of schemes that improve the

performance, economic efficiency and capacity of freight on

rail. “There has been a wide number of schemes that are

being delivered through CP4, for example one to enhance

the capacity from Felixstowe to Nuneaton, and another to

improve the capacity out of Southampton, both of which

are designed to enable us to carry more freight,” identified

Paul. “This programme has gone broadly to plan and we

are looking ahead to CP5 where we are going to invest a lot

more money into freight enhancements.”

The sort of schemes that Network Rail has earmarked an

investment of £230 million towards in CP5 include Phase

Two of the Felixstowe to Nuneaton works. “That is a major

programme of work for freight capacity improvements, and

will provide for greater capacity out of Felixstowe, allowing

more trains to go across country rather than to London

and along the North London Line,” explained Paul. “There

are also more gauge enhancements on the Western route,

and we are currently looking at possible investments to

improve capacity out of Northern ports. This will look at

all commodities, but there is a focus on biomass because

Drax power station has taken the plunge and is converting

some of its power generation to run on biomass. Other

power stations may follow. The study has just started and

will come to fruition over the next few months. It is an

important piece of work for ports, power stations and other

stakeholders.”

Optimising capacityOverall, taking a more strategic look at capacity and how it

is used across the network as a whole is currently very high

on the agenda for Paul and his team. “We are working with

the freight operators, and ports and terminal operators, to

try and provide for a more modern way of running freight,

particularly in regard to on-time departure and on-time

arrival for freight trains. This happens to a degree for

container traffic, but historically we haven’t used capacity

on the network as well or as optimally as we could do. We

have an increasingly congested railway so we are looking

at the amount of capacity that rail freight operators have in

their hands through the access rights they hold to use the

network. We are looking to modernise that and have a more

efficient and optimal use of capacity by freight.”


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We are working with the freight operators, and ports and terminal operators, to try and provide for a more modern way of running freight‘‘


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The HS2 factor“There is also a very active debate with the freight sector on

just how much capacity would be available for freight on the

‘classic’ railway if and when HS2 becomes a reality,” said Paul.

“We are involved with that debate but there’s a long way to go

in terms of how HS2 would ultimately be used. As high speed

trains will need to use the classic network how do you fit in

freight services alongside these?”

The Rail Freight AlliancePaul mentioned Network Rail’s desire for introducing new

approaches to working with the rail freight industry and this

is highlighted in its participation in the new Freight Alliance,

formed as part of the Rail Delivery Group. The Alliance involves

all the main FOCs and Network Rail. The members come

together with a commitment to work more collaboratively, on

a range of freight policy and strategy issues. “We have had a

number of meetings, and we have already started to discuss

the issues I’ve highlighted – capacity, access rights, increased

efficiency and performance – as well as other areas such as

future access charges.

“When it comes to freight access charges, the Alliance is

also giving us a platform to take a very early look at what will

be coming in the Regulator’s 2018 Periodic Review. We want

to tackle some of the big strategic questions now so we can

have a thorough debate and identify the implications and work

towards early decisions for the Periodic Review, rather than

just looking at it a year before we need to.”

Traditionally there may have been tensions between Network

Rail and the FOCs over some issues, but as Paul noted, the

Alliance means that everyone at the table is committed to

working more collaboratively together. “This means everybody

is thinking about how they might need to adapt their behaviour

for the greater good of rail freight on key strategic issues,

so that we can grow the sector, provide better services and

perform at higher levels.”

He continued: “I think particularly there is a challenge for

INTERVIEW I Paul McMAHON

FOCs as on the ground they are competing hard with one

another to win and retain traffic and that reflects one of the

successes of the rail freight sector since privatisation. But under

the Alliance we are asking people to leave these motivations

at the door and come to the table and sit down and think

more collaboratively about the more strategic questions and

challenges that are facing the sector, so that we can deliver

greater capacity for freight and more sustainable growth for

freight as a whole into the future.”

Dealing with delaysIt is clear that Paul and his team at Network Rail Freight have a

full agenda already and big plans for CP5. He highlighted one

more current issue that has been high profile of late – delays

caused by freight trains on passenger trains. “Freight trains have

always broken down or been in the wrong place at the wrong

time and have delayed passenger trains, and equally this will

happen the other way round,” he said, “but the issue of what we

call FOC on TOC delay has increased over the past couple of

years and we are working with the freight operators, again under

the umbrella of the Freight Alliance, to develop a set of actions

in order to better understand and manage FOC on TOC delay.

“Going forwards on a railway which is increasingly busy and

congested, every minute of delay counts and we have got tough

targets to hit. Whether that’s for FOC or TOC performance, any

cause of delay is going to get scrutiny, especially any category

of delay that is showing an adverse trend. The FOCs and

Network Rail want to get a grip on performance and we have put

In place a range of initiatives to achieve this.

“Running freight trains is important for Network Rail. The

goods and commodities carried are vital for the economy with

about 25-30 per cent of containers imported into the UK through

the major ports of Southampton and Felixstowe continue their

onward journey by rail. The more freight trains we can put on

the network, and the more efficiently they run, the more traffic is

removed from the country’s congested roads, which is without

doubt a good thing,” Paul concluded. zz


Sustained growth in rail freight usage l The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)

has published a new statistical release

which highlights growth in Britain’s rail

freight sector. The ‘Freight Rail Usage’

statistical release contains information

on rail freight in Great Britain covering

the period from 1999-2000 to

30th September 2013. Freight usage

data provides a useful barometer of

economic activity and is closely linked to

other industries such as manufacturing

and imports/exports. The data for

2013-14 Q2 (1st July 2013 to 30th Sep

2013), when compared to the same

period last year, shows:

l Britain’s rail network carried a greater

amount of freight, with an 8.9 per cent

rise in freight moved to a total of

5.7 billion net tonne kilometres.

l The amount of coal moved increased

by 15.6 per cent to 2 billion net tonne

kilometres – accounting for

35.4 per cent of total freight moved

on the network.

l Oil and petroleum, international and

metal moved increased by

11.8 per cent, 7.9 per cent and

2.8 per cent respectively.

To read the full report visit: www.rail-

reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.3016

Network Rail to trial parcel shops at main line stationsl Network Rail is to test the concept of a parcel collection and delivery service

at its mainline stations to capitalise on the booming online retail market. This is

designed to generate additional revenue which can be reinvested in the railway

and to provide a convenient and accessible service for those making 1.5 billion

journeys by rail every year.

Following over 12 months of researching and monitoring the sector, Network

Rail has decided to initially test the concept at Milton Keynes Central station with

its 3000 employees who are based nearby and which is close to a number of key

delivery operations. This will be followed closely by trials at London Paddington

and Woking stations with other stations to follow throughout 2014 once the

concept is proven, creating up to 4000 new jobs.

The new business initiative is called Doddle and is a joint venture with leading

entrepreneur and philanthropist Lloyd Dorfman CBE. He is best known for creating

the Travelex Group which is now the world’s largest non-bank foreign exchange

business.

The Doddle dedicated parcel shops would be open seven days a week, early

until late, to fit with people’s busy lifestyles and enable them to choose exactly

how, when and where they send and receive parcels. There will be an easy-to-use

website and advanced touch point notifications through a mobile app, SMS and

email.

The service would be the only one of its kind that is available to every retailer,

e-tailer, parcel carrier and shipper, creating a network of single points for the

collection, return and sending of parcels. This open access approach will not only

enable retailers and carriers to enhance and complement their existing delivery

offering, but also allow the consumer to combine collections and returns from

multiple retailers into one trip at a time that suits them or coincides with an already

planned journey.

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l

First service from London Gateway

Network Rail’s Doddle parcel

service shop in Milton Keynes

The first official rail freight service from London Gateway was loaded and transported by Freightliner Ltd at 7.50 a.m. on Thursday 7th November as part of the port’s official launch. Serving its customer Hillebrand Group, Freightliner Ltd is running the service to Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT)

Netw

ork

Rail

Transformational design“Drax is a predominantly coal-fired power

station that generates around seven to eight

per cent of the UK’s electricity,” says Peter

Emery, Drax’s Production Director. “But

our ambition is to become a predominantly

biomass-fuelled generator, with plans to

convert three of our six generating units to

burning sustainable biomass.”

Moving biomassBiomass is biological, plant-based material

sourced from forestry products and residues,

and agricultural by-products imported from as

far away as North America. But unlike coal,

biomass must be kept dry as it is transported

from the ports to the power station in North

Yorkshire. Since 2010 a fleet of modified coal

wagons have been used, each retro-fitted

with top-doors to protect the load from the

elements.

Even this was easier said than done. Freight

wagons rank amongst the ‘dumbest’ kit on a

railway, with no electricity supply, for example,

to power the open and closing of doors. The

solution, designed by Lloyd’s Register, was

based around lineside magnets. As the train

approaches the hopper house it passes a

magnet that triggers the top doors to open. A

similar magnet then closes them upon leaving.

To ensure the doors are not activated by

magnetic activity along the route – risking

damage to overhead wires, tunnels etc – the

train driver turns a key to send a pressure signal

along the rake, priming the wagons to open as

they approach the hopper house. The same key

is then used to disarm the wagons once the rake

has passed through with the doors now closed

ready for the onward journey. Also, interlocking

the pneumatic system that powered the top

doors with the brakes meant the train could not

proceed unless all the wagons were securely

closed.

Back to the drawing boardThough an award-winning design in its own right,

these converted wagons were not optimised for

biomass. It is less dense than coal, for example,

This autumn has seen a revolutionary

new freight wagon enter into the

service on the UK rail network

specifically designed for the movement

of biomass. At 18.9 metres long and offering

a capacity of 116 cubic metres, in terms of

volume it is almost 30 per cent larger than

any other freight wagon on the network

and pushes the boundaries of rail vehicle

engineering. Most importantly it will play a key

role in transforming Drax into one of Europe’s

largest renewable generators.


Wagons roll

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Having worked together successfully in the past, Lloyd’s

Register was asked by Drax, owners of the UK’s largest power

station, to help them develop a state-of-the art wagon for

transporting biomass

Biomass wagon

meaning each wagon has to carry more

material. This was something Drax decided to

address.

In early 2012 Lloyd’s Register’s rolling

stock design teams began working with

Drax to revisit their initial design. The design

and engineering team, based in Derby, have

worked on a range of freight and passenger

vehicle projects, from full bodyshell design to

interior refurbishments, as well as bespoke

components and sub-systems such as bogies

and under-frame equipment.

“This is the sort of project that designers

like ourselves relish”, says Richard Gibney

professional head of traction and rolling stock.

“It was an opportunity to re-imagine an entire

concept, taking advantage of lessons learnt

from an existing model and removing some of

the inefficiencies.

“For example, though biomass can take

various physical forms – it is a less viscous

product, so it doesn’t need the steep ‘tapering’

at each end of the wagon that helps the coal

to pour out through the bottom doors during

delivery. So we felt we could capture significant

extra volume by ‘squaring off’ each end.”

Further capacity gains were gained by

pushing the width of the vehicle to the very

limits of the tight UK loading gauge. This meant

relocating the wagon’s pipework, structural

supports and control equipment by taking

advantage of previously unused space.

Extra bottom doors at each end of the

vehicles, combined with a new patented

product flow control system, ensured that

spillage was reduced via unloading.

Work on two prototypes, conformant with

all the necessary standards for operation on

the network, began in January 2013.

WH Davis, an independent British freight

wagon manufacturer, will fulfil the full order

for 200 units. zz


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For further information visit: www.lr.org/rail, www.drax.com or www.whdavis.co.uk.

Ross JacksonTom Zunder

Drax wagon in loading bay

Drax wagon in loading bay

Ed Davey helps unload train a wagon

Time-sensitive goodsIn a competitive global market, shippers

and consignees require a service that offers

reliable, consistent and precise movement and

storage of goods. These service requirements

become even more crucial for time-sensitive

LDHV goods. Today, this traffic is generally

transported by non-rail modes – either by road

which is cost sensitive over shorter distances

or by air which becomes effective when time-

critical premium products justify the higher

transport costs.

In the European context, road is typically

favoured for the transport of LDHV goods

between origin and destination in densely

populated areas. However, the major road

networks are increasingly congested and, in

many regions this has made road transport

unreliable. A shift to rail would help to relieve

the congestion and offer significant benefits

in terms of reduced energy consumption and

greenhouse gas emissions.

The main European flows of LDHV goods

were estimated using data from the ETSIplus

project, (Ref. 1) and validated using Eurostat

2012 statistics. Medium and long-term

forecasts were prepared for 2020 and 2030

using the Integrated Scenario developed by the

iTREN-2030 project (Ref. 2). For a qualitative

assessment, the team also interviewed ten

potential rail freight customers about their

expectations.

Around 49 per cent of all LDHV goods

transported by road are moved over distances

of 200km or more, and five national and

international corridors were identified which

have a substantial proportion of long-distance

traffic, including routes in Greece, Spain and

Sweden.

However, from a business perspective, rail

freight could only be expected to attract a

proportion of this volume. An estimate for the

volume of ‘rail-accessible’ LDHV traffic moving

over 200km is around 1.9 billion tonnes, which

is around 12 per cent of the total tonnage

currently being transported by road in the 27

EU member states and Switzerland.

To meet customer expectations, the rail

freight service would need to offer short, fast,

reliable and flexible trains, working in hub-and-

spoke networks, on high-frequency corridors

or serving multiple stops on longer routes.

The network would have to accommodate

temperature-controlled traffic, and link into

urban feeder networks or serve strategically-

located consolidation centres. Trains would

predominantly run on mixed-traffic routes,

requiring integration between freight and

passenger train services.

Given these conditions, the project team

believes that a high-performance freight train

running at passenger speeds would be able

to capture a percentage of the LDHV goods

currently being transported by road.

Capacity managementThe integration of freight and passenger

operations is key, as the LDHV freight trains

would need to run between passenger

services, using passenger-quality train paths.

Feedback from infrastructure managers

including Trafikverket, TCDD and Network Rail

T he hope within the European

Community is that given the right

technology, the right distances and the

right market conditions, up to

1.9 billion tonnes a year of LDHV freight could

be switched from road to rail in the future.

The FP7-supported SPECTRUM

(Solutions and Processes to Enhance the

Competitiveness of Transport by Rail in

Unexploited Markets) project started in 2011,

has 20 partners from a range of industries and

is led by NewRail, the Newcastle Centre for

Railway Research. The project has analysed

the nature of the LDHV goods market and

the technical and operational concepts which

could facilitate a shift of time-sensitive traffic

from road to rail.


A new concept for rail freight vehicles

Freight & Logistics zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The EU-funded SPECTRUM project has conducted research which suggests that a network of high-performance intermodal train services, using innovative wagons and horizontal transhipment technology could attract a significant proportion of the low-density high-value (LDHV) cargo which is currently transported by road in the European Union. ROSS JACKSON and TOM ZUNDER reveal all

The InnovaTrain concept has been developed from the RailXpress push-pull

train used by the Swiss retailer Coop to move time-sensitive goods for its own

business as well as third parties such as Heineken,

Lidl and the Post Office

helped the project team to understand the

principles of timetabling, service patterns and

operational procedures, alongside capacity

management policy and practice.

A number of ‘service areas’ specific to the

LDHV sector were identified. Infrastructure

managers would have to schedule train

paths that allow a freight operator to design

a door-to-door supply chain that meets its

customers’ needs. This would impact on the

way in which they develop timetables, whilst

still adhering to EU regulations about fair and

non-discriminatory treatment of all operators.

It is also important for terminals to be located

close to pre- and end haulage points, with

suitable, affordable transhipment equipment

for the swift transfer of goods from trains to

delivery vehicles.

In the research the behaviour of a

passenger-quality freight train was evaluated

on four of the corridors identified as having

significant demand for LDHV goods:

l Switzerland (Daillens - Chur)

l Sweden (Hallsberg - Malmo) - Denmark

(Copenhagen)

l Italy (Turin) - France (Lyon)

l Bosporus - Bulgarian Border (Halkali -

Kapikule)

Using simulation techniques it was

demonstrated to be possible to add a number

of LDHV trains within the current freight and

passenger timetables on each of the routes.

ConceptualisationUsing a combination of qualitative and

quantitative research methods to identify the

market requirements, the SPECTRUM team

came up with seven concepts for further

evaluation to result in an innovative freight

vehicle to meet these requirements, and looked

at opportunities to operate high-quality freight

services on the most promising corridors.

Nineteen participants, including railway

related academics, researchers, operators,

manufacturers, suppliers and infrastructure

managers, took part. Six characteristics were

identified and used to define the logistics and

vehicle design requirements: high performance,

reliability, mixed running, flexibility, security and

seamlessness. The types of goods and loading

unit to be transported, governed the concepts.

These concepts were reduced to three

through a ranking methodology favouring

Concept A, Concept C and Concept F. In

a subsequent evaluation stage, Life Cycle

Costing (LCC) and SWOT analyses were used

with both methods identifying Concept C as

the strongest.

The analysis was extended to look

specifically at the application of the concepts

to the four corridors, where trip distances

varied from 330km to 1900km. On the basis

of the LCC evaluation, Concept C offered the

cheapest cost per pallet-km.

Preferred optionThe favoured concept is a multi-purpose flat

wagon to carry containers and swap bodies,



incorporating a horizontal transhipment

technology. A key attribute is the ability to load

and unload the loading units without the need

for a costly dedicated terminal.

Having identified the market opportunities

and a suitable vehicle technology, the

SPECTRUM team will now undertake further

research to match the vehicle development

with the ‘service areas’ defining the potential

LDHV mix. A full economic assessment of the

concept is planned. zz

ReferencesRef. 1: ETISplus Project (2012). European

Transport policy Information System:

development and implementation of a data

collection methodology for EU transport

modelling. Retrieved 10th August 2012 from

http://www.tmleuven.be/project/etisplus/

home.htm

Ref. 2: iTREN Project (2012). iTREN – 2030

Integrated transport and energy baseline until

2030. Retrieved 10th August from

http://www.tmleuven.be/project/

itren2030/home.htm

Trials with the InnovaTrain ContainerMover 3000 (transhipment technology) were conducted in Switzerland in September 2011

LDHV Rail Freight ConceptsConcept Description Loading Unit Technology

A Multi-purpose intermodal Containerised, refrigerated, palletised MetroCargo

B Liner train – Container Containerised, refrigerated, palletised MetroCargo

C Multi-purpose – no semi-trailer Containerised, refrigerated, palletised Innovatrain

D Semi-trailer Refrigerated, palletised Kockums Megaswing

E Palletised Palletised goods including roll cages Forklift/pallet trucks

F Self-Propelled (1) Containerised, refrigerated, palletised MetroCargo

G Self-Propelled (2) Containerised, refrigerated, palletised MetroCargo

Ross Jackson is a research assistant at NewRail, Newcastle University

Tom Zunder is the rail freight and logistics group manager at NewRail, Newcastle University

For further information visit: www.ncl.ac.uk/newrail/research/project/3909 Tel: 0191 222 3974Email: [email protected]: www.newrail.org

Ross JacksonTom Zunder

SNCB Logistics is an independent freight rail

operator within the Belgian rail group SNCB.

The freight activity was historically losing money,

even before the economic crisis. To become a

profitable and competitive private rail operator, it needed

to restructure itself completely. The company was

privatised on 1st Feb 2011. The firm had never invested

in cutting-edge systems to improve the efficiency and

quality of its services – that was of course until IRON.

The implementation of an integrated planning tool,

code-named ‘IRON’ gave the firm’s managers the ability

to plan based on actual demand and get a precise

and transparent view of required resources. IRON has

improved profitability, efficiency, productivity, quality

and safety. Thanks to major cost-cutting measures and

the benefits of tools like IRON, break-even is near and

productivity and quality have structurally improved.

The rail-freight planning challenge

Rail-freight planning is a complex puzzle. It involves

long- and short-term planning of locomotives, locomotive

drivers and local personnel. Plus constraints such as

maintenance rules, route knowledge, traction knowledge

and different working time directives and regulations.

Before SNCB Logistics introduced IRON, it used

separate systems to handle locomotive and train driver

management and planning. It used altogether different

systems to plan local ground operators and rail paths.

SNCB Logistics wanted a single planning system to

control its complete production chain. It would cope

with all production resources (yard staff, train drivers,

locomotives and rail paths) and all planning horizons,

from long-term to day-of-execution.

After tendering the project, SNCB Logistics selected

Quintiq and its implementation partner, Ab Ovo. Ab Ovo,

a specialist in rail freight and in advanced planning and

scheduling (APS) solutions, implemented the Quintiq

software and modelled the solution to the customer’s

demand – a collaborative project which was called IRON.

One solution – many benefits

The solution allows SNCB Logistics planners to see

the entire plan in one place. It integrates planning and

scheduling of line locomotives, shunting machines,

drivers and yard staff. It helps planners make the best

decisions for scheduling and re-scheduling resources.

The new system integrates existing planning methods

with the new processes required for the operations of the

new SNCB Logistics organization. It is easy to adjust and

it improves communication between different planning

teams. SNCB Logistics’ unique constraints such as

traction knowledge or work environment are modelled in

the system, leading to safer and more secure working.

Because the system consolidates and controls a lot

of data, it also makes it easier to align planning with key

performance indicators (KPIs). This helps SNCB Logistics

managers improve performance. The results of the

project include improved employee satisfaction, flexibility,

punctuality, higher safety levels, better operational

performance and optimized decision making, leading to

reduced costs and increased profitability. Quintiq and

Ab Ovo plan further work to improve the business results

even more. They have scheduled regular updates that

they can put in place very quickly.

More growth planned

Today 150 planners and 60 additional users are using

the system every day. This will grow to 200 planners and

100 additional users. Working with Ab Ovo and Quintiq,

SNCB Logistics has planned and organized training for

all 300 users.

Partners in puzzle-solving The Quintiq platform for planning, scheduling and

optimization beats traditional solutions by integrating all

processes and resources into a cohesive, flexible plan.

Quintiq uses today’s most sophisticated optimization

engines and can be fully configured to fit the processes

and constraints of the business. Covering multiple

planning horizons and coordinating all planning

parameters, Quintiq solves every planning puzzle.

As a long time Quintiq implementation partner, Ab Ovo

has broad experience in modelling customer solutions

using the Quintiq platform. It has in-depth knowledge of

rail-freight business processes and puts that knowledge

to use in various rail-freight companies throughout

Europe. The company delivers advanced planning and

scheduling solutions as well as an extensive back-office

application, the Rail Cargo System, which is tailored to

individual rail-freight operations. zz

Ironing out the freight planning problems


How an integrated planning tool helped SNCB Logistics improve quality, safety and performance

“IRON is proving to increase our

competitiveness and supports our mission to become the most

reliable rail operator. This initiative is only one step in a line of measures

that SNCB Logistics is undertaking to improve

the safety, quality and productivity of its

services.”

Geert Pauwels, CEO of SNCB Logistics

Freight & Logistics zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

In 2010, the total goods transported within the

EU-27 were estimated at 3831 billion tonne-

kilometres (btkm). Of this, road transport accounted

for 45.8 per cent; intra-EU maritime transport for

36.9 per cent; rail for 10.2 per cent; Between 1995 and

2010, total freight volume increased by 25.2 per cent,

with road freight increasing by 36.2 per cent. In contrast,

rail freight transport has increased by a mere

0.1 per cent, from 386btkm to 390btkm, over the same

period (European Commission, 2012).

The structure of international trade One key reason for the stagnant position in rail

freight volume is the structural change in European

manufacturing industries. Many have moved gradually

to the East, in search of cheaper labour and other

inputs, and/or have changed their consumption pattern

– consuming more imported products and producing a

lower volume of exports. Such change in production and

consumption patterns has resulted in a different set of

transport service demands and a further reason for rail’s

failure to grow has been its lack of response to this new

freight transport requirement.

For typical international trade, a transport chain consists

of transport legs such as deep sea (e.g. Shanghai port in

China to Rotterdam port in the Netherlands); feeder/short

sea leg (e.g. Jiaxing International Feeder Port to Shanghai

port); and inland transport (by road, rail or waterways) at

both ends of the transport chain. Depending on the final

destination, the inland leg may need a combination of

transport e.g. road and rail, or road and waterways. The

selection of the import/export (maritime) port depends

on, among others, the strategies and abilities of the

ports in the region, connectivity with the inland origins/

destinations and the inland transport operators’ ability

and services.

The freight supply chain

Generally, a shipper or consignee is interested in

procuring a freight transport service from a single

operator. It could be an international shipping line, or a

multimodal operator, or a freight forwarder who can take

responsibility for the entire transport haul, consisting

of multiple legs, not just deep sea, feeder, or inland. To

offer the door-to-door, integrated service that modern

supply chain requirements demand, the shipping line may

subcontract the inland transport to a competent transport

operator – a road haulier, or rail freight.

A maritime shipping line may try to enhance the share of

carrier haulage in Europe by, for example, establishing

partnerships and alliances with shuttle train operations.

In line with this approach, and to achieve a higher level of

integrated door-to-door transport service, an extended

gate terminal haulage concept may be developed, where

some of the terminal activities, traditionally performed

in a maritime port, can be moved to an inland terminal,

or port/depot. Depending on who is in control of the

transport chain, and considering factors such as distance,

transit time, frequency, shipment size and cargo type

(e.g. high or low value, time sensitive etc.), the inland

as well as total freight transport service options may be

determined by either shippers, consignees, shipping lines

or a multimodal operator.

In many cases, the international shipping lines face

obstacles in expanding the integrated network by rail

intermodal services. One reason for this is the fact that the

European railway sector is lagging behind in responding

to the needs of a reliable supply chain. Rail operators

must co-operate with other transport and supply chain

actors as a partner, not just as an operator between

terminals. The reality that one supply chain competes

with another and the fact that a successful supply chain

shares the benefits among all its partners means that a

lack of truly market-driven rail operators has largely left

rail unable to respond to market demand. It is a fact that

many rail operators (e.g. DB, SNCF) are not yet privatised,

making the operational model and market responsiveness

of these transport companies very different from that

of typical trucking companies who offer door-to-door

services, either alone, or in partnership with international

transport operators (including rail, maritime and air).

Theoretically it is claimed that rail freight operation

becomes viable for the longer transport haul (nominally

more than 500km). In practice, however, there are many

European routes, or corridors, where trucking companies

are the major operators over such distances. A recent

example of the benefits of rail liberalisation can be noted

here. In the liberalised environment, the share of rail traffic

has increased from ten per cent in 2007, to 40 per cent

in 2010, carried by some new entrant private operators

and incumbent RENFE on the route between Valencia and

Coslada in Spain.

Rail strategies for becoming a supply chain partner in Europe


Freight & Logisticszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zz

According to figures produced by the European Commission, the volume of freight transported by rail within the EU has barely increased since 1995. DEWAN ISLAM explores the issues

surrounding this situation and the means for bringing about improvements

Low-density high-value (LDHV) goods (e.g. plants and flowers)

A mixed freight train


Freight & Logistics zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzChange the service offering

The rail operators need to come out of their comfort zone

of offering services to a limited number of large customers

with low value, high volume, less time-sensitive cargoes.

To increase market share they must compete with road

transport in capturing low density, high value cargo. Many

of these cargoes are also time-sensitive and require a more

reliable and faster service. Here, rail operators will have

to equip themselves with some of the customer-tailored

attributes that road offers and/or join hands with freight

forwarders, who can consolidate cargoes and offer pick-

up and delivery services. Such joint services can be useful

on longer routes with higher cargo volume.

In achieving a door-to-door integrated service, the

decrease in satellite operation of feeder rail freight

(i.e. the share of single wagon load or group of wagon

load) is a particularly crucial issue. Rail operators must also

modernise their information systems, to provide track-and-

trace data and the ability to respond to customer queries,

when needed. Some wagons will need to be fitted with

a power supply system, plus the associated equipment

to enable a temperature- and pressure-controlled

environment for such cargo as flowers, or fish. A cargo

monitoring system must also be put in place, allowing the

driver/manager of the train to report, in real time, to a

co-ordinator for the transport chain partners.

Open borders – except for rail One further issue of note is that, despite an absence

of physical border control in EU-27 for almost all other

services, this function is very much alive – in a negative

sense – in the case of rail freight operation. The UIRR

(International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport)

reports that 88 per cent of road-rail combined transport

consignments passed through at least one border in

2012. The RETRACK study, part-funded by the European

Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme,

reported border waiting times ranging from 2.5 hours

(in Western European countries e.g. between the

Netherlands and Germany) to seven hours (Eastern

European countries e.g. between Hungary and Romania).

This border-crossing issue is one that will need to be

resolved, if rail is to grow as a truly viable and competitive

European supply chain partner.

Acknowledgement

NewRail wishes to acknowledge the support of the

European Union Framework Programme 6 and 7 within

which much of their research in freight and logistics is

carried out. zz

Dr. Dewan Islam is a research associate at NewRail, Newcastle University, UK Tel: 0191 222 3972 Email: [email protected] Web: www.newrail.org

l Eversholt Rail, in partnership with Abellio

Greater Anglia and Wabtec, has launched the

Class 321 Demonstrator at Liverpool Street

station. The train has undergone a high-

specification refurbishment and technology

upgrades. It will now run in normal service on

the Abellio Greater Anglia network for a year.

During this period, Eversholt Rail and Abellio

Greater Anglia will be seeking passenger

views on the many new features showcased,

all delivered at a fraction of the cost of a

new train.

Over the next year the four-car unit,

modified by Wabtec in Doncaster, will operate

on a number of lines, including those to

Southend, Chelmsford, Braintree, Colchester,

Clacton, Harwich and Ipswich. To fully

understand passengers’ preferences and test

out different options, the unit features two

suburban style and two metro style carriages.

Seats in the suburban carriage are configured

3+2, with existing seats refurbished and

raised. The metro style, used on commuter

lines, has a 2+2 seat configuration, with all

new seating. The metro carriages also feature

an extended entrance area to allow easier

access and egress to and from the carriage.

In addition to new and refurbished seating,

the entire unit has new air-conditioning and

heating systems; energy-efficient LED lighting;

modern double-glazed fixed windows;

better wheelchair areas; and a wheelchair-

accessible toilet.

Eversholt Rail is also developing a new

system to replace the Class 321 traction

equipment to improve energy efficiency

and increase reliability. This builds upon

Eversholt Rail’s earlier success in replacing

the traction system on the Classes 465/0

and 465/1 electric multiple units in operation

with Southeastern on the Integrated Kent

Franchise.

Class 321 Demonstrator launched

Ever

shol

t Rai

l Gro

up

Refurbished seating in the suburban carriage

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Rolling Stock


A battery of testsl Network Rail and its industry partners – including the Enabling

Innovation Team, Bombardier and Greater Anglia – are testing the case

for an independently powered electric multiple unit to potentially run on

short, unelectrified branch lines in otherwise electric parts of the railway.

Lithium Iron Magnesium Phosphate battery technology from Valence

is the first to meet the requirements of the project following testing

at the Valence lab in Texas. Other battery technologies, including hot

sodium nickel salt, continue to be reviewed. Data gathered during the

experiment will be used to determine what form any future independently

powered electric multiple unit will take, be it a straight battery unit or

hybrid.

Re-engineered Class 317 unit unveiledl At the end of November 2013, Angel Trains unveiled its re-engineered Class 317 unit at an event held at Bombardier

Transportation’s depot in Ilford, London. The pre-series vehicle has been the subject of a £7 million overhaul as part of a joint project

between Angel Trains, Bombardier Transportation and Abellio Greater Anglia. The finished unit will provide the train operator with new

train look, feel and performance at a fraction of the cost of building a unit from scratch.

The project included a complete interior redesign to increase capacity and ensure PRM (Persons of Reduced Mobility) compliance,

significant engineering work on the doors to increase the ease of maintenance. A major retractioning project was also undertaken to

move the train from a DC to an AC power unit which now enables the train to make use of regenerative braking and benefit from faster

acceleration, both of which will significantly reduce power consumption and operational costs.

The retractioning work and inclusion of regenerative braking means that the re-engineered vehicle will be able to attain ‘new train’

performance with lower operational costs compared to the original Class 317 units, all without having to build a new train.

The retractioned unit will benefit in five key ways:

1. Better performance – improved acceleration providing faster journey times

2. Reduced maintenance – AC traction motors mean that no more brush changes

are required and the time between maintenance overhauls can be

significantly increased

3. Greater reliability – replacement traction system will provide

performance more akin to a new train

4. Reduced environmental impact – under optimal conditions

Class 317 will use up to 40 per cent less power

5. Lower cost – significant reductions in maintenance and operating costs.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Rolling Stock

New arrivalOn 28th November, First TransPennine Express and Siemens welcomed the delivery of the new Desiro Class 350/4. Unit 350 401 was delivered into the Ardwick traincare facility ready for its acceptance inspection.

Angel Trains

Angel Trains

The engineering overhaul was carried out by Bombardier

Transportation with a large proportion of the work carried out at the

company’s Ilford depot.

Travelling passengers on re-engineered Class 317 trains will have

the opportunity to benefit from a number of new features, including:

l Refurbished interior, new seating and additional grab poles

l Increased capacity on each vehicle including larger vestibule areas

l PRM compliant

l CCTV cameras throughout the train to improve safety

l Climate controlled environment

l Plug sockets and Wi-Fi throughout the vehicle

l Passenger information systems to provide journey details

The pre-series unit unveiled at Ilford is currently going through its final

testing after which it will enter passenger service with Abellio Greater

Anglia in Q1 2014.

Siem

ens

plc

on the railway sector throughout the early 1990s. After

the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia at the end

of 1989 and the dissolution of the country into the two

individual states of the Czech Republic and the Slovak

Republic (Slovakia) in 1992, major reforms to how the

rail industry was operated throughout Slovakia brought

a significant shift in the market. Therefore, ZOS Zvolen

adapted its services to best serve the new state’s rail

needs as sales director, Vladimír Kaeuk explains: “Up

until the beginning of the 1990s the main focus of the

company was maintenance, mainly on locomotives and

we were entirely focused on the market in Slovakia. At

that time the state railway company ran the network

and we provided services for all of the locomotives in

the country. Then the beginning of the transformation

process started and a lot of changes came to the market

and therefore a lot of challenges for the market players.

At that time we decided that the maintenance business

would not be large enough to support the company

and would not provide enough of a base to develop the

company in the future.

“We then began refurbishment and development

services,” Vladimir continues. “Many of the operated

locomotives were produced 30 to 40 years ago and the

rail companies did not have enough finance to purchase

brand new machines, so there was a compromise of

modernization of the locomotives. In our region, ZOS

Zvolen was able to totally rebuild locomotives. This

means that the newly refurbished locomotive retains the

original frame, but all of the other fittings and devices are

totally new.”

Today, ZOS Zvolen is focused on three main areas

that form the basis of its wider market strategy. The

company retains its traditional market in maintenance,

which remains steady within the domestic market and

continues to manage a series of modernization projects

The company’s history begins in 1872 at the

beginning of Slovakia’s rail industry, where it

undertook the construction of the country’s first

locomotive powered railway lines and depots.

During this time it operated as part of The Rail Company

of the Slovak Republic, however during 1994 ZOS Zvolen

reached one of its most important milestones when it

split from Slovakia’s state rail company to become a joint-

stock venture. The repair manufactory Zvolen owned the

company until 2008 when Zvolen became part of the

ZOS Trnava Group, which is when the ZOS Zvolen brand

was born.

The development of ZOS Zvolen is closely linked to

the shifting political situation in the region and its impact


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

AMS100 mobile welding machine

A local partnerŽeleznicné opravovne a strojárne Zvolen a.s.,

(ZOS Zvolen) has long history dating back 140 years and is today one of the Slovakia’s most significant

rail company focused on the maintenance and modernisation of locomotives and railcars.

ZOS ZvOlen


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzfor rail networks internationally. The company has two

distinct divisions that offer targeted solutions based

on the customer’s needs. LOKO focuses on repair

and maintenance operations, while the MP (machinery

production) division takes on production, welding and

renovations. These divisions supply detailed services

including the replacement of engines, regular V25-

regulated vehicle examinations, welded structures

for railway vehicles and the supply of components to

domestic and foreign customers in the field of production

and repair of railway vehicles. The company’s third

branch is focused on the supply of components to

the main operators throughout the railways industry,

including ALSTOM, STADLER, Bombardier and ŠKODA

Transportation.

Domestically, ZOS Zvolen is connected to the most

dominant partners within Slovakia’s rail industry: ZSSK

Cargo and ZSSK Slovakia. This local business remains

a vital component within the company’s overall portfolio

and provides the base from which it is able to expand

into further markets within the EU and Asia. It maintains

close relations to operators within nations close to

Slovakia including the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary,

Ukraine and Austria as well as former Balkan states

including Serbia. Currently it is engaged in a major

contract in the Ukraine where it will soon service up to

300 locomotives over the next five to six years and is in

negotiation for a further large contract in Russia.

The company is also active within Asian markets,

which yield the potential for greater market presence

in the future, as Vladimir elaborates: “We are beginning

to enter wider markets throughout the world including

Asia, which is a different market for us and can be

challenging taking into account different engineering

practices and language barriers. However, we have had

some interesting work for clients in Asia in countries like

Pakistan and India. These have been successful but we

are still making a decision over whether we will fully enter

the region.”

Commenting on the company’s possible future

strategy in Asia Vladimir continues: “I think the most

acceptable business model will be to co-operate with

local companies, with which we can provide technical

engineering, design and technical support, training of

staff and the main elements for the refurbishment &

modernization of their locomotives. This could be very

successful and is a model that has been proven in

Eastern Europe. This gives us an advantage because

very often, local customers do not like all-in-one solutions

because they like some level of localization. This is

something we can do that larger players cannot. We are

able to understand the customer’s requirements and

build them into the customer’s project.”

The financial crisis has put a strain on rail operators

and in turn weakened the maintenance market, but

ZOS Zvolen is a dynamic company ready to meet the

challenge as Vladimir concludes: “The financial crisis

Knorr-BremseThe Knorr-Bremse Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles with more than 100 years of experience. For more than 100 years now the company has pioneered the development, production, marketing and servicing of state-of-the-art braking systems. With RailServices, Knorr-Bremse provides the ideal tailor made service package as maintenance, overhaul and repair of brake systems and on-board systems for every train operators´ requirement, whether for freight wagons, tramways, metros or for locomotives and high-speed trains. To achieve this, performance, quality and presence form the cornerstones of a service package which is unique in Europe.

has caused the value of transport services and the

maintenance market to decrease year-on-year. On the

other hand, the modernization market continues to grow

and our third field of manufacturing new components in

co-operation with other operators is also growing, so we

are very optimistic.” zz

http://www.knorr-bremse.at

It is often said that we live in a throw-away age,

where it is easier to buy a replacement than try to fix

something. This may be alright for things like mobile

phones and iPods, but it is another matter when

you consider large pieces of capital equipment worth

thousands, or even tens or hundreds of thousands of

pounds.

This is where industrial coatings come in. They can

prevent equipment failing due to corrosion and erosion

in the first place, or make it as good as, or even better

than, new if a problem does occur.

The cost of corrosion in the UK is around four per cent

of GDP per annum, but these are costs that can be cut

when it is realised that not everything that is corroded

necessarily needs replacing. It is no-longer the case that

a corroded tank, pipe, pump or other vessel, needs to

be replaced; even ones with numerous holes. One way

of achieving this is rebuilding corroded or damaged

areas with appropriate material and lining the vessel to

protect and extend its life.

Anyone who has ever repaired a boat or a canoe

will be familiar with the basic principle. You use some


When it comes to managing fluid containment vessels and associated infrastructure, DAN MACDONALD advocates the use of a coating or re-lining approach rather than complete replacement of supposedly life-expired plant

Network Rail’s Autumn Seasonal Fleet of 17,000 litre water bowsers were rehabilitated by the author’s company ahead of this year’s leaves on the line campaign

The right coating can make it better than new

Repairing a corroded vessel, before and after

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Corrosion & Painting


suitable material and GRP to repair the hole and then

use further GRP layers and other coatings, until the boat

is not only watertight but also looks as good as new.

While slightly different materials are used, and in industrial

strength, the principle is the same.

These lining methods are a very effective alternative

solution to replacement in terms of costs, time and

environmental impact. For example, there is no necessity

to dispose of contaminated equipment, to dig anything

up or knock anything down to deal with the problem. The

same methodology can also be employed to extend the

life of new plant and equipment and older equipment can

be updated to comply with new legislation.

Storage tanks in buildings are, in many instances, put in

place and the building is constructed around them; some

are even part of the structure. This means that to replace

or renew them, when they corrode or start to leak, is

difficult and in some instances impossible.

The answer is to repair and, in some cases, even

re-build the tank using a GRP laminate system, effectively

making a tank within a tank.

The same method can also be used on outside tanks,

underground tanks and even rolling stock. For example,

we recently completed the lining of 125 of Network Rail’s

17,000 litre water bowsers used in its Autumn Seasonal

Fleet to remove the notorious leaves on the line.

The effective use of coatings can be employed when

a change of service conditions in a tank would be

advantageous. For example, redundant diesel tanks can,

through the use of coatings, be changed to water storage

tanks. This effectively recycles the tank, reduces the

carbon footprint and saves the costs of a new tank and

removal of the old tank.

Large fuel storage tanks can also have their life

extended in a similar way. The bottom of the tank and

walls, up to around 300mm above the floor, suffer from

various forms of corrosion, mainly due to the water

content in the fuel; the environmental fall-out along with

the subsequent associated costs should a leak occur are

immense. A cost effective and environmentally friendly

solution is to line these areas with a suitable coating and

if required this could be reinforced with a laminate system

to strengthen the floor.

It is a wise precaution to implement a regular

programme of inspections to monitor the condition of

plant, tanks, pipework and equipment, so that damage

and wear and tear can be identified early and rectified

before it causes a major problem, costly down-time and

either replacement or expensive repairs.

An additional bonus is the fact that a longer warranty

period can often be obtained for something that has been

repaired and lined than the manufacturer will offer on

brand-new equipment. A typical manufacturer’s warranty

will be two to three years at most, whereas coatings

companies usually offer up to ten years, depending on the

environment and proposed use.

While the main thrust of this article is to encourage

repair, rather than replacement, through the use of

coatings, it would not be complete without looking briefly

at some of the other cost-effective uses that are relevant

to the rail industry.

For example, operators can improve the environmental

credentials of rail companies while protecting them from

future costs by ensuring that fuel storage tanks do not

leak and, if they do, that the lining of the secondary

containment bunds that should surround static tanks are

in fact leak-tight and comply with the Control of Pollution

(Oil Storage) Regulations 2001.

A similar situation can occur at refuelling sites where, no

matter how careful personnel are, spills will occassionally

occur, and a properly coated containment apron will

prevent these spills leaching into the ground and

eventually leading to a long-term contamination problem.

The safety aspects of coatings are now also being

discovered by the rail industry. We have coating systems

which will provide a non-slip safety surface to station

platforms. The process we use is very quick to apply and

the coating is very fast curing; a matter of hours, so the

disruption to the station is kept to a minimum. zz

Anti-slip surfacing can be applied to steep walkways as well as flat platforms

Dan Macdonald is managing director, Repair Protection & Maintenance Ltd Web: www.rpmltd.co.uk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Corrosion & Painting

Work in progress on Network Rail’s fleet of 17,000 litre water bowsers

W hen mounting, checking or handling a

bearing, the process needs due care

and consideration in order to ensure the

product’s longevity and effectiveness. If

they are not handled correctly, bearings can be prone

to failing quickly and unexpectedly, but some basic

checks will help avoid some of the common problems

associated with their handling and usage.

General tips on handling

Since rolling bearings are high-precision machine

parts, they must be handled carefully. Even high-quality

bearings will not deliver the desired service life and

performance quality if they are not handled used and

maintained correctly.

However, observing a few basic precautions will help

negate the possibilities of premature failure. Firstly, the

bearing and its surroundings must be kept clean.

The presence of any dust and dirt – even particles not

visible to the human eye – is one of the key causes of

bearing failure.

Bearings must also be protected from corrosion.

Perspiration on the hands and a variety of other

contaminants may cause corrosion, so hands should

be clean and dry before handling bearings, with gloves

worn if possible.

Care should also be taken when handling the bearing

itself. Heavy shocks may scratch or cause other damage

to the bearing, while physical impact may result in

brinelling, breaking or cracking.

The proper tools should always be used for any work

involving bearings – general purpose tools should be

avoided. The manufacturer’s instructions are generally

the best place to start for a guide on this.


MALCOLM WATSON and TONY SYNNOTT discuss best practice in mounting, handling and checking the operational functionality of newly mounted rolling bearings

Handle with care!

Engineering zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Malcolm Watson has worked for Brammer for 39 years in roles including branch, regional and field sales management roles. For the last 16 years he has been working in product management covering both seals and bearings

Tony Synnott is currently working for NSK as engineering manager for the UK Sales department heading a team of application engineers providing service to both OEM and aftermarket engineering sales activity.


Mounting

The mounting process is absolutely key to the bearing’s

running accuracy, life and performance, therefore

the manufacturer’s mounting instructions should be

followed precisely. Failure to do so could result not just

in premature failure but in damage to other components,

unscheduled downtime and invalidation of the product

warranty.

In the first instance, the bearing and any surrounding

components should be thoroughly cleaned and dried,

with the dimensions and finish conditions of related parts

then checked.

The mounting procedure should then be followed.

Since most bearings rotate with the shaft, the bearing

mounting method is generally an interference (tight) fit for

the inner ring and shaft, with a clearance (loose) fit for the

outer ring and housing. The correct type and quantity of

lubricant should be applied.

After mounting the bearing, an operating test should be

undertaken to verify that the mounting has been carried

out correctly.

Checks & common faults

On small machines operated manually, the bearing

should be turned by hand. Checks should be made

for stick-slip – these will be manifested in the form of

debris, cracks and dents; uneven rotating torque, which

generally indicates faulty mounting; and excessive torque,

which again shows either a mounting error or insufficient

radial internal clearance.

Once these checks are complete, the machine should

be turned on and operated at a low speed without a load,

gradually increasing the speed and load till the typical

rating is reached.

Checks should be made at this stage for irregular noise,

bearing temperature rise, lubricant leakage and lubricant

discoloration.

Several types of noise may be heard. A loud metallic

sound can be caused by an abnormal load, incorrect

mounting, insufficient or incorrect lubricant, or contact

with rotating parts. A loud regular sound can be the result

of brinelling or flaws, corrosion, scratches or flaking on

the raceways. Meanwhile, an irregular sound will be heard

in the event of excessive clearance, penetration of foreign

particles, or flaws or flaking on balls.

An abnormal temperature rise is frequently the result

of lubrication issues – either too much or too little, or

the wrong type. However, it can also be caused by an

abnormal load, incorrect mounting, ‘creep’ on the fitted

surface, or excessive seal friction.

Brinelling, flaking, incorrect mounting and foreign particle

penetration can all contribute to excessive vibration or

axial runout. Lubricant leakage or discoloration is usually

the result of overzealous application, or the ingress of

foreign matter or abrasion chips.

In the event of any of these occurring, the appropriate

remedial action should be taken immediately. Failure to

do so will almost inevitably result in failure of the bearing,

with the likelihood of associated damage to other

components.

Once the bearing has passed all these checks and is

fully operational, it is good practice to check the bearings

on a regular basis with the aim of identifying any damaged

or failing components as early as possible. zz


For further details visit www.brammeruk.com

develop the business strategy which includes

all business divisions. The yearly strategic

objectives in the operational units are then fed

down in line with the Policy Deployment which

drives the rating of key performance indicators

(KPIs) throughout the entire business.

l The KPIs are fixed in all departments.

Performance management is separated into

five main categories: S (Safety), Q (Quality),

D (Delivery), C (Cost), and P (Performance).

SQDCP boards are used so everyone can see

at a glance what the current problems are, what

needs to be done, and who’s responsible for

making sure they are resolved. The boards also

serve as focal points for daily walk-throughs by

management team members.

T BM Consulting Group, a global

operations management consulting firm

that maximises value and accelerates

growth through improving business

performance announces a new offering – the

TBM Management System.

After more than two decades working with

clients across the globe to improve business

performance, TBM has developed its own

proprietary system of tools and processes that

ensures sustainable business improvement.

This TBM Management System, based on

best practices and a lot of customer projects,

creates visibility for strategic goals, ensures

alignment, and empowers employees to get

focused on the initiatives that matter most.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Business Improvement

New TBM Management System guarantees business growth

The system connects the business strategy

to everyday operations with a constant focus

on results and measurement. The system

recognises the differences between the

company’s expected performance goals

and the current performance situation, and

prevents deviations from occurring or corrects

them when they do. It helps employees at

every level to make the correct decisions,

which allows the management team to

fully concentrate on business strategy and

development.

There are four phases within

the TBM Management System:

l TBM and the client work together to

Using the proprietary four-step approach, businesses can expect to see three-fold increases in top-line sales and two-fold increases in EBITDA



New TBM Management System guarantees business growth

l A team-based inter-divisional problem

solving culture is introduced. The management

team reviews the KPIs as needed – in general

daily – and on a weekly / monthly basis

the long-term strategic goals. Corrective

measures such as fault prevention and

troubleshooting must be implemented at this

stage. Commitment is required from the total

workforce for continuous and sustainable

improvements.

l TBM consultants coach business leaders on

how to push through and guide cultural change

within their organisations through appropriate

leadership.

The multi-level approach of the TBM

Management System has proven successful in

TBM’s work with Eurostarl TBM has been working with Eurostar at our Temple Mills depot for over three years now. Initially they were brought in to provide education on LEAN, and to start a programme of Kaizen events within the depot.

The 48 Kaizen events that have taken place over the last three years have been interspersed with regular follow-up events, and the reconvening of the event teams has meant that over 100 gatherings have taken place in total.

When we started the programme, we soon discovered that the biggest challenge would be to change the culture, which had been embedded in the depot for such a long time. It took two years to change – much longer than we had initially anticipated. This was partly due to the fact that the Kaizen and LEAN Production System was presented to us as the latest ‘initiative’. In the railway engineering environment we have seen many initiatives discussed over the last 30 years and so, rightly or wrongly, there is often scepticism around the term and how long the latest ‘initiative’ might be in place before the next one is introduced!

However, after a slower start than we expected, I am pleased to say that the culture has well and truly changed. The Business Improvement Team works alongside the engineers and their input is well received by all as they help to turn good ideas into action. The change is permanent and here to stay.

Another key learning we took from the first year of the programme is that it’s much harder to make changes unless the whole team – right from the shop floor to the management – is on board.

Some of the best improvements and biggest savings that we have seen have come from some very surprising areas. It has been proved many times that, until you take the time to investigate and look into a process, you don’t know what you can find. My advice would be not to pre-judge a process – you don’t know until you try.

its implementation with pilot customers. The

connection between everyday operational

execution and long-term strategic goals as

well as the empowerment of employees

at every level to proactively contribute

to solving business problems has been

proven to significantly enhance a company’s

competitiveness and market growth.

“We‘ve developed the TBM Management

System based on our long-term experience

with various management tools and hands-on

customer projects. The TBM Management

System consolidates this experience into

a framework that we use for each and

every customer project. Our approach is to

implement sustainable process improvements

and establish a problem-solving culture within

organisations which enables the individual

employee to make quick decisions, thereby

relieving the burden from management and,

in turn, causing a substantial increase in

efficiency,” explained Richard Holland,

vice president TBM Europe. zz

Web: www.tbmcg.com

Example of business improvement: The introduction of calibrated digital torque wrenchesAs part of the business improvement team at Eurostar, Mick Watts uses the TBM management system to systematically investigate business processes to find out if there’s a better process to maximise efficiency. He says some of the biggest surprises have come from processes that they had thought were absolutely fine; one of which related to their process for tightening safety critical fastenings on the underside of a train. A simple task you might think but to tighten the nuts and bolts on just one component could take up to 20 minutes due to a six minute walk to reset a regular torque wrench. They would reset the wrench three times which could involve walking the full length of the train (394 metres) back to the manual settings station. The new digital torque wrenches are calibrated to deliver the exact force required and take only a few seconds to adjust. These will be rolled out across the relevant areas of the business and will be a lot more time-efficient for the teams on the shop floor.

Today our aim is to systematically work through all our processes and not allow them to go too long without a review. We have three Kaizen Promotion Officers trained within the depot and plan to have two more in the next few months. Mick Watts, business improvement manager, Eurostar

Richard Holland

According to a new report (Reference 1) from

the International Energy Agency, policies which

improve the energy efficiency of urban transport

systems could help to save as much as

$70 trillion (over £44 trillion) in spending on vehicles, fuel

and infrastructure between now and 2050.

With energy consumption for transport in cities

expected to double by 2050, transport organisations

face a seemingly impossible challenge – to continuously

improve safety and service, while reducing costs from

their complex infrastructure and asset networks.

Tracking assets Asset management in the rail industry is a hugely

complex discipline as it encompasses high volumes

of discrete and linked assets – all of which must be

managed cohesively to ensure the core objectives of

safety, service and efficiency are achieved. Effectively

managing a programme which spans overhead lines,

tracks, tunnels, ticket machines, barriers, escalators and

signalling simply cannot be achieved through traditional

Computerised Maintenance and Management Systems

(CMMS) or generalist Enterprise Asset Management

(EAM) systems.

Many EAM systems were built primarily to serve

industrial and manufacturing industries and while their

core objectives – maximising the lifecycle of equipment;

increasing operating capital; reducing downtime;

improving safety and compliance; and enhancing

customer service – might be similar, the specific needs,

activities and types of assets of rail organisations are

very different.

A train company for example has a lot of linear assets

such as rail tracks and overhead power lines, the

condition of which can vary from section to section.

Overhead power lines on railways typically sag over

time, and as a result, the train simply won’t attach. If this

situation is allowed to occur, it will not only cause major

problems in terms of train punctuality, but the line is

difficult to inspect and would cause immense disruption.

Through viewing the overhead lines as a linear asset,

which is monitored not as a finite entity but as a series of

segments, sagging can be tracked and addressed before it

become a costly problem.

Train companies have numerous types of vehicle within

their organisations which have different engines and parts,

and are subject to varying maintenance regimes and

individual warranties. Highly detailed information is required

on the entire fleet in order to make accurate predictions on

engine wear and tear, fuel consumption and punctuality,

all of which impact the cost and reliability of a service.

However without a means of tracking this diverse data,

cost savings and reliability cannot be optimised.

A micro-vertical approach The nuances of the rail industry, combined with the need

for large scale efficiencies and service improvements,

require highly sophisticated, industry-specific EAM

capabilities.

Such applications must be able to monitor a diverse

range of assets, including point, linear, vertical, networked

and componentised, in a live environment. These asset

types have varying properties as the follow illustrates.

Linear

The ability to monitor linear assets in transportation is

crucial as railway tracks, overhead power lines, bridges,

tunnels and roads are technically classed as one asset,

however their condition varies from section to section

adding complexity to the process.

Point

The most straightforward type of asset, this refers to a

single, discrete asset such as a shelter or bench.

Networked

Networked assets rely on each other in order to provide a

service. Signalling equipment and information screens are

good examples.

Vertical

This might be signage or signalling at a particular station

Excess baggage


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

KEVIN PRICE looks at how rail

organisations across the world

can tap into more than £40 trillion

worth of savings using a new

breed of industry-

specialised EAM system


Asset Managementzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzwhich runs off the rail organisation’s core infrastructure.

Componentised

Component-based assets might be anything from an

escalator to an underground train – an asset which is

composed of multiple parts.

One of the problems for rail organisations is that, in the

past, they have been forced to use multiple solutions to

manage their assets as EAM providers typically have niche

capabilities which support a specific area or type of asset.

This inevitably presents complexities in terms of integration

and maintenance, and quite often leaves gaps which must

then be addressed through manual processes.

However a new breed of applications not only provide

both the breadth and depth to support every type of

asset used in rail, but they feed live data into a central

system which, using social, analytical, mobile and cloud

capabilities, can present the information in a format which

is tailored specifically to the preferences of the user.

Crucially, these are ‘off-the-shelf’ applications designed

specifically for the transit industry that require no costly

customisation.

These new capabilities are being enhanced further

through a number of other areas which are gaining

momentum in the transport industry. Technological

standards are evolving and helping to facilitate a shift from

analogue to digital monitoring equipment, improving the

speed and reliability of data capture.

And the adoption of asset management industry

standards and best practice such as ISO 50001

and PAS 55 is strong in this sector, driven in part by

the transparency demanded by regulators following

privatisation in the UK utilities and transport sectors.

Uptake of PAS 55 is common amongst transport

companies and in many cases they have led the charge

over their industrial counterparts. In conjunction with the

right software, standards such as ISO 50001,

ISO 55000 (when available), and PAS 55 provide

improved structure, stronger momentum and greater

coherency.

Adopting this kind of best practice combined with highly

specialised capabilities for rail organisations will set the

leaders from the laggards in this sector, and undoubtedly

generate a proportion of the USD 70 trillion savings

earmarked for the transport sector in the coming years. zz

Reference

Reference 1: www.iea.org/publications/

freepublications/publication/name,39940,en.html

Kevin Price is product director, Infor EAM. Web: www.infor.com

The event incorporates: MetroRail – network management, operations

and global projects

Light Rail – planning, design and

implementation

RailTel – signalling, telecommunications and

automation

Rail Power – energy efficiency, storage and

recovery

Air Rail – integrating airports with urban

transport networks

Key speakers include: Terry Morgan, Chairman, Crossrail

Mike Brown, Managing Director, Transport

for London

Pierre Mongin, Chairman & CEO, RATP

Andy Byford, CEO, TTC (Toronto)

Peter Dijk, CEO, Amsterdam Metro

MetroRail co-located with Light Rail, RailTel, Rail Power and Air Rail

It’s all about urban transit

l As cities and passenger

numbers grow, urban

transport is becoming

increasingly connected.

Building on ten years of

MetroRail, the urban rail show

is designed to help you cover

every aspect of urban rail

in just two days. No matter

where your interest lies – light

rail, heavy rail or infrastructure

– we have content, networking

and new partners for you.

1-2nd April 2014 Business Design Centre, London

Ibrahim K. Kutubkhanah, CEO, Jeddah Metro

Andrew Bata, CSO, New York City Transit

Dan Grabauskas, CEO, HART (Honolulu)

Ramon Canas, CEO, Metro De Santiago

Didier Bense, Board Member, Société du Grand

Paris

Anne-Grethe Foss, Deputy Chief Executive,

Metroselskabet (Copenhagen)

Aurelio Rojo Garrido, Secretary General, Alamys

Duncan Cross, Deputy Director Operations,

London Overground & Crossrail

Peter Cushing, Metrolink Director, Transport for

Greater Manchester

Geoff Inskip, CEO, Centro (Birmingham)

David Potter, Chief Engineer, Eko Rail (Lagos)

For more details, please download the event

brochure here:

http://www.terrapinn.com/RS-brochure

T he process of purchasing and

managing tools, maintenance,

repair & overhaul (MRO) and health &

safety products for manufacturing and

process facilities can be a complicated one,

requiring hundreds or even thousands of stock-

keeping units (SKUs) to be available whenever

and wherever they are needed on-site.

This means that significant amounts of cash can be

tied up in slow-moving products, while there may be little

thought given to whether these products are delivering

optimal performance and value, with the same product

simply reordered whenever stocks run low.

In a bid to simplify the process and reduce working

capital, many companies have in recent years been

taking a long, hard look at the process to see how it can

be improved.

One of the areas where the greatest impact is

consistently achieved is in ‘standardisation’ – minimising

as far as possible the number of different brands and

models of product used for the same task, while ensuring

there is no compromise on performance, quality or safety.

Typically undertaken as part of an overall improvement

initiative, standardisation can rapidly deliver a measurable

commercial return.

How it works – a simple example

In one facility handling sensitive metals, glass is

banned completely in one area of the factory because

of its propensity to contaminate the products being

manufactured. Because of the nature of the tasks being

performed in this section, the risk of cuts to the hands

had been assessed as the highest possible, meaning all

operatives working there were required to wear safety

gloves with the maximum Level 5 protection. After

some searching, a glass-free glove offering the required

protection was sourced, but this did not negate the

contamination issue. Operatives working in other, less

sensitive areas of the factory were still wearing around

a dozen other types of gloves, many of them containing

glass, but on occasion still had to enter the glass-free

area, with the potential that they may forget to remove or

change their gloves when they did so. And as many of

the different glove types looked very similar, there was a

real risk that an operative could inadvertently choose the

wrong type.

The answer lay in standardising the gloves in use in the

factory. An internal study revealed that the Level 5 glass-

free gloves could be used throughout the factory without

any impact on productivity while negating any risk of

glass contamination. The estimated annual cost saving

– based on zero waste due to glass contamination,

reduced downtime, and fewer SKUs needing to be

ordered and processed, exceeded £100,000.

The role of standardisation in optimising productivity and efficiency

It is not only in the area of safety where standardisation

can play a role. Production consumables can be

standardised for both operational and commercial gain,

too. In the area of abrasive discs and belts, for example,

it is not uncommon for companies to source and stock

multiple grades of product to cope with all stages of the

process from weld and burr removal to finer cosmetic

finishing. Yet innovation in recent years has created

abrasive products that not only reduce the number of

process stages required (and therefore the number of

different belts or discs needed) but last longer too.

While the initial purchase price of these new items

may exceed that of the existing products, the true

value they can offer will only be appreciated through a

study of whole-life costs and, of course, trials under real

operating conditions. Considered in these calculations

must be factors such as a comparison of processing

time, changeover time, and reject rates. Standardisation

in this area will only work if the operatives using the new

Raising the standard


KEVIN LACEY considers the role of maintenance, repair and overhaul product

standardisation in operational and commercial success

Kevin Lacey is marketing & growth director at

Buck & Hickman

Web: www.buckandhickmanuk.com

Depots & Maintenance zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


consumables buy into the process and are fully trained in

getting the best out of them. Incorrect product choice by

the operative, poor technique, and disposal of consumable

products which may still have useful life in them – simply

because they have always been changed at those intervals

– will all conspire to ensure that any potential cost savings

identified at the outset are not fully realised. Hand in hand

with the standardisation of products, therefore, must go

a process to standardise procedures to ensure maximum

value is extracted from the change.

A model for success

How can the benefits of standardisation be delivered, in

pressured production environments where the interests

and motivators of different stakeholders in the process –

financial directors, quality managers, purchasing teams,

production managers, health & safety specifiers, and

production operatives – may vary radically?

The initial opportunity for standardisation can be

identified internally or externally by a consultant or supplier.

An initial feasibility study should set targets for the project

which are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable,

Relevant and Time-bound objectives. Once these are

agreed, with a documented projection of financial benefits,

buy-in should be sought from key stakeholders such as

the head of production and financial decision-makers,

before the procurement team are involved. The next stage

is the establishment of an ‘integrated product team’ (IPT)

who will agree timescales and location for the trial. The

trial then takes place, with the IPT evaluating the results

and then preparing a final evaluation against the original

objectives and proposal for sign-off by all stakeholders.

The full project is then implemented, with training and

induction for those individuals involved in the changeover,

measured and continuously monitored against the

objectives set.

While SKU numbers will almost inevitably fall, with a

positive impact on cash flow, standardisation should not

be considered solely as a means of reducing the costs of

MRO purchases. In some instances initial purchase costs

may increase as the value and compensation they offer

will appear elsewhere on the balance sheet. Best value

will be extracted through taking a holistic view with a

scientific approach to assessing the return on investment

at every stage of each project.

Planned and managed effectively, in conjunction with a

partner who can provide independent advice alongside

a broad product range and ongoing technical support, a

product standardisation programme has the potential to

deliver significant operational and commercial benefits. zz

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http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

http://www.railimages.co.uk


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzFIRST GROUP

Nearly a year and two independent reviews

later, short-term contract extensions have

been implemented and promises to improve

the Government’s overall franchising policy

made. In March 2013 Transport Secretary Patrick

McLoughlin unveiled long-term plans designed to

drive improvements to rail services, deliver on major

infrastructure projects, and put passengers at the heart

of a revitalised rail franchising system.

Dealing with this period of uncertainty is undoubtedly

an ongoing challenge, but as Vernon Barker, the

managing director of FirstGroup’s UK Rail Division was

keen to highlight, the most important thing has been to

continue with ‘business as usual’ for passengers. “At

Keep moving

As the UK’s largest and most experienced rail operator, FirstGroup is looking forward to the upcoming franchise

competitions and submitting further high quality bids that deliver value for

passengers, taxpayers and shareholders

FirstGroup we made sure that we remained focused on

the day job – we still have to deliver for our customers

and run the train services we have in existing franchises.

We couldn’t afford for any interruption of the franchising

programme to interfere with what we do on a daily basis

for customers,” he began. “So we made sure that we

maintained our standards and also continued with any

planned improvements as usual across all our franchises,

and that included First Great Western and First Capital

Connect, which were two of the refranchising businesses

at the time. We ensured that we focused on delivering

and improving on our current levels of service.”

He continued with some details about how the Great

Western franchise specifically has been affected: “First


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzprogrammes that are already underway, such as the

Reading station remodelling. This two-year single-

tender direct award will help to maintain stability for

customers while going through a front-end period of

transformation.”

Vernon added: “I think there is a lot of really positive

change coming for the Great Western franchise and

customers, and we are working to remain there and see

the delivery through. My colleagues on Great Western

have been through some tough challenges, primarily

the infrastructure projects, up to this point so it would

be very nice to be there delivering on some of the very

positive stuff.”

The other FirstGroup franchise that is hoping to

receive a short direct order is First Capital Connect

and negotiations with the DfT are progressing well.

Furthermore, as recently as 1st November, FirstGroup

announced it had been shortlisted for the ScotRail

franchise competition by the Scottish Government. The

Group currently operates the franchise which provides

passenger train services throughout Scotland. The new

ten-year contract, with a potential break point after five

years, will be awarded next year and is expected to start

in April 2015.

Vernon was delighted to have been shortlisted for

the ScotRail franchise competition, and he is also

pleased to see that the Government has set a detailed

transparent timetable for the receipt of bids on the

two recently issued invitations to tender (ITT) for the

Essex Thameside and Thameslink, Southern and Great

Northern (TSGN) rail franchises. “It is encouraging that

these two franchises, which were paused this time

last year, will be let and that bids have to be in before

Christmas,” he said. “I think that is really important and

I would encourage the DfT to stick to that strategy as

there is quite a bit of work to be done over the next few

years and these deadlines are essential, especially given

all the work yet to complete on the Thameslink upgrade

and the receipt of new trains.”

Following the intense scrutiny that the franchising

process has seen over the past 11 months, Vernon was

glad to see that the conclusions drawn endorsed the

Government’s overall franchising policy, and highlighted

that the privatisation of the railways has been of crucial

importance in creating what is today – an industry with

record levels of investment, a doubling of traffic (from

750 million journeys a year to 1.5 billion) and the best

recent safety record in Europe.

“I echo many of the comments that have been made

across the summer since the production of the industry’s

Growth and Prosperity report, which does show that

while it is has had challenges, the franchising model has

actually delivered the greatest growth the industry has

seen in living memory,” he added.

He went on with more specifics about FirstGroup’s

franchises: “I think that FirstGroup has been instrumental

in delivering a good number of new train fleets into our

Great Western and First Capital Connect were still very

much at the front end of the refranchising programme,”

he said. “With First Great Western we entered into

negotiation with the Department for Transport and were

awarded a 23 month deal in October, which means First

Greater Western Ltd will operate trains between London

Paddington, the Cotswolds, south Wales and the south

west until September 2015.

“This direct award was really encouraging for us,

and was very much the right thing to do for passenger

services. The Great Western franchise area is going

to see some significant change over the coming years

while it receives the benefit of massive investment in

electrification, new rolling stock and the infrastructure

Vernon Barker, managing director of FirstGroup’s UK Rail Division


franchises. In fact, since we have been operating our

successive businesses as franchises we have introduced

a new fleet of trains on every one of them in order to

cope with increasing passenger demands. Overall, I think

privatisation has been a success story.”

An essential part of FirstGroup’s successful franchising

operations has been its strong relationship with Network

Rail. Vernon noted that this has been essential to the

delivery of a variety of projects, including one north of

the border in Scotland. “The alliance we formed with

Network Rail and ScotRail was pivotal in delivering the

Paisley Canal Electrification, which otherwise would not

have gone ahead based on the initial cost estimates,”

he explained. “By adopting a more proactive alliance

approach, the operator and Network Rail managed

to get the costs significantly reduced. In addition the

alliance’s strategy for possessions worked for both

parties, as it gave Network Rail better access and got

the job done in a shorter period of time.”

Indeed, such was the success of the Paisley Canal

Electrification project that ScotRail and its partner,

Network Rail, scooped top prize in the ‘Transport

Team / Partnership of the Year’ category at the National

Transport Awards in October 2013.

“The solutions they created were very, very clever,

and it is a great example of how working together

on a project means it can be completed at less cost,

implemented on time and as a result delivered benefits

for transport across Scotland,” noted Vernon.

Back in England, Network Rail’s work with the

operator on the redevelopment of Reading station has

been crucial in the project’s evolution, as has First Capital

Connect’s work with Network Rail on the Blackfriars

scheme in 2012 and the London Bridge works due

in 2015.

Added Vernon: “I must also highlight First

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzFIRST GROUP

UnipartOver a number of years, FirstGroup and Unipart Rail have been clear and consistent in their intentions to work collaboratively in order to create joint value and support each other in delivering their growth objectives.Each organisation decided to seek accreditation for the recently established BS 11000 certification for ‘Collaborative Business Relationship Management’ in order to further develop and evidence their current and future collaborative practices with their respective suppliers and customers. Subsequently, both organisations were delighted to achieve certification. Commenting on behalf of Unipart Rail, Isabelle Lloyd, Sales and Customer Service Director stated that: “The key concept behind BS 11000 is that organisations that work together can achieve much more than they can achieve alone and this has long been recognised within both FirstGroup and Unipart Group. We are delighted to have supported FirstGroup in their journey to the certification to the new British Standard and grateful for their contribution to our own certification.”

http://www.unipartrail.com


TransPennine Express’s work with Network Rail on the

electrification of the Chat Moss route and the wider

Northern Hub developments. Our electric trains are

being delivered over the next few months and these will

allow First TransPennine Express to transform its offering

from Manchester airport and add extra capacity and a

strengthened timetable on other diesel routes when we

cascade the diesel trains from the northwest to cross-

Pennine services.

“The Northern Hub is a programme of a number

of different projects that include some spectacular

engineering feats, such as putting extra platforms

in at Manchester Piccadilly. In fact, through a strong

relationship with Network Rail we have been quietly

delivering a raft of significant improvements around the

UK, including some in the core of London.”

Since first getting involved in the UK rail industry,

FirstGroup has introduced 740 additional vehicles and

invested over £650 million into its franchises. As a result

of its hard work and dedication, the four franchises have

received more than 250 awards since 2005, including

First TransPennine Express being crowned the 2012

Rail Business Awards Train Operator of the Year and

First ScotRail currently holds the title of Scottish Public

Transport Operator of the Year. Vernon concluded with

his views in why FirstGroup is good at what it does:

“I am always impressed with the people I meet in our

organisation, across all the franchises,” he said. “We

have got a strong and committed management team

and I think throughout the business we have staff that

really have the interests of the customer at heart.

“I do genuinely believe that our people come to

work to deliver good service to our customers and

they consistently try their hardest to deliver. Overall, we

remain focused on getting things right first time and

running an on-time railway, and after all – that is what

our customers are looking for.” zz


www.firstgroup.com/uktrain

WabtecThe Wabtec Group is one of the UK’s leading railway engineering companies, undertaking the maintenance, overhaul, refurbishment, life extension and repair of railway rolling stock and associated components.Through the combined resources of Wabtec Rail Limited, Wabtec Rail Scotland, Brush Traction and LH, we are able to provide rolling stock owners, passenger train and freight operators a range of services that cover all aspects of railway rolling stock maintenance, overhaul and refurbishment.For further information visit: www.wabtegroup.com

http://www.wabtecgroup.com

Netw

ork

Rail

New Street’s east-side transformation beginsl Work has begun to transform the east side of Birmingham’s

New Street station, which was the main station entrance until

the opening of the new concourse in April this year. The original,

1960s-style concrete façade has been a familiar sight on the

Birmingham skyline for the last 50 years, but is now being

removed in large sections as the transformation from pebbledash

to the stunning stainless steel cladding which will transform the

exterior of the station begins. The project will also deliver better

pedestrian connections across the city and new public space in

the heart of the city centre. The project completes in 2015.


Plans for Ealing Broadwayl When Crossrail fully opens in 2019, up to ten services an hour

in each direction will serve Ealing Broadway, allowing passengers

to get to a range of destinations more quickly and easily. The

station will be an interchange with the District and Central line on

the Underground as well as National Rail services. The proposed

plans, which have been submitted to the London Borough of

Ealing, would replace the existing cramped entrance and ticket

hall with a new glass structure that would let in much more natural

light and be significantly more spacious. In addition, new lifts and

staircases will make it easier for passengers to get around the

station.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I StationsNe

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Tottenham Hale to be a landmark stationl Plans to transform Tottenham Hale into a landmark station,

with greater capacity and step-free access for interchanging

passengers, have been announced by Transport for London

(TfL) as part of its Tube Improvement Programme. The plans

are part of a committed package of transport improvements,

which includes a £54 million investment from TfL. The

proposed station improvements are funded through

£20 million from TfL’s Unlocking New Growth Areas fund

and also include a contribution from the Mayor’s Recovery

Fund. Subject to approval of the planning application, work

is expected to start on site in 2015 and be completed

approximately 18 months from then.

Demolition under way on the east side of Birmingham New Street station

The design image for Ealing Broadway station

Station prefabricationl On Monday 9th December, the Transport Secretary Patrick

McLoughlin and Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme

visited Laing O’Rourke’s state-of-the-art factory in Steetley, in the

East Midlands, where the construction of Crossrail’s new Custom

House station is underway. Large sections of the station are being

built in Steetley and then transported more than 130 miles to East

London and assembled on site. This process saves time and money

and ensures that disruption to residents, existing rail services and

the nearby ExCeL London conference centre are minimised as far

as possible.

Overview of the Steetley plant


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzNe

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Hellifield transformedl Network Rail has completed a project

to refurbish historic Hellifield station in the

Yorkshire Dales. Built of iron and glass, the

station canopy is over 130 years old and

was last refurbished in the mid 1990s.

Network Rail, alongside its contractor

J Murphy & Sons, has now completed a

£550,000 project to repair and redecorate

the station canopies structural steelwork

and replace all the glazing panels. Stevenage station refurbishment set to beginl First Capital Connect has announced that Stevenage station, which is

the start or end point for more than four million journeys every year, is to

benefit from lifts that passengers can operate themselves, and a smart

new concourse and ticket hall. The existing lifts are designed for goods

and require a member of staff to be present. They will be replaced by

modern equivalents which can be easily operated by passengers. The

improvement work will also see the station concourse and ticket hall

receive new slip-resistant flooring and sleek slate-grey wall tiles. Areas

behind the existing shops will be brought back into use, allowing for the

existing units to be expanded, opening up new retail units within the

station.

l The £19 million upgrade of

Gravesend station completed

over the Christmas and New

Year period has unlocked

capacity improvements in Kent

which will provide more space

and seats for passengers. The

improvements to the station,

which include a new platform

and lengthened existing

platforms, will allow 12-car

trains to call at Gravesend

which will provide greater

capacity for passengers,

particularly those travelling in

and out of London. It’s the final

stage of improvement work

which will allow 12-car trains

to call at stations in the south

east London metro area for the

first time. Improved facilities

have been provided and a

new footbridge and lifts has

also meant there is step-free

access to all platforms.

Artist’s impression of the newly-refurbished ticket hall

Firs

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onne

ct

[Caption:]

[Credit:] Network Rail

Gravesend station reopens after upgrade work over Christmas and New Year

Gravesend station improvements

Netw

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Rail

T he rail industry is busier than ever. As consumer

gravitation towards public transport grows amid

soaring petrol prices, there are currently

40 per cent more passenger journeys than ten

years ago and the increasing popularity of rail travel

means that 50 per cent more trains run today than under

the former British Rail which ceased in 1997.

As such, efficiency is becoming an increasingly

important focus as the national rail community unites to

fix the CO2 mistakes (of the last 50 years) over the next

ten years, together with reducing its operating costs to

the same level as its European counterparts.

In a bid to drive improvements, operators within the

UK railway industry must look to deliver increased

value from stations by reducing industry costs, improving

the passenger experience and extending

commercial opportunities.

And so, the onus is on the station infrastructure to

invest in sustainable technology in order to maximise

revenue generating potential, with operating costs high

on the agenda. To place this into context, it is reported

that operating costs for the UK railway are 40 per cent

higher than its counterparts in France, Holland, Sweden

and Switzerland (www.fgould.com/uk/articles/

rail-industry-unlocking-potential/). The scope for

improved efficiency is huge and inevitable.

It would seem then that the UK rail industry is on the

verge of an energy efficiency revolution. The view of the

energy challenge ahead is clear: the industry needs new

solutions, new thinking and new companies to lead it

into an era in which more is achieved whilst consuming

much less.

The approach required is multiple and complex, and

needs a much more cohesive, efficient collaboration

between the key stakeholders, including estates, facility,

security and IT managers. Requisite levels of business

efficiency involve system dynamics, across platforms and

providers, like never before.

To place this into context, in a typical railway station,

each energy system is independent and requires its

own design, installation and management. An inherent

disadvantage to this scenario is the wasted time and

money dedicated to multiple vendors, redundant

supervision and excess cabling and devices. The result

is costly downtime, higher operational expenditures and

increased obstacles to achieving energy efficiency. As

such, there is a need to fit everything together to deliver

maximum results.

Fortunately then, the market has responded with a

highly intelligent innovation to negate this common issue;

an active management architecture from power

plant to plug.

Set to revolutionise the future of modern railway

stations, this new architecture provides a complete

solution to this issue by taking a truly holistic approach.

Unique to the market, it unites the separate entities of

the rail station, including power management, the IT

facility and building and security management, working

as the backbone of the entire rail station setup.

At every level, each building domain has its own energy

efficiency mechanics.

In terms of power management, quality control

products are employed to ensure intelligent power and

motor control and renewable energy conversion. This

ensures availability, whilst reducing energy bills and

limiting CO2 emissions

For the station’s IT department, the IT management

solution ensures availability of servers, critical data and

applications via intelligent IT equipment positioning, ultra-

secured power and dedicated SLAs, whilst improving

energy efficiency with cooling, IT capacity optimisation

and energy reports.

Conversely, easing the process for the facility manager,


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzStationszz

On track for a sustainable

station

LEE FAIRBURN discusses how active energy management solutions can help rail operators

achieve significant energy savings and prepare for a sustainable future


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzthe building side incorporates HVAC, lighting and

outdoor lighting control. Collectively, this improves user

comfort and productivity, whilst also reducing the energy

consumed.

Finally, there is security to consider. A combination

of video surveillance, emergency lighting and intrusion

detection maximises the safety and security of the

station’s occupants and assets. It also protects the

physical environment with integrated technologies; a

particular pertinent focus for the rail sector which is

subject to frequent vandalism and theft.

On a holistic level, the architecture takes all of these

multiple systems and adapts them to an integrated

solution, reducing redundancy in equipment, software

and personnel. Better still, with the need for adaptability in

mind, the system is scalable and can be applied to both

retrofits and new construction.

Collectively, the end-result is a high-visibility energy

management solution which allows the rail operator to

see, measure and manage energy in order to optimise

energy efficiencies across all domains; both during

installation and throughout the facility’s life cycle. Quite

simply, this integrated way of working provides the rail

operator with a single, actionable view of the facility.

The site manager can ensure business continuity, user

comfort, equipment security and energy performance in

every respect and from anywhere in the world.

Moreover, the architecture enables significantly reduced

energy consumption. From working in this way, operators

can look to achieve up to 30 per cent savings on capital

and operational expenses across the entire enterprise,

starting immediately. The result is real, tangible business

value and massively improved green credentials.

Of course, with so much to consider it can be hard to

know where to begin for the rail operator. The good news

is that for those looking to truly optimise energy efficiency,

manufacturers, such as Schneider Electric, have not only

developed sector-specific innovations for rail, but also

have dedicated expert teams on hand to help.

As we look to the future of the UK rail infrastructure,

momentous change is imminent as rail operators

endeavour to embrace sustainable strategy like never

before. In doing so however, it is essential not to think of

product singularly but rather think holistically and long-

term in order to achieve the maximum energy savings

possible. Only in this way is it possible to ensure that,

as a nation, we remain on track for a more sustainable

future in rail. zz

Lee Fairburn is segment marketing manager at Schneider Electric

Web: www.schneider -electric.com/uk

Call to action – join our research panel today!

l Railway Strategies and market research consultants Accent have joined forces to create an exclusive research panel for members of the rail industry to voice their opinions on the latest hot topics. Together the team will tackle the most pressing and urgent issues affecting rail, and we’d like you to get involved. We feel it’s imperative to listen to the voice of the industry when it comes to notable events and changes and we would like to hear from you. Every two months, we will issue a questionnaire on a hot topic, which will take no longer than five minutes to complete, and then feedback your views and opinions. Speaking about the panel, Rob Sheldon, MD at Accent said: “The research panel is a great way for industry professionals to express their opinions on the items topping the news agenda. What’s also really interesting is to have these viewpoints from across the industry and see the effects upon the sector as a whole.” Martin Collier, editor at Railway Strategies added: “We receive a lot of research-

based news stories, but what’s great about the panel is the research findings come from our readers. We can set the agenda and look in more depth at some of the topics affecting the rail industry, both now and in the future.” Topics will vary depending on what’s making headlines and will cover any ongoing subjects such as HS2 and where best to spend budgets? What passengers are saying and how to improve customer service are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, if you feel there is an important issue which needs the attention of the panel, simply let us know. Joining the panel couldn’t be simpler, all you need to do is email [email protected] with your details. Once you have signed up you will automatically be sent the bi-monthly questionnaire. All responses will be kept anonymous unless you express your consent to be quoted within Railway Strategies.

http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.php?contentid=18919&issueid=530&se=1&searchphrase=ca

At the outset of this complex project, Rail

Waiting Structures (RWS) was commissioned

to undertake only the design and specification

project. However, following customer approvals,

RWS was awarded the demolition, manufacture and

build contract, as the result of a tender process.

Diverse material usage

The scheme incorporates a 7m-wide walkway featuring

stainless steel and structurally glazed walls, covered

with an aluminium curtain-wall construction glazed

roof, which also incorporated LED lighting. Three retail

spaces were created using a structural steel frame and

Kingspan cladding and roof system.

Managing complexity

State-of-the-art 3D Computer Aided Design tools

enabled the creation of early visualizations of the

scheme to aid the approval process, as well as resolving

the complex component manufacture and construction.

The site was complex, incorporating challenging

slopes, curves and services. Access was also very

limited requiring careful logistics planning. The station

was in use to the public throughout the construction

programme. Rigorous site management ensured

maximum passenger safety, while causing minimum

disruption. The concourse was officially opened in

October 2013

Customer satisfaction

This is the best measure of success for any project and

this handsome construction was no exception. zz

Three Bridges station concourse & retail facilities


Rail Waiting Structures was awarded the contract to totally replace an existing dilapidated concourse with a high-quality, well-designed,

functional and efficient building

About the BSW Groupl Since November 1979, the BSW Group has been involved in the design and construction of a wide variety of projects from rail, tram, bus stations, covered walkways and canopies to just about every other covering you can imagine. The quality of workmanship has always been a priority and every aspect of a project from design to finished drawings and product are considered of paramount importance. BSW can provide a one-stop solution for the customer’s requirements, from minor civil works right through to erection of the structure. BSW Group head office is located in the Vale of Glamorgan. This facility has 3100sq ft of office space with three 48,000sq ft manufacturing units on the 17 acre site. An additional 20,000sq ft of manufacturing and office space is available within the West Midlands. BSW has recently expanded its operations into the Middle East having opened an office and factory in Dubai, where work is currently taking place on the Dubai Metro System.

For further information, please contact:

Rail Waiting Structures (A member of the BSW

Group of Companies)

Tel: 01446 795 444Email: [email protected]

Web: www.shelters.co.uk

Project overviewContract scope:l Specify l Design l Manufacture & supply l Demolish l BuildClient: Southern RailDuration: 30 weeks

Stations zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Projects are being driven by a need to think

about long-term capabilities and flexibility

for future change. This means the design

and integration of the fit-out needs to be

durable, maintainable and flexible. These elements

are addressed from design stage; being involved at

the earliest stage enables a manufacturer to ensure

performance whilst taking responsibility for delivery.

While balancing aesthetics with the performance

qualities of materials is key, budgets and limited working

hours in stations need to be factored in. Therefore

prefabrication of solutions is an important consideration.

The fit-out of any transport hub is a challenge.

Considerations include design, material choice and

durability, while the risk of issues on site during

installation and programme slippage has huge

repercussions for ensuring projects are delivered on

time and to budget.

To significantly reduce the risk for project teams

some manufacturers are choosing the design, supply

and install route to market. Transport hubs need to be

designed and fitted out to tight programmes and value

is generated by having one entity take ownership for

the entire process.

Working in live stations poses many complications

including limited working hours in a fully operational

environment. Prefabricating products and systems

under factory-controlled conditions allows better

quality-control. Compliance to tolerances and other

performance criteria can also be achieved as well as

a reduction in lead-times. Importantly site health and

safety is improved; usually fewer operatives are

required on site. Prefabrication of products and services

also helps reduce site waste and limit the

environmental impact.

Ensuring quality & value for station fit-outs


Stationszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zz

In a station environment the demand for innovative and

interesting interiors must be balanced with the use of

high performance products. The durability of a material

and ease of maintenance is essential to ensure they stay

this way.

Ease of access for maintenance and cleaning are

crucial for longevity, security and safety and place special

demands on material choice of interior fit-out solutions.

Metal solutions provide a durable surface that is easy

to clean and will allow ease of access for essential

ongoing maintenance, without damage. They also

provide for impact resistance in external or semi-external

spaces such as public concourses.

The ability to design in options from the outset for

effective ongoing maintenance and ease of access,

along with consideration for increasing number of

passengers, provides for time and resource savings in

the long term.

With off-site assembly and prefabrication

manufacturers, should have the ability to offer fixed

production and delivery lead-times ultimately providing

programme benefits.

The complexity of carrying out construction and

renovation work for such projects underlines the

importance of partnering with manufacturing installers to

enable this. Design expertise, flexibility and an innovative

approach are critical in this relationship.

On many of today’s major projects clients and main

contractors want to guarantee design, to deliver project

value, limit risk and have the comfort and benefits of

all-encompassing warranties. Working directly with the

manufacturer installer provides a single point of contact

from start to finish and pre-fabricating products and

systems ensures better quality control, reduction of lead

times and safer working. zz

ANDREW JACKSON discusses some

of the factors to be considered

when upgrading railway stations

Andrew Jackson is a director, SAS International

Web: www.sasintgroup.com

Waterloo station new balconyLiverpool Central station

SAS

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l

London Bridge

is one of the UK’s

busiest train stations, bringing

around 55 million passengers into

London each year. Built in 1836, it is also London’s

oldest station and in need of serious redevelopment in

order to cope with an unprecedented rise in passenger

numbers.

The station is currently undergoing a major transformation,

with the construction of new platforms for more trains, a

new concourse and the creation of a bigger and better

station. The changes will mean hundreds of Thameslink

trains can access the station every day – one every three

minutes – offering better connections than ever before whilst

adding to the redevelopment of the surrounding area.

The Thameslink Programme, a £6 billion Government

investment in rail, is due for completion in 2018. The works

are being carried out by Costain and Hyder on behalf of

Network Rail, with precast platforms supplied by Charcon

Specialist Products.

Due to the station’s age and size, design was always

going to be a fundamental aspect of the project’s success

and the redeveloped station’s longevity. This is where

Waldeck Consulting came in. Our Building Information

Modelling (BIM) expertise and extensive rail construction

experience made us an ideal design partner for the project.

BIM is becoming ever more prevalent on new construction

projects, not least because it has positive implications

in terms of cost saving and ensuring environmental

sustainability.

To date, Waldeck has provided information for the station

prototype area and the detailed Stage 1 construction

and manufacturing drawings of the project. These are

being used to enable assessment of the constructability,

maintenance and co-ordination of drainage and electrical

services to the platforms.

We are collaborating with Tekla Structures software to BIM

Level 2, which enables model sharing in multiple formats

with the main contractor and client, whilst tracking progress

and providing high level unit details to ensure manufacturing

is kept on schedule.

Using this software, Waldeck will be producing

engineering drawings and schedules for over 4000 precast

concrete elements of platform structure. These models are

created in 3D and automatically transferred into

2D deliverables for our client.

Waldeck has also used Bentley AecoSIM in

collaboration with the DGN and IFC files. This has allowed

us to produce specific components and unit profiles

for the various unit types in Tekla, which has greatly

improved our modelling output. Also included within

this programme are various seam joints and cutting

components, allowing us to develop the unit shapes

required.

One of the great aspects of designing in this way is that

we have also been able to split our model into phases

to demonstrate model changes, unit amendments,

individual platforms and construction phases for the client

and main contractors.

The ability to co-ordinate the model between various

software and file formats has provided all design parties

the ability to effectively collaborate on models and

drawings throughout the development and detailed

design process.

The speed in which drawings can be created has also

been a huge advantage to Waldeck. It means that we

have been able to provide Charcon with manufacturing

drawings and Bar Bending and Mesh Schedules at

a much earlier stage than usual. It has also enabled

Charcon to use Tekla BIMSight to view models during

manufacturing to reduce the amount of factory queries.

We found that through our use of BIM, coupled with

off-site knowledge gained through years of experience in

the rail construction industry, we were able to simplify the

production and manufacturing process; as the drawings

and casting schedules could be updated and produced

as the project progressed. It also meant that each unit

could be developed as a standard template and then

modified accordingly. This brings the added benefit of

being able to identify and address any problems early on

in the process well in advance of construction, thereby

saving time, money and creating added certainty to the

project. zz

Web: www.waldeckconsulting.com


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A BIM image of the platforms at London Bridge station

Stationszz

London Bridge station: A platform for the future

PAUL BYRNE explains how Building Information Modelling is contributing to the rejuvenation of London Bridge station

Paul Byrne BSc, PEng, CEng, FIStructE is technical

director of Waldeck Consulting. He is a Chartered Structural Engineer with over

30 years’ experience as a consulting engineer. Having

worked in most sectors of the construction industry including

railways, retail, commercial, residential, educational and

arts and culture, he has been involved in leading engineering

teams on projects up to the value of £100 million, with a

focus on delivery and quality.

GGR Rail GGR Rail is a leading provider of safe lifting

solutions and mini cranes for all areas of

railway infrastructure across Europe.

Tel: 0161 683 2580

Web: www.ggrrail.com

Hayley RailHayley Rail are specialists in the supply

of safety critical engineering components

and MRO products to the UK rail industry.

Experts in Vendor Managed Inventory, Hayley

Rail work in partnership with customers to

reduce inventory and overheads associated

with stock control. Hayley Rail is a division of

Hayley Group Plc, the largest independent

distributor of MRO products in the UK,

giving them access to a network of over

30 branches nationwide and over

£20 million-worth of stock held centrally at

the company’s HQ in the Midlands.

Tel: 0161 872 7466


Web: www.hayley-group.co.uk

iSeeU Global LtdiSeeU Global Ltd provides mobile data capture

using digital forms in real time and intelligent

workflows which share that information with

people, groups or companies, also in real time.

iSeeU Global Ltd Forms - Workflow - Service

Desk & Reporting suite.

Tel: 070 0394 1006


Web: www.iseeuglobal.com

Jansen Betonwaren BVJansen Betonwaren BV provides Legioblock

flexible concrete walls and storage bays – the

optimal solution for rapid and flexible concrete

constructions. Thanks to the interlocking

principle, Legioblocks are easily stacked and

placed without the need for cement.

Tel: +44 (0)121 439 2525


Web: www.legioblock.com

Recent new members of the Rail Alliance


For further information, please contact: The Rail Alliance Tel: 01789 720 026 Email: [email protected] Web: www.railalliance.co.uk

Outline Events Programme – 2014

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzRail Alliance

Railcare Sweden LtdRailcare offers new solutions to old railway

maintenance problems by combining long-

time railway experience with technology from

other industries. The company’s major UK

activities are based on RailVac air/vacuum

excavation technology for effective removal

of gravel, deteriorated ballast, clay etc with

the track in place. The method is also very

lenient towards cables and other buried

installations.

Tel: 0115 919 1111


Web: www.railcareexport.se

Translate RailTranslate Rail is a rail documentation

translation specialist.

Tel: 01663 736 450


Web: www.translaterail.com

www.railalliance.co.uk

28 or 29 January London (tbc) Members’ Meeting & Networking Event Rail Alliance with UKTI – Preparation for Innotrans

13 February London UKTI Meet the Buyer event http://bit.ly/1hXfvUI with Deutsche Bahn

20 February Long Marston EIT Test & Trials Facilities Demo Rail Alliance 10.30 to 12.30

6 March Coventry Railway Interiors: The Inside Story Rail Alliance In collaboration with Coventry Universtity

13 March Long Marston Introduction to BS11000 Collaborative Rail Alliance Working Workshop 20 March Long Marston EIT Test & Trials Facilities Demo Rail Alliance 10.30 to 12.30

April (tba) tba Members’ Meeting & Networking Event Rail Alliance hosted by a major OEM (tba)

10 April Long Marston Introduction to BS11000 Collaborative Working Workshop

Rail Alliance

17 April Long Marston EIT Test & Trials Facilities Demo Rail Alliance 10.30 to 12.30

If you are interested in attending one of the Rail Alliance’s events or would like to find out more about becoming a member of the Rail Alliance, contact Rhona Clarke on [email protected] or call 01789 720 026

Date Location Event Organiser/Contact

Longer Overground platformsl Transport for London (TfL) has appointed Dyer and Butler as the

contractor to lengthen and modify some of the station platforms on

the Clapham Junction/Richmond to Stratford London Overground

route. The longer platforms will accommodate longer London

Overground trains, which are being increased from four to five

carriages. The first of these longer trains will run on the Highbury

& Islington to New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon/Clapham

Junction routes from the end of 2014, followed by the Clapham

Junction/Richmond to Stratford routes by the end of 2015. The

work is part of the £320 million London Overground Capacity

Improvement Programme (LOCIP), aiming to deliver a 25 per cent

capacity increase.


Shortlist for Bakerloo line link tenderl London Underground (LU) has announced Costain Skanska JV,

Dragados S.A. and Morgan Sindall BeMo Tunnelling JV as

the three shortlisted contractors bidding for the contract to design

and build the tunnel link between Crossrail platforms and Bakerloo

line platforms at Paddington station. LU will be seeking innovative

proposals against a RIBA E reference design for which a Transport

Works Act Order (TWAO) is well progressed and due to complete

during spring 2014. The building of a link between the Crossrail and

Bakerloo line platforms is a requirement of the Crossrail Act and is

expected to be completed in autumn 2018.

Infrastructure framework dealsl Network Rail has nominated its four preferred suppliers for

framework agreements worth a total of £1.2 billion covering

enhancements, buildings and civils work on its Anglia, Kent,

Sussex and Wessex routes over the next five years.

The agreements, which will be executed on 1st April 2014,

will be signed by the company’s Infrastructure Projects (IP)

Southern region, and will cover a substantial part of the

region’s £2.5 billion workbank in control period five (CP5)

which runs from 2014 to 2019. The four frameworks,

which will have an agreed minimum contract value, are with

VolkerFitzpatrick Limited (Anglia); Costain Limited (Kent);

Bam Nuttall Limited (Sussex); and Geoffrey Osborne Limited

(Wessex).

The frameworks are intended to encourage and facilitate

suppliers working closely with Network Rail from initial

development to delivery and will incorporate jointly agreed

objectives which align with Network Rail’s outputs for CP5.

Collaboration formed 25 per cent of the evaluation criteria

emphasising the commitment by Network Rail to work more

closely and transparently with its supply chain. This is also

supported by the introduction of a new form of agreement to

Network Rail, the NEC 3 (New Engineering Contract).

For the first time, safety issues made up 15 per cent of the

evaluation criteria when choosing the partners Network Rail

will work with. Nick Elliott, regional director for Network Rail

IP Southern, said: “This represents a significant change in

the way we assess safety and underlines our commitment

to delivering a fundamental improvement in workforce safety

within the rail industry.

Nick went on to say “When you combine this with

BS11000 and early contractor involvement in design,

it shows how we are changing the way we work to bring

even closer collaboration between Network Rail and the

supply chain.”

Carriage gangways for IEPl Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. has chosen Dellner to provide the

gangways that will connect the carriages on the new trains it is

building for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP). The contract

will see Dellner produce 1500 new gangways that will connect up

the 866 carriages on the 122 new express trains that will be used

on the East Coast and Great Western Main Lines from 2017.

Design and development of the gangways is well underway, with

the first unit to be delivered in March 2014.

Class 800 series train exhaustsl Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. has selected British-based company

Eminox as its preferred partner to provide the exhaust systems for the

new East Coast and Great Western Main Line Class 800 series trains.

The multi-million pound contract, which follows a six-month selection

process, will see Eminox manufacture and supply exhaust systems to be

fitted to the new fleet of trains that will be built at Hitachi Rail Europe’s

new plant in Newton Aycliffe as part of the Intercity Express Programme.

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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Contracts


Class 365 enhancement and heavy maintenancel Eversholt Rail has awarded Bombardier Transportation a two-year contract worth in excess of

£30 million to undertake the enhancement and heavy maintenance of its fleet of Class 365 trains

which are leased to First Capital Connect (FCC). The work to upgrade the fleet, which carries

passengers on FCC’s Great Northern Route, will be undertaken at Bombardier’s Ilford site in

Essex, ensuring that the work will remain in the UK.

The first train is expected to enter service by early 2014 delivering significant improvements to

the passenger environment. Additional accessibility work will be undertaken from spring 2014

bringing the trains in line with the latest disability regulations. The following improvements will be

made (and retrofitted to those trains already refurbished):

l Two wheelchair bays installed

l A new wheelchair-accessible toilet in each 4-carriage unit

l A new fully automated passenger information system with audio and visual announcements

l Call for aid installed at wheelchair and toilet areas.

Shortlist for Woolwich Crossrail station fit-outl Crossrail has confirmed the shortlist for the contract for the fit-out of the new station at

Woolwich. The four short-listed contractors who will be invited to tender are:

l Balfour Beatty Group Limited

l Laing O’Rourke Construction Limited

l Morgan Sindall plc

l VINCI Construction UK Ltd.

The contract, with a value in the region of £75 million, also covers the fit-out of the two portals

at North Woolwich and Plumstead at either end of the Thames Tunnel where Crossrail trains will

surface. A successful bidder will be confirmed in autumn 2014, with work on site beginning in

spring 2015. The new Woolwich Crossrail station will open in 2018.

Trans Pennine West Electrification programmel Parsons Brinckerhoff has

been awarded the design

engineering contract for the

first phase of electrification on

Network Rail’s Trans Pennine

rail route which runs from

Manchester to Leeds and York.

The first phase of upgrading

the route, known as Trans

Pennine West, will see the

railway electrified from both

Manchester Victoria and

Manchester Piccadilly stations

through to Stalybridge, and

includes the introduction of

electric rolling stock to serve

a number of existing and

proposed new routes. As part

of the Lancashire Triangle, this

project will deliver capacity and

journey time improvements

for both passenger and freight

services across the north west

region.

Parsons Brinckerhoff’s project

team will incorporate innovative

BIM design techniques and 3D

modelling into the overall design

process. This collaborative

approach will integrate into

one programme the track,

overhead line equipment,

signalling, telecommunications,

electrification, civil engineering,

stations, and environmental

elements.

The scope to be delivered by

Parsons Brinckerhoff covers

a variety of activities. These

include electrification and

journey time improvements

between Manchester Victoria

and Stalybridge, re-signalling

of Ashton Moss North to

Denton Junctions, operability

improvements at Ardwick

Depot, a resilience study of

the existing electrification

system between Ashburys and

Newton-for-Hyde stations, and

pre-feasibility options for Miles

Platting Junction to Newton

Heath Depot.

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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Contracts

our design team, our supply chain partners

and our clients to deliver successful

projects.”

The company will achieve a turnover

of £300 million on rail sector projects

during 2013, which is an increase from

£170 million in 2011. Taylor Woodrow

currently has one of the most exciting

and challenging portfolios within the rail

sector and is undertaking major projects

including the upgrades of Tottenham

Court Road and Victoria station for LUL,

works at Connaught Tunnel, Victoria Dock

Portal, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel

for Crossrail and projects for Network Rail

at Nottingham Hub and the Crossrail West


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTAYLOR WOODROW

Founded in 1922, Taylor Woodrow is involved in most sectors of UK civil engineering and construction and has enjoyed a continuous relationship with the rail transportation sector since the early 1990s

Realising potential

NET Phase 2; bridge over A52 at Queen’s Medical Centre

T aylor Woodrow has delivered a

number of high profile projects

during its history including the

Jubilee line station at London

Bridge, the development of new ticket halls

at King’s Cross Underground Station, the

DLR Three Car Capacity Enhancement

project and the new Western Concourse at

King’s Cross Mainline station. “We target

complex, challenging schemes that look

for strong planning and engineering skills,

innovative ideas and confident, resilient

people,” says Fred Garner, Sector Director

for Transport Projects. “Taylor Woodrow

has always been known for teamwork and

we like nothing better than working with

Tottenham Court Road


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

been a great place to be; infrastructure

and rail transport in particular are high

on the political and public agenda. There

is a realisation that to maintain both our

quality of life and our economic success

there is a need for investment in the UK

national and local rail networks. One of

the most interesting developments is

that as a nation we are reversing many

of the decisions that we made during the

1960s and 1970s, when rail was seen as

outdated compared to the attraction of

the motorcar. The pendulum has swung

and we need to grab the opportunity now

to create the integrated rail transport

networks for the next 100 years.”

With the nation’s requirement for

dynamic rail solutions and the company’s

reputation for undertaking complex

projects, Taylor Woodrow has had no

shortage of demand for its targeted

engineering solutions. The challenge, as

Fred observes has been to ensure that

Taylor Woodrow is placed to meet its

customer’s needs and retain the best

engineering staff: “Our biggest challenge

in the last two years has been managing

our growth and principally ensuring that

the project teams are fully resourced

with the right people with the right skills

and behaviors. We have done this in two

ways: Firstly, our DLR 3 Car and King’s

Cross projects created an opportunity

to develop some very talented engineers

Stations. In addition to these projects,

Taylor Woodrow is also undertaking the

expansion of Nottingham’s tram network,

known as the NET Phase Two and the

upgrade of Ealing Common and Upminster

depots for the new S7 stock.

Commenting on the company’s busy

workload Fred elaborates: “My view of

the industry in the last year is that it has

Nottingham Express Tramway

http://www.emico.co

http://www.galldris.co.uk


and project managers, many of whom are

now prominent in the business, or in fact

leading our current projects. Secondly, we

have recruited some excellent people who

are excited at the prospect of working on

challenging, high profile projects and see

the potential in our business.”

The company has also taken steps

to address what it sees as a noticeable

skills gap within the railways sector as

Fred further explains: “This year we are

recruiting increased numbers of civil

engineering graduates than in previous

years, as well as continuing to sponsor

undergraduates, where we are using

QUEST scholarships to identify the best

and brightest candidates. In recent years

we have also offered work placements to

second year foundation degree students

and subsequently recruited them as

technician engineers into the business,

sponsoring them to move on to their

BSc part time whilst working for us.

Unfortunately, significant increases in

tuition fees have caused us to review this

policy this year but I hope we will be able

to resume again next year.

“We also recently held our first

Inspiration Lecture at the ICE, where our

guest speakers offered their thoughts

on how the civil engineering profession

can inspire young minds. The evening

was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience,

which was a mix of sixth form students,

undergraduates, TW graduates and

industry colleagues of all ages.”

At present, the company is busy in

Nottingham, where the NET Phase Two

extension is at the peak of construction.

During the past 12 months the project

has seen the installation of three major

new bridges, including Nottingham’s

Station Bridge, which was featured on

the BBC’s One Show. The tramway

project is expected to be completed and

operational by the end of 2014. As it

moves into the future, Taylor Woodrow

already has major projects lined up and is

currently mobilising a team for its Crossrail

West Stations project. The £100 million

project was awarded to the company

by Network Rail in October 2013 and

will allow it to combine the experience

it has gained through its King’s Cross,

DLR and Crossrail projects. It is with no

small excitement that Taylor Woodrow

approaches this latest project and the

company is keen to show what it can

do as Fred concludes: “This project will

enable us to show how efficiently we

can deliver upgrades to 13 stations in

a very challenging environment on the

western approaches from Maidenhead to

Paddington.”zz

Web: www.taylorwoodrow.com

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz TAYLOR WOODROW

Nottingham Express Tramway

Whitechapel Cambridge Heath Shaft

Whitechapel - Durward Street Shaft Whitechapel - HCDL Worksite

Vacuum technology for wetbed removall Swedish railway maintenance experts Railcare Export AB, together

with their UK partner Bridgeway Railcare LLP, has won a major

£1.3 million order from Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance.

The order is the second phase of a major project to eradicate wet

beds, the first phase having been delivered by Railcare in spring

2013 as a pilot project to evaluate Railcare’s vacuum excavation

technology and methodology, and the RailVac RA7 and its team

exceeded expectations on all counts. The latest project is due for

completion in March 2014.


Real-time passenger counting

l DILAX has launched a new real-

time solution for train operators.

This innovative system could enable

transport operators to enhance

the service information provided to

passengers waiting at stations or

implement apps for smartphones and

tablets that will enable them to better

manage their journeys. For operators,

it gives real-time load information and

instant visibility of ‘pinch points’ enabling

them to quickly take action to improve

the passenger experience.

According to Nigel Fountain,

managing director of DILAX UK: “This

new technology has the potential to

provide passengers with access to

real-time information, including available

seating, helping them to plan their travel

to make more effective use of their time

and avoid overcrowding. Knowing that

their journeys would be a more pleasant

experience may also encourage more

people to use public transport.”

The new real-time system could

significantly enhance the information

provided to passengers waiting

at stations. As well as having the

estimated arrival time of the next trains,

passengers could also be provided with

information showing how crowded they

are. They could then choose whether to

take the first train or wait a few minutes

in order to have a seat for the duration

of their journey. Using easily developed

apps, both Android and IOS, will

provide people with the same level of

information, whether at home, work or

any other location, using smartphones,

tablets or laptops.

Full service solutions l The former Railcare facilities at Wolverton near Milton Keynes and at Springburn near

Glasgow, operated by the new company Knorr-Bremse RailServices, are now fully operational

and able to offer the capacity and capability to deliver full service solutions to rail customers.

The acquisition of the rail vehicle component and overhaul business of Railcare has seen

Knorr-Bremse UK launch the specialist RailServices company and significant investment has

already taken place at both the new company’s facilities.

The impressive RailServices facilities can undertake major ‘whole train’ and systems

refurbishment projects which improves existing rail stock with the largest total facilities of their

kind in the UK with a combined area of some 420,000 square metres. Both Springburn and

Wolverton facilities boast large and dedicated bogie shops, wheel overhaul shops and paint

shops.

The types of service offered by RailServices include; vehicle overhaul, refurbishment,

upgrade, re-livery and incident repair (on all EMUs/DMUs, coaching stock and locomotive

types). In addition there are a wide range of flexible service types available to customers

which include: component repair and overhaul, wheel set refurbishment, bogie overhaul, gear

box and transmission repair and overhaul, peripheral equipment repair and overhaul, rail plant

and equipment repair and overhaul and supply chain support and management using the

latest in logistics techniques.

Components can also be supplied to customers whether the components are overhauled,

especially manufactured or re-manufactured or, from the original systems manufacturer. The

extensive Knorr-Bremse Rail Group portfolio of systems and products is, of course, also

available from RailServices.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Products & Services


zzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Products & Services

Best Service Provider 2013 – Siemens honours Voith Service

l On the occasion of its 8th Supplier Day in November, held in Manchester

(Old Trafford), Siemens Rail Systems UK acknowledged the outstanding performance

of Voith and recognized the company as ‘Best Service Provider (Vehicles) 2013’. This

builds on the recognition Voith received just one year ago for being selected the ‘Most

Improved Supplier 2012’.

“We are very proud of this title,” states Dr. Frank Gropengiesser, Member of the

Management Board of Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG and in charge of the Division

Rail. “It is a reward for our enormous efforts of not only maintaining the efficiency and

effectiveness in all service areas but also of continuously striving to raise them.”

Nowadays the railway industry demands flexible, attentive and proactive suppliers of

comprehensive best-in-class solutions. Voith always works closely with the customers

and is keenly aware of their requirements. Accordingly, Voith UK has made significant

investments in staff recruitment, new facilities, training and equipment at both its

Croydon and Greenford facilities.

Siemens has rewarded Voith`s ongoing support and proactive service over the last

year for the Class 185 DMU fleet. The project has included the overhaul of the driveline

components and the supply of new Voith one million mile continuous operation cardan

shafts. Andrew Lister (head of procurement & materials) of Siemens Rail Systems UK

says: “I am delighted that Voith has been recognized as our Best Service Provider in the

vehicle sector this year. Voith has worked hard to address our business needs and we

have seen tangible improvements in both their competitiveness and responsiveness to

service issues. Congratulations and keep up the hard work!”

Beyond the received distinction, Voith is also delighted to have supported Siemens

Rail Systems UK Ardwick depot in Manchester, which received the 2013 Golden

Spanner Award for the Class 185 fleet being the most reliable New Generation DMU in

the UK.

The Class 185 vehicles are diesel-hydraulic railcars for regional traffic in the United

Kingdom. Among other destinations, the trains operated by First TransPennine Express

(TPE) stop at Liverpool, Manchester Airport and Edinburgh.

Voith Turbo, a Group Division of Voith GmbH, is a specialist for intelligent drive

solutions. Customers from highly diverse industries such as oil and gas, energy, mining

and metal processing, ship technology, rail and commercial vehicles rely on advanced

technologies from Voith Turbo.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and

transportation & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 43,000 people,

generates €5.7 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is

today one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.

Eco-technology investment l European transport group Arriva

is set to invest £4.5 million in eco-

technology at its UK rail operations.

More than 580 train cabs from 15

different train fleets at the group’s

Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern

Railways, CrossCountry and Grand

Central rail operations will be fitted

with the Energymiser® Driver Advisory

System (DAS).

The technology, produced by TTG

Transportation Technology, will help

drivers from across Arriva’s UK rail

operations deliver smoother, more

efficient journeys for passengers

while reducing fuel consumption

by an estimated 5 - 15 per cent

(depending on the train type and

driving technique) and lowering

overall diesel fuel related emissions.

Energymiser® DAS is an on-

board computer screen which

provides drivers with real-time

route information on train running

times allowing them to monitor train

performance and reliability. It offers

guidance on train speeds to help

drivers keep services to timetable

while ensuring greater fuel efficiency

and progressive driving techniques.

The technology also has the

potential to integrate with rail

infrastructure in the future allowing

live feeds about network conditions,

speed restrictions or disruption

ahead enabling drivers to respond

more effectively.

Installation of Energymiser® DAS

will start at CrossCountry trains

in early 2014 followed by Chiltern

Railways in the spring. Installation

at Arriva Trains Wales and Grand

Central is proposed for later in

2014. As part of the contract there

is an option to explore the potential

benefits of extending the technology

to Arriva’s joint venture business

London Overground Rail Operations

(LOROL). A similar system for electric

trains, Fassi DAS, is already in use

at Arriva’s Tyne and Wear Metro

operations.

Class 185 vehicle overhauled by Voith

work is with their contractors. We’re also

in discussions with companies which

could see our products go into Network

Rail projects as well,” notes Ewan.

At present Anchor Systems (Europe)

is undergoing product approval with

Network Rail, which it hopes to have in

place shortly. The company is already

on the organisation’s matrix system for

foundations as one of only a handful of

companies, which is the strength of the

business. “We have quite a neat package

to offer to Network Rail projects in

terms of assistance with structures,”

highlights Ewan.

“As well as the Anchor Post and

Duckbill ground anchor, we have a range

of other products that can solve any

problem related to stitching, securing

or anchoring of works. This includes the

sock anchor, which is a mechanical and

chemical anchor system for stabilising

heritage sites, bridges and other

structures. It comprises a steel bar

surrounded by a woven elastic polyester

grout sock, which is inserted into a pre-

drilled hole and pressure grouted to form

a strong reinforcement. We also offer

helical anchors which are screwed into

the ground to offer quick and reliable

fixing points, and soil nails,” he continues.

With considerable expertise in

A nchor Systems (Europe) Ltd

supplies ground anchoring

systems, for all forms of

temporary and permanent works,

and rapidly installed mini piles for a wide

range of applications. As of its formation

in 1995 the business was known under

a different name as part of the WT

Group. This was later changed to Anchor

Systems (Europe) Ltd.

The company remained part of the WT

Group until 2004 when a management

buy-out saw it become a stand-

alone company under the guidance of

managing director Ewan Smith. “From

that point we started to develop other

ideas and new systems, which has

seen us grown into the company we are

today,” he explains.

“We’ve increased trading at quite a

good rate with a turnover in excess of

£1.5 million today, and potentially more

for this year. As a stand-alone company

we have expanded more into Europe,

and other parts of the world such as the

Middle East and US. A lot of this export

work is very much in its infancy but is

increasingly gathering momentum at

the moment.”

Much of this is down to the new

products that Anchor Systems (Europe)

has introduced. The company’s primary

product has long been the Duckbill

ground anchor, which has proved

itself reliable in many structural and

groundwork applications including

stabilising stone and masonry walls

and structures, as well as slopes and

embankments. On the back of this has

come the Patented Anchor Post system.

“This particular product has forged

ahead beyond all expectations,” enthuses

Ewan. “It’s a small but robust steel

foundation system that is driven into

the ground like the Duckbill anchor,

without the use of wet trades. It was

originally designed for use on London

Underground to support trackside

cables, where it offers significant benefits

compared to traditional post installation

methods due to it being up to ten times

quicker to install. Therefore labour

required is also reduced, and together

these aspects add up to significant cost

savings for the client.”

As well as cable route management,

the Anchor Post is suitable for a whole

range of other applications including

gabions, cable troughing, barriers, street

furniture, signalling, mooring bollards,

switchgear boxes, security fencing, and

signage. “Although we don’t deal directly

with London Underground, they are one

of our biggest end-clients as a lot of our


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Laying foundations

With its innovative new system being used across the London Underground,

Anchor Systems (Europe) is putting in the groundwork for growth

Anchor SyStemS (europe)


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the US we are targeting the solar industry.

Once we’ve got a footprint in that market

though, we may be able to expand into

other sectors such as rail. At present it is

very much a case of raising awareness of

our products throughout the industry, at

both Network Rail and contractor level, and

the value engineering that we can bring to

those customers,” he concludes. zz

Web: www.anchorsystems.co.uk

geotechnical and structural stabilisation,

Anchor Systems (Europe) is able to

offer a comprehensive technical support

service to clients, including advice,

design specification, site testing and

product installation. This ensures that

the customer always gets the anchor

system that is most appropriate to their

requirements.

“I think the scope for these systems in

the market is vast and that we haven’t Laying foundations

even really touched the edges of that

yet,” describes Ewan. “Rail is one of our

biggest target markets particularly within

the UK and Europe. Some of our export

work in areas like Poland and France is

very rail orientated at the moment, and

we have quite active distributors looking

at the rail industry over there.

“In the Middle East we are focusing

on oil and gas, where we believe we will

see significant work this year, whilst in

http://www.anchorsystems.co.uk

Hanley caused an amalgamation of the two businesses

to form Allied Insulators Ltd in 1972. Between 1985

and 2010 Allied Insulators continued to operate through

various owners and acquisitions that saw it become

part of the Fairey Group in 1997 and the Wade Allied

Group in 1999. During 2011 a management buyout of

Allied Insulators from the Wade Allied Group restored the

company back to its true original form.

The company’s long history can be still found in

transmission, distribution and rail electrification today.

Notably all of the original UK rail infrastructure both

overhead and underground was built with insulators

manufactured by Allied Insulators and its former

associates, including the famous Doulton insulators

so the company remains very proud to have that

entire heritage to look back on. Whilst renowned for

this porcelain legacy and capability the company is

now well diversified into more modern insulators and

T he company’s journey began during the

19th century in 1842 when Captain J Buller and

J Devett purchased the Folly Pottery situated in

Bovey Tracy, Devon and founded the Bovey Tracy

Pottery Company. The company then became one of the

first manufacturers to explore the possibilities presented

by the emerging market generated by communications

and electrical power. Owing to the cost of transporting

coal (used to fire the porcelain) between Staffordshire and

Somerset the company transferred its operations to the

heart of the potteries industry and by 1862 operating as

W W Buller & Co, the business was trading out of Hanley,

Staffordshire.

The Allied Insulators brand first appeared in 1959

following an agreement between Bullers Ltd and Taylor

Tunnicliff to share technical and marketing experience.

The companies continued to trade under their own

names until the closure of Taylor Tunnicliff Eastwood,


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


With over 150 years of insulator design and manufacture heritage to look back on, Allied Insulators has a deep pool of experience in serving the rail industry and other markets

within the UK and around the world

Allied insulAtors

History in the making...

Jon Knapper with a selection of NEW 25kV Silicon Rubber OLE insulators and the latest Third Rail Insulators

A switchgear product manufactured for the UK electricity

distribution companies – an 11kV

Air Break Switch Disconnector



materials, deploying the most advanced technologies

and manufacturing methods. Today Allied Insulators

is a highly respected manufacturer in its own right; it

manufactures and supplies an extensive range of high

specification insulators in Porcelain, Silicon Rubber, or

advanced Thermoplastics, overhead line fittings and

disconnector products to meet the rigorous demands

of the electricity transmission, distribution and rail

industry. “We are the major supplier of all insulators to

the UK electricity industry and our aim is to re-develop

our rail sector business to a similar degree,” said

managing director Jonathan Knapper (Jon).

Allied has an extensive design department and a

portfolio of products to suit virtually any application.

The UK based manufacturing and distribution facility

combines an extensive manufacturing and assembly

facility, large storage and warehousing space plus

its own in-house laboratory where the company can

undertake the full range of mechanical testing along

with standard routine or batch testing. Additionally Allied

has a small HV laboratory and electromechanical facility

for undertaking electrical testing as necessary. High

technical standards and rigorous quality assurance and

control are key to this business and evidenced by its

many approvals, accreditations and esteemed customer

base. The diverse nature of the products and business

coupled with the short delivery demands also means

that there is a need to carry quite high stocks for a wide

range of products here in the UK - hence response

times are equally swift.

In addition to the UK rail sector Allied has a growing

overseas business and is seeing demand for export

- for example it recently completed a major third rail

electrification project for the Ankara metro in Turkey

though one of the main rail contractors.

Whilst maintaining the supply of somewhat bespoke

porcelain insulators for maintenance and refurbishments

some of the more recent successes with Network

Rail have been to develop insulators to solve known

problems or issues. “We recently had our latest Third

Rail Insulator approved, which introduced a very

Grenville Engineering (Stoke-on-Trent) LtdUnit 3 Newfield Industrial Estate, High Street Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 5PD

t 01782 577 929 | f 01782 575 672 e [email protected]

DesignLaser CuttingPunchingPressingWeldingAssemblyMachiningFinishingLogistics

High Voltage laboratory

A range of Porcelain Third Rail Insulators and Other Porcelain Insulators for Rolling Stock or OLE

http://grenville-engineering.co.uk/



advanced thermoplastic material that has distinct

advantages over the existing insulators. Furthermore our

25kV polymer insulator was developed to overcome a

known phenomena linked to potential premature insulator

failures. We are now hoping to springboard our standard

range of 25kV OLE Polymer insulators into Network Rail

from these projects and are very keen to understand

the opportunities to enable this. Our innovation and cost

leadership strategy is where we see great advantages for

Network Rail and its partners, especially during a period

of major investment where product quality and value will

be key for project success.”

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzAllied insulAtors

Early in 2012, Allied Insulators also re-joined the Rail

Alliance and hopes to be able to further develop its

relationship with other industry operators through its

membership. Commenting on the strengths that the

company is able to deliver to its clients Jon observes:

“Some of the secrets to our small successes lie in what

we ‘can do’ rather than what we were renowned for and

it is this that pushes the performance and technology

frontier for Allied Insulators today. We remain as one of

the only British insulator companies in this industry and

this is something we are very proud of.”

Moving into 2014 and beyond Allied Insulators

is keen to further develop and continue to achieve

sustainable growth. When Jon and his business partner

Oliver Scopes undertook their management buyout

in 2011 they did so with a five-year business plan.

Having achieved many of the plan’s aims in a short

time the company will now focus on new growth and

further integration with the UK rail industry. “Whilst we

carry this heritage we have had to re-invent ourselves,

we are not the major porcelain manufacturer we

were but we are a highly responsive, lean and diverse

business with ambition and agility to react in a vast and

challenging landscape.” Network Rail’s planned National

Electrification Programme for the next years represents

an import opportunity for the company and one it is well

placed to take advantage of. zz

www.alliedinsulators.com

A range of 132kV

Silicon Rubber Insulators used

in the UK

A range of traditional Porcelain OLE and

Substation Insulators

An image from a HV laboratory of a 275kV Insulator string during a Lightning Impulse test

David Cameron has promised China’s

leadership that there will be “very open

competition” for investments in Britain’s HS2

high-speed rail link. The Prime Minister made

the pledge during talks in Beijing with President Xi

Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, who expressed an

interest in putting Chinese money behind the project,

which will link London with cities in the Midlands and

North of England.

The case for HS2 as stated by the Government is

that good transport links make our economy stronger

and our lives easier. HS2 will free up capacity on

existing rail lines for more commuter, rural and freight

train services, and mean fewer cars and lorries on

our roads, cutting congestion and carbon. The

Government argues that HS2 will provide considerable

economic benefits to the country as a whole, both

during and after its construction, and will help to

rebalance the economy between north and south

of the country.

This is not universally accepted and there are high

profile campaigns against HS2 which challenge these

arguments in favour of it. There is also disagreement

about how much it will cost. Figures vary (some say

as much as £50 billion) but suffice to say that HS2 will

require a huge amount of money, which will have to be

provided as a mix of both public and private funding.

The Prime Minister did not offer any further thoughts

as to how Chinese investment might be made, which

is not surprising as he was talking in general terms. In

this case the devil really would be in the detail. Broadly,

funding can be provided into a project as either debt

or equity, or a combination of the two and, significantly,

the contractors who act as sponsors of a project are

also involved in the construction and maintenance of

the facilities which are built, and the critically important

supply chain.

Indeed, while the Chinese may have the money

to invest in international infrastructure projects,

experience elsewhere (particularly in Africa and Eastern

Europe) has shown that their investment is motivated

by a desire to ensure that the project utilises Chinese

companies, products and technology. The Chinese

have already built an extensive domestic high speed

rail network and any such investment in the UK or

elsewhere would primarily be an effort to develop

their export market.

From the Chinese government’s perspective, in this

particular case they may also feel that they could take

some pride in showing developed countries how it

should be done and establishing themselves as one

of the world’s leaders in these complex infrastructure

projects and technologies.

However there have been some problems with

China’s internal network and the Chinese government’s

own report into a bullet train crash which killed 40

people near Wenzhou in July 2011 revealed that the

disaster was in part caused by design flaws and sloppy

management. The accident occurred after one train

stalled following a lightning strike, and then a second

high-speed train ran into it. Four carriages were thrown

off a viaduct. The report found that serious design flaws

in control equipment and improper handling of the

lightning strike led to the crash.

For HS2, British officials have stressed there would

not be any direct Chinese involvement in the railway

line’s construction, which is due to be funded by the

taxpayer. It would however still be possible for the

Chinese to bid for concessions to operate HS2 or

parts of it and/or invest in related schemes such as

developments around stations. These may not be

the biggest prize on offer but could be of interest to

Chinese property investors and developers who are

already actively involved in the UK.

The law will no doubt have changed by the time these

contracts are eventually put in place. As things stand

today, the contracts to run HS2 would most likely be

structured as services concessions, where the public

pays for the use of the service. A new EU directive

governing concessions is expected soon, but as a

general proposition concessions are subject to a more

relaxed public procurement regime than traditional

procurements where the contracting authority pays for

the services. These contracts would undoubtedly be of

cross-border interest within the EU, which means that

the General Treaty Principles of transparency, equal

treatment and non discrimination would apply.

In any event, a legally compliant process would have

to be run and thus Chinese success in bidding cannot

be guaranteed. The process will be very high profile

and subject to great scrutiny. The appointment of the

Chinese to deliver a significant part of the project would

be highly controversial. Ultimately, the Prime Minister’s

statement, and the Chinese government’s welcoming of

it, is very much about diplomacy and politics, as well as

pure economics. Despite the Government’s relaxation

of visa requirements, some see immigration policies,

visa restrictions and import controls as obstacles to

UK-Chinese trade and investment, a view which David

Cameron is no doubt keen to change, leaving the

message that the UK, in a competitive global market

place, is very much open for business for the Chinese.

Whether this extends to their involvement in HS2

(and if so, how) very much remains to be seen. zz

Chinese investment in HS2


Vincent King is a partner who both specialises in projects and

public law issues at national law firm Weightmans LLP

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzLegal Signals

Bhavisha Mistry

VINCENT KING considers the possible involvement of the Chinese in the delivery of HS2

The system supports automation of

routine tasks and guarantees optimised

communications, which makes it an

important technology in the contribution to

enhancing the safety and the efficiency of

local public transport.

With its headquarters in Berlin, PSI

Transcom has been a subsidiary of the PSI

AG Group since 2000, which for more than

45 years has provided intelligent software

for industrial control systems. Whilst the

company is developing a presence in South

East Asia, it is most active in Europe and

Russia, where it has a history of successful

contracts and an impressive customer base.

One of the PSI Transcom’s closest and longest

customers, S-Bahn Hamburg, located in

Germany, has been using PSI’s AVM system

for many years.

Midway through 2013 PSI Transcom

received the contract to provide German city

Hagen’s transport company with a combined

AVM and DMS as well as an electronic fare

management system (EFM) for ticketing.

The PSI’s depot management system is also

being operated by Rheinbahn, Stuttgarter

Straßenbahn and Hamburger Hochbahn. In

Poland PSI is providing Poznan’s transport

P SI Transcom GmbH provides railway

and local city transport companies

with integrated control solutions like

automatic vehicle management (AVM),

real-time passenger information and depot

management systems (DMS).

Its systems are based on the PSItraffic

platform, which was developed on the basis

of event-controlled and object-oriented

technologies. It gives an up-to-date and

complete overview of the operational

procedures, enabling dispatchers to recognise

disruptions early on and eliminate them through

planning measures.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

With calls for a modern information system reverberating down the track, PSI Transcom has developed a trend-setting solution

PSI TRANSCOM

Real time rail times

Glacier Express Grengiols, © Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn

in October 2011.”

It is not uncommon in joint ventures

for companies to be faced with minor

communication and integration challenges due

to the nature of business. Tobias highlights

the process used to overcome the potential of

a bumpy ride: “We are an ISO 9001 certified

company and always follow a process based

on the project management standard V Model

XT. We enter a specification phase, where,

with the customer, we look at the entire

project, from stations and the surroundings

to the customers. This provides the base for

the adaptation of our software according to

the specific needs and requirements. The

next stage is a factory acceptance test at our

site, followed by an implementation phase

with the customer, concluding with a site

acceptance test, and a three month trial period

in operation. A big challenge is always the

timetable and it is here that we can adapt the

system and smoothen out any glitches.”

The normal period from conception through

to final delivery is 15 months and this target

was maintained on MGB with customer

acceptance in January 2013. The journey

of the contract does not end there as PSI

Transcom provides a much greater service

than just the installation, as Tobias explains:

“We normally have a long term relationship with

our customers undertaking maintenance and

providing a two year warranty period. We have

a hotline service available in case something

goes wrong with the system but during this

time the customer may opt to change their

process, and we are on hand to deal with any

requests. It is a modular system and we have

developed a portfolio of different modules that

a customer may choose to implement as an

after phase process.

company with a DMS for its tram depot.

Two railways in Switzerland are benefitting

from the successful implementation of its

highly modern passenger information system:

The Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and Matterhorn

Gotthard Bahn (MGB). In 2011 MGB decided

to introduce a new, modern passenger

information system so that changes to

operations like delays or train cancellations

are to be centrally controlled and displayed in

real time.

Railway Strategies spoke to PSI Transcom

project manager Tobias Trost about the

contracts: “In these projects we installed real

time passenger information systems, working

with two other partners. One is Ruf, managing

the visual and audible passenger information

system, video monitoring, infotainment and

emergency communication systems in trains

so it was in their scope to provide the onboard

computers and control panels in the driver‘s

cab, monitors, acoustic components and

emergency intercom stations.” Ruf, a Swiss

company, delivered a larger part of the project

focusing on the vehicles, and adopted the role

as main contractor. Tobias continues: “The

other partner is ib Datentechnik, a hardware

supplier for equipment at the stations. They

are providing a unique system that can be

adapted to specific needs of the customers.

The scope of the project was to equip all

stops of MGB and new vehicles with real time

passenger information. PSI Transcom is a

specialist for the operations control centre, so

we delivered the software and implemented

the hardware in the project. We each have a

specialty that we bring with us.”

With tracks leading over mountains,

chasms and valleys, the trains operate at

2200m through the Swiss Alps. Designed

with this in mind, Tobias emphasised: “The

32” monitors have a TFT screen designed to

work in really harsh conditions. The layout is

based on FIS-Commun, a Swiss standard for

passenger information that can be adapted

to the specific needs of the customer. In

2008 we implemented the system on the

RhB, running the Bernina Express. They run

together with the MGB the Glacier Express

from St. Moritz to Zermatt. On the RhB a

designer was engaged to build special layouts

for them. The display looks a little bit different,

but the base remains the same. This is the

normal process and we followed the same

procedure with the MGB project that began


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzAt Solothurn, © Aare Seeland mobil AG

http://www.psitranscom.com

“Supporting the documentation that we

publish for the operation of the equipment we

provide training for the operators working with

the system. We also provide an advanced

specific administrator training course that

covers the complex knowledge needed to

answer any questions that the daily users

may have.”

Much of the network through the

geographical target zone is single track.

Of the entire 144 kilometres MGB network

only four kilometres of that is double track.

That is only found in stations and at specific

cross-junctions, designed so that scheduled

trains can pass. As Tobias explains, it is the

infrastructure that makes the system a viable

solution: “Our customers appreciate the

graphical timetable interface that presents any

conflict situations in a time-distance diagram.

It depicts the operational situation on the

track, so you can actually see what train is

delayed and what the consequences will be to

future traffic.”

The PSItraffic system receives the

information from the Siemens signalling

system, calculates the data and presents

the results visually. This provides the train

dispatcher with the information impending

conflicts.

“The dispatcher recognises the situation

and is able to adapt or delay specific trains

and see what outcome that has for the traffic.

He can then go back to the signalling system

and action the changes or advise the drivers

accordingly. We have several sophisticated

modems to support and automate the

information in the case of any disruptions on

track. The technology requires very little input

to adapt the real time passenger information,”

Tobias adds.

The successes of the RhB and MGB

projects have led to the attraction of several

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zz

other operators seeking the system. At the

beginning of 2013 PSI Transcom began

working with Aare seeland mobil AG.

Having carried out the specification and

implementation phase, the factory acceptance

test was successful in November 2013. Set to

achieve its application targets, the start of 2014

will see the implementation at the customer

site. As project manager on this contract

Tobias details: “In February we will carry out the

site acceptance test, and then the system will

be up and running.

The difference on this project from MGB

is that there is no interface to the signaling

system. Instead, PSI Transcom developed a

mobile application that continually transfers the

latest positioning information from the trains to

the central system. Therefore, the system can

automatically adapt the real time passenger

information at the stations according to the

exact positions of the trains. PSI has taken on

the project as main contractor, as with RhB,

employing ib Datentechnik to undertake the

hardware supply at the stations.”

The technology is the company’s core

product for the Swiss market at the moment,

providing real time passenger information.

The adaptable system and approach from

the company is being recognised by its

customers who have witnessed the successful

implementation of the modern interface. “We

are very flexible and our partners are very

flexible. We can provide traditional systems

with normal real time passenger and overhead

displays but operators are calling for this

system.” With the developed technologies

onboard that have advanced several operators

towards improvement, the timely arrival of

2014 is looking promising to future contract

delivery. zz

PSI TRANSCOM


At Randa, © Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn

Information stele, © PSI Transcom GmbH

MGB control centre, © Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn


Loughborough research to help reduce accidents at UK railway stations l Researchers at Loughborough University are hoping

to help reduce the number of accidents involving elderly

passengers at railway stations across the country.

Rail users aged over 70 are five times more likely to

have an accident when travelling by train than the rest

of the population. The majority of these accidents

occur at stations and over 66 per cent involve slips,

trips and falls.

With an ageing population and growing numbers of

rail passengers, it is vital that action is taken to try and

reduce the number of accidents affecting the elderly.

To help the rail industry gain a better understanding

of this issue and how it will be affected by changing

demographics, researchers from the Loughborough

Design School are looking at current risk models used

by the sector and how these can be future proofed.

Dr Patrick Waterson, who is leading the project,

explains: “To be able to tackle this issue we first need

to understand what is happening now and what is likely

to happen in the future. We need to ensure that the

current risk models are providing an accurate picture.”

The team will also be investigating how risks to

elderly passengers can be ‘designed’ out of existing

and future railway stations, for example through the

introduction of non-slip flooring, better access to lifts

and improved stair/escalator design. A key part of this

area of the project will involve looking outside the sector

to discover how other industries tackle the issue.

“A good example of this is the cruise ship business,”

adds Dr Waterson. “A large proportion of people who

holiday on cruise ships are elderly, so we are interested

to see how companies operating in this area design

their ships to take into account the age of their travellers

and what lessons we can learn for rail passengers.”

Another key element of the research will be speaking

direct to older rail users to gain an insight into their

experiences of station use. The research team will be

setting up interviews and focus groups which they hope

will shed further light on how stations can be improved

to make them safer for the elderly.

The project, which is due to be completed by

September next year, is being funded by Rail Research

UK Association and RSSB. Anyone interested in taking

part in the interviews and focus groups should email

Dr Waterson at [email protected] or call

01509 228478.

Rail industry fatigue fearsl The vice chair of the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary

Rail Group has voiced his concerns about fatigue in the

railway industry. 25 years after the Clapham train crash,

Kelvin Hopkins, MP for Luton North, addressed safety

professionals gathered at the Institution of Occupational

Safety and Health’s (IOSH) Rail Industry Conference 2013

at the Congress Centre in London’s West End on 28th

November. He explained that managing tiredness was one

of the significant factors identified by Lord Hidden QC’s

report into the Clapham disaster.

Mr. Hopkins said: “We are one of the safest railways

in Europe, and the industry should be proud of that.

Nevertheless, we must recognise that fatigue causes injuries

and deaths to workers and passengers on our railways.

“Tiredness hampers mental alertness and affects

performance, causing errors because of reduced

concentration, perception, judgment and even memory.

Ultimately, it can lead to drowsiness and involuntary

sleeping, which may cause accidents.”

Over 140 safety professionals from across the industry

gathered at the symposium to hear from Mr Hopkins

and other industry figures, including Richard Price, chief

executive of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), and Dr Pete

Waterman OBE, chair of the London and North Western

Heritage Railway Company.

Martin Leeks, chair of the IOSH Railway Group, said: “As

Kelvin Hopkins accurately pointed out, the rail industry’s

safety record is good. However, this doesn’t mean we can

afford to rest on our laurels.

“We need another culture change, where long working

hours are seen as a hazard to our employees, companies

and passengers on the network. We absolutely shouldn’t

be waiting until the situation is so bad that we risk another

Clapham Junction disaster.”

Mr Leeks added: “By shouting about good examples

of fatigue management, promoting good practice and

helping companies to meet modern guidelines, we hope

underperforming companies will put in place their own

schemes.”

Now in its ninth year, the IOSH Rail Conference

has become a major date in the calendars of safety

professionals within the industry.

The event also played host to the industry award for

occupational health ‘good’ practice. IOSH’s Railway Group

wants the accolade to encourage progression in health and

safety and generate ideas within the sector.

This year, ground-breaking schemes to manage fatigue in

the railway industry were celebrated.

For further information, go to www.iosh.co.uk/

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Health & Safety

l RSSB have commissioned a major

research project aimed at better

understanding and communicating

extreme weather events and climate

change impacts relevant to the British

railway industry. The project is called

T1009 Further research into

adapting to climate change –

Tomorrow’s Railway and Climate

Change Adaptation (TRaCCA).

As part of the TRaCCA project

the Arup-led consortium, working

closely with the RSSB SPARK

team, are building a web portal

or ‘knowledge dissemination

platform’ to share useful and

important project-related

information, documents and

data. They are now seeking

input from potential users

of this web portal and from

relevant stakeholders more

widely, to inform and assist

its design and testing.

Please complete the

survey at https://www.

surveymonkey.com/s/

F2358GN to ensure

that the web portal

is designed with

potential end users

in mind. zz

Climate change adaptation


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzResearch

Bhavisha Mistry

Netw

ork

Rail

Tram-train plans given backingl Councillors have backed plans to develop a tram-train

strategy in Greater Manchester. A report outlining proposals

for a network of specially-designed vehicles, running on

both street tracks and sharing tracks with other trains on

railway lines, was approved by members of the Transport

for Greater Manchester Committee’s Capital Projects and

Policy Sub-Committee at the beginning of November.

An initial study into the feasibility, cost and benefits of

several potential routes identified Manchester to Marple via

Bredbury as the most economically viable route to develop

as the region’s first tram-train line.

A tram-train system would make greater use of Greater

Manchester’s local rail network, facilitating more frequent

services. It would also provide better and more frequent

access to the city centre and better connections with

other public transport services there. Transport for Greater

Manchester (TfGM) will now look at how the proposals can

be taken forward for further development, as part of a long-

term transport strategy.


Mid

land

Met

ro

Rochdale Interchange opens its doorsl Rochdale’s £11.5 million transport interchange opened its doors

to the public on Sunday 17th November. The new interchange,

which is located on Smith Street next to the old bus station, provides

enhanced levels of facilities and improved safety and security for bus

passengers and links directly with the new Metrolink extension, due

to be completed by spring 2014. The new facility will be Europe’s

first transport interchange to have an integrated hydropower source,

thanks to an innovative hydroelectric plant part-funded by the Ticket to

Kyoto carbon reduction investment project.

First tracks for the Midland Metro extension are laid in Birmingham city centrel The £127 million extension of the Midland Metro in

Birmingham has reached another major milestone. The first

of the tracks that will take trams through the streets of the

city centre from Snow Hill station to New Street station were

laid at Colmore Gate in Bull Street. The cost of the project

includes the new £40 million Urbos 3 tram fleet that will run

on the Metro between Birmingham and Wolverhampton,

the first of which recently arrived from Spain. The extension,

being built by Balfour Beatty, is scheduled to open in 2015.

Government invests in the future of the Sheffield Supertraml In an announcement made by Transport Minister Baroness

Kramer during a visit to Sheffield, South Yorkshire Passenger

Transport Executive is set to receive £5 million to replace life

expired sections of rail within street running elements of the

Sheffield Supertram light rail system. The funding is a one-off

payment to South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

The works will be delivered by SYPTE in partnership with

Stagecoach (the operators) and Sheffield City Council (SCC).

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Integrated Transport

TfGM

Stag

ecoa

ch

Cllr Roger Horton, left, and Steve Davies, Balfour Beatty managing director for the West Midlands apply the finishing touches to the first stretch of rail for the Midland Metro extension.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz GVB


GVB to take the first steps in improving

transportation. As GVB strives towards

2024, Railway Strategies researches

how it aims to improve public safety by

at least ten per cent, with service

20 per cent faster, attracting 35 per cent

more passengers, and with a subsidy

reduction by at least 40 per cent.

The reduction in annual subsidy is

made more significant when considering

the amount available for the previous

concession before 2012 was €150 million.

By leveraging the needs of the current user

of public transportation and the changing

mobility flows it aims to function efficiently

within the financially changing situation.

GVB management is determined to make

decisions that will improve quality whilst

reducing working within a tighter budget.

Through increasing the frequency of

routes it is possible to achieve a shorter

travel time, and routes and stops that

T he City Region of Amsterdam has

commissioned GVB to carry out the

current concession for Amsterdam

public transportation. Operating

in and around Amsterdam using trams,

metros, buses and ferries, GVB employs

over 3700 personnel. With 15 tram routes

and four metro routes running alongside

the buses and ferries, it provides 740,000

trips per day. In the eyes of GVB,

passengers are of paramount importance,

and this is reflected in the stance the

company takes outside of the daily

operations as it also focuses on social

safety, and manages and maintains the

resources and track infrastructure through

its own companies, Railmaterieel and Rail

Services.

In July 2013, the City Region

of Amsterdam finalised the 2014

transportation plan, founded as the path

to better public transportation, allowing

Connecting AmsterdamTasked with operating the entire public transport network and infrastructure in

Amsterdam, GVB faces a reduction in annual government subsidy from €102 million in 2012 to just €36 million by 2024

Service & ticketing

New M5 metro (metropolis)


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have no added value will be withdrawn,

with the trams and buses providing better

connections with different metro routes

running at a higher frequency.

As Tom Middelkoop interim CEO states,

this is a challenging time but GVB is ready:

“I do realise that we have set the bar

high and have ambitious goals,” he said.

“But the new board of directors is quite

confident that we will succeed. The long

concession duration and the potential of

the new North-South metro line, offer great

opportunities to both our company and all

the passengers.”

As an example of changes that will be

made, the decision has been made to take

tram 25 out of service in 2014. In the past,

the service moved 6000 passengers a

day, compared to trams 1 and 5 that each

transport 35,000 a day. For the busiest

sections of the elapsed route, other trams

remain in service. In establishing better

connections, Tram 4, bus 65, and tram

12 will run more often between the most

important stations Sloterdijk and Amstel.

This will be to the advantage of 17,000

passengers, who will arrive more quickly at

their destination. With the metro set to run

at a higher frequency, in 2014 it will make a

first step in running more often on Saturday

and Sunday mornings. From a total of

1900 stops, 25 relatively unused stops will

be taken out of service in 2014 reducing

passenger journey time.

In the latest agreement, GVB is able to

take advantage of innovative opportunities

by commercially utilising stations.

Through this, GVB is looking to generate

extra income providing an opportunity

to improve the stations, making each

more pleasant to use for passengers.

In 2017, the completion of the Noord/

Zuid route will lead to improved and

faster public transportation and increase

in passengers, making the operation of

public transportation more profitable.

The successful introduction is extremely

important to the contract and under the

commission the company will provide,

through its resources, the trained staff to

operate the route.

Performance under the new approach

will be measured based on customer

Class 378 train at Norwood Junction on the East London Line, South stations

Caring for the environment – zero emission bus

Rail maintenance

Maintenance on trams

Railtech BVRailtech BV is filling-in the needs of cost-

reduction. Delivery of all kinds of overhead

conductor materials coming via one supplier

is of great benefit for all public transport

operators. Furthermore their flexibility,

knowledge, reliability at the most economical

cost is proof of good performance. In their

warehouse the critical components are

available and with their 24/7 service possibility

we always can rely on their support.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz GVB zz

satisfaction, the number of passenger

kilometres in rush hours, punctuality,

the number of fare evasion and trip

cancellations. The City Region will also

provide more inducements to achieve

results instead of prescriptions, meaning

part of the subsidy is variable and

dependent on the increase in number of

passenger kilometers in rush hours. This

is because a pre-eminent carrier such as

GVB has the expertise and experience for

achieving the intended outcome.

Scheduled reassessments

are forecast in 2016, 2019,

and 2022 and may lead to

adjustments or settlements

in the maximum subsidy.

For example, should

income significantly differ

than expected then the

GVB subsidy will be

adjusted. Although the subsidy

is drastically reduced, the City Region of

Amsterdam is investing about €395 million

until 2025 in improvements for a faster and

more reliable public transportation network

to attract more passengers. Additionally

there is an investment of more than €500

million to purchase new metro coaches

and a total of €684 million invested in

management and maintenance of the rail

infrastructure and renovating the metro

system. Off the rail, GVB is additionally

investing heavily in the purchase of modern

clean Euro-6 buses and dynamic travel

information, supporting the company’s

vision of operating sustainably and

protecting the environment.

The management and maintenance of

the rail infrastructure will be carried out

15 per cent more efficiently and GVB Rail

Services was selected for this purpose

as an important partner. Under the new

contract, the business enters 2014 working

more efficiently and professionally, with

more attention to market forces providing

reliability at the most economical cost. zz

Railtech BV is a professional, flexible and dynamic organization that focuses specifically on the supply of overhead conductor materials for the rail infrastructure market (tram, train, metro). GVB has been one of our returning clients for more then 13 years. Not only for the outside infrastructure but also for the new workshops at Diemen.

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www.railtechbv.nl

We provide a wide range of products, standard and specials, as well as professional advice to customers. Our philosophy is maximum service with short lines. Railtech has high problem-solving skills and is able to advise in very problematic situations an inventive solution with a competitive offer.

Ferry connecting Amsterdam North with city centre

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During its history of more than

110 years, the Prague Public

Transport Company Inc (PPT), or

locally known as Dopravni podnik

hlavniho mesta Prahy (DPP), has implemented

several strategic transport adaptations. In 1974

the business reached one of its most important

milestones with the opening of the first metro

line. Over the decades that followed the

underground railway system became a critical

part of Prague’s entire public transit system.

The company today is the largest municipal

public transport operator in the Czech Republic

and employs more than 10,000 personnel.

The escalator tunnel at Namesti Miru station

on line A is the longest escalator in Europe

transporting passengers to the station at

depths of 51 metres beneath the surface but

aside from such statistics, the metro is of

operational significance with the per capita

usage of the network the highest in the world.

The travelling public benefits from everyday

quality and continual development, as Jaroslav

Duris, Director General and Chairman of the

Board of Directors describes: “Our company

has been gradually introducing priority

measures to help surface transit traffic flow

more smoothly and regularly, improving quality

and making public transport more competitive

with private automobiles. Our service quality

programme plays a key role in our activities and

aims to see our service through the eyes of our


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With the upcoming Jubilee celebration of Prague’s metro system, Railway

Strategies looks at DPP – the company that keeps

the city moving

DPP - DoPravni PoDnik hlavniho mesta Prahy

Pulling Prague’s population

Station tunnels and double-track running

tunnels are being built using the New Australian

Tunnelling Method using access tunnels

to transport all materials. Three of the new

stations are being built as bored with Cerveny

Vrch at 28 metres below the surface, Veleslavin

at 20 metres and Petriny at

38 metres, but Motol station is being

constructed using the cut-and-cover method,

including the adjacent track segment in the

direction of the route’s end. That is why the

metro system has been conceived as an

open one, meaning that options for its further

expansion past Motol station have also been

specified,” explains Jaroslav Duris.

The metro rolling stock has been renewed in

recent years with the inventory of PPT including

730 wagons, of which 265 are the new M1

type manufactured by Siemens, and 465 cars

are the 81-71M type modernised by Skoda

Transportation. The remaining wagons are ten

older Soviet 81-71 type cars and three historic

Ecs, all manufactured by Mytishchi.

Above the ground, the tram rolling stock,

operating on the largest network in the world,

includes 953 tramcars, 608 of which are time-

tested T3 type with modifications, 147 T6A5

trams, 46 double-articulated bi-directional

KT8N2 modernised trams with a central low-

floor section, 59 low-floor 14T trams produced

by Skoda Transportation and 93 of the latest

15T low-floor trams. Future expansion plans

foresee the running of 250 type 15T trams.

“The extensive renewal of the metro vehicle

fleet was carried out in the period from 1999

to 2011. Maintenance of new metro trains with

modern technology can be very expensive,

clients, the travelling public.”

The company was able to make several

changes to the business, through changes

of its chief executive officer and management

set up during 2013. Following criticism in the

past of its spending on particular services, the

year saw PPT achieve significant savings in

the areas of consultancy, legal, and marketing,

and furthermore arrange discounts on the

purchase of articulated buses. As a result of

fleet renovation and development of services

including information for customers, the

company increased the number of passengers

carried in the year by 9.4 per cent.

Construction began on a project in 2010

undertaking major extension work of the Metro

line A. The west end of Prague’s underground

line is being extended over a six kilometre

double-track project located in the northwest

of the city and will run from Dejvicka station via

four new stations: Cerveny Vrch, Veleslavin,

Petriny and Motol. “Operation of the new

section is expected to start at the turn of

the year 2014/2015, the extension is one of

the key infrastructure projects that will help

improve the efficiency of public transport and

increase safety, comfort and capacity. The

extended line will provide access at several

points to other public transport modes such

as buses, trams, trains and park and ride

facilities.

“For the first time, single-track tunnels

have been bored in Prague’s metro system

using tunnel boring machine technology and

benefiting from the latest tunnelling machines.


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Pulling Prague’s population

Statistically, the structural length of the line A

extension is 6134 metres, with a maximum grade of

39.5 per cent, and minimum horizontal and vertical track

curve radiuses of 630 and 1800 metres

http://www.vossloh.com

and the 35 year life cycle of the train body

is incompatible with the five year life cycle of

metro train electronic equipment, so we made

the decision to out-source all maintenance

issues of the new and modernised trains,”

Jaroslav Duris adds. In 2009, PPT signed two

11 year long-term contracts with Siemens

for the type M1 trains running on line C and

another with Skoda Transportation for the type

81-71M trains on lines A and B. Four years

into the contracts, the operational cost savings

and quality of the maintenance service are

reported to be a success.

Late in October 2013, PPT opened a new

transport information centre at the main railway

station in Prague, Praha hlavni nadrazi, and

it is targeted to serve foreign and domestic

customers travelling to the capital. Looking

towards future improvements, the first

operating segment of the new metro line D

is planned to eventually run from Namesti

Miru to Depo Pisnice. The line will be 10.6

kilometres long with ten stations and is

the most important transit structure being

prepared in Prague, with the goal to provide

high quality transit services to the south,

reducing the high demand on metro line C.

“Ongoing modernisation of rolling stock,

reconstruction of tram tracks, alternative

traction systems for buses and extension

work of the metro line A remain at the

forefront of future interest and over the next

five year period we will be increasing the

suitability for the disabled. The upgrade will

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also take into account the ecology aspect,

with the new cars being more environmentally

friendly with lower fuel consumption,” says

Jaroslav Duris.

In a survey carried out by The International

Automobile Federation in 2010, Prague’s public

transport was ranked fourth of 23 in respect

to quality, and with celebrations commencing

in May 2014 marking the 40 year anniversary

of the metro line operating, PPT continues to

strives towards being be a modern, dynamic,

efficient and a competitive enterprise, as

Jaroslav Duris concludes: “Our attention

will be focused on transparent and efficient

management, public transport development,

passenger satisfaction and maintaining a high

standard of services.” zz

DPP



zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzBEA SEnSorio

Sensing successBEA Sensorio specialises in the design of sensors integrated on

automated systems for train doors, gates and similar public

transport equipment



BEA, founded in Belgium in 1965, has over 400

employees around the globe. A pioneer in

the sensor industry, BEA was one of the first

companies to launch a Doppler microwave radar

specially adapted for automatic doors opening.

The Sensorio division of BEA was set up to broaden

the fields of application of its technologies through market

diversification, and to make its expertise available to

other parties involved in various new markets. At BEA

Sensorio, the employees and management team combine

experience and know-how in a way that ensures clients

get the right solution to meet all their sensor needs.

BEA Sensorio offers a complete range of infrared

optical, radar and time of flight LZR® based sensors, and

these are divided across several market sectors, one of

which is Railways and Public Transport in general. In this

area, BEA Sensorio products are available for interior

doors, exterior doors, platform screen doors and other

similar applications in Public Transport.

When it comes to interior doors, over the past few years

automation has become increasingly important in the

public transport market, mainly focusing on the comfort

and safety of passengers. The same is valid for automated

doors, especially on train platforms.

Sensing success

Contact: Mr Frankie LaiTel: 852-2796 3687Email: [email protected]

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On automated interior train doors, the aim of using

sensors is threefold:

1) To open the door when passengers approach the door

(detection of motion), and avoid inappropriate openings in

all other situations

2) To keep the door open as long as a passenger is next

to the door or within its threshold (detection of presence)


3) To avoid the door staying open indefinitely, if objects,

such as baggage are placed in the sensor’s detection field

The BEA Sensorio sensors of the RS range are

dedicated to this kind of application. So for example, the

RS-1 is a one-spot active infrared sensor designed to

open the doors when needed or to keep them open in

case of presence at proximity of or in the door’s threshold,

http://www.ultratech.com.hk


and the RS-15 is an active infrared sensor featuring a

detection area (matrix) of 3 x 5 configurable spots, to

open the door when needed and keep it open in case of

presence in the threshold.

These solutions offer multiple customer benefits,

including decreased maintenance and logistics cost. They

are convenient alternative to push buttons, light barriers

or similar infrared sensors.

For exterior doors, generally the most important

aspects for operators to consider are safety and access

conditions for persons with disabilities. As a result, on

automated exterior doors, the aim of using sensors is to

safeguard the passengers while keeping an acceptable

level of operability. Therefore, the door should be kept

open when somebody tries to enter or to leave the railway

vehicle, alone or accompanied (e.g. with a children or an

animal). The ‘critical’ passengers should be detected

without being hit by the door. Consequently, additional

sensor solutions to contact edges used nowadays are

requested.

BEA Sensorio’s products in this area are based on the

LZR® platform, which the company describes as ‘time-

of-flight technology’. The LZR®-RS300 solution has been

designed to safeguard exterior railway doors in either

two or (optionally) three dimensions - one single sensor

(emitter and receiver are integrated in one housing) can

be enough to safeguard a complete door, either single or

double leaf, flat or curved.

The LZR® RS-300 offers a variety of customer

benefits. It is a convenient alternative to light grids,

and as the emitter and receiver are integrated in one

housing, minimum effort is required for integration

offering time and cost reduction to integrator and end

user. It offers complete coverage of the door surface,

and in combination with contact edges, the LZR-RS300

provides high degree of safeguarding on exterior train

doors.

Platform screen doorsPlatform Screen Doors (PSD) is a part of a safety system

used mainly in the subway to separate subway platforms

from the railway track. Sliding doors installed on the

subway platform interact with train doors, while opening

and closing simultaneously. One of the main tasks of

such systems is to prevent passengers from falling on

the track and guarantee constant and safe passenger

GRAND BONDElectronics Ltd.

CONTACT USTel: (852)26482908Tel: (852)26489802E-mail: [email protected]

LOW COST & HIGH QUALITY INTERNATIONAL STANDARD OEM ASSEMBLY SERVICE

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We have earned and been accumulating our production experience in producing various product applications from:

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STMicroelectronics NVBEA Europe is using STM32 Microcontrollers of STMicroelectronics for its door opening

systems. The choice of the STM32F105 “connectivity line” brings a cost effective solution with

a high level of integration.

This line is characterized with specific communication peripherals such as USB slave,

USB OTG, Ethernet, CAN, I2S etc… It is a part of the generic 32bit ARM based STM32

microcontroller family of ST which includes more than 450 references.

STM32 series offer compatible products starting from 0.32 USD 32 bit Microcontrollers up to

the STM32F429 line which is the most powerful ARM Cortex M4 based product in the Market.

flow between platform and train. Consequently, the

safeguarding of the threshold area between the PSD and

the train is a very important factor.

The LZR® platform is also used in the PSD area, with

the LZR®-RS310. The LZR®-RS310 has been designed to

safeguard the threshold area between the PSD and train

doors in three dimensions. For correct train positioning

and other raw data measurement linked to PSD systems,

BEA Sensorio also offers LZR®-U9xx series another part

of the LZR®-range.

Clients find that BEA Sensorio’s LZR Laser Scanner

series provide a refined alternative to light barriers,

cameras or similar technologies sensors. LZR® Laser

Scanner integration on the Platform Door Screen enables

the integrator to set-up a safe (up to SIL3 safety level)

and reliable system with reduced maintenance costs

and increased availability of the overall Automated Metro

system.

Alongside safeguarding exterior and PSD doors or

comfort on interior doors, other applications can also be

addressed using radar and time of flight LZR® sensors.

Generally, if motion has to be detected, radar sensors

are the most appropriate solution, whereas if distance

has to be measured, time of flight LZR® is generally more

suitable. Some examples of other possible applications

in the railway market are passengers counting and gap

filler deployment – both could be addressed using BEA

Sensorio’s Laser scanner platform LZR®-U9xx.

It is clear from the solutions discussed above that

passenger’s safety and comfort are major area of focus

for BEA Sensorio, and it is working closely with train

manufacturers such as Siemens and Alstom as well as

the integrators such as Bombardier to create adapted

sensor solutions bearing in mind cost adapted solution

for end-user and more safety & comfort for passengers.

As an example, one of its most recent announcements


http://www.st.com/web/en/home.html


Tradpost TechnologyTradpost Technology has been the major contract manufacturer for BEA Europe for more than

nine years. Established since 1982, it is an OEM turnkey manufacturing company serving

countries in Europe, North America and Oceania for PCB sub-assembly as well as complete

device builds, committed to deliver top quality and prompt shipment products with thanks

to its expertise engineering, production capability, well managed supply chains and logistics

support. Its accredited ISO 9001:2008 and approved UL, CSA, TUV Safety Inspections warrant

a diverse range of electronic devices from computer peripherals, telecommunications, lighting,

to sensors, keep expanding into new industries.

To assure the required level of quality standard the company established a quality

management system according to ISO 9001 and IRIS.

was in September 2013, when the company released

an updated version of RS-15, the only opening sensor

for train inner doors that is compliant with fire safety

standards in Europe.

It is thanks to innovative solutions such as this that

BEA Sensorio remains one of the world leading

companies in its sector. As it enters the New Year, the

organisation is looking forward to further developing its

equipment for new applications in the industry, which

by the way will be exhibited during the forthcoming

INNOTRANS Exhibition. zz

www.sensorio.be


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have the best possible journey, MTR Nordic views the

underground as an imperative part of the daily running of

Stockholm and is determined to keep journeys flowing

efficiently.

By a joint venture with Norway’s leading train

maintenance firm, Mantena, MTR Nordic handles the

maintenance sector of the organisation. Operating

24 hours a day, seven days a week, the maintenance

organisation manages, develops and maintains the

complete fleet of vehicles and workshop equipment used

and owned by the public transportation organisation,

Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), to ensure all travelers a

safe, punctual and enjoyable journey.

W ith the overall responsibility for the running,

planning and maintenance of the Stockholm

underground system since 2009, for a time

period of 13 years thereafter, MTR Nordic

operates under a 300 million euro annual contract. This

involves ambitious goals to continuously improve and

develop the underground network for the 1.2 million

passengers that use the metro every day.

Since taking over the contract four years ago, MTR

has seen exceptional improvements, with punctuality now

at its highest ever levels in the metro’s 60 year history.

Managing traffic, ticketing, cleaning systems and traffic

information, while consistently striving for customers to


Bold developmentsWith 3000 employees and ambitious goals for ongoing improvements,

MTR Nordic is working to create a world-class underground system

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzMTR NoRdic


MTR Nordic, being a subsidiary of the London

based MTR Europe, is part of MTR Europe’s wider

growth strategy. In the UK, MTR already joint-owns and

successfully operates the London Overground, and is

bidding for the Crossrail, Essex Thameside, ScotRail and

Thameslink operating contracts. In Sweden, strategically

aiming to deliver a new, fast, premium-quality service to

its Swedish intercity passengers, MTR Nordic announced

it will be launching the MTR Express, a new express train

that will connect Sweden’s two largest cities.

“Running 110 weekly departures between Stockholm,

located on the east coast, and Gothenburg in the west,

we aim to attract existing rail passengers as well as

Bold developments

other business and leisure travelers to choose rail over

other modes of transport with our three hour ten minute

service,” said Peter Viinapuu, chief executive officer of

MTR Nordic.

Calling at Flemingsberg, Sodertalje, Hallsberg,

Herrljunga and Falkoping, MTR Express service was

officially awarded nine Stockholm to Gothenburg train

paths each way on weekdays and five train paths on

weekends in September 2013; the majority of services

are anticipated to start late 2014.

Reaching top speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, MTR

will invest 78 million euros to acquire six state-of-the-art

train sets to operate on the route. Capable of dealing

With 3000 employees and ambitious goals for ongoing improvements, MTR Nordic is working to create a world-class underground system




travel experience.

The internal work with coaching leadership has

made a significant footprint in employee satisfaction.

The latest employee survey conducted in November

2013 marked an all-time-high score on Employee

Satisfaction Index, namely 81 per cent.

One way customer satisfaction will be improved

is with the 19 kilometre expansion of the Stockholm

metro. Following an agreement between the

Government, Stockholm County Council, City of

Stockholm, Solna Town Council and the municipalities

of Jarfalla and Nacka, the expansion of the city’s metro

network will involve 19 kilometres of new metro lines

and nine new stations to be completed by 2025. With

78,000 new homes, the four planned projects within

the expansion plan will help to meet the sharp rise in

demand for housing in Stockholm.

Included in the plan is a project to build a new metro

line from Odenplan to Hagastaden, which is due to

open in 2020, a southern extension of the Blue Line

from Kungstradgarden to Sofia and an interchange

with the most harsh Nordic weather conditions, the

five-car, aluminium bodied EMU trains will be designed

and constructed in Switzerland by Stadler to provide

high quality travel for customers. Due for delivery in

autumn 2014, the new train sets will be tested and

commissioned before the launch of the MTR Express

service.

Focused on customer satisfaction, the company’s

guiding principles are security, punctuality, cleanliness

and customer service. To succeed in delivering these

core values, the internal environment at MTR is open and

transparent, with close dialogue between all staff levels

encouraged. With more than one million journeys made

daily, MTR Nordic is aware that constant improvements

are vital to the ongoing success of the company and is

keen for management to hold regular, informal meetings

with staff to encourage conversations and ideas that

will enhance the company’s day-to-day operations.

Furthermore, it has developed a process-based system,

which takes staff suggestions into consideration and

enables the firm to provide an increasingly enhanced


at Gullmarsplan; an extension of the Blue Line Akalla

branch to Barkaby station, due for completion in 2021

and a five-station extension of the Blue Line east

from Kungstradgarden to Hammarby Canal, Sickla,

Saltsjo-Jarla and Nacka Forum, which is scheduled for

completion in 2025.

“Hosting world-leading expertise and strong financial

backing, MTR Nordic aims to develop our presence

in the Nordic countries with rail activities and superior

services that will complement the needs of many different

categories of passengers. We also look forward to be an

integrated business partner in the development of the

metro system in Stockholm,” said Peter Viinapuu.

With construction due to begin on the four projects

in 2016, the expansion will be ready for the anticipated

increase in Stockholm’s population from 2.1 million to 2.6

million by 2030. Meanwhile, over the coming few years,

the company will continue to enjoy positive growth in

passenger volume on the Stockholm underground as the

city’s bustling population is annually increasing by double

its predicted rate. zz



http://www.nybergs.se

As the infrastructure owner of all railways in

Denmark, Banedanmark is undertaking a total

replacement of signalling across the country.

Leading the way, the state owned company is in

the early stages of the modernisation programme.

With control and communication at the centre of

the renewal, Railway Strategies spoke to signalling

programme director Morten Søndergaard: “We started

by doing initial studies and following political agreement

we scheduled out the work through an extensive

procurement phase over a two-year period dividing the

scope into four main packages.

“The suburban network in Copenhagen was awarded

to Siemens renewing a full Communications Based Train

Control (CBTC) signalling system.” The 170km S-Bane

network comprises 130 train sets, and the contractor

is responsible for all signalling replacement based on a

software controlled, radio based signalling system that

includes additional features such as automatic train

operation, applicable to the more intensive suburban rail

network.

“The S-Bane line project has commenced with the

first 12 trains being fitted today. By fitting out the first

part of the line we have established an early deployment

section,” begins Morten. The Early Deployment scheme

includes the first line to be fitted and tested and the

scheme will build up experience for both the suppliers

and Banedanmark. He continues: “On this part of the

section we can run tests on the equipment to ensure

the system is working correctly before the contractor

continues the installation on the rest of the network.

In the full transition period the trains run double fitted


Banedanmark settles into its seat aboard the €2.5 billion signalling renewal programme supported by the Danish government

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Banedanmark

A new history

operating on the new system when it passes the early

deployment section of the line. In 2014 we will be fitting

more trains, testing the system including safety approval

of the final software. The whole project will progress in

this way and we expect to reach completion of the whole

network by 2018.”

The other main contracts (a full replacement of the

main and regional lines in Denmark) are scheduled to

run 18 months behind the S-bane deployment. All three

have passed the initial procurement phase with early

deployment lines planned for supervised operation

in 2016. The contracts are larger and more complex

with the integration of equipment into different trains

encompassing different companies.

The Fjernbane mainline network was divided into

two projects, east and west, as a reflection of the size

of a countrywide replacement. The systems comprise

all signalling equipment including train detection, point

machines, line side signals, interlocking, train control,

and traffic management. The third contract entails all

on-board equipment. There was a lot of competition

during tendering stage, and histories are being written

under new relationships, with Alstom providing ERTMS/

ETCS solutions on the eastern contract. Alstom was

additionally awarded the contract for the onboard

computer equipment on the mainline trains. The western

mainline contract was secured by Thales and Balfour

Beatty Rail (now Structon) consortium.

Open tenderThe contracts are on schedule and budget with overall

completion due in 2021. As Morten explains, the new

platform for tendering is proving to be a success: “We

wanted to create competition, to get the right prices and

the right performance so we made a complete open

tender. Traditionally in this industry the railways are tied

to a few companies but by ensuring the requirements

specification was equal to all e.g. by developing

completely new operational rules and taking away the

benefit of knowing or interfacing to existing systems, we

could submit openly to the market and we were able to

cut our original budget by nearly 20 per cent.

“It is a business tender model that we will take

forward, we are a public company, but try to act in a

commercial way. In Denmark there is a lot of investment

underway, with future plans to electrify the whole

railway network. As this goes ahead we will look to

attract contractors with the capacity to roll out a steady

production over a number of years. We also have a new

high-speed line underway originating in Copenhagen

and a future upgrade of the line to Germany among

other projects. All of these will have the same overall


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Banedanmark

procurement strategy of creating maximum competition

and economy of scale.”

The railway in Denmark is going through a period

of government backed, fully financed investments. To

overcome concerns surrounding funding for projects

over a prolonged period, long term rail funds has been

established by the politicians which fit the long duration

of these programmes. This way the financial situation

is settled for the full length of the programmes, despite

changing governments. This has created stability of

projects, and contractors that may have been deterred

previously by the insecurity of funding over a ten-year

period are now being attracted to tenders.

Establishing a new framework with contractors is

not without challenge as Morten says: “It is a difficult

programme in terms of integration. In total we actually

have 13 interdependent projects running in parallel,

including the provision of a totally new GSM-R network.

All the projects can delay the other which is a potential

challenge. We are also doing training of all train drivers

and all staff in the control centres, so there are a number

of projects running in the same time frame.”

With the contracts on track Morten explains how

Banedanmark is structured to make a difference: “There

is a lack of expertise in the industry in general. We have

established an international advisor organisation with 80

staff and 120 external consultants, from across Europe.

We take in trainees from universities directly together with

the consultants that work with us. By pre-empting future

demands we have set up programmes to grow students

expertise across the industry by working with us.”

Aware that through investments Banedanmark

has created a lot interest around the project, Morten

concludes: “We are so far satisfied with our progress and

intend to continue in that way.” zz


DPP

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz BaneDanmark

RambollThe re-signalling consortium: Ramboll, Atkins, Emch+Berger and Parsons

There is no precedence for upgrading an entire country’s railway signalling infrastructure.

Nevertheless, this is the task facing a consortium led by Ramboll and comprising Atkins,

Emch+Berger and Parsons that is currently designing and planning Denmark’s new signalling

system - one of the most significant and ambitious infrastructure projects in Europe today.

Ramboll, Atkins, Emch+Berger and Parsons have created a team of more than 100

international experts to combine local knowledge of the existing system with international

railway expertise. The team is placed in an integrated organisation with the customer,

Banedanmark, in Copenhagen. Together, the consortium partners have 35,000 experts and

have worked on some of the world’s most advanced transportation and signal-control projects.

T he Czech Republic is home to a 9500 kilometre

rail network, and with 2500 stations and stops,

it is one of the densest in Europe. Each day over

7000 passenger trains travel a total of more than

125 million kilometres yearly with residents of Czech

Republic traveling an average of 17 train journeys per

capita per year, one of the highest ratios in Europe.

In 2003 the joint-stock company České dráhy (CD)

was established as one of the successor companies of

the original state organisation Czech Railways, and in

the ten-year period has undergone further organisational

changes in order to create a working group structure.

The business has two main focuses, passenger

transport, and freight transport. České dráhy’s activities

in rail freight transport are operated by its subsidiary

ČD Cargo, providing shipments of industrial and

agricultural commodities, raw materials,

automobiles, fuels and propellants, goods,

containers and oversized freight.

Railway Strategies spoke to head of strategy

division Jiri Nalevka about the strategic direction

that the business is moving in: “Through

operations of our own and our subsidiaries,

we aim to gain economic scale. We are a pure

network operator focusing on the Czech domestic

market, with our subsidiary, ČD Cargo, in charge of

freight operations. There has been a huge transformation

over the last five to seven years, which is focused on

a complete change of inner functions to withstand the

opening of the market.”

Opening up the national freight and passenger markets

to cross-border competition has been a major step

towards the creation of an integrated European railway

area and of a genuine EU internal market for rail. Freight

transport has been liberalised in the EU since 2007, for

both national and international services meaning any

licensed EU railway company and new operators entered

the market improving the competitiveness of rail against

other transport modes. The market for purely domestic

rail passenger services however has not yet opened up to

EU-wide competition, but as Jiri continues: “In the Czech

Republic both domestic and international passenger

market has been open to competition since 2004 and we

have open access competitors as well as competitors for

Public Service Operations (PSO) contracts.

“The contracts cover approximately 95 per cent of

project activity on the rail network. We signed a long term

PSO contract in 2009 for ten years providing state and

regional services. The contract stipulates that the state

may decide to lodge a tender in case that the state of the

market should differ.”

České dráhy has established close links with DPP,

the urban transport operator in Prague providing the

bus service from Prague main station to Vaclav Havel

Airport, but has also been working with its European

neighbours to begin to improve services in the area of rail

freight transport and logistics, as Jiri explains: “In 2012

we concluded a contract deemed as one of the most

important international projects. The SoNorA (South-

North Axis) project is the largest project in the Central

Europe programme in terms of its overall budget.”

The SoNorA project was supported with the results of



As the rail industry across Europe adapts

to EU policy, České dráhy

is proving itself as a leading

operator in the open market

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz České dráhy

Czech mate


the Adriatic-Baltic Landbridge project, which ran between

2006 and 2008 that České dráhy also participated in.

The main goal of SoNorA was in support of multimodal

transport between the Baltic and Adriatic Seas,

increasing the share of railway and waterway transport.

The drive to support new opportunities for regional

development through improvements and transport

availability, saw a specific contribution of the project

from the point of view of developing rail freight transport

was the development and an optimisation of transport

at the container terminal in Lovosice, as well as a pre-

investment study of ČD Cargo’s market opportunities in

Brno and Ostrava.

The company has strategic goals that define its

position on the open market. It must maintain a market-

orientated, profitable and well-financed organisation,

and whilst being operationally efficient, aims to remain

customer orientated as it integrates as part of the

European railway system as stipulated by the EU.

Integration is a key part of České dráhy’s future, with

subsidiaries working under the same rules and policies to

provide an overall more fully competitive service.

“The state ownership brings the advantage of setting

ČSN OHSAS 18001:2008, ČSN EN ISO 9001:2009, ČSN EN ISO 14001:2005, ČSN EN 15085 – 2:2008

Reliable suplier for more than 10 years

Production and mounting of rail vehicle components

Turning Milling Drilling Welding

CONTACTMSV STUDÉNKA s. r. o.Čs. Armády 219/20, Bílovec 743 01Czech Republic

Call: +420 556 403 614Email: [email protected]: www.msvstudenka.cz

TEDOMTEDOM is one of the few engine producers offering horizontal engines suitable for under-floor installations in DMUs and other special railway vehicles. TEDOM Stage IIIB compliant engines are electronically controlled with CAN bus communication however for re-powering projects engine control strategy could be adapted to existing analogue or mechanical control system.

the business in a very good financial position, but as we

are set to make substantial investment into rolling stock,

we are seeking the arrangement of long-term contracts.

An additional advantage that we have combined

experience and knowledge of the market and customers,

with the experience of the coverage of the network

within the Czech Republic. We can offer transport for

passengers from the point origin to destination without

the need to change transport options, and we perceive

this a great advantage because customers are under

one transport contact preventing the need to buy two or

three tickets. We are in a positive position to remain at the

forefront of the industry,” Jiri concludes. zz

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzČeské dráhy

http://www.msvstudenka.cz

http://www.tedomengines.com

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz McCulloCh Rail


“It is particularly relevant in single line rail

where it has a huge advantage over other

methodologies but it is just as efficient on

some twin track and multiple track systems.”

When the equipment was first released

demand was not immediate, but as more

clients benefited from the operation, interest

has quickly grown, and repeat business has

been high.

The Panel Lifter is a similar concept to

FLASS although its capabilities are greater

and can lift and move a full concrete panel and

load onto a Unimog trolley system. Capable of

carrying a load of up to nine panels, it saves

time and effort and can be completed in

remote locations. All machinery, except for the

Unimog, is bespoke, designed and refined by

Billy McCulloch. As an example Colin explains:

“The TRT design was revised several times

before he was happy with the product. We

undertake R&D ourselves, employing specialist

CAD and design engineers. We then construct

In 1992, two brothers, William and Danny

McCulloch, established McCulloch

Rail realising interests of developing

equipment to solve problems on the

railway. Operations began with the Trac Rail

Transposer (TRT), a safe and accurate rail

installation machine capable of removing

and installing rail in a very short amount of

time. In conjunction, the company started a

scrap recovery system, using a high capacity

Unimog and trolley system for lifting and

moving scrap.

The combination of the methods results in

a safe and efficient system. The business has

since designed two types of bigger operational

machinery. Introducing the new lines, Railway

Strategies spoke to business director Colin

Neil: “We have developed a Fine Lining and

Sleeper Spacing (FLASS) machine, which

can carry up to 14 concrete sleepers at a

time, lining and spacing them very accurately,

eliminating manual handling.

Laying linesLeading the way on new lines McCulloch Rail is continually developing

innovative equipment to modify rail infrastructure

FLASS laying concrete sleepers for Balfour Beatty on Transport

London Line next to Millwall Football Club

Seen here working for BAM Rail working on Edinburgh Tram where 800 metres of twin track was laid utilising FLASS


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

prototypes in house before our suppliers

manufacture the equipment to industry

standards.”

With the company head office in Ayrshire UK,

it has depots in Doncaster and in Northampton

to support its operational capabilities. Holding

patents on the designs, McCulloch Rail is able

to provide the industry with a fresh approach,

and the innovative products are enriching

new contracts. “The biggest client we have

is Network Rail and over 50 per cent of our

business is with them, in both new work and

maintenance.

“We regularly use TRT and FLASS machinery

on projects with Babcock, carrying out single

line projects in remote areas of Scotland

amongst other regions. We carry out similar

type works with Balfour Beatty and Amey

Colas, the other IMT Contractors and are

witnessing our geographic spread widening

to include Wales, Devon and Cornwall

incorporating the FLASS machine and the

Panel Lifter into the work,” says Colin.

In a demonstration of the full capabilities of

the business, Colin explains that McCulloch

Rail will shortly begin two contracts with

Network Rail utilising all types of machines: “It’s

a single line contract where we are renewing a

considerable distance. As we work the line we

will collect the old scrap panels with Unimogs,

Panel Lifters and trolley systems. New sleepers

will be installed with FLASS and the rail with the

TRTs. Each model of machinery is going to be

utilised on the contract.

“We are in discussion with Network Rail,

Amey Colas and Babcock around construction

of a scrap recovery programme that will help

clear up the infrastructure around the UK.” The

backbone of operations is made up of 26 TRTs

and the business is taking delivery of another

six. Other assets are made of four Unimog

systems with trolleys, two FLASS systems,

and one panel lifter system with another to be

constructed in 2014.

Surrounding future machinery, Colin was

able to announce outline plans of another big

development: “We have registered designs

for a multipurpose utility vehicle and we are

looking to start manufacturing the prototype

fairly soon. It is going to be an asset that

benefits the whole rail infrastructure.

“Most plant on the rail has been adapted

for the railway, whereas our plant has been

designed to function for the railway and that

is a key aspect of our strategy. It is highlighted

in the simplicity of the machines we have,

with universal connections. As an example,

all our hydraulic hosing is the same diameter,

so any repairs can be completed quickly from

universal spares and tools so engines will not

be marooned.”

Class 378 train at Norwood Junction on the East London Line, South stations

Scrap concrete panels being lifted for Babcock Rail on the Stirling Station Remodelling Project with ALO working

Rail distribution being carried out

South Cave UnimogSouth Cave Unimog is one of the longest

established Mercedes Benz Unimog Dealerships

in the country and a determination to provide

the most dependable customer service

experience has made it the first choice for

many major organisations and independent

Unimog operators in the UK today.

The UK rail sector in particular is a real growth

area for the company and its relationship with

the internationally renowned Zagro group has

allowed it to match the best quality rail gear to

the ever-versatile Unimog vehicle.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz McCulloCh Rail zz

The business has maintained an exceptional

safety record as a result of regulated

procedures and the elimination of manual

handling. The statistics are further enhanced

when considering that all of McCulloch Rail

operations can be carried out under live

operating conditions. Having designed the

machinery, the training of the workforce is also

undertaken in-house with external trainers

providing certification. With contracts and

interest growing rapidly, the business is focused

on recruitment as it seeks individuals with a

mechanical and hydraulic aptitude.

McCulloch Rail is looking to gain a greater

footing in the industry through controlled

growth in 2014, developing concepts and

bringing in new machinery as Colin concludes:

“Our capabilities are being understood and in

some contracts we are actually being included

within advised methodology.

“We have patents globally and plans towards

entering the European and American markets

through terms of supply, which provides

an exciting future. But the biggest aspect

of McCulloch Rail is we continually look at

improvement processes and innovation and

that is why we have been successful.” zz

Supporting McCulloch Rail

Providing full Unimog sales and service to the UK Rail sectorSouth Cave Unimog, Common Lane, Newport, East Yorks HU15 2RD, 01430 424233 www.southcavetractors.com

TRT being utilised in a tunnel environment, removing scrap LWR (long welded rail) to be replaced with new

Rail distribution being carried out

http://www.southcavetractors.com

Today one of Europe’s leading suppliers of cutting

edge, bespoke technology for telecommunication

solutions required in the rail industry, Keymile’s

success is the result of a number of strategic

mergers and a longstanding dedication to delivering

high quality, reliable data transmission services to its

clients. Viewing its relationships with customers as open

partnerships, it offers advice on network infrastructure

and network extension; on top of this, the dynamic firm

provides 24-hour support for any project and technical

issues that may arise.

“We have a long history, which began with Austrian

firm Datentechnick AG acquiring Ascom Transmission

AG from Switzerland in 2002 and merging this company

with ke Kommunikations-Elektronik GmbH the following

year; both companies have a distinguished history

in the telecommunication market. We later acquired

another German organisation, Aastra Networks GmbH,

in 2009; this company belonged during their long

history as well to Ericsson, Marconi and Bosch. Most

recently we further strengthened our portfolio for smaller

transmission systems with the acquisition of a new

company named HYTEC Gerätebau GmbH, which has

a highly sophisticated development team and boasts

sophisticated products,” explains Klaus Pollak, head of

consulting and projects at Keymile. “HYTEC’s market

focus is today towards the utility segment, supplying

baseband modems, Ethernet switching devices with

SHDSL and optical transmission interfaces as well

as powerline modems. Our plan is to place HYTEC’s

product portfolio as well into the railway industry

strengthening our offering of the well known Keymile

products.”

He continues: “Our main services are in two sectors,

one is the public telecom operator segment and the

other in railways, authority and utilities; we have a large

footprint in serving companies in the railway industry

and have around 30 customers using our products. This

includes the highly advantageous solution, Milegate,

which has become our flagship data transmission

platform due to its innovative abilities to connect legacy

systems to new products in both the railway and telecom

operator sectors.”

An essential component in the modernisation of

railway networks, Milegate is a flexible access and

transmission platform, able to provide both Ethernet and

native TDM technology from a single subrack. Providing

connections to users and access points via optical fibre

and copper wires, Milegate has a hybrid Ethernet and

TDM backplane that boasts a connection of up to ten

GBE per slot, thus ensuring excellent performance for

Ethernet services. Furthermore, traditional services such

as analogue telephony and synchronous/asynchronous

low bandwidth TDM connections are also available due

to Milegate’s TDM capabilities.

A forward-thinking company that strives to be on

the leading edge of technology, Keymile announced its

new Ethernet card for the Milegate multi-service packet


With a long-standing

tradition to deliver flexible,

customer-driven, high quality

solutions, Keymile has

become the partner

to trust

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Keymile

Going the distance

transform platform, which provides 12 Gigabit Ethernet

ports with power over Ethernet (PoE) capability, in June

2013. Designed for use at locations where local power

supply is too costly, or where a remote backup system

for equipment such as access control systems, video

cameras or IP phones should be implemented, the new

Ethernet card supplies an output power of up to 30 Watts

per port. Meeting the high reliability demands of company

networks, the card also has an extended temperature

range that means it can be installed in outdoor cabinets.

Milegate’s versatility has resulted in it becoming

Keymile’s answer to the current evolution surrounding

telecommunication networks and the technological

challenges faced by network operators, as Klaus

discusses: “As the dedicated network grows and

migrates to Ethernet or packet networks in general (which

includes as well MPLS and IP), Milegate is precisely

positioned to migrate all kind of legacy networks towards

packet transport; this is the main plan for the Milegate

platform both now and in the future. Although Milegate

is our flagship data transmission platform, we also have

a number of smaller transmission products under the

name LineRunner SCADA NG. These are used more for

services such as connecting crossing gates or to connect

railway control centres; however, for data transmission on

copper/fibre lines on a lower speed we have specialised

SCADA systems that are used to connect these services.

These systems are temperature proof and waterproof

and we have a lot of these installed on railway networks.

With the acquisition of HYTEC we are now in the position

to enhance our offering with new functionality and

additional product variants.”

Designed for outdoor use in a diverse range of

operating temperatures, the company’s products are

superior in robustness and have been extensively tested

in Keymile’s in-house test labs to ensure absolute

reliability. A prime example of this is the LineRunner

SCADA NG, an extremely robust broadband transmission

system for Ethernet telecontrol/SCADA applications.

Supplied in a tough plastic housing, the product can

be used as a desktop unit or fit on top hat rails, has all

display elements and interfaces at the front and operates

on solar plants.

Suitable for cost-optimised, reliable data transmission

in the telecontrol systems of railway and transport firms

as well as motorways, waterways, airports, pipeline

facilities and utilities, the LineRunner SCADA NG’s

modular design enables the data transmission on

optical fibres, copper pairs or in SDH/PDH networks

with a single system. A multidrop system of the latest

generation, the data of up to 63 LineRunner SCADA

NGs can be exchanged via one transmission path;

furthermore, the SCADA network can be arranged in

various topologies, such as linear or ring topology, and

supports various network architectures using virtually any

infrastructure.

LineRunner SCADA NG is able to operate in the

temperature range of -25 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Keymile

HYTEC HY104 Family

Main Building

http://www.keymile.com

Celsius. It is also shock resistant, making it suitable

for working in environments with high electromagnetic

interferences.

Tasked with finding innovative solutions to evolving

challenges and supporting customers through seamless

migration of their telecommunication networks, Keymile

integrates the requirements of its clients into its research

and development operations to deliver tailor-made

solutions, efficiently and effectively. Certified to DIN EN

ISO 9001, Keymile’s EMC laboratory supports the R&D

team and ensures optimum transparency and ongoing

product enhancement. “Our own production and test

centre in Hannover guarantees high and stable quality

research and development of the production process,

which leads to short completion times,” says Klaus.

“It was a few years ago that we made the conscious

decision to keep the staff and the factory here in

Germany instead of China or Eastern Europe as we can

ensure high quality products and a fast reaction time to

our customers.

“In combination with our own development in

Switzerland and Germany the entire development and

production chain is 100 per cent controlled by Keymile,

which gives us very high credibility for data security

arising now to the number one topic for mission critical

networks as the recent discussion regarding NSA and

other intelligences services shows.”

Elaborating further, Klaus says: “We are a mid-sized

company; we have been dedicated to the railway industry

for several years and we know how the railway industry

thinks, which enables us to serve different kinds of

systems that allow perfect data transmission services to

our clients. Reliability is a key word in this industry, and

our aim is to transport the reliability that we know from

STM and TDM networks into the packet and Ethernet

world to create systems that are equally as reliable. This

is our aim, which is why we are the right partner for the

transmission and migration of networks for Ethernet or

packet transport.”

Benefiting from a leading position in the market of

railway modernisation, Klaus sees a lot of opportunity

for Keymile to continue growing its presence in the

rail industry as the trend of replacing old equipment

and networks with new ones continues. For example,

modernisation is crucial to a growing number of stations

where video surveillance/CCTV is becoming a bigger

requirement; this data needs to be transported, which

means more bandwidth is needed on technology that

isn’t sufficient for this level of transportation. Speaking in

Railway Strategies in November 2012, Klaus said: “Any

project in the rail area takes some time but there is a clear

trend of replacing old equipment and networks with new

ones. Keymile has been and is able to help extensively

with this.”

www.keymile.com

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzKeymile

Strategically strengthening its product portfolio with its

recent acquisition, Klaus discusses the benefits of this

development: “In 2013 we won a tender for transmission

systems in Germany with our SCADA product, MileGate

will hopefully follow next year; in addition the acquisition

of HYTEC strengthens our services in the smaller

transmission systems segment. The company has

a highly sophisticated team that will get to run these

transmission systems and generate these products as

part of Keymile.”

Looking ahead, the future looks positive for Keymile

as it focuses on enhancing its products and boosting

its focus in the railway sector, as Klaus concludes: “We

want to boost our position in the migration of railway

networks towards packet technology, where we see as

keywords the reliability and data security; we also want to

integrate a more sophisticated security mechanism inside

the systems to secure the network from outside. From

a business perspective, around 30-40 per cent of our

market is in transport and utilities, while around

60 per cent is in the telecom sector; over the next

few years we would like to come to a 50/50

share through enhancing our portfolio

and efforts in the railway and

utilities sectors.” zz

MileGate SUP12

Rack with 2 MileGate 2510

Subracks

MileGate 2510 with line cards for railway applications

LineRunner SCADA System Integration Test


13 February 2014 – Gen Y RailNewcastle Upon TyneOrganisers: The National Skills AcademyTel: 0161 833 6320Web: www.nsare.org

12-14 March – Exporail South East Asia – Thailand 2014BangkokOrganisers: Mack Brooks ExhibitionsTel: +44 (0)1727 814 400Email: [email protected]: www.exporail-southeastasia.com/

1-2 April – MetroRail co-located with Light Rail, RailTel, Rail Power and Air RailLondonOrganisers: TerrapinnTel: +44 (0)20 7092 1000Email: [email protected]: www.terrapinn.com/RS-brochure

1-3 April – Intermodal Asia 2014ShanghaiOrganisers: Informa ExhibitionsTel: +44 (0)207 017 5112Email: [email protected]: www.intermodal-asia.com

Forthcoming Conferences and Exhibitions This listing represents a selection of the events about which we have been notified. It is strongly recommended that direct contact should be made with the individual

organiser responsible for each event before booking places or making travel and accommodation reservations. Cancellations and other last-minute alterations are liable to occur. The editor and publishers of RAILWAY STRATEGIES are not responsible for any loss or inconvenience suffered by readers in connection with this guide to events.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Conferences & Exhibitions


20-22 May – Infrarail 2014LondonOrganisers: Mack BrooksTel: 01727 814 400Web: www.infrarail.com

20-22 May – Civil Infrastructure & Technology Exhibition (CITE) 2014LondonOrganisers: Mack BrooksTel: 01727 814 400Web: www.cite-uk.com

28-29 May – GEO Business 2014LondonOrganisers: Diversified Business Communications UKTel: +44 (0)1453 836 363Web: www.geobusinessshow.com

23-26 September – InnoTrans 2014BerlinOrganisers: Messe Berlin GmbHTel: +49 (0)30 30 38 - 2376Email: [email protected]: www.innotrans.com

17-19 March 2015 – Rail-Tech 2015UtrechtOrganisers: Europoint Conferences & ExhibitionsTel: +31 (0)30 698 1800Email: [email protected]: www.rail-tech.com

4th March 2014

Introduction to rolling stock

Key design principles affecting the

performance of railway systems

5th March

Traction & braking

Principles of traction and braking for railway

engineers

6th March

Vehicle dynamics and vehicle track

interaction

Understand the dynamics of railway vehicles

to improve safety, comfort and asset life

18th March

Train control and safety systems

Learn of the systems used on UK fleets that

provide safety and train operational contro

19th March

Train communication and auxiliary

systems

New and existing systems in use on

today’s rolling stock fleet

20th March

Fleet maintenance

Improve your processes and fleet

maintenance processes

1st April

Vehicle Acceptance and Approvals

Introduction to acceptance procedures which

apply across the rail network

2nd April

Optimising fleet maintenance efficiency

Understand the issues affecting rail vehicle

performance and cost of maintenance

3rd April

Train structural integrity

Structural integrity, fire and crashworthiness

systems found on today’s rail fleets

12 -16th May

Introduction to railway signalling

technology

An overview of railway control systems,

subsystems and technologies used on UK

main line and metro railways

A downloadable brochure is available at: www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/learning-and-professional-development-documents/ l_d_railway_training_web.pdf?sfvrsn=2 For more information, please contact Lucy O’Sullivan, learning and development co-ordinator:Tel: +44 (0)20 7304 6907Email: [email protected]: www.imeche.org/learning/courses/railway

A listing of courses currently available from the IMechE (Unless stated otherwise, all courses are in London)

Institute of Mechanical Engineers Training Courses Technical training for the railway industry

http://www.knorr-bremse.co.uk

http://www.zonegreen.co.uk

EditorMartin Collier

[email protected]

Sales ManagerRob Wagner

[email protected]

www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

Schofield Publishing10 Cringleford Business Centre

Intwood Road Cringleford Norwich NR4 6AU

T: +44 (0) 1603 274130F: +44 (0) 1603 274131

RAILWAYS T R A T E G I E Szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

FOR SENIOR RAIL MANAGEMENT

Railway Strategies Issue 103 Final Edition

Documents

Transcript of Railway Strategies Issue 103 Final Edition