Railway Strategies Issue 105 Final Edition

RAILWAYS T R A T E G I E Szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Issue 105 Final

The North West Electrification Programme is leading the way for

progressive electrification

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

Electrification contracts

announced

Dealing with Dawlish

Network Rail signs up to CP5

Record passenger growth continues

Civs frameworks awarded

ORR to review ticketing market

FutureRailway FutureRailway

launches structures & gate-line competitions

NEWS

See Page 22

FOCUS ON

l Electrificationl Plant & Equipment

l Depots & Maintenance

Interview : Rob Wallis talks about TRL’s innovative research

RS Live 2014 Preview page 4

Preview page 74

http://www.andertonconcrete.co.uk

www.railwaystrategies.co.uk 1

ChairmanAndrew Schofield

Managing DirectorMike Tulloch

Editor Martin Collier

[email protected]

Managing EditorLibbie Hammond

Art EditorJon Mee

Advertisement DesignerJamie Elvin

Profile EditorLibbie Hammond

Advertisement SalesDave King

Head of Research

Philip Monument

Editorial ResearchersKeith Hope

Karl Riseborough Gavin Watson

Alex Merritt

AdministrationTracy Chynoweth

No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means

(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other) without prior written permission being obtained from the publisher.

While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content, the publishers cannot be held responsible for

any errors or omissions. Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

Published by

Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre,

Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich NR4 6AU

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01603 274 130Fax: 01603 274 131

Little did I realise when I wrote the editorial for the previous issue of Railway

Strategies that the overwhelmingly dominant subject would remain the

same this time around: the weather. The hoped-for respite did eventually

materialize as February wore on but not before the rail infrastructure had

taken an unprecedented battering, remaining seriously compromised in a number

of areas – notably Dawlish. Damage recovery will set the agenda for weeks and

months, inevitably impacting on efforts to make a seamless transition between

Control Periods 4 and 5 in April. Locations such as Datchet and Maidenhead

amply demonstrate that water and electricity are not good bedfellows, with

the loss of traction and signalling power, respectively, as a consequence of

groundwater flooding. Inevitably the debate over the continued use of third-rail

traction power supply will resurface; if it isn’t leaves or snow and ice it’s water that

brings trains to a halt. There is good news, however, in that contracts have now

been announced to electrify a further 2000 track miles of the network in the North

West by means of overhead catenary. Just the wind to worry about then!

Stop PressNetwork Rail has announced that the Great Western Main Line through Dawlish will re-open on Friday 4th April, two weeks ahead of Easter.

Looking ahead to the spring, the Railway Strategies Live! conference will be

taking place again. As last year, the venue is the Royal Geographical Society in

London and a fascinating programme is being assembled – further details appear

within this issue.

So save the date: 15th May 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 105 ISSN 1467-0395 Railway Strategies by email

Railway 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]).

Elemental forces – continued!

Netw

ork

Rail

40

FeaturesExpert voice – Rob Wallis 6Libbie Hammond

Future-proofing the UK rail network 34Dan Rodgers

London Bridge transformation – Chris Drabble 40Gay Sutton

The future of urban mobility 44Arthur D. Little and the UITP

ProfilesLowery 17Tracksure 48Craig & Derricott 53Angel Trains 64Percy Lane Products 66NuSteel Structures 70Trackwork Moll 82Stadtwerke Bonn 88GB Railfreight 90Oleo International 93Odlewnie Polskie 97Trans Data Management 101 Arbil Rail 104PMA 106Kier 109

48

64

6

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzContents

RS Live 2014 Preview 4

INFRARAIL Preview page 74

News

Focus on... Depots & Maintanence

Best practice in bearing lubrication 80

Malcolm Watson & Tony Synnott

Industry News 9Contracts 30

Rail Alliance 37Stations 38

Integrated Transport 47Products & Services 52

Research 56Rolling Stock 61

Health & Safety 100Conferences & Exhibitions 112IMechE Training Courses 112

58

22

61

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzContents www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

14

Focus on... Electrification

Powering ahead – Jon Clee 22Gay Sutton

Modelling the Great Western electrification 26

Power is nothing without Protection & Control 28

Richard Jones

Helping 3.5 million London commuters get to work 32

Mark Beswick

Focus on... Plant & Equipment

Pumping concrete at Dawlish 58

Earthworks use long-reach solutions 59

Sound advice 60Andy Heatherington

zzzz

zzzz

zzzz

zzzz

zzzz

zz Network Rail to use Railway Strategies Live 2014 to launch its new Product Acceptance

process for the first time in an open forum. Conference to offer visitors access to Terence Watson,

Chairman of the newly created RSG

l The Supply Chain of the Futurel Finding the Right Route to Market

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR

Thursday May 15th 2014

Network Rail

Hosted in association with

RAILWAYS T R A T E G I E Szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

FOR SENIOR RAIL MANAGEMENT

2014Live

stop press

Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsor

Terence Watson – CEO, Alstom Transport UK & Ireland, Chair of the RSGDavid Clarke - Director, FutureRailway Enabling Innovation Team,

FutureRailway, hosted by RSSBJim Carter - Head of Procurement, Network Rail

James Lewis - Technology Introduction Manager, Network Rail Richard Holland - UK MD, TBM Consulting Group

Rob Wallis - Chief Executive, TRLMartyn Chymera - Former Chairman, Young Rail Professionals

Chris Rolison - Founder, Comply Serve

SPEAKERS

For further details of the event, email Mark Cawston: [email protected], for delegate enquiries, email Maxine Quinton: [email protected], telephone: 01603 274130 and ask for Mark or Maxine,

or visit: http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/eventbooking.php?id=574

http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/eventbooking.php?id=574

Railway Strategies Live 2014 will deliver a conference that is designed to be a useful and memorable learning experience for all delegates, and valuable resource for sponsors and exhibitors. With extensive

prospects for networking it will be a unique opportunity to meet the people you need to in order to drive your business forward. The conference is already attracting interest from former delegates, sponsors and

exhibitors keen to secure repeat attendance. There are a number of sponsorship/exhibiting opportunities available, which will enable forward-thinking

businesses to expose their services and skill sets to an audience of delegates who are ready to embrace

innovation and bring state-of-the art technologies and approaches to the UK railway sector.

zzzz

zzzz

zzzz

zzzz

zzzz

zzThe Eighth Annual Conference from Railway Strategies (in association with the Rail Alliance) is being held at the

Royal Geographical Society (www.rgs.org) London, Thursday May 15th 2014

For further details of the event, email Mark Cawston: [email protected] for delegate enquiries, email Maxine Quinton: [email protected]

or telephone: 01603 274130 and ask for Mark or Maxine, or visit:



l Working in very close affiliation with the Rail Alliance and its members, Railway Strategies Live 2014 will deliver a conference that is going to cover the sort of topics that really matter to those in the rail supply chain. Following the results of a recent Rail Alliance research report, Railway Strategies Live is going to take a look at how the rail sector can make better use of the innovative capabilities of the SME in the supply chain. It will discuss why the Route to

Market is so very difficult and complex, and try to identify what is being done to put this right.

But not only is it going to put the spotlight on the small to medium enterprise (SME), but it is also going to offer the chance to hear how Terence Watson, the first ever chairman of the newly formed Rail Supply Group (RSG)

plans to create a more innovative and capable UK supply chain that has a clearer understanding of government policies and investment plans.

The conference will give visitors access to the Chairman of the RSG - their voices will help to shape the railway of the future!

ALSO AT THE EVENT - the launch of a very exciting new process from Network RailAnother factor that makes Railway Strategies Live a must-attend event is the news that Network Rail will be using

the conference to launch its new Product Acceptance process for the first time in an open forum. Jim Carter, Head of Procurement will discuss the merger of the two divisions at Network Rail, the Contracts/Procurement operation

and the National Delivery Service, into the new National Supply Chain headed up by Nick Ellis, who will be the Managing Director of the new operation.

In addition to the above, speakers from a range of blue-chip organisations have now been confirmed for Railway Strategies Live 2014. The confirmed speaker list is as follows:

Terence Watson, Chair of RSG + UK Country President & Managing Director, Alstom Transport UK & Ireland

David Clarke, Director, FutureRailway Enabling Innovation Team, FutureRailway, hosted by RSSBJim Carter, Head of Procurement, Network Rail

James Lewis, Technology Introduction Manager, Network RailRichard Holland, UK MD, TBM Consulting Group

Rob Wallis, Chief Executive, TRLMartyn Chymera, Former Chairman, Young Rail Professionals

Chris Rolison - Founder, Comply Serve

SPONSORED BY TBM CONSULTING GROUP

EIGHT SPEAKERS NOW CONFIRMED, INCLUDING JIM CARTER,

HEAD OF PROCUREMENT FOR NETWORK RAIL

MEET AND QUESTION THE FIRST EVER CHAIRMAN OF THE RSG, TERENCE WATSON, UK COUNTRY PRESIDENT & MANAGING DIRECTOR,

ALSTOM TRANSPORT UK & IRELAND


T RL, the Transport Research Laboratory, is an internationally

recognised centre of excellence, which provides world-class

research, consultancy, product testing and software tools

covering all aspects of transport. Rob Wallis joined TRL in

July 2013 as CEO, and he brings 30 years of professional services,

business services & ICT leadership experience, including five years at the

British Standards Institution (BSI) and almost two decades at EDS and

Logica leading transport-focused businesses. He started his career at

the Civil Aviation Authority.

He explained that he was drawn to the role because it offered him an

interesting balance: “I have worked in both the public and private sectors,

and now at TRL, with its set-up as a non-profit distributing Foundation, it

presents a very interesting challenge between the two – especially given its

strong scientific and academic capabilities. It also offers me the chance to

leverage my experience in transport, logistics, supply chain and

automotive sectors,” he said.

“The other attraction is where TRL is strategically in its journey.

6 www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

There is an enormous depth of history at TRL – it was created in 1933

as part of the British Government, and it is well-known around the

world for its research and innovation in road transportation. But today

our reach is far broader than that, with lots of innovative, thought

leading projects in road, rail, cycling and pedestrian modes.

“The company was privatised in 1996 and today has 330 employees,

and almost 1000 clients using TRL’s products and services in 140

countries internationally. When we were privatised the vast majority of

our income came from the UK public sector, whereas today we have

diversified substantially and now our income comes from a global

customer base and less than 40 per cent is UK public sector oriented.

“We are now very strong in surface transport modes, and our

strategy is to continue focusing on our strengths in vehicle, road

and rail safety, infrastructure asset management and journey-time

optimisation. In particular, we are continuing to invest in the newer

areas of low carbon vehicle technologies, automated vehicles, satellites

and remote sensing, big data and de-carbonising transport.

INTERVIEW I Rob Wallis

ExpertLibbie Hammond talks to

Rob WaLLis, the new CEo of TRL, about an

organisation whose services vary from innovative

transport infrastructure and vehicle safety

research to investigating the psychology of cyclists

Rob Wallis

voice

Who we were and who we are now is quite different and I saw this

as a chance to join an organisation with enormous brand strength,

credibility and heritage, and take it into the future.”

Rail sector

A major priority at TRL is to take the experience it has gained from its

specialist research into road transport and apply it to the rail sector,

bringing transferable technologies and new ways of thinking into what

some regard as a somewhat traditional and introspective market.

“Due to the range of expertise we have within the company, TRL is very

good at looking at areas from a different perspective,” confirmed Rob. “A

perfect example of this is linear asset management. We have a lot of

experience in this area on the roads, and we believe it is very applicable to

rail and some of our projects and research have proved that.”

Rob highlighted an example: “While the rail sector has sophisticated

ways of monitoring the surface condition of tracks and associated rail

pathways, in the road sector TRL has led a number of innovations around

assessing surface condition and also measuring what is called

‘deflection’ – measuring movements beneath the road surface as an

indication of strength and quality – and rail companies are now looking

more closely at these kinds of innovations too. It would mean rail

companies have a much better insight into the rail asset condition, and

this is a major indicator for any kind of asset maintenance investment,”

explained Rob.

“Asset management is one of the big cost drivers in operating road

and rail networks, and we’re also constantly looking at innovative ways

of understanding the conditions of assets such as bridges, tunnels

and retaining walls using technology. TRL has designed and built

some of its own specialist products, and also researched and

evaluated innovative monitoring methods such as unmanned aerial

vehicles that can hover and get images of different assets around the

country, removing the need for physical inspections.”

Helping to find solutions to the challenges faced by rail operators is

really where TRL can add value: “I see rail operators having a big

challenge around driving down the operational costs of the rail

network, supported by the need to improve capacity and journey time

reliability. This has to be linked with trying to decarbonise as much as

possible and make rail travel an environmentally sound public service,”

he said. “In fact, the decarbonising of transportation in general and

specifically the perceived shift from road to rail is high on TRL’s

agenda,” he added.

One of the approaches adopted by TRL for projects is working in

partnership with commercial businesses. “So we – as an innovation

partner – are sitting behind a number of the major asset renewal and

asset enhancement programmes that are already underway and being

procured through Network Rail into the industry,” Rob said.

“Furthermore, in the research area we have a strategic partnership

with RSSB and with other organisations in Europe. We are also acting

as Technical Advisors to the DfT on a number of rail franchise direct

awards and competitions.”

TRL has very strong links with major universities and academic

organisations in the UK and internationally, participating in collaborative

research projects, as well as having PhD students on staff.

Additionally, as an Affiliated Research Centre to the Open University,

suitably qualified TRL staff can supervise PhD students. The

organisation has a big focus on competency and expertise

development that benefits staff, the organisation and industry.

Safety remains at the core of TRL’s research and consultancy work,

not only for road and rail travellers but also for pedestrians and

trackside workers: “We have undertaken innovation work in the road

arena on motorway lane closures and how you manage the safety

dimensions to workers and road users and a lot of that is transferable

into rail and hazardous working environments,” Rob highlighted.

“There is already a lot of maturity in how rail manages possessions

from a safety perspective, but there are different experiences from

road that can be applied and further added to the safety regime.”


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Who we were and who we are now is quite different and I saw this as a chance to join an organisation with enormous brand strength, credibility and heritage, and take it into the future‘‘


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

TRL’s testing laboratories also have a lot to offer in the area of rail

vehicle crashworthiness and occupant safety: “This includes crash

impact testing,” said Rob, “where for example we work with the train

and component manufacturers to assess the crashworthiness of seats,

tables and cab configurations against latest industry standards.”

This is the physical side, but TRL is also looking at the human aspect

to safety, and as a result it has a whole team of human factor scientists

researching the psychology of driver behaviour in road and rail domains.

Rob gives an example of where this crosses over into another research

area where TRL is active – autonomous vehicles: “If you consider a

vehicle that requires no input from a driver while in automatic pilot mode

but at some point the driver has to retake control, the few seconds after

automation is disabled is perhaps the most unsafe moment in terms of

a driver’s situation awareness. Drivers may be more likely to be involved

in a collision in those few seconds due to the need to reacclimatise to

being in control.”

These safety studies also tie into TRL’s expertise in accident

investigation, where it has software tools and capabilities to monitor

and understand accidents. “We’ve done that work with the rail and

road industry in the UK, and we are transferring that knowledge and

expertise into markets such as the Middle East and India at the

moment, perhaps some of the more challenging markets for crashes

and accident investigations,” said Rob. “We are also collecting a lot of

factual statistics on accidents around the UK on behalf of the

Department for Transport (DfT) so they can start to understand trends

that can influence policy decisions.”

Next Rob identified ‘big data’ as an area that is rising up the agenda.

“There is an enormous amount of data being created and collated by

the rail industry. With suitable analysis and management, we can

generate information to improve the way the rail network runs,” said

Rob. “So for example, rolling stock is becoming more sophisticated,

providing more data to the operator. By analysing that data, the

operator can learn more about passenger behaviours while they are in

transit, as well as improve trackside communications.”

Passenger analysis can also be useful in the design of rolling stock

layouts, especially given the need to increase rail capacity in a safe

manner. “This can cover areas like the layout of the carriages,” said

Rob. “It also ties into the whole issue of multimodal transport and the

INTERVIEW I Rob Wallis

movement of passengers from car parks, through stations and onto

trains, and on a wider basis this also includes pedestrians and cyclists.

When it comes to cycling especially, we are doing some interesting work

on how the rail network can support this mode of transport in a sensible

multimodal way.”

TRL is working closely with Transport for London on a number of

cycling initiatives to improve cyclist safety on the roads in London. “I think

the link with rail becomes increasingly important, especially in considering

the rail/pedestrian/cyclist interactions at stations,” said Rob. “These are

much more intricately linked than we give them credit for. If you consider

the cycle-hire scheme in London with the bike racks right outside the

stations, it’s very clear that people are increasingly using this sustainable

travel approach.

“Much of TRL’s work is in understanding the psychological behaviour of

pedestrians and cyclists who do not behave in the same controlled way

as car drivers for example, when they approach an interface. If a car

goes into a railway station car park, the driver normally follows certain

accepted rules and behaviours. There is much more variation in the ways

in which a cyclist or pedestrian may choose to access a station. We’re

trying to understand that variation so that we can make cycling safer, and

the movement of people more efficient.”

As if the list of services from TRL wasn’t already incredibly

comprehensive, Rob added that he is keen to expand the engineering

and assurance offering of the organisation. “In our laboratories we’re

constantly creating pieces of technology to solve problems, but we are

also frequently being asked to evaluate other people’s technology and

give some assurance or certification that TRL has approved it. This is an

increasingly important area because it links back to my experiences in

product and systems certification and I am looking at ways to increase

TRL’s role as a trusted, independent assurance organisation for products

and services from industry.”

He concluded: “The vision of TRL is to continue to build on its role at

the forefront of creating the future of transport, using our independent,

research-based innovation and thought leadership to bring value to

industry. Our aim is to strengthen our position in the UK as our home

market, while continuing to expand our international activities, sharing

knowledge and expertise with government and industry stakeholders

around the world.” zz


Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

Network Rail commits to CP5l The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has confirmed that

Network Rail has committed to deliver plans for a safer, higher

performing and more efficient railway between 2014 and

2019 (CP5).

As part of the multi-billion pound plan for Britain’s railways,

initially published in October 2013, Network Rail will bring

down the costs of running the railways by 20 per cent, while

delivering nine out of ten trains on time on regional, London

and South East and Scottish routes, and improved reliability

for long-distance passenger services. Network Rail will also

improve standards of infrastructure management, network

resilience, and safety for passengers and railway workers.

Over the next five years Network Rail will spend more than

£38 billion on maintaining, renewing and improving the rail

network, which includes the delivery of a programme of

enhancements worth more than £12 billion.

These are challenges for the whole rail industry, not just

Network Rail. Stretching targets and new incentives will get

the industry working closer together for the communities they

serve. Network Rail will publish its delivery plan for 2014-2019

in March.

To read ORR’s Final Determination and summary

overviews, visit: www.rail-reg.gov.uk/pr13/publications/

final-determination.php

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Industry

Early arrivall Mark Carne, Network Rail’s new

chief executive took up his new role on

Monday 24th February, slightly earlier

than originally planned. Mr Carne joined

the company on 6th January and has

been spending time visiting Britain’s

railway, meeting staff, partners and

funders, customers and experiencing

projects. He has also seen at first

hand the impact on the network

and to passengers of the recent

extraordinary weather, including

several trips to Dawlish.

www.railimages.co.uk

Chancellor unveils the start of rail investment in the north of Englandl The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne

MP marked the start of construction of a fourth platform

at Manchester Airport station on 7th February – the first

phase of a project which spans the north of England.

The £600 million Northern Hub project will provide

significant long-term benefits to passengers and help

stimulate economic growth in the region by providing

faster, more regular and reliable connections between

towns and cities.

Alongside Network Rail’s electrification programme,

more than £1 billion will be invested in the railway in the

north of England by 2019 – for more details visit:

www.networkrail.co.uk/northernhub.

The Chancellor examines work in progress at Manchester Airport

Record-breaking levels of growth continuel A statistical report published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)

shows a record number of passenger journeys on Britain’s railways.

The ‘Passenger Rail Usage’ statistical release assesses rail passenger

numbers and revenue from 2002-03 to 31st December 2013. The

regulator’s report shows that rail usage in Britain has been steadily

increasing over the past decade.

ORR’s latest figures for 2013-14 Q3 (1st October-31st December) show:

l Passenger journeys in 2013-14 Q3 reached 402.8 million. This is the

highest number of franchised passenger journeys since records began

and a 4.5 per cent increase on the same quarter last year.

l Passengers on the network travelled 15.1 billion kilometres in 2013-14

Q3. This is an increase of 2.8 per cent compared to the same quarter

last year, and the highest number of passenger kilometres travelled since

records began.

l Total passenger revenue in 2013-14 Q3 was £2.08 billion, a

6.2 per cent increase on 2012-13 Q3. Continuing the trend, this was

the highest amount of revenue generated within any quarter since

records began.

The report identifies a number of possible factors behind recent

increases in rail usage such as the opening of new lines and stations,

additional train services and ticketing initiatives including special offers

and more competitive pricing.

Read the report in full at:

http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/10651/passenger-

rail-usage-quality-report-2013-02-20-q3.pdf


In early February, water levels in the River Thames

were at their highest for many years, bringing

disruption to certain routes in the area. Flooding

in the Datchet area and several other locations

meant that trains were not able to run between Staines

and Windsor & Eton Riverside stations.

Meanwhile, the line from Oxford to Didcot was

disrupted, but still running, with flooding at Hinksey.

Network Rail engineers removed sensitive equipment

from the line to allow for a swifter resolution when

water levels dropped. Rising groundwater also caused

problems with equipment in the Maidenhead area.

No way westFlooding on the Somerset Levels and a landslip at

Crewkerne meant there were no routes to the West

Country open to trains on the afternoon of Saturday

8th February. The route from Bridgewater was blocked

by the flooded River Parrett to the south of the town,

while the main line from Castle Cary was blocked by

flooding at Athelney.

The diversionary route via Yeovil was also blocked

by an embankment landslip at Crewkerne. The floods

were being blown into waves by the high winds in

the area, which were washing away the track ballast.

By Monday 10th February two of the three routes

from Exeter to London – via Athelney and Crewkerne

– had reopened, and trains were also able to run

from Taunton to Exeter following the completion of

engineering work at Whiteball Tunnel. The line through

Bridgwater, linking Taunton to Bristol, remained closed

with the flooding on the Somerset Levels.

Battle-ing the elementsThe line between Battle and Robertsbridge was

closed on 4th February for urgent repair work at two

landslip sites, Whatlington Viaduct, and Marley Farm.

The estimated construction time has been halved

through the decision to work 24 hours a day and it

was anticipated that the railway would re-open to

passenger services in the last week of February.

Once a temporary access road had been completed

at Whatlington, machinery was brought to the site,

including two massive piling rigs. These embedded

a 300 metre-long sheet steel wall in the ground to

provide a stable base on which to build the new

embankment.

The slip near Marley Farm was smaller in scope, but

still required a 60m length of steel piles to be installed

and 3000 tonnes of stone delivered.

Over the weekend of 8-9th February, Sussex

suffered a further landslip near Stonegate adding to

two slips that were already being repaired. zz

Weather reportThe rail

network continued

to take a battering

during the early part of

February. Here are just a few of the

stricken areas

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Industry

Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

The landslip at Stonegate

Netw

ork

Rail

Flooded signalling equipment at Maidenhead

The landslip near Crewkerne

Water covering the railway at Bridgewater – there are actually two tracks here

Water closed the railway at Datchet

Flooding at Bridgwater, with the railway running across

the centre of the picture


Netw

ork

Rail


Netw

ork

Rail

Civs frameworksl Network Rail has awarded framework agreements to cover its programme of

civil examinations and assessments for the next five years. All the agreements

are zero-sum with a workbank of £300 million over the course of the next funding

period – Control Period 5.

A single-supplier zero-value framework has been agreed with Amey to cover

civil examinations across the entire network, with the exception of the London

North Western route, which is delivering its examinations programme using in-

house teams.

Zero-value civil assessments frameworks have been agreed, to cover

each of Network Rail’s routes:

l Anglia – Aecom and Amey

l Kent – Amey

l London North Eastern and East Midlands – Aecom and Amey

l LNW – Aecom, SKM and Opus

l Scotland – Aecom

l Sussex, Wales, Wessex and Western – all WSP.


Improved Tube reliabilityl Latest performance figures from

Transport for London (TfL) show that

overall delays to Tube customers

continue to decline with a 13 per cent

reduction year-on-year.

Figures for Period 8 of 2013-14

(13th October to 9th November)

show that London Underground (LU)

operated more than 97 per cent of all

scheduled train services during the

four-week period, despite disruption

caused by the storm which hit the

south of England on 28th October.

There were 100.4 million passenger

journeys, which was an increase

of 3.4 per cent on the same period

last year. The continuing trend of

long-term improvement on the Tube

follows the success of the London

Underground Reliability Programme,

introduced in 2011.

FCC to carry onl The Government has agreed a deal

with First Capital Connect (FCC) to

continue running commuter services

for the next six months. The new

contract will cover services between

London, Bedford, Brighton and King’s

Lynn and will bridge the gap between

the current contract and the new

Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern

(TSGN) franchise which will start

operating in September 2014.

Direct rail link from the west to Heathrow l Network Rail has laid out its proposals, as tasked by the Government in summer

2012, for a new rail link from the Great Western main line to London Heathrow airport.

The future rail link, subject to planning permission, will allow passengers to travel from

Reading, via Slough, to Heathrow airport via a direct train service. Currently, passengers

wishing to access Heathrow by rail have to travel into London Paddington station

before changing to dedicated airport services.

Network Rail has met with MPs and other local stakeholders to discuss the detailed

plans – known as the Western Rail Access Programme – that would provide significant

economic benefits for the growing number of businesses in the Thames Valley, M4

corridor and south west England and south Wales.

Direct rail access to Heathrow from the west could deliver an increase in business

productivity, quicker journeys to the country’s busiest airports and a boost to

economic growth.

© T

rans

port

for L

ondo

n

In this latest phase of the Stafford Area

Improvements Programme, new

signalling will be installed in and around

Stafford station and a new freight loop

will be built in the area which will free space

for much-needed additional passenger

services on the West Coast main line.

A third phase of the project has

been proposed (which is subject to a

development consent order) which would

see the construction of a flyover at Norton

Bridge near Stafford which would untangle

the existing lines and remove the last major

bottle neck on the route.

When complete, the upgraded section of

line will be controlled by Network Rail’s rail

operating centre in Rugby, one of

12 national centres which will eventually

operate the entire rail network in Britain,

replacing more than 800 signal boxes and

signalling centres currently in use.

The signalling upgrade at Stafford

will include:

l The installation of foundations, cable

routes and new signals and gantries

l Installation of new signalling equipment,

power supplies and telecommunications

equipment

l Installation of new points and alterations

to the existing track layout

l Conversion of the existing postal ‘siding’

to a new goods loop for use by freight traffic

l Overhead line works

l Conversion of platforms 1,3,4,5 and 6 at

Stafford to bi-directional working (enabling

trains to run in either direction, which in turn

provides greater operational flexibility)

l Removal of two signal boxes from

Stafford

The majority of the work will take place

at weekends and overnight and the

improved signalling and line is due to be fully

operational by summer 2015.

Second phase of Stafford-Crewe upgrade gets underway

Work has started on the latest phase of a £250 million improvement project which will deliver greater capacity and improved reliability on one of the busiest railway lines in Europe

Stafford Area Improvements Programmel With unprecedented levels of passenger and freight growth on the rail network

and the West Coast main line being full to capacity within less than ten years, the

Staffordshire Area Improvements Programme seeks to remove a major bottleneck

through the Stafford area. Once complete, the £250 million programme will

facilitate the introduction of new timetables between 2015 and 2017 and help to

create the capacity to run:

l Two extra trains per hour (each direction) between London & the north west

of England

l One extra fast train per hour (each direction) between Manchester & Birmingham

l One extra freight train per hour (each direction) through Stafford

The programme will deliver this through the following three key projects:

l Phase 1 – Linespeed improvements between Crewe and Norton Bridge,

increasing the line speed on the ‘slow’ lines from 75mph to 100mph. Running from

January 2013 to April 2014, these works include modifications to the overhead

line equipment and installation of four new signals and will be delivered during

weekends and midweek nights, significantly reducing the impact to passengers

and lineside residents.

l Phase 2 – Stafford resignalling. The installation of a new freight loop and

the replacement of life expired signalling, telecoms and power supplies, with the

signalling control transferred from the existing Stafford No. 4 and No. 5 signal

boxes to Rugby, plus the installation of bi-directional signalling for platforms 1, 3,

4, 5 and 6 and an increase in the ‘slow’ line speeds (predominantly used by local

passenger/freight services) from 75mph to 100mph between Great Bridgeford

(near Norton Bridge) and Stafford. Running from spring 2014 to summer 2015,

the majority of these works will also be delivered during weekends and midweek

nights.

l Phase 3 – Proposed flyover at Norton Bridge. The proposed construction

of a grade-separated junction, including six miles of new 100mph railway, ten

new bridge structures and two bridge enhancements, four river diversions, major

environmental mitigation works, pipeline, road and footpath diversions and the

construction of temporary haul roads. As an infrastructure project of national

significance, the scheme is currently subject to a Development Consent Order,

which provides the relevant powers and permissions to enable successful delivery

of the programme. Upon the granting of the order, main works are scheduled to

run from spring 2014 to 2017, with key commissionings in 2016.

Staffordshire AllianceThe Stafford Area Improvements Programme is being delivered by the

Staffordshire Alliance – a partnership of Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, Network Rail

and VolkerRail, working as part of a new collaborative contract that will help to

transform the delivery of rail infrastructure projects in the UK.




Netw

ork

Rail


Ticketing market reviewl The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has launched

a review of the rail ticketing market to understand

whether arrangements for selling rail tickets

are encouraging innovation and competition to

the benefit of passengers.The review will focus

particularly on the industry arrangements and

practices with respect to the range and type of

ticket products that train companies sell, the sales

channels and the third-party market for ticket selling.

This year, the regulator will also oversee the

development of a code of practice on provision of

ticket retail information. The Code will provide clarity

on what information passengers can expect from

their train companies. This includes information

on the different types of fares, any restrictions

that apply, and key terms and conditions such as

compensation and refund rights.

Manchester - Liverpool improvement plansl Network Rail has submitted plans for a new section of railway near

Huyton station as part of the £600 million Northern Hub investment

to provide faster, more frequent services across the north of England.

Work is already underway to improve capacity between Manchester

and Liverpool to increase the number of tracks through Huyton and

Roby from two to four. Planning permission is required – through a

Transport and Works Act Order – to construct a new 240m section of

track which will allow additional non-stopping services to run on the

line without being held-up behind local stopping services and freight

trains. Subject to consent, work is expected to be complete by the

end of 2017. More information is available at

www.networkrail.co.uk/huytonroby.

European destination potential l Eurotunnel’s investment of €15 billion, 20 years ago

to construct the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link, created

a vital junction between Great Britain and continental

Europe which is now used by more than 20 million

people per year, of which ten million are on Eurostar

services. Beyond this remarkable success, Eurotunnel

has been convinced for some time that the opening

of new destinations by railway operators would

enable an increase in traffic via these new services.

Eurotunnel commissioned PWC to carry out a study

into these opportunities.

The conclusions from the study are very clear:

l The potential for ‘high speed’ traffic in 2020 is

14.2 million passengers per year

l Just four direct destinations represent 85 per cent

of the increase that would be created by new lines:

Geneva, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Cologne

l The reduction in travel time is even more important

than price in relation to choice of ticket and has a

direct impact on the growth of market share in favour

of rail over air

l Due to the time required to build up traffic, the

volume captured can be even more important if the

service is created rapidly.

A summary of the study can be found on the

Group’s website at:

www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-

tunnel/founding-documents/

© T

rans

port

for L

ondo

n

Punctual DLRl The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has achieved its highest scores for

punctuality and performance in its 26-year history. The railway which is operated

on behalf of Transport for London (TfL) by Serco Docklands, ran 99.67 per cent

of its trains on time during the period 5th January to 1st February this year and

also operated 99.77 per cent of its scheduled services. The performance figures

consist of the departure score, which is a measure of how many trains ran, while

the reliability score calculates how many of those trains ran on time.


Around 80m of sea wall was destroyed by

high tides and stormy seas at the beginning

of February, causing a significant stretch of

railway to collapse into the sea. The road

adjacent to the railway and several houses were also

significantly damaged, along with damage at Dawlish

station itself.

Network Rail mobilised a range of specialist

contractors, engineers and suppliers from across the

country to help with the work needed at Dawlish and

also took up the offer of discussions with the Ministry

of Defence to see if there was any help which could

be provided by armed forces personnel based in the

south-west.

Initial estimates were that it would take at least six

weeks to reopen the railway, but the immediate priority

was to shore up the damaged section using a concrete

spraying machine which was until recently being used

to refurbish Whiteball Tunnel in Somerset.

Dealing with the damage at Dawlish

The Dawlish diaryTuesday, 4th FebruaryWeather forecasts predict a major storm off the coast of

Devon and Cornwall. Network Rail marine buoys predict

‘black’ storm conditions, with six-metre waves. This is the

first ‘black’ conditions predicted since the system was

installed in 2007.

l 3.15pm – The line through Dawlish is closed to trains

and staff withdrawn to safe locations.

l Serious overtopping by waves is reported through the

evening.

l 9pm onwards, damage reports received concerning

both the railway and the adjoining land.

l 11pm-2.30am Inspections confirm extent of severe

damage.

Wednesday, 5th FebruaryEngineers were on site at first light but unable to inspect

Network Rail engineers have been working around the clock to repair the damage to the railway at Dawlish in Devon as Atlantic storm systems battered

the south-west of England during February

An aerial view of the damage at Dawlish

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I IndustryNe

twor

k Ra

il


the line due to continuing storm conditions. Teams of

engineers, contractors and suppliers mobilised and head

to Dawlish. Work begins on site compound to store

machinery to shore up damage, including spray-concrete

equipment.

Friday 7th FebruaryEngineers have been working through the night to shore up

the seriously damaged section of sea wall before another

Atlantic storm system arrives on Saturday.

Work last night and into this morning saw the rails and

sleepers cut away from the hole and removed. That meant

it was then safe for staff to access the site and begin

removing debris. This was then used to help build an

access ramp so machinery could be brought onto site.

A concrete spraying machine, previously used to

refurbish Whiteball tunnel, began work later in the day to

build up a layer of material over the subsoil exposed by

the wall collapse. This is intended to be a sacrificial layer,

to absorb some of the force of the storm forecast for

tomorrow.

Work is ongoing to demolish the most damaged

platform at Dawlish station itself, prior to rebuilding.

Saturday 8th FebruaryNetwork Rail engineers have again been working though

the night to protect the most damaged section of sea wall.

Rail and concrete sleepers that once carried trains along

the sea wall have been cut away and placed across the

bottom of the damaged section. These are gradually being

reinforced with sprayed fast-drying concrete, which will

form a temporary barrier to take the brunt of the forecast

heavy seas. It is hoped this will absorb enough of the force

of the waves over the next few hours and days so that

the weakened sub-soil, which is very soft, will not erode

further. The most damaged platform at Dawlish station has

been demolished and will be rebuilt in the coming weeks.

Engineers are working in very difficult conditions with

work taking place on a six-hours on, six-hours off basis,

designed around the tidal patterns. Initial assessments are

that it will be at least six weeks to completion from when

work begins.

Monday 10th FebruaryWork to protect the damaged sea wall continues, with a

temporary breakwater erected from rubble-filled shipping

containers enabling the start of repairs to the main area

of damage. Further heavy storms are expected over the

coming weekend.

Wednesday 19th FebruaryFollowing the latest severe storms over the weekend of

14/15/16 February, Network Rail has updated its estimate

of the time it will take to restore the railway at Dawlish.

Work in progress to remove the suspended rails

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Work underway at Dawlish, showing the scrapped rails and the first spray of concrete

Netw

ork

Rail

Network Rail

station platform and clearing more debris throughout the

coastal route. To protect the site, 15 steel containers –

weighing around 70 tonnes each – have been installed as

a temporary breakwater and a scaffold bridge was also

built to reconnect services and signalling equipment.

Patrick Hallgate, route managing director, Network Rail

Western said: “We are all conscious of the importance of

this railway to the South West, its economy and the people

of Dawlish. They have been tremendous in supporting our

team and understanding of the challenges we face. We are

confident that we will have the railway back by mid-April

and if we can we will beat that date.”

Mark Hopwood, managing director First Great Western

welcomes Network Rail’s commitment to reopen the line

through Dawlish by mid April, he said: “This will allow

us to restore through train services linking London and

Exeter with Torbay, Plymouth and Cornwall. We appreciate

Network Rail’s efforts to work round the clock to get the

line reopen so we can resume services for customers as

soon as possible.

“Until the line reopens we are running train services

between Exeter and London and between Newton Abbot

and Penzance with bus services linking these to keep our

passengers moving.

“We will be ready to run services once Network Rail

completes the work and until then we will do everything we

can to minimise disruption to our customers’ journeys.” zz

To allow the public to witness the progress of the

restoration live, Network Rail has set up a video feed

for its restoration work on:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/Dawlish/

It has now advised that the railway will be repaired by

mid-April and that it will be working night and day with

dedicated resources to accelerate this programme. The

most recent storm caused extensive, further damage,

increasing the scope of the repairs. However, the first

defences installed reduced the potential impact and helped

prevent further damage to the houses.

Significant additional damage on the evening of the

14th February has meant that the hole in the seawall is

30 per cent larger and also meant on that day only three

hours work was achieved. A day or two later, because

weather conditions were more moderate, Network Rail

achieved 20 hours production.

Work resumed immediately after the storm of the 14th

and engineers have since laid concrete foundation into

the main breach and the secondary breach at Dawlish

Warren. They have also started work on repairing the



Netw

ork

Rail

The view of Dawlish on 10th February, with the breakwater made from shipping containers

Additional damage after 14th February at Dawlish

Netw

ork

Rail

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Lowery Ltd


With a list of clients that includes National

Grid, NTL, Thales and Seeboard by 2000,

Lowery Ltd took the strategic decision

to expand its railside activities in 2003

when it acquired its Principal Contractor’s

License (PCL) from Network Rail.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2010,

the Addlestone headquartered company’s

core geographic area of activity is based

in the south and south east of England,

where it has additional offices to support

its ongoing major projects.

Focused on developing long-term

relationships with its customers since

its inception, Lowery Ltd has gained

repeat business from major firms with

its proven capabilities and performance.

With fully accredited, superior systems

in place, Lowery Ltd continually meets

T he principal operating firm within

the Lowery Group, Lowery Ltd

was established in August 1950

to initially work for British Rail,

the General Post Office (GPO) and its

major customer during this period, Pirelli

Cables. Through installing underground

supertension cables for the Central

Electricity Generating Board (CEGB)

during the 1950s and working in Belfast in

the 1960s, Lowery Ltd further developed

its relationship with Pirelli while also

extending its activities with British Rail,

CEGB and the GPO.

Securing major contracts with British

Telecom, Cable & Wireless and Network

Rail throughout the 1980s and 1990s,

Lowery Ltd had proven its capabilities as

a quality focused and highly efficient firm.

Following more than 60 years of

civil engineering, Lowery Ltd has

gained an excellent reputation for

quality and service

A superior service


Aspin GroupThe Aspin Group’s expert and experienced

team works collaboratively with its clients,

providing a wide array of services to the

railway environment and across industry.

Aspin Group provides site investigation,

civil, structural and geotechnical design

consultancy, management, installation

and plant services to deliver all aspects of

substructure and superstructure installation

across the UK and beyond.

Aspin Consulting has specific skills and

knowledge to develop big-picture innovative

designs and solutions together with the

detail and minutiae necessary to deliver.

Aspin can provide the complete solution

from design through to delivery. Innovation,

technology and providing solutions are at the

heart of its service.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

its customer’s expectations by operating

in full compliance with all health, safety

and environmental legislation, while also

delivering the highest quality services.

By giving a high priority to compliance

and continual improvement in all areas of

activity, the company minimises downtime

and significantly lowers the likelihood of

incidents or accidents. All projects are

manned by a highly trained, efficient and

competent workforce and managed by a

capable and experienced management

team.

Boasting the civil engineering and

electrical skills required for the design,

build and commission of heavy voltage (HV)

and direct current (DC) cabling projects,

Lowery Ltd has been actively involved in

the Crossrail project, providing a reliable

service to long-term client Network Rail.

Acting as principal contractor for works

including installation of UTX, buried duct

and surface troughing, fibre and copper

cable terminations and jointing, cable

pulling and lift and shift of existing cables,

CSR board installation and cable laying in

confined spaces, Lowery Ltd has been an

active participant in the development of

Crossrail, which reached the halfway point

of its construction in January 2014.

On top of its involvement in the Crossrail

project, Lowery Ltd has been working as a

principal contractor for major projects and

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

http://www.aspingroup.com

Anderton Concrete Anderton Concrete is the market leader in

the supply of cable troughing to the UK rail

industry. Anderton is the sole supplier to

Network Rail for standard cable troughing

(Certificate No. PA05/00318) and the

new revolutionary Anderlite Lightweight

Troughing System (Certificate No.

PA05/05810).

The Anderlite system has an identical

product profile to the traditional product

therefore, a transition from ‘system to

system’ is effortless.

Anderlite reduces the risk of manual

handling with a weight reduction of 30

per cent in relation to standard concrete.

Additionally, this reduction in weight affords

significant transport cost savings of up to

20 per cent, reducing the carbon footprint

for all its industry partners. Anderlite is up

to 50 per cent cheaper than alternative

light-weight systems.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Lowery Ltd zz

investments in south east territory (E&P)

HV feeder renewals. This is centred around

the supply, management, site works,

possession management, installation,

testing and commissioning of new high

voltage feeder and pilot cables

that replace life expired and oil

insulated cables at locations

based in the south east territory

of Network Rail’s infrastructure.

On top of this, the works include

the draining down of redundant

oil and recovery and disposal

of old cables following the

commissioning of each new

HV feeder and cable.

Link-up approved, Lowery

Ltd incorporates a wide

range of product codes

to support its scope

of operations, while the

company’s rail division is accredited by

BSI to BS EN ISO 9001:2008 Quality and

BS EN ISO 14001:2004 Environmental

standards. Furthermore, the firm holds a

PCL for line-side civil engineering works,

cable supply & laying and cable route

works from Network Rail and is a member

http://www.andertonconcrete.co.uk


of the British Safety Council. Working

directly for Network Rail and London

Underground, as well as a specialist

supplier with major rail contractors,

Lowery Ltd has an assurance team in

place to ensure complete compliance with

all London Underground and Network

Rail’s health and safety requirements.

As an established Principal Contractor

for London Underground’s electrical

enhancement projects, Lowery Ltd

has gained experience from delivering

successful solutions while working

on ETE, SUP and ATC contracts.

These projects include the design and

installation of a new 11kV feeder circuit to

the Old Dalby Test Track’s new switching

station, the design and installation of

DC Cable, upgraded for ‘S’ type rolling

stock in Wimbledon and DC ETE works at

Wembley Park Sidings.

With a long history of delivering civil

engineering solutions and an excellent

track record for delivering projects safely,

on time, on budget, Lowery Ltd guarantees

customer satisfaction with its commitment

to health, safety, quality and environment.

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzLowery Ltd

Furthermore, with a focus on continual

improvement and strong relationships

with major firms such as Network Rail

and London Underground, the company’s

reputation as one of the UK’s principle

contractors for rail power suppliers is sure

to continue growing in the future. zz

http://www.jointingtech.co.uk

‘ International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) is an

insurance association established in 1925, which insures

2000 different businesses throughout the world and is

recognised as the leading mutual provider of professional

indemnity insurance in its field. ITIC works closely with transport

professionals and their insurance brokers to provide specialist

guidance and advice on their risks in their working environment,

both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

ITIC has concluded that many insurers do not understand the

work that professionals in the rail industry undertake. Often, these

insurers do not analyse the work of the professional working

on a project and, as a result, your premiums are increased

unnecessarily.

ITIC’s insurance includes worldwide cover for bodily injury and

property damage as standard; this is of paramount importance

to those working in the rail industry and differentiates ITIC’s

insurance from many traditional underwriters who either exclude,

or expect you to pay an additional premium for this important

element of cover.

ITIC makes four recommendations to professionals working in

the rail industry:

1. Ask your current insurers or brokers if they understand

exactly what it is that you do. For example, if you are a signalling

systems design engineer, your direct involvement in the day to

day operational environment is limited. You design a signalling

system on a railway network, but you are not necessarily the party

who operates and maintains it. Your liability is substantially less

than the operator and, therefore, you require an insurance that is

adapted specifically to cover your liabilities if you make an error in

Rail professional opportunity

Are you a rail professional open to offers for new business? ITIC, a rail and transport sector specialist insurer, needs a network of rail specialists in the UK and overseas, to advise and consult on claims

the design of the system. However, the liabilities resulting from an error in

the use of the system you have designed fall under the

operator’s liability insurance programme.

2. Enquire about a longer term, non-contract specific, business-wide,

professional indemnity policy. It is more expensive to buy insurance for

each individual contract or tender than buying an annual policy that covers

all your work.

3. Ask your insurance broker or underwriter whether bodily injury or

property damage cover is included in your policy at no additional cost.

4. Ascertain whether your policy of insurance provides you with

worldwide cover. zz

To express an obligation-free interest please contact Roger Lewis, ITIC’s underwriting director: ITICTel: 020 7338 0150Email: [email protected]: www.itic-insure.com

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzInsurance


‘‘The service that we provide and the width of our professional indemnity insurance has resulted in a significant growth in the number of companies involved in the rail industry insuring with ITIC over recent years,” says Roger Lewis, ITIC’s underwriting director. “To help us support this growing rail portfolio we need a bigger network of consultants we can call upon to help with specific claims on a call by call basis.

http://www.itic-insure.com


The year 2009 will be remembered for a paradigm

shift in strategic thinking for the national railway

network. With soaring costs, congestion and

overcrowding, Network Rail brought together an

industry-wide consultation to examine the feasibility of

doing something different. Until that point, Government

had not considered funding any further electrification of

the UK rail network. Indeed, the HLOS (High Level Output

Specification) announced in April 2009 made no allowance

for it. The consultation’s resulting Electrification Route

Utilisation Strategy was presented to Government, and the

industry’s case for electrification of the network accepted.

Things moved fast. In July and December 2009 the

Government announced funding for the first two phases

Powering ahead

of the North West Electrification Programme, a long-term

rolling programme to progressively electrify routes across

the North West, linking more and more destinations with

the already electrified West Coast Mainline. As a result,

operators will progressively be able to offer a greener,

more efficient, cost-effective and faster electric service

over wider distances. To date, five phases have been

announced and a further two are in the pipeline.

Blazing the way“When we set out on this programme only around

40 per cent of the national rail network was electrified,

which is low in comparison with the majority of Europe,”

explained Network Rail’s Senior Sponsor, Jon Clee. The

The North West Electrification Programme is leading the way for progressive electrification and modernisation of the UK railway network. With phase 1 delivered on time and under budget

and phase 2 due for completion at the end of the year, JON CLEE of Network Rail talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges, the triumphs and the continuous learning process

zz Electrification zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzNe

twor

k Ra

il


Powering ahead

West Coast Mainline was one of the last to be electrified

in the North West. Largely completed in the 1960s,

electrification finally reached Glasgow in 1974.

There have been some minor electrification schemes

since the East Coast electrification in the mid 90s, but

NEW is the first significant new electrification to take place

since then in England, so Network Rail faced a number of

challenges for phase 1 of the project. “To overcome these

we have been developing our skills base, our linesmen and

electrical engineers,” Jon said. “And we’ve been building

a new supply chain to deliver this programme. The whole

exercise has been a continuous learning process.”

Before work could commence, Network Rail had to

identify and develop the next generation of technology

for delivering the preferred overhead power supply.

Once defined this could then be rolled out on all future

electrification programmes across the country. What

emerged from this collaborative innovation project is a

system called NR Series II, which draws on current best

practice in the industry throughout Europe and combines

that with Network Rail’s knowledge and experience

of managing and maintaining the existing systems

in the UK. “Simplistically, we identified that the more

components used in an overhead system, the more things

can potentially go wrong,” Jon explained. “So we have

reduced the number of components in a single track

cantilever from 32 in the traditional systems to 11 in

NR Series II.”

Taking this new technology out to Phase 1 of the North

West Electrification programme has been a steep learning

curve. The group’s engineers have learned a considerable

amount from these early installations and will be applying

this knowledge to improve delivery in subsequent

electrification projects around the UK.

Conquering Chat MossPhase 1 is a £60 million electrification of the line between

Castlefield Junction and Newton le Willows, and it

presented an interesting engineering challenge. “Phase 1

goes across Chat Moss which is essentially a peat bog,”

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Feeder station for power, Willow Park

Above: Feeder station for power, Parkside

Feeder station for power, Willow Park

Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

zz Electrification zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Jon explained. “When Stephenson originally built the

railway in 1829-30 he constructed a raft of bound heather,

branches topped with tar and timber to carry the railway.

So essentially, the line floats on the bog. The challenge for

us was to install the overhead lines, masts and wires in

such a way that we didn’t disturb Stephenson’s floating

railway tracks.”

The solution Network Rail devised was to install portals

rather than the usual cantilevers, and to make them wider

than usual so the legs would not interfere with the track.

The configuration of a leg on either side of the track and

a beam across the top makes the portal structure much

more stable than the cantilever. In the Chat Moss example,

the legs have also been bedded into piles driven down to

the bedrock beneath, so the risk of pressure being applied

to the floating rail bed is greatly reduced. In spite of these

complications, the phase was completed in December

2013 on time and under the allocated budget.

An enlightened approach to heritagePhase 2, meanwhile, is on schedule and due for

completion in December 2014. Projected to cost

£100 million, it consists of three elements. Liverpool

through Huyton to Newton Le Willows connects Liverpool

to the West Coast Mainline. Huyton to Wigan runs

northwards to the West Coast mainline. The final section is

Ordsall Lane to Manchester Victoria.

There have been two points of interest during this phase.

Firstly, the engineers encountered a number of uncharted

mine shafts that have had to be dealt with. Secondly,

the Liverpool to Manchester route passes through some

of the country’s most historic sites, raising the inevitable

heritage issues. “It passes Rainhill, for example, the site

of Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive trials in 1829. The

heritage issues on this line are fascinating.”

Many of the line’s stations, bridges and viaducts are

listed and have significant heritage value. “They will all

remain in operation, and we are working on them in a

sympathetic manner,” he insisted. “But we have worked

closely with English Heritage throughout, and they have

taken a pragmatic view. They do not see this as something

detrimental to the heritage of the route, but rather as

something that will enhance it and tell the story of how

the railway and railway technology has progressed. It has

been quite an enlightening approach.”

Major signalling workThe scheduled Phase 3 will electrify the branch from

the West Coast Mainline to Blackpool, but a number

of concerns about the age and condition of the line are

causing delays. Network Rail is currently consulting with

the operators and the Department for Transport to decide

whether work include upgrading the rails in order to deliver

a faster service. Even if the linespeed isn’t increased, the

opportunity to renew the signalling system has already

been agreed.

Usually an electrification project includes a programme

of immunisation on the signalling system to ensure the

25kV AC overhead power supply does not induce a

current in the signalling cables alongside the track. “On the

Blackpool line, which still uses the old semaphore signals,

we have established that strategically it would be more

cost effective in the long-term for us to replace the entire

signalling system with a modern one which will then be

controlled from the new Rail Operating Centre (ROC) being

built at Ashburys.”

As a result, it is likely that phases 4 and 5 will begin

before phase 3.

Next up – the first big tunnelsSo far, the North West Electrification programme hasn’t

included any major tunnel engineering, but that will change

in phase 4 which links Euxton Junction on the West

Coast Mainline just south of Preston, with Bolton and

Manchester Victoria. The 101m-long Chorley Tunnel is

a single-bore tunnel accommodating both up and down

Above:Wiring phase 1

of North West electrification

between Newton le Willows and Castlefield Jct

Track being lowered at Manchester Victoria over Christmas to accommodate the overhead wires under Cheetham Hill road bridge

Netw

ork

Rail



lines. The plan is to remove the existing track and replace

it with slab track which will not only lower the track bed

and make room for the overhead wires, but will also

make that challenging section of track easier to maintain.

Another piece of work for the Chorley Tunnel is to reinstate

the historic flying arches on the northern exit from the

tunnel, which had been removed a few years ago.

The second tunnel system on this section is at

Farnworth and comprises two bores, the larger of which

originally accommodated two tracks. “The smaller of the

two is currently an extremely tight fit for a diesel, which

effectively exits the tunnel as though it had been extruded

out of it,” Jon explained. “So we have a significant

challenge ahead of us to run two tracks through the

Farnworth tunnel and make room for the overhead wires

and pantograph.”

Rather than lower the track bed on the smaller tunnel,

which poses considerable risks, Network Rail has devised

a plan to widen the larger of the two tunnels so it can

accommodate both tracks with enough headroom for the

overhead wires.

A question of powerThe final element of the current North West Electrification

programme is phase 5 from Manchester Victoria to

Stalybridge. Working in conjunction with the Network Rail

team operating out of York, this is the North West’s section

of the Trans-Pennine route to Leeds. And Stalybridge has

been selected as the crossover point largely for its location

and accessibility for power supply. “Phases 1 and 2 of

the programme have been able to feed off the existing

power supplies,” Jon explained. “But to power subsequent

phases of electrification the National Grid is going to

provide us with a new grid supply point at Stalybridge by

2015, ready for completion of the section in 2016.” Once

this is done, the power feeding arrangements in the region

can be rationalised to better utilise the existing supplies,

and provide capacity for future phases of electrification.

“This is very much a continuously rolling programme,”

Jon pointed out, “and also links in with the Northern

Hub initiative improving the rail infrastructure around

Manchester.” Already, Government has announced its

interest in further electrification phases in the North West:

Oxenholme to Windermere and Wigan to Lostock, both to

be completed in conjuction with the existing phases.

The ongoing infill of electrification in the North West

will enable many services that had previously run diesel

services under the wire up the West Coast Mainline to

convert fully to electric traction. And in the long term, this

will result in an infrastructure capable of supporting longer,

faster and more frequent train services with significantly

lower running costs and higher capacity. “And no doubt

each individual route will have its individual challenges,

partly because of the nature of how the railways were built,

and partly because of the geography they serve,”

Jon concluded. zz

Above:Foundations being brought in place at Manchester Victoria over Christmas

First electrification train at Eccles on 8th December 2013

Foundations being prepared for phase 1 NW electrifcation

Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail



T he Great Western Electrification Programme

represents an investment of £1.5 billion that will

allow faster, quieter travel, with increased seating

capacity, and improved reliability on one of the

United Kingdom’s oldest and busiest railways. This

programme will enhance the railway line between London

and Oxford, Newbury, Bristol and Cardiff.

With a project of such scope, owner-operator Network

Rail needed a way to incorporate enormous amounts of

survey data with design models from multiple consultants,

to aid efficient project collaboration and streamline

interactions between designers and contractors. In

addition, to encourage efficient data collaboration and

increase productivity, Network Rail followed the BS

1192 code of practice for the collaborative production of

architectural, engineering and construction information.

Network Rail used Bentley Descartes to merge point

clouds, scalable digital terrain models, and raster files

with the consultants’ design models to create a scalable

3D model. Using Bentley Descartes provided Network

Rail with a complete view of the entire project, enabled

efficient design review and effective team collaboration,

and allowed the organization to meet BIM criteria included

in BS 1192. When construction is complete, Network Rail

will then be able to use the 3D model to support its asset

management programme.

Combining scalable terrain models, point clouds, and CAD filesAmong this project’s many requirements is the need

to assess, retrofit, or construct significant amounts

of infrastructure, including 1000 kilometres of single-

track, 12,000 steel piles and 4000 reinforced concrete

foundations, and 164 structures that require gauge

clearance analysis – including bridge interventions,

lowering of track, canopy cuts, and more. Managing such

Modelling the Great Western electrification

a project requires efficient collaboration between Network

Rail and the organization’s many business partners

and subcontractors. Using Bentley Descartes, Network

Rail has established a scalable 3D model as the geo-

coordination platform to aggregate the as-constructed

and design information, including scalable terrain models,

orthoimages, Bentley i-models (containers for open

infrastructure information exchange), and DGN files. The

model is used to streamline the interaction between design

consultants and contractors by enabling the coordination

in a 3D environment of all the designs from design

consultants.

This scalable 3D model also supports design review by

providing efficient 3D visualization of the designs, including

all engineering intelligence. The individual design models

created in industry-specific design applications, including

Bentley Rail Track, are available when reviewing and

navigating the entire 3D model in Bentley Descartes.

By combining a large terrain model draped with

thousands of orthoimages, point clouds acquired by

helicopter, and designs provided in the DGN format and

i-models – which Bentley Descartes supports natively –

the scalable 3D model provides a unique environment to

enable collaborative review, condition assessment, and

construction simulation together with 4D animations.

But the value of the 3D model goes beyond the design

and construction phases, to support Network Rail’s longer-

term asset management program by providing a live 3D

map that indexes and references asset documentation. As

a long-time user of Bentley software, Network Rail uses

ProjectWise as its engineering information management

platform to enable team collaboration and data exchange

in a secure environment among all partners and

stakeholders.

John Nolan, CAD manager at Network Rail explained:

“We have been early adopters of Bentley Descartes V8i

Point clouds and scalable terrain models support Network Rail’s Great Western rail electrification programme



(SELECTseries 4) and this new release provided us with

exactly what we needed. The software’s ability to create

scalable terrain models now allows us to create and

manage terrain models with hundreds of millions of points.

With its fast scalable terrain model manipulation and very

powerful modelling tools, Bentley Descartes allows us to

integrate point clouds and engineering data into intelligent

hybrid models.”

Hybrid models used to assess new designsSome of the challenges of this project included the lack

of up-to-date information on existing assets and potential

inaccuracies in existing documentation. To provide surveys

of the existing track conditions, data acquisition was

outsourced, with aerial LiDAR used for open areas and

laser scanning technology for tunnels. High resolution

orthoimages were also acquired. The point clouds were

colorized and classified initially as ground and non-ground

classes.

Bentley Descartes was used to create a scalable

terrain model directly from the classified point clouds by

processing only the ground points. The scalable terrain

model was then draped with high resolution images and

the vector geometry engineering information referenced

directly into the scene. The model was tiled to cover

separate areas of tens of kilometres.

In order to assess vegetation for clearance, the non-

ground point-cloud data was also merged into the 3D

model. By integrating the coloured point cloud of the

vegetation into the model, Network Rail was able to identify

vegetation areas that needed to be reduced to meet

the necessary clearance for the new overhead electrical

infrastructure.

Tunnel modelling using point cloudsThe Great Western Electrification Programme includes

eight tunnels (Newport, Severn, Alderton, Patchway

Old, Patchway New, Sodbury, Clifton Down, and Box)

ranging from 700 to 7000 metres long, which require

detailed studies to enable the planned electrification. In

such a confined and potentially dangerous environment,

laser scanning technology allowed fast, accurate,

and safe measurement. Although the point clouds by

themselves provide great 3D visualization and on-demand

measurement capability, subcontractors needed traditional

geometries with a high level of accuracy. Using Bentley

Descartes’ Model by Section tool, Network Rail was able

to quickly create loft surfaces of the tunnels.

John Nolan explained, “The modelling capability of

Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 4) addresses

tunnel modeling perfectly. By defining a template of the

tunnel cross-section and adjusting this template along

the alignment, we were able to model tunnels in 3D with

real-time visualization of the generated 3D surface, which

allowed us to assess quality as we digitized the model.”

Extending ROIIn addition to streamlining the process among suppliers,

and supporting BS 1192, the creation of an information-

rich scalable 3D model including terrain data, point

clouds, orthoimages, and i-models, provides numerous

opportunities to extend the project’s return on investment

from the project. The integrated model allows the creation

of 4D schedule simulations showing each construction

phase, supports project review, enables clash detection,

and also allows driver training and signal sighting. In

addition, the model is very effective for showing local

authorities and individual landowners what effect, if any,

the overhead line electrification (OLE) works will have on

them.

Heading towards a live 3D model for ongoing asset managementThe Great Western Electrification Programme is currently

in the design and construction stage, but Network Rail

is already planning for operations and maintenance by

establishing an intelligent model to support long-term

asset management.

The scalable 3D model will be reused and enriched to

aggregate engineering files including DGNs and i-models,

and to index asset information. Asset documentation,

PDFs, images, and videos, are managed with

ProjectWise and indexed in the scalable 3D model.

Users can therefore navigate and interact with the

3D model, and, by clicking on an asset, access

associated documentation stored in ProjectWise. zz

About BS 1192BS 1192 is the British Standard that establishes the method for managing the production, distribution and quality of construction information, including that generated by information modelling software, using a disciplined process for collaboration and a specified naming policy. BS 1192 is applicable to all parties involved in the preparation and use of information throughout the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of infrastructurewww.bentley.com


Network Rail created a scalable 3D model of

the Great Western line, by combining terrain, draped

images and i-models

The newly generated tunnel geometries

have been used for OLE clearances, niche

locations, cable and catch pit locations, and more


T he expansion of the electrified network provides

an ideal opportunity to implement modern

protection and control methods in place of the

traditional complex array of hard wired switchgear

control circuits. The Network Rail Integrated Protection

and Control (IPC) project is taking a novel approach to

replacing the hard-wired control circuits by integrating a

modern communications network with Intelligent Electronic

Devices (IEDs) and Remote Terminal Units (RTUs).

IEDs use programmable logic to describe the electrical

functions needed rather than hard-wired control circuits

and consequently reduce installation costs. With this

arrangement, information can be communicated between

IEDs, providing greater flexibility and functionality of the

protection and control schemes. Control and monitoring

of the IEDs is achieved via an interface with the RTU and

SCADA network back to the Electrical Control Room and

its operators.

What is IPC?Electrified routes on the rail network rely on complex hard-

wired circuit breaker protection systems to control the

traction current to trains. On overhead electrical lines,

zz Electrification

Power is nothing without

Protection & Control

these circuit breakers distribute voltages of 25kV with fault

currents up to12kA – a significant amount of instantaneous

energy. Protection systems have complex hard-wired

connections which are interconnected in marshalling

cabinets in substations, but the amount of information that

can be passed through the system is limited. Installing and

maintaining this system is time-consuming, expensive and

can only be carried out by those with highly specialised

training and experience.

Implementing IPC means substituting marshalling

cabinets and complex wiring for a modern network-based

system. This allows more information to be communicated

more quickly and so offers a major improvement on the

protection schemes currently in place. The IPC system

detects fault conditions more quickly and switches

breakers out much faster in fault conditions.

BenefitsA big advantage of this new system is its ability to

implement improved electrical protection schemes, notably

Accelerated Distance Protection (ADP) and Rationalised

Auto Transformer System (RATS). Both of these protection

schemes make use of the new data network.


Engineering Consultancy Frazer-Nash has been working with Network Rail to construct a safety case for the development and subsequent

roll-out of Integrated Protection and Control (IPC), an important component of the electrification of main routes nationally.

In this article RICHARD JONES outlines the benefits of IPC


Power is nothing without

Protection & Control

Under Accelerated Distance Protection (ADP), an

electrical fault, for example a short circuit, can be cleared

in a faster time than under existing Distance Protection.

This is achieved by the IED that detects the short circuit,

communicating across the data network to other IEDs

in a faster time than existing Distance Protection. This

improved, accelerated, distance protection reduces the

amount of costly damage that can occur to equipment

under fault conditions.

The Rationalised Auto Transformer System (RATS) allows

for the reduction in the number of costly circuit breakers

whilst maintaining a fully protected electrification network.

With each circuit breaker costing up to £40,000, there is

the potential for worthwhile savings in these large schemes.

Additionally, as circuit breakers require a location building,

fewer breakers means further savings for the industry. In

relation to maintenance, IPC/RATS offer significant savings,

with less complex location wiring and better information

available for remote diagnosis and reconfiguration activities.

Overall reliability is expected to be better and repair times

shorter as a result.

SafetyAll of these changes to equipment, maintenance and

operating procedures raise the question of safety for both

railway workers and rail users. We have been working with

Network Rail to develop safety cases for both the National

Programme of IPC development and subsequently for

several of the regional roll-outs. We are also safety advisor

to Network Rail on its replacement of the supervisory

and control systems that are used in the electrical control

rooms. This nationwide project is upgrading the existing

electromechanical systems to a new SCADA-based

system to which IPC interfaces. Not only is Frazer-Nash

accredited for rail safety engineering under Link-up but

also has experience of safety good practice and SCADA-

based schemes such as IPC in other industries. Much

of the company’s work is in innovative areas where

their cross-industry approach can bring the necessary

knowledge – and good practice from multiple industries –

to bear on a problem very quickly and with good results.

This is a time of huge change and record investment

for the rail industry, and with the electrification of major

routes, presents a genuine opportunity to embrace new

engineering solutions. IPC represents just one example

of a technology that can improve the reliability of the UK’s

rail industry, and at a significantly lower installation and

operation cost to Network Rail than ever before. zz


Richard Jones is rail business manager at Frazer-Nash

http://www.hwilliams.co.uk



T he successful bidders – Balfour Beatty,

AmeyInabensa, CarillionPowerlines and ABC

Electrification – will work with Network Rail to

plan and deliver a range of schemes which

will see key routes in England, Wales and Scotland

electrified for the first time.

Once electrification schemes including the Great

Netw

ork

Rail

Western and Midland main lines, Liverpool to Manchester

and Preston, the Valley lines in south Wales and the ‘electric

spine’ from Southampton docks to the West Midlands and

Yorkshire are complete, more than half Britain’s rail network

will be electrified with electric trains accounting for three-

quarters of all traffic.

Simon Kirby, managing director of Network Rail’s

infrastructure projects division, said: “Our work to

electrify two thousand track miles represents the biggest

programme of rail electrification in a generation and will

provide faster, quieter and more reliable journeys for millions

of passengers every week while cutting the cost of the

railway.

“Thanks to a firm commitment from government to

invest in electrification schemes across the country, we

are transforming the railway and providing Britain with a

sustainable, world-class transport system that is fit for the

future. To deliver this work in the safest and most efficient

way possible, we need to make the most of the huge

potential within our supply chain.”

Six geographic framework contracts have been awarded,

with each having a defined workbank of schemes to be

delivered. This approach has been endorsed by the supply

chain and industry groups such as the Railway Industry

Association.

Jeremy Candfield, director general of the Railway

Industry Association, commented: “This is a major and very

welcome step in the transformation of the railway. It will

encourage suppliers to invest in the training and equipment

needed for the growing national electrification programme

and pave the way for suppliers’ greater involvement to

maximise the efficient delivery of the projects.”

The inclusion of a significant number of committed

Four suppliers have been appointed by Network Rail to deliver a £2 billion programme to electrify more

than two thousand miles of Britain’s railway over the next seven years, providing faster, quieter, greener

and more reliable journeys for passengers and freight users and cutting the cost of the railway

Electrifying news Overhead catenary carries up to 25kV to power trains

About the winning biddersl ABC Electrification is an alliance comprised

of Alstom, Babcock and Costain, three market-

leading companies in design, engineering and

delivery. ABC Electrification offers focused

turnkey solutions for the UK market drawing

on experience of the partners in the UK and

mainland Europe. Alstom provides global

electrification experience and product portfolio,

Babcock brings trusted UK project delivery and

Costain brings civil engineering innovation and

major project management.

l AmeyInabensa is a joint venture between

public and regulated services provider Amey

and Inabensa, a leading Spanish engineering

and construction company. The partnership

combines Inabensa’s international experience of

electrification, overhead line and traction projects

with Amey’s expertise in rail asset management

and delivery of design and build rail solutions.

l Balfour Beatty is an international

infrastructure group that delivers world class

services essential to the development, creation

and care of infrastructure assets; from finance

and development, through design and project

management to construction and maintenance.

l CarillionPowerlines is a joint venture

between infrastructure and support services

provider Carillion and Austrian-based SPL

Powerlines, one of Europe’s leading specialists

in electrically powered transport systems. The

partnership strengthens Carillion’s existing

capabilities in the rail sector, particularly around

electrification and overhead line work.

Regional frameworksl Southern region: AmeyInabensa

l Central (London North Western, South) region: ABC

l Central (East Midlands) region: CarillionPowerlines

l Central (London North Western, North) region:

Balfour Beatty

l Scotland & North East region: CarillionPowerlines

l Western & Wales region: ABC

The framework agreements are for seven years, with

the potential for three one-year extensions.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Electrification ContractsNe

twor

k Ra

il

gives suppliers a greater degree of certainty about the

company’s pipeline of work and means suppliers can

target investment so they have the right people with

the right skills in the right parts of the country to deliver

schemes which will improve our railway and boost

economic growth.” zz

Renewing overhead lines at Rugby

Benefits of an electrified railwayl Electric trains are not only better for the environment, but are quieter and

smoother for passengers while causing less wear and tear to the track.

l They are more reliable and often faster.

l Further electrification will also help open up more diversionary routes,

helping keep people on trains and off buses as planned rail improvement work

is carried out.

l Compared to diesel traction, electric services have lower rolling stock

operating costs, higher levels of train reliability and availability and lower

leasing costs.

l The superior acceleration of electric trains can also help reduce journey times.

l Electric trains also provide more seats than diesel trains increasing capacity,

while electric freight locomotives can haul longer trains.

l Electrification can also play a role in reducing carbon emissions as well as

improving air quality and reducing noise.

l Electric vehicles, on average, emit 20 to 30 per cent fewer CO2 emissions

than diesel.

projects within each framework will support investment in

the training and development of the resource pool, including

supporting the proposed development of a Network Rail

Electrification Training Academy, as well as providing the

investment needed to develop innovation and improvements

in the reliability of electrification technology.

Simon Kirby continued: “With billions of pounds set to be

invested in electrification schemes over the next decade,

and with many projects at different stages of development,

it is absolutely vital that the supply market gets a clear,

consistent message from Network Rail about what the

company needs from its supply partners, where and when.

“The framework approach chosen by Network Rail

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


As part of the Underground’s biggest rebuilding

programme, R&B Switchgear Group is working

with UK Power Networks Services (UKPN

Services) to design and manufacture a series of

LV and MV switchboard panels for the SSR3B project on

the District line.

Speaking of the contract, managing director, Mark

Beswick, said: “The Tube is the oldest underground railway

network in the world and is under increasing demand to

deliver the extra capacity needed. Safety is a huge priority

for us working on this project and it is imperative that it is at

the forefront of every design feature. We have incorporated

the latest protection relays from ABB – namely the

Relion® 620 series designed for IEC 61850 Standards.

“To ensure this equipment meets the stringent safety

guidelines needed for substations, we have used ‘FLR’

arc-certified equipment. In the event of a catastrophe, the

inherent design features channel the super-heated gases

and debris vertically out of the switchgear away from

operatives who may be in the vicinity of the switchgear.

“The new switchgear installation will improve the

efficiency of the Underground’s power systems and help

the company deliver a leading transport service.”

Helping 3.5 million London commuters get to work

With around 3.5 million journeys stopping at a total of

270 stations each day, R&B Switchgear Group is working

closely with the team at London Underground and UKPN

Services to ensure a successful handover.

The project commenced in autumn 2013, and is being

constructed at R&B’s dedicated workshop in Greater

Manchester.

Mark commented: “With our previous experience

working with the Maryland Transit Authority in the USA,

Network Rail and the Philippines Light Rail Transit

Authority, we understand the challenges of supporting a

travel service of this scale.

“We will need to work to a strict timeframe to ensure

that the work does not impact the day-to-day running of

the Underground or any further repairs.”

Speaking of the project, Geoff Corcoran, engineering

manager at UKPN Services, said: “Having worked with the

team on past projects, we are confident in their ability to

deliver the results we need on time and within budget.”

As a leading manufacturer of both AC and

DC switchgear, R&B Switchgear Group offers a

comprehensive worldwide service for the maintenance of

switchgear, circuit breakers and all ancillary equipment. zz

A £1.75 million refurbishment of London Underground’s electrical switchgear is being undertaken by specialist engineering company, R&B Switchgear Group

Mark Beswick is managing director of R&B Switchgear Groupwww.rbswitch.co.uk

zz Electrification zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Reaping the benefit of overseas rail infrastructure investmentl Vehicle and rail washing solutions specialists Smith

Bros & Webb, has won over £2.5 million of new

business as investment increases in overseas railway

networks. Contracts have been won far and wide

including the Mumbai Monorail and Metro for which

Smith Bros & Webb is providing two Britannia Train

Wash plants together with installations for Peenya &

BYP in Bangalore, Taiwan and Hong Kong with several

others in the pipeline. The Britannia train washing

system can be designed to accommodate any type of

rolling stock and will efficiently wash anything from one

single car to up to 200 carriages per hour.

Batteries for IEPl Saft has been awarded a multi-million Euro, five-year, framework

contract by Hitachi Rail Europe to supply turnkey, fully integrated battery

systems to provide vital backup power for passenger safety and comfort

systems on the new Class 800 series Inter City Express Programme (IEP)

trains. The contract covers the supply of MSX battery systems for up to

122 Hitachi Class 800 and Class 801 train sets.

HS2 Ltd invites potential suppliers for views on procurement l At the first HS2 Supply Chain Conference attended by 600 companies last

November, HS2 Ltd made a commitment to undertake a market engagement

exercise with the supply market, to capture their thoughts and opinions, before

further developing the Outline Procurement Strategy to be launched at the next

Supply Chain Conference this summer. Over the next four months HS2 Ltd

aims to engage with potential suppliers (including SMEs), Trade Associations

and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to gain their views through discussion

groups and one-to-one meetings.

HS2 Ltd commercial director, Beth West said:

“HS2 will generate billions of pounds worth of contracts, giving businesses

large and small across the UK the opportunity to bid for work during the

construction and operation of HS2.

“HS2 offers this country a much needed chance to re-balance the economy,

support hundreds of thousands of jobs and develop our national skills base.

Understanding and observing the market’s current thoughts and opinions will

play an important part in the development of our final procurement strategy for

Phase One.

“We are also keen to work with businesses who are not traditionally involved

in the rail sector. These can bring best practice techniques and products to

ensure the delivery of HS2. We look forward to engaging with businesses early

on in the process and we would like to encourage them to engage with us too.”

This market engagement exercise has been formally launched with the

publishing of a Periodic Indicative Notice (PIN) in Tenders Electronic Daily,

Reference: 2014/S 025-040069

http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:040069-2014:TEXT:EN:HTML

Businesses wishing to express an interest in participating should follow the

instructions set out in the PIN.

The following topics will be included in HS2 Ltd’s discussions with

the supply market:

l Work packaging approaches l Contracting mechanisms l Innovation

l Market constraints and supply chain risks l Sustainable procurement.

Five-year haulage agreementsl Network Rail’s National Delivery Service (NDS) has

signed a contract with five suppliers to provide haulage

for the company’s fleet of engineering trains in control

period 5 (2014-2019). DB Schenker, Freightliner Heavy

Haul, GBRf, Direct Rail Services and Colas Rail will

provide locomotives and drivers under contracts worth

more than £600 million over five years. Each supplier

will provide haulage in different proportions depending

on where on the network the trains are required and the

respective companies’ strengths in those areas. Trains

covered by the contract include possession trains, high

output renewals, rail head treatment trains, snow and ice

treatment trains, shunting and support services

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Contracts

EGIP alliancingl Network Rail has awarded alliancing contracts with Costain and

Morgan Sindall to develop the detailed scope, programme and target

price for the £650 million Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme

(EGIP). In a £5 million deal, the companies will now work with Network

Rail to develop in-depth plans for the electrification of the main Glasgow

Queen Street-Edinburgh Waverley line and other major projects that

form part of EGIP.

Netw

ork

Rail

A high output ballast cleaner


The phrase ‘future-proofing’ is very much part

of contemporary parlance. Therefore it may be

worthwhile taking a step back and reminding

ourselves of its definition. How can it be applied

to infrastructure and specifically to the UK rail network?

In essence, future-proofing is about trying to anticipate

the future and then developing methods of minimising the

effects of stress from future events, and leaving options

open to cater for more eventualities. It is about ensuring

our rail network remains of value in the future and does not

become obsolete.

The need to act is nowAs news of gale force winds, torrential rain and

catastrophic flooding continues to dominate headlines

across the UK, it has become impossible to ignore the

damaging consequences of our ageing rail network. It

shouldn’t take a national disaster of this scale to drive

home the critical need for the UK to future-proof our new

and existing infrastructure.

Passenger journeys have grown 50 per cent to

1.46 billion a year over the past decade, with long-distance

journeys growing at the fastest rate. By 2020 a further

400 million journeys will be made. Furthermore, there is

also limited capacity for freight which is predicted to double

over the next 20 years. Passengers and freight operators

zz Infrastructure

Future-proofing the UK rail network

compete for the same routes but each with different

operating requirements; our rail system is busier than at

any other time since the 1920s and is rapidly approaching

saturation point.

We must use the investment to look to the futureAfter almost half a century of underinvestment, and ever-

increasing levels of rail usage, it is only really over the

past decade that much-needed funds have begun to be

channelled into our rail network. Network Rail is embarking

on its largest ever investment strategy of £37.5 billion for

Control Period 5 (CP5), the next five year regulated plan

which commences from 1st April 2014. Transport for

London (TfL) has an equally well-funded, yet challenging

ambition to upgrade the London network in accordance

with the strategic objectives set out in their 19 Year

Business Plan.

As the Government addresses the necessity to invest

in the UK rail system, and continues to show funding

commitment, it is imperative a forward-looking approach

towards a solution is taken. An opportunity has been

presented, through investments such as that committed

by Network Rail, for the industry to look at how we actually

future-proof the railway, making it an asset for future

generations. It cannot be overemphasised how much our


Whilst proud of the legacy left by our pioneering Victorian railway designers, we are now experiencing the consequences of the ‘make do and mend’ attitude of

previous generations says DAN RODGERS

Dan Rodgers is head of rail, transportation,

AECOM UK and Ireland, a role he has held

since January 2013. A civil engineer by

background, he has extensive design and

management experience gained delivering some

of the UK’s largest rail infrastructure projects

over the last decade.


rail network is inextricably linked to economic growth and

the future prosperity of the UK. Without a focus on future-

proofing, the UK will be seriously hampered in its efforts to

compete with global economies that have been investing in

infrastructure for longer, and more sustained periods.

It is not enough to spend investment on renewing our

ageing infrastructure, we need a radical overhaul. This need

was acknowledged in the Constructing Excellence 2009

report, ‘Never Waste a Good Crisis’, which repeatedly

emphasises the “need to abandon our existing business

models that reward short-term thinking. Instead, we should

incentivise suppliers to deliver quality and sustainability

by taking a stake in the long-term performance of a built

asset.” In the report, Andrew Wolstenholme, now CEO at

Crossrail, stresses we must avoid quick-fix solutions and

embrace whole-life costs, advocating the view of spending

more now, to invest successfully in our future.

Customer experience as a key differentiatorThe future starts with anticipating the ‘art of the possible’

for the UK rail network fifty years from now. This vision

must entail a different customer experience, one where the

train operators and rolling stock companies, and Network

Rail, all work together to put future experience at the heart

of investment and buying decisions, above return on

investment today. A holistic approach towards transport

infrastructure needs to incorporate increased efficiency,

capacity, reliability and safety – all at a reduced cost and

easier to maintain.

A ‘whole journey system’ must be established which

acknowledges the importance of fast and assured

connections and which focuses on improved stations,

ticketing and information systems. Equally, connectivity to

complementary travel modes must be developed to deliver

a seamless journey. Ultimately, customers’ expectations of

cost and quality are on the rise and when we are working

to retain and increase the value of the rail network, they

should be guaranteed an excellent service and overall

travel experience every time.

In the next 25 – 50 years the majority of the assets on

the main lines will have been replaced, but if this doesn’t

deliver a better customer experience and get people

on the trains rather than other modes of transport then

what’s the point? National polls, as recent as that carried

out by consumer group ‘Which?’ in February, highlight

customers’ dissatisfaction at railway companies, as

they hit out at delays, fare rises and cramped carriages,

contributing to a gloomy picture of the railway as it stands.

Learning from the best to become the bestAs a nation we have grown to accept disrupted services

and engineering works as part of our everyday journeys.

In contrast, the messages from the best run railways in

Japan, or the TGV in France, are very different – nowhere

do they allude to ‘future investment’; their messaging

is simple. They separate the passenger experience

from the freight experience and in doing so reliability in

journey times and timetables do not suffer from regular

and frequent shock events. These are the rail systems

we should be aspiring to, indeed, as one commentator

put it in a BBC documentary, ‘Locomotion’, “Japan’s

railways are the envy of the world; fast, clean, frequent and

punctual, they are a daunting example to other nations of

what can be achieved when government, business and

science co-operate for the benefit of all.”

Making the case for high speed railIn terms of CO2 sustainability, we need to ask ourselves

how much longer we can continue flying planes. When

you take into account the amount of time you spend

checking in and checking out at airports, and then getting

into the city centre or final travel destination, flying just is

not as convenient as taking the train. This is why the UK

needs to invest in long-term projects, such as HS2; one

train per hour from London to Glasgow is the equivalent

of flying a jumbo jet from London to Glasgow – but more

practical. Travelling by train should become a natural

alternative, and changing the rail experience is critical to

future-proofing the nation’s railway infrastructure. It will

be interesting to see if Sir David Higgins will rise to the

challenge, as new head of HS2, given his understanding

of the valuable insight which can be provided through early

engagement and strong relationships with all his supply

chain. He is aware of its vitality; the reason he gave for

taking his job was he couldn’t take the thought of the new

railway project not going ahead.

Furthermore, the UK’s economic growth is increasingly

London-centric and in order to bridge this burgeoning gap

we need to put the necessary routes in place to ensure

the regions remain well connected, without the risk of


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Infrastructure

improve capacity through grade separation at junctions,

fully bi-directional signalling and greater automatic control

of the train. Technological advances can pave the way

towards intelligent infrastructure; systems which are able

to self-inspect and self-diagnose, predicting and thereby

avoiding faults.

Understanding the value of future-proofing the UK rail networkThe CP5 focus is to continue maintaining and upgrading

Britain’s ageing Victorian rail to meet 21st century

demands. We have to be careful that there is a distinction

between those activities that maintain an ageing asset, and

those that anticipate the future to minimise the effects of

shocks and stresses of future events. Although society can

never be guaranteed 100 per cent protection from extreme

weather conditions, we must strive to have in place a rail

network that is as resilient as possible, whilst at the same

time placing customer experience as a top priority in all

future investment. The nation’s long-term goal should

ensure that at some stage in the not-too-distant future the

UK’s rail network is world-class. zz

failing rail networks leaving them stranded and cut off

from the South. Investment in high speed that will get us

from one corner of the country to the other, and also into

Europe, can provide the necessary connectivity to keep

the UK competitive. Looking abroad, other countries have

already recognised the importance of this investment,

with the Middle East already envisaging a fully operational

GCC Railway, extending from Kuwait’s border with Iraq to

Salalah in southern Oman, by 2017.

Mitigating the climate impactsClearly, in light of this recent weather, the rail network

can be exposed to extreme conditions – whether it is

record-breaking rainfall, prolonged periods of sub-zero

temperatures or unprecedented violent storms. With the

unpredictable weather pattern likely to continue, the UK’s

rail needs to be prepared to deal with any eventuality.

The repeated battering of the West Country coastline

this year has resulted in severe track destruction which

will impact the local economy for months, demonstrating

the ever-important need to factor in resilience to severe

weather conditions. This can only be achieved through

sustained and intelligent investment. Future-proofing is

about implementing systems which build in resilience

and mitigate impacts, both from a design and operational

perspective.

We need to anticipate any eventuality and aim to build

systems which will withstand the consequences of severe

weather as best possible and also guarantee maximum

safety. Investing in a control system for train-train impact

avoidance would eliminate train collision risk. We can


B Hepworth & Co LtdB Hepworth & Co Ltd design and

manufacture windscreen wiper systems

in addition to metal fabrication and

manufacturing.

Tel: 01527 61243


Web: www.b-hepworth.com

h2gogo Industries Ltd h2gogo Industries Ltd is an independent

design, research and development

company focused exclusively on

manufacturing, selling and developing

products which provide measurable and

authenticated improvement in vehicle

emissions and potential fuel efficiency.

h2gogo’s Engine Carbon Clean solution

reduces emissions, improves performance

and enhances responsiveness in just

30 minutes.

Tel: 01494 817 174


Web: www.h2gogo.com or

www.enginecarbonclean.com

Hima-Sella Ltd Hima-Sella Ltd is the market leader in

‘engineered solutions’ for safety, control and

automation applications in the oil and gas,

petrochemical, rail, steel and power industries.

Current services include completely integrated

systems, panel building, sub-assemblies,

product development and on-site support.

The company has over 40 years’ experience

in designing, installing, commissioning and

maintaining complex safety and control

systems related to the rail industry.

Tel: 0161 429 4500


Web: www.hima-sella.co.uk

Oring Industrial Networking (UK) LtdOring Industrial Networking (UK) Ltd

manufactures and supplies a wide range of

specialist rail-approved EN50155 Industrial

Ethernet devices.

Tel: + 886-2-2218-1066


Web: www.oring-industrial.net

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

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzRail Alliance

PULS UK LtdPULS UK Ltd supply DIN-Rail power

supplies and complementary products.

Tel: 01525 841001


Web: www.puls.co.uk

Rosehill RailRosehill Rail is a manufacturer and

supplier of rubber level crossing systems

for installations around the world.

Tel: 01422 839 456

Web: www.rosehillrail.com

S. Norton & Co Ltd S. Norton & Co Ltd is a leading

scrap metal recycling merchant in

the UK exporting worldwide, with

depots in Liverpool, Manchester and

Southampton.

Tel: 0151 955 3300


Web: www.s-norton.com

www.railalliance.co.uk

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

Outline Events Programme – 2014

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

8 May Long Marston Introduction to BS11000 Collaborative Rail Alliance Working Workshop

15 May RGS, London Railway Strategies Live 2014 Schofield Publishing

20-22 May Earls Court 2, Rail Alliance ‘Hub’ at Infrarail 2014 Rail Alliance London Limited space available

Date Location Event Organiser/Contact

Netw

ork

Rail

East

Coa

stGatwick’s Platform 7 open for businessl A new platform has been opened at Gatwick Airport’s railway

station, providing a better service for passengers going to the

airport and unblocking a bottleneck on the Brighton main line.

Transport Minister Baroness Kramer formally opened Platform

7 and its associated facilities on 3rd February, marking the

culmination of more than £80 million investment in the Brighton

line over the New Year.

Network Rail completed the building work over Christmas,

while signalling equipment was renewed at London Victoria, and

rails replaced at Stoats Next Junction, near Purley. Despite the

difficult weather conditions, the projects were delivered on time

and on budget and mark a crucial stage in improving the railway

in Sussex.

More than a third of Gatwick Airport’s 35 million passengers

arrive by train and that figure is expected to rise, along with

demand along the railway in Sussex.


Wakefield regeneratedl The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for

Transport, officially opened a new station in Wakefield on

2nd February. The Transport Secretary’s visit to the new Wakefield

Westgate station follows completion of the £8.6 million project to

create a new gateway to the city.

The new Wakefield Westgate station has a number of facilities to

improve the customer experience. These include:

l A new, ‘golden’ footbridge and lifts linking the platforms, making

the station fully accessible

l A new travel centre

l A new First Class Lounge and Standard waiting area

l Four new retailers: Subway, WH Smith, Greggs and Costa Coffee

l Ticket gates to improve passenger safety and combat fare

evasion

l Improved integration with local buses and taxis

l Covered storage for 30 cycles

l Free Wi-Fi across the station provided by O2 for all station users.

The new station building is 71 per cent more energy efficient than

the previous building, achieved through natural lighting and a

photovoltaic system on the station roof. It has been rated ‘excellent’

for sustainability in the widely-recognised BREEAM assessment

standard

Balfo

ur B

eatty

Rai

l

Crystal Palace wins awardl Balfour Beatty and Transport for London have received a prestigious national heritage

award for work to refurbish Crystal Palace station in South London. The ‘London

Underground Operational Enhancement Award’, given by the National Railway Heritage

Association, recognises “the upkeep of our rich heritage of railway and tramway buildings

and structures”.

The works were delivered by Balfour Beatty for Transport for London around the continuing

operations of the station and included reinstatement of the grade II listed Victorian era ticket

hall and station to its original form as built in 1854.

It achieved the provision of twenty-first century facilities including step-free access, three

lift-shafts and a new footbridge which now links all six platforms together. Other modern

improvements included new CCTV and mechanical and electrical services including

communications and lighting systems.

The services installed were hidden so as not to detract from the Victorian architectural

features and the Balfour Beatty team worked in close collaboration with English Heritage,

Rail Heritage and Local Planning Authorities throughout the works.

The refurbished interior of Crystal

Palace station, showing the new step-free access

The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, alongside East Coast’s managing director Karen Boswell, officially opens the new station building

(L-R) Baroness Kramer, Network Rail’s Tim Robinson,

Southern’s Chris Burchell, First Capital Connect’s David Statham

and Gatwick Airport’s Stewart Wingate

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Netw

ork

Rail

Polystyrene platform l A modular polystyrene extension has been installed

at Peterborough station’s platform 1, with disruption to

passengers during construction reduced from 20 weeks

to 20 days. Three options had originally been considered:

a traditional concrete build; modular steel construction;

or modular polystyrene. Although widely used in Europe,

the modular polystyrene option had only been trialled

once before in the UK by Network Rail, but given it is

available as a Network Rail standard design and would be

achievable within the timescale, the team opted for the new

technology for the extension.

The project team and contractors, Carillion, worked

with Megatech Projects to develop the design and deliver

installation of the 30 polystyrene blocks and matching

concrete surface panels used to build the new platform.

Delivered in just 73 hours including approximately half of

the time to remove existing infrastructure and prepare the

site, the reduced people time on site and improved safety

has proven to be an excellent demonstration of sustainable

delivery with very little waste/spoil generated and a design

life of up to 60 years.

Work progresses at Chelmsfordl Work is progressing to improve Chelmsford railway station,

as part of a £3.2 million investment in customer facilities.

The project, funded under the National Station Improvement

Programme and a contribution from Network Rail, will make

significant improvements to the station which, aside from

Liverpool Street, is Abellio Greater Anglia’s busiest station with

5.5 million passenger journeys made annually.

The works will include a new ticket hall with an open plan

counter service, new toilets, improved customer information

systems and additional retail units. There will also be significant

improvements to access for the London-bound platform. An

additional stair tower is being built opposite the bus station,

linked to the existing stair tower, which will enable a better flow of

people, especially at peak times. Access to the London-bound

platform in the main ticket hall is also being rebuilt in order to

improve the space in the ticket hall and extend the gate line.

l The Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance has announced it will

carry out the work at the station in time for the tournament in 2015. As

well as step-free access between the ticket office and platforms there will

also be improvements to the facilities, including new accessible toilets,

improvements to the existing toilets, resurfaced platforms, new lighting and

a new footbridge – to replace the existing concrete structure.

In addition, Platform 2 will have a greater area set aside for the public

to help cope with the growing number of passengers who use the station

during stadium events.

A total of £5.2 million will be invested in Twickenham station using funding

from the Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance, the Government’s

National Station Improvement Programme and a £1.6 million contribution

from the Greater London Authority via Richmond Council. Work is due to

start on site in May 2014 and be completed by May 2015.

[Caption:]

[Credit:] Network Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Stations

Progress with the new bay platform 1 at Peterborough

An illustration of the new station entrance at Chelmsford

An impression of the refurbished station at Twickenham

Readying Twickenham for the RugbyWorld Cup

Abel

lio

O pened in 1836 London Bridge station is

London’s oldest railway terminus station, and

has undergone many changes is its history.

It is laid out on a Victorian brick-built viaduct

and was developed over time by combining two

independent stations originally constructed by separate

railway companies. The layout currently comprises the

Southern Rail terminus with nine lines, and a series of

passenger platforms serving seven through tracks. The

northern three lines carry traffic from the south east to

Cannon Street, the rest carry Thameslink through traffic

to Blackfriars and beyond whilst also carrying traffic

from the south to Charing Cross. “Without London

Bridge station, Cannon Street and Charing Cross could

not operate,” explained Chris Drabble, senior sponsor,

Network Rail.

London Bridge station handles the footfall of some


Netw

ork

Rail

London Bridge transformation

The work currently under way at London Bridge will deliver a stunning new

railway station, but this is significantly more than just a station building programme.

Gay Sutton talks to CHRIS DRABBLE of Network Rail who explains how it will unlock the bottleneck of central London and enable Thameslink trains to

pass though the central core at 24 trains an hour during peak times – the frequency you

would expect of a metro system

Stations zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tooley Street


52 million passenger journeys a year – approaching the

population of the UK – while a grand total of 117 million

passenger journeys pass on through by train. However,

this historic infrastructure is struggling to cope. At peak

traffic times only one Thameslink train an hour is able

to travel through the station on to central London. This

simply does not fulfil the Thameslink vision for a smooth

flow of passenger traffic between north and south directly

across central London.

The bottleneck this construction project aims to tackle

is twofold. Firstly there is a spaghetti junction of lines

crossing each other just to the south east of the station

at Bermondsey, and at peak times it is impossible for

Thameslink trains to cross the busy existing tracks. The

solution is to remove as many of those crossings as

possible and free up the traffic flow by constructing the

Bermondsey Diveunder – a huge feat of engineering that

will create a grade-separated junction on the eastern

approach to the station, taking the Thameslink lines over

the Kent lines so trains are not impeded in their approach

to the station.

The second impediment to efficiency at peak times is

congestion in the station. Without the redevelopment,

when platforms are heaving with passengers, subsequent

trains may be held outside the station until the platform

has safely cleared. At peak times the effect is a traffic jam

with tailbacks and delays. To solve this problem London

Bridge station has been redesigned, and is progressively

being rebuilt to handle a projected passenger flow of

more than 100 million passengers a year comfortably and

efficiently.

Making it happen

“Although extremely complex to design correctly, the

relatively easy part was deciding what to build,” Chris

said, “actually doing it while maintaining rail operations is

the difficult part. We will be reconfiguring the station so

there are nine through lines and six terminal lines, all at

viaduct level. At the same time we’re building a massive

new passenger concourse at ground level, opening up a

people-friendly link between Tooley Street and St Thomas

Street. It’s going to be the largest concourse in the

country – the size of the Wembley football pitch.”

So how is this being achieved with the minimum of

passenger disruption? The work is scheduled in nine main

phases. The first three will create a new six-line southern

terminal section with longer platforms capable of handling

the larger 12-car trains. The remaining phases will create

the required nine through platforms.

“We started by taking out the southernmost terminal

platform at the viaduct level, and then we cut vertically

down to street level to create the space where we will

be constructing the new passenger concourse. We then

Netw

ork

Rail

London Bridge transformation


built bridges over the top of this space to take the new

platforms and tracks. At the end of phase one at the end of

March this year, we’ll hand these back to the passengers

and then move on to take out the next two platforms and

repeat the process until we’ve completed the first three

phases.”

Thinking about passengers

With all this work hidden behind hoardings passengers will

see very little of it, but the impact is likely to be noticeable.

“There is bound to be some passenger disruption at all

stages, and we’re being as honest and clear as we can

with customers. Our research and experience with the

Olympics shows that if we give people the right information

they understand what we’re doing and accept a degree of

disruption.”

By the time this phase is completed the first through

platforms will be in operation, and the southern section of

the new concourse beneath will be opened to the public.

“We then begin to work from the north completing the last

three phases in a similar fashion.”

The station design

When completed, the station will be an impressive piece

of architecture, paying tribute to the Victorian viaducts that

surround it while satisfying the forward-thinking, modern

vision for an area of London that already plays host to the

spectacular Shard of Glass, the glittering More London

business area and City Hall.

Four major criteria lie at the heart of the design. The

first is accessibility: lifts and escalators are strategically

placed to ensure that passengers with reduced mobility

can access all areas of the station. Ease of wayfinding

is the second. The station is a huge building and many

subtle features as well as the obvious signage have been

incorporated into it to ensure passengers can find their way

around quickly and efficiently.

The third is connectivity. Until now, the enormous

Victorian viaducts have acted as a dam separating the

modern business area to the north from the more intimate

and beautiful Bermondsey to the south. “One of the

Council’s aspirations was for the station to be a wide open

area that would invite people to walk through, replacing

the dark tunnels that are there at the moment.” The final

element was ease of use of the platforms. Twelve-car

trains will run on these lines, and they are a quarter of a

kilometre in length. To reduce the distances passengers

have to walk between carriage and concourse, escalators

are located approximately one third of the way from either

end of the platform.



Netw

ork

Rail

Netw

ork

Rail

St Thomas Street

The old and the new

Two of the most impressive design features to come

from this process are the dramatic undulating canopy

roof, incorporating expansive areas of window. In

addition the concourse below is a completely enclosed

and weatherproofed public area. The roof is a series of

parallel canopies that slope upwards on the north-facing

side to resemble a sequence of eyebrows, or waves

approaching the beach. The tall windows beneath the

eyebrows not only shed natural light onto the platforms

but also flood the concourse beneath with light via the

concourse-wide escalator voids. Even the undulating

contours of the canopy are purpose designed to signal

the location of the escalators and the doors into the

station.

Outside, the Tooley Street façade is completely modern

with a large expanse of glass that looks out over the

More London business district. The St Thomas Street

façade is completely different. “We are retaining part of

the original 1860s viaducts, and they can be seen all

the way down the street,” Chris explained. “However,

with the Shard next door we’ve tried to pay respect to

the original viaducts and to link them with the modern

design of the Shard. We want to fit the station to the

environment and make it work for the next hundred

years or so.”

Not an easy task. The new design approaches this

by employing arches similar in size and shape to the old

viaduct, matching the brick as closely as possible, but

edging the arches with cleanly outlined concrete rather

than ornate brickwork. Between the arches there are

expansive modern glass windows and doors. “We are

also refurbishing the old arches and opening them up

into shops,” Chris said “Bermondsey is one of the most

densely populated parts of London for creative and artistic

people, and there are many creative businesses here. So

we will be offering them a number of affordable business

units. We believe this will all help towards the regeneration

of the area.”

The railway system

The station is of course merely the most visible part of

the railway system. All the existing track and signalling is

being replaced in what is believed to be Network Rail’s

largest resignalling project. “Our aim is to create a robust

and reliable service coming into the city and make the

system maintainable for the future,” Chris said.

Currently some 60 per cent of the work on the

Thameslink project has been completed, including delivery

of the new Blackfriars station, the Thameslink element

of the vast new interchange at Farringdon station and

expansions to many of the outlying stations enabling them

to handle the longer 12-car trains. Two new through lines

into London Bridge station have also been constructed.

“This was a hugely complex project,” Chris explained. “We

have literally stitched a new viaduct through The Borough

Market area to carry the two Charing Cross lines.” It’s a

very congested space and also one of the oldest parts of

London, where the Romans originally crossed the Thames

Throughout the construction programme, Network Rail

has worked very closely with the archaeologists. “During

our work we discovered what the archaeologists think

may be a pier dating back to Roman times, possibly

linking to the Roman Barge uncovered by Guys Hospital

at another site,” Chris enthused. Other discoveries

elsewhere have required sensitive handling, and these

include a number of bodies outside the cathedral walls

that have now been reinterred in consecrated ground.

Future

The new timetables for Thameslink services will come into

operation on the project’s completion in 2018, the same

year as the new Crossrail services. “Farringdon, where

the two lines cross, will then become one of the most

important interchanges in the country. These services will

be central to how passengers move around London, and

will be very different to how it’s done at the moment.”

A new generation of trains, Siemens Desiro City Class

700, are currently being built for the Thameslink service

and the first is due to go into operation in 2016. In 2018

when the new timetable begins, drivers will simply

switch from manual to automatic for passing through the

London core, enabling the line to reach a full operational

capacity of 24 trains an hour. That’s one train every two

and a half minutes.

“When we reach this stage, the result will be a massive

alleviation of crowding and movement of passengers

around London,” Chris concluded. “So the impact of this

on the transport system will be significant throughout the

city and beyond.” zz




Arthur D. Little, the Global Management

Consultancy, launched its ‘Future of Urban

Mobility’ lab in 2010 and in 2011 released its first

global study highlighting the mobility challenges

facing cities on a worldwide basis. This report introduced

the first Arthur D. Little Urban Mobility index, which

assessed the mobility maturity and performance of

66 cities worldwide, and triggered high interest within

the mobility eco-system industry and in the media on a

global scale.

December 2013 saw Arthur D. Little release the second

version of the ‘Future of Urban Mobility’ study, including

an updated version of the Urban Mobility Index, with

an extended scope of 84 cities worldwide as well as an

extended set of criteria. The index finds most cities are

still badly equipped to cope with the challenges ahead

indicating there is still significant potential for improvement.

Arthur D. Little highlights what is holding cities back and,

together with its partner the UITP – the International Union

of Public Transport – identifies three strategic directions

for cities to better shape the future of urban mobility. The

study also describes twenty-five imperatives to consider

when defining sustainable urban mobility policies and case

studies of cities demonstrating best practice.

Arthur D. Little Urban Mobility Index 2.0Plotting the trend Urban mobility is one of the toughest challenges that cities

face as existing mobility systems are close to breakdown.

The world’s population is increasingly city-based.

50 per cent of the population currently lives in urban areas

The future of urban mobility 2.0

and by 2050 this number is expected to reach

70 per cent. Today, 64 per cent of all travel kilometres

made are within urban environments and the total amount

of urban kilometres travelled is expected to triple by 2050.

By 2050 the average time an urban dweller spends in traffic

jams will be 106 hours per year, three times more than

today. Delivering urban mobility to cope with this increasing

demand will thus require massive investment in the future.

In addition to the increasing demand for urban

mobility, mobility needs are evolving. Changing travel

habits, demand for services to increase convenience,

speed and predictability, as well as expectations toward

individualization and sustainability will require mobility

services portfolio extension as well as business model

transformation. Specialized players from other sectors

are assessing opportunities to play a role in the extended

mobility eco-system.

Moreover, in order to reach UITP’s objective of “doubling

the market share of public transport worldwide by 2025”

(compared to 2007 level), public transport stakeholders

are struggling to improve attractiveness, capacity and

efficiency of mobility systems under limited public financing,

demonstrating the need for system level innovation.

MethodologyUsing 19 criteria Arthur D. Little assessed the mobility

maturity and performance of 84 cities worldwide. The

mobility score per city ranges from 0 to 100 index points;

the maximum of 100 points is defined by the best

performance of any city in the sample for each criteria.

In addition Arthur D. Little has reviewed policy initiatives

undertaken by cities to improve the performance of urban

mobility systems.

Where are we now?The overall results find most cities are still badly equipped

to cope with the challenges ahead, indicating there is still

significant potential for improvement. The global average

score is 44 points, meaning that, on average, the 84 cities

achieve less than half of the potential that could be reached

today, applying best practice across all operations.

Only 11 cities scored above 52 points (top 20 per cent

of the score range). The highest score (58.2 points) went

to Hong-Kong followed closely by Stockholm (57.5 points)

and Amsterdam (57.2 points), still indicating potential for

improvement.

There are big differences between the top and low end performers in various regions:l Europe achieves the highest average score of

the six world regions surveyed. “With an average of

51.5 points and nine out of the 25 analyzed cities scoring

above 52 points, European urban mobility systems are the

most mature ones as of today and lead the way in mobility

performance” says Oleksii Korniichuk, manager at Arthur D.

Little and in charge of the Urban Mobility Index. Stockholm

(57.5), Amsterdam (55.5) and Copenhagen (56.4 points)

ARTHUR D. LITTLE and the

UITP explore the success

factors to shape extended

mobility ecosystems of

tomorrow

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Integrated Transport


head the table – while Rome (37.2 points), Athens (40.1

points) and Lisbon (41.4) are the worst performing cities

l Latin American and Asian Pacific cities show

slightly below average performance. The continents’

average scores are well below Western Europe (43.9 and

42.8 points respectively) but outperform other regions in

public transport related criterion (financial attractiveness of

PT, share of modal split, smart cards). Most cities in Latin

America show average performance (between 39.3 and

47.2 points) while Asian Pacific cities show the broadest

range in performance – from Hong Kong and Singapore,

which with scores of 58.2 and 55.6 respectively sit at the

top of the global table, down to Hanoi with 31.1 points.

l North America show average performance with

39.6 points. Given their orientation toward cars, North

American cities rank bottom worldwide in terms of maturity.

In terms of performance, they perform above average

overall, but show poor results with regard to number of

cars per capita and CO2 emissions. New York leads the

way with 45.7 points, closely followed by Montreal with

45.6 points.

l Africa and the Middle East are the lowest

performing regions with respective average point

totals of 37.3 and 33.9. While urban mobility systems in

these regions perform well on several criteria due to the

lower number of cars, they are still at an evolving stage

and haven’t reached sufficient maturity. From the limited

numbers of cities in this group (only eight out of the

84 analyzed cities), Kinshasa leads the way with

40.5 points, followed by Dubai which received 39.0 points

and is amongst the highest scorers in the index in terms of

smart cards penetration. With only 28.7 point, Baghdad is

the worst performing city surveyed.

What is holding back change?A comprehensive review of technologies and urban mobility

business models reveals sufficient availability of solutions to

address the mobility challenges. In its 2011 study (Ref. 1),

Arthur D. Little identified three long-term business models

archetypes for mobility suppliers (the ‘Google’, ‘Apple’

and ‘Dell’ of urban mobility). Those business models still

hold true today and each have interesting development

potential. However, these solutions and archetypes

are currently not being applied comprehensively. There

is a clear trend toward “shared mobility” says Oleksii

Korniichuk. “More cars and bikes are being shared in cities,

both via peer-to-peer and business-to-consumer models,

but many of those concepts haven’t yet managed to take

off as providers are still testing different business models.”

Why has the innovation potential not been unleashed?

There is one key reason: The management of urban

mobility operates globally in an environment which is

hostile to innovation. Our urban management systems

are overregulated, they do not allow market players to

compete and establish business models that bring demand

and supply into a natural balance. “Urban mobility is one

of the toughest system-level challenges facing actors of

the mobility ecosystems,” says François-Joseph Van

Audenhove, partner at Arthur D. Little and in charge

of the Future of Urban Mobility 2.0 study. “There are a

plethora of solutions and business models available,

but very few have managed to smartly integrate them

to unleash their full business potential. What is needed

is system level collaboration between all stakeholders of

the mobility ecosystem to come up with innovative and

integrated business models.”

Moreover, a lot of mature cities do not yet have a

clear vision and strategy on how their mobility systems

should look in the future. The lack of synergies between

individual initiatives leads to sub-optimal outcome

in terms of mobility performance, which calls for a

more holistic approach. At a different level, integration

between regional mobility systems still remains very

low in comparison to other parts of the economy as

transport infrastructures have historically been designed

to serve regional rather than supra-regional goals. Cross

regional-links constitute bottlenecks that are likely to

become increasingly costly as the economies continue

to integrate. “In that context, there is a need for stronger

alignment between regional mobility strategies while

respecting each other’s accountabilities and ensuring

solutions are adapted to the local context” says

François-Joseph Van Audenhove.

Strategic imperatives for cities to shape the extended mobility systems of tomorrowThree strategic directions for citiesTo meet the urban mobility challenge, cities need

to implement one of the following three strategies

dependent on their maturity and the share of sustainable

transport in their modal split:

l Rethink the System: Cities in mature countries with

a high proportion of motorized individual transport need

to fundamentally redesign their mobility systems so that

they become more public and sustainability orientated.

The majority of cities in the index (55 out of 84) belong to

this group.

l Network the System: For mature cities with a

high share of sustainable transport modes, the next

step must be to fully integrate the travel value chain

to foster seamless, multimodal mobility while ensuring

‘one face to the customer’ and to increase the overall

attractiveness of public transport by service extension.

This group contains the majority of cities in Western

Europe as well as Hong-Kong and Singapore.

l Establish Sustainable Core: For cities in emerging

countries with partly underdeveloped mobility systems,

the aim must be to establish a sustainable mobility core

that can satisfy short-term demand at a reasonable cost

without replicating mistakes from developed countries.

With access to emerging transport infrastructure

and technologies, these cities have the opportunity

to become the testbed and breeding ground for

tomorrow’s urban mobility systems.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Integrated Transport


local context.

“Different measures can be considered to define the

right mobility demand management mix for cities to foster

a shift towards a sustainable transport mode,” says

Laurent Dauby, director rail transport at the UITP and

co-author of the study. “The relevance and acceptance

of each individual measure must be assessed based on

the existence of viable alternatives to motorized individual

transport and through a dialogue with key stakeholders,

including citizens, businesses and the real-estate

community.”

l Public transport financing: Finding the right funding

mix for public transport financing will constitute a real

challenge for cities, particularly given the requirements

for service offering extension which imply massive

investments in the future. While fare revenue and public

funding are likely to remain the main funding sources of

public transport systems, public transport authorities

and operators will need to assess opportunities to derive

additional revenues from aggregation of third-party

services and perceive charges from indirect beneficiaries

of public transport.

“Sustainable public transport financing involves finding

the right balance between funding from direct and indirect

beneficiaries and between public and private sources,

while focusing on preserving business model solidity over

short term funding responsibilities,” says Jerome Pourbaix,

head of policy and outreach and responsible for the public

transport financing toolbox at the UITP and co-author of

the study.

“A system-level approach across these four dimensions

is critical: sustainable improvements of a city’s mobility

performance requires simultaneous improvement on each

of the four dimensions as the weakest link will influence

overall mobility performance,” says François-Joseph Van

Audenhove.

In the ‘Future of Urban Mobility 2.0’ study Arthur D.

Little and the UITP elaborate further on those dimensions

and identify twenty-five imperatives for cities to consider

when defining sustainable urban mobility policies. The

study also includes case studies of cities demonstrating

best practices that can constitute a source of inspiration. zz

Want to know more?The ‘Future of Urban Mobility 2.0’ study as well as the

full results of the Arthur D. Little Urban Mobility Index 2.0

are available at www.adlittle.com/future-of-urban-

mobility.html as well as at www.uitp.org/new-study-

future-urban-mobility or contact François-Joseph Van

Audenhove, Partner at Arthur D. Little,

at [email protected]

ReferenceRef. 1: Arthur D. Little, ‘The Future of Urban Mobility –

Towards networked, multimodal cities of tomorrow’, 2011.

Four dimensions to consider when defining sustainable urban mobility policiesl Visionary strategy and ecosystem: Establishing

sustainable urban mobility policies requires cities to

develop a political vision and urban mobility objectives

based on strategic alignment between all key public and

private stakeholders of the extended mobility ecosystem.

This should inform a visionary urban mobility strategy

(priorities and investments to achieve mobility objectives),

which ensures the right balance between stretch

and achievability.

“There is now a real window of opportunity to drive

innovation in urban mobility,” says Alain Flausch, UITP

Secretary General. “The time has come for public

transport to step up and to drive innovation in urban

mobility. In order to benefit from those opportunities,

we will need to open our minds and take a much more

holistic view on public transport as authorities and

operators will need to work closely with each other,

and the new market players, to deliver creative and

entrepreneurial mobility solutions guided by a strategic

vision of how cities and regions can be planned

and organized”.

l Mobility supply (solutions & lifestyles): Responding

to increasing demand for urban mobility and to

consumer and business needs for seamless, multimodal

urban mobility requires cities to extend their public

transport offering and adapt it from “delivering transport”

to “delivering solutions”. This transformation can be

achieved through a combination of quality improvements

to the current public transport offering and increasing

customer experience via service offering extension

through partnerships and alliances with third parties.

“The development of a coherent offer within subway

stations and railway stations can significantly improve

customer experience while maximizing revenues from

existing assets,” says François-Joseph Van Audenhove.

“Historically, infrastructure operators have had some

difficulty in setting up an optimal and value-creating

commercial offer. Airports, and to a lesser extent

railway stations, are now at an advanced stage of

their commercial activity redesign as a key element of

customer experience and a key lever of value creation,

whereas local public transport operators still have

major room for growth”

l Mobility demand management: The limited

capacity of current mobility systems and level of

investment required for the development of transport

infrastructure means mobility services extension must

also be complemented with measures to manage the

demand side. Mobility demand management is a delicate

discipline which can easily meet strong resistance.

However, a number of measures exist and some of these

have already derived clear benefits, the relevance of

which should be assessed by cities against the

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Integrated Transport

Netw

ork

Rail


Time to give Victoria a makeover fit for a queenl Work has started on a major, multi-million pound transformation of the Manchester

Victoria Metrolink stop. The nine-month project will see the stop completely redesigned

and expanded to provide additional platforms and tracks, accommodating the

new Second City Crossing and wider network expansion – in conjunction with the

transformation of the railway station by Network Rail. As a result of this work there will

also be temporary changes to Metrolink services for the duration of the project.

Record investmentl More than £150 million has now been put into modernising the Tyne and Wear Metro since

the ‘all change’ investment programme began in 2010. Cllr David Wood, chairman of the Tyne

and Wear Integrated Transport Authority, marked the milestone by meeting Nexus engineers and

contractors carrying out the latest projects to improve Metro around Walkergate and Wallsend.

Metro, which is owned and managed by Nexus, was opened in 1980 and carries 38 million

passengers a year, but its network of 60 stations includes infrastructure up to 175 years old,

making modernisation crucial. The line between Newcastle and North Shields is one of the

oldest metropolitan railways in the world, having been in constant use taking passengers

from suburb to city since 1839; it was incorporated into the Metro system in 1982.

TfGM

TfGM

Manchester Metrolink – Oldham Line opens l Thales UK’s Ground Transportation

Systems business has passed another

significant milestone with the launch of

a new service into the heart of Oldham

Town Centre ahead of schedule.

Following a week-long closure of the

Rochdale Line, to allow the track,

overhead power lines and systems to

be connected to a brand-new alignment

through the town centre, final dynamic

testing and driver training has been

successful.

The terminus at Oldham Mumps

integrates tram and bus services and

provides a new, free park and ride site

for Metrolink passengers. Journeys

from Rochdale to Manchester Victoria

take around 45 minutes, while journeys

from Oldham Mumps take around half

an hour.

Left: Artist’s impression of how the new Manchester Victoria Metrolink stop will look once its transformation is complete

Cllr David Wood speaks to contractors installing a new lift at Walkergate Metro

Nexu

s

zzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Integrated Transport


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTRACKSURE

Tracksure markets a unique range of patented nut

locking devices that will prevent nut loosening as

a result of vibration and settlement. The products,

which can be used in a wide number of track and

rolling stock applications, enhance safety regimes and

deliver cost and operational benefits.

The Tracksure locking device consists of a modified

bolt with a reverse thread added to the end, which

accommodates both the original nut and the Tracksure

locking nut. A locking nut is applied on to the reverse

thread until it tightens against the original nut, and a

serrated steel locking cap then pushes down over both

the original nut and the Tracksure nut, held in place with

a spring clip. If the original nut starts to loosen (even

microscopically) the locking nut tightens on the reverse

thread with the locking cover combining both actions,

ensuring a fail-safe bolt fixing.

Gerhard Dodl is managing director at the company.

Passionately enthusiastic about the product, Gerhard

is keen to highlight the benefits and simplicity of how

it works: “Unlike other fasteners it can be simply

maintained and does not require expensive capital

equipment to install,” he noted. “Furthermore, with this

product our clients can be absolutely certain that there is

no nut rotation possible, which brings huge benefits.”

He uses the analogy of a seatbelt to highlight how the

Tracksure product could be gradually accepted into the

rail industry (and hopes that it could also be adopted into

Founded in 2003, Tracksure has been working for the last decade to highlight the benefits of its innovative range of engineered fasteners. Gerhard dodl, managing

director, is convinced 2014 will be a breakthrough year for the company

Bolting ahead



over years of testing and trials, and as rail operators

gradually become open to new methods of working

and begin to install Tracksure solutions, so more doors

open for Gerhard and his team. “I totally believe in the

device – we have even had a visiting professor from an

Oxford University confirm to the Permanent Way Institute

that Tracksure’s locking system cannot come undone,”

he said. “But of course rail operators have certain

procedures in place, and we have to get it accepted

that after 150 years of the old way of working, now there

is a bolt that won’t come undone, and this means that

there is an opportunity to change existing maintenance

procedures and that this will bring cost savings.”

London Underground was one of Tracksure’s earliest

progressive supporters, starting with small tests, and

moving onto general approval, with a lot of bolts installed

on the District Line amongst others. “We are working

with engineers who are very keen on our bolts and we

are growing the business there,” said Gerhard. “And I

anticipate that as we continue to prove the system with

London Underground, we will be able to break through

into other metro systems. Indeed, in this way we are

moving with LB Foster into the Transits in a number of

USA cities.”

Gerhard explained that LB Foster is a very large

player in the US railroad market, with which Tracksure

has been working. “We started some trials in railroads

and one major railroad in America has already started

to specify our products on large diamond crossings,

which is a major achievement. LB Foster will give us the

ability to roll our products out to a large market, as it

has an established and trusted sales force with the right

contacts in the railroads, which can highlight the benefits

of our device.

“On the Transit side, trials have been going for about

16-18 months, as regulations have to be followed, but I

now believe they are convinced about our product

and we will soon see some commercial orders in a

major city.”

Metro and underground systems have stringent

maintenance procedures that require (depending on if

other markets such as wind farms and oil and gas in the

future too.) “When you consider the seatbelt, 45 years

ago they weren’t even included in cars. Then later they

became an option, and today they are mandatory, and

you wouldn’t drive without one,” he explained.

“In this same way, rail operators can continue with

the same processes as before, but they can add on a

locking device that isn’t interfering with the standard bolt,

but that brings enormous cost benefits from changed

maintenance procedures and also brings positive safety

improvements. So it’s not a revolutionary transformation,

we are not changing standards, we don’t change what is

already there – we just put the ‘seatbelt’ on.”

In fact, the device itself has been proven successful

Bolting ahead

Tracksure sample bolt

Engineered Fasteners that are simple to install, serviceable and totally effective.

www.tracksure.co.uk0044 1525 840557

Tracksure, enhancingSAFETY and PRODUCTIVITY

on all infrastructure.

http://www.tracksure.co.uk


the application is critical or non-critical) scrutiny of bolts

as often as every 24 hours. “This product would make

absolutely certain in the right application that a bolt

cannot come undone and that would allow the operator

to utilise its resources in a much better way,” highlighted

Gerhard.

Interest in the Tracksure bolt is now almost global,

with the company being active in Spain, and recently

obtaining a Type Approval for an application on the

German railways that Gerhard believes will offer up

further opportunities. The Hungarian railways approved

the product over two years ago and are appreciating the

cost and safety benefits, and the Italian state railway (RFI)

is also very interested in discussing it further. “We have

a very good agent in Italy who got us into a private rail

operator about four years ago – after two years of tests

they approved the product, and we have been fitting it

onto fishplates with great results.

“This opened the door into RFI and this required

another in-house lab test. This went very successfully

and we are now certified to EN13481-7, which is

specifically for switches, crossings, and check rails. This

certificate and another successful trial opened the door

to get test installations into the main track of the RFI,

and at the moment the tests have done well and I will

be in Rome discussing this further very soon with senior

management,” he said.

With every new reference, another door opens and

Gerhard works hard to ensure that no opportunities are

missed where his products can genuinely bring benefits

to operators: “I participated with the company at the

AusRail show in Sydney at the end of Nov 2013. A large

operator had seen a lot of success with our bolts and

fishplates in a very remote and challenging location in

South Australia, so we decided to exhibit there and show

what we can offer. We are now talking to the various

state railways, as well as mining operators. There are a

multitude of mine owners who require maintenance-free

tracks because any downtime costs them a fortune.

We are negotiating with potential distributors in Australia

and a number of operators and as a result we will

start another trial very soon with one of the largest

contractors in Australia – I just can’t give you a

name yet!”

Expanding across the world without investing in

large overheads requires a careful business strategy,

and Gerhard explained that Tracksure convinces an

operator in one market, and then copies that and

transfers it to another. “We are trying to incorporate

our products with local suppliers and this is already

working through an agent in Italy, and distributors in

Holland, Spain and Hungary.

“In this way we work with local experts that already

have the contacts, and that means expansion can go

ahead more quickly. I think this will happen now, as

we have been through the testing processes, and the

official procedures, and a lot of bureaucracy, and now

we have a customer base who has tested and loves

the product, who are keen to come back to us and

work with us.”

After just over ten years of hard work, Gerhard

remains as passionate about his product as when

the company was founded: “Every bolt we have fitted

globally wherever, has remained tight,” he announced

with pride. He now feels that his persistence is really

starting to pay off and in 2014 Tracksure will see a

big breakthrough. “Our business is growing rapidly

and I am confident to tell our long-term investors that

some serious revenue is just around the corner,” he

concluded. “I see this company growing globally and I

think it will be a great success story, of a small British

company achieving worldwide success!” zz

www.tracksure.co.uk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz TRACKSURE

Tracksure Holland

Tracksure LondonTracksure Italy

Engineered Fasteners that are simple to install, serviceable and totally effective.

www.tracksure.co.uk0044 1525 840557

Tracksure, enhancingSAFETY and PRODUCTIVITY

on all infrastructure.

Shedding new lightl AVA Lights has secured a contract to supply energy-

efficient lighting to Virgin train stations across the country.

Virgin Trains has invested in AVA’s LED lighting technology

to help reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs

for many of its train sites across the UK. The large-scale

refurbishment project, which began in February, will cover

over 13 train stations and car parks nationwide. These include

Coventry, Lancaster, Carlisle, Wigan and Penrith, with more

locations expected to follow during the year.


Long-term partnership to continue l telent Technology Services Ltd has

been awarded an extension to their on-

rail telecoms support and maintenance

contract with Level 3, formally Global

Crossing UK Ltd. telent has been

supporting Level 3 across the UK since

March 2009 and has now been granted a

multi-million pound five-year extension to

the original contract, ensuring continuity

until March 2019.

The Level 3 on-rail infrastructure is

vital to the UK rail industry as it is used

operationally by Network Rail and the vast

majority of train operators. The fibre-optic

network alone spans some 14,000km,

and carries vital business-critical services

for many UK organisations. telent

supports this network day and night.

In addition to supporting the on-rail fibre

network, telent also supports Level 3’s

Railnet voice estate which comprises over

250 PBX and over 40,000 telephony end

points. These services are again vital to

the UK rail industry as they are relied upon

by Network Rail and many other UK rail

industry participants.

Protection and control IEDs for the Undergroundl ABB has made a major breakthrough on the London Underground with the first project to

feature its state-of-the-art Relion IEC61850-compliant protection and control IEDs (intelligent

electronic devices). The Relion IEDs will be installed at six substations currently under

refurbishment for the SSR (Sub-Surface Railway) Upgrade Package 3B project to ensure the

reliability and continuity of the uprated power supplies essential for the smooth running of

London Underground’s new generation rolling stock. An operational benefit is that engineers

can access the REF620 via a web interface for remote access to settings and data. ABB has

also engineered out batteries, meaning that the IEDs are essentially maintenance-free.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Products & Services

RISAS approval for ZFl ZF Services UK has recently been

awarded the RISAS approval for the

overhaul and repair of both ZF and non-ZF

traction and rolling stock transmissions,

including final drives and gearboxes, at its

Nottingham facility. The Railway Industry

Supplier Approval Scheme (RISAS)

provides safety assurance for suppliers and

services, including enhanced performance,

product quality, as well as helping to

improve efficiencies in the supply chain.

Parcel lockers on the Tube

l InPost has finalised an

agreement with London’s

transport authority, Transport

for London (TfL), to install parcel

lockers in the car parks at London

Underground Tube stations. The

terminals will be located in the

station car parks enabling 24/7

access to the machines. InPost

intends subsequently to expand

the network to the bus, coach

and railway stations in London.

InPost’s parcel locker network in

the UK currently exceeds

800 terminals.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Craig & DerriCott


master controls, power break controllers, cab isolation

switches and driver key switches. We provide switchgear

equipment, from milliamps right up to 4000 amps.”

Working closely with the customer, the business

designs and develops components and solutions that

overcome obsolescence issues. “The demand for reverse

engineering has grown, because trains last up to 30

years, but unfortunately these days, many companies

do not,” Jon points out. “We have a full R&D department

with engineers using CAD and 3D modelling, focused

purely on rail projects. The department works closely with

manufacturing, and as a result the engineers are involved

throughout the process from start to finish,” he adds.

Greater efficiency, lower power consumption and longer

life; the terms have become familiar in the drive towards

a more sustainable future. Following the government’s

decision to make obsolete T12 fluorescent lighting and

soon to follow suit, the T8’s, the sector faces a potentially

dark future. New projects will ultimately utilise LED flat

panel technology, but for the refurbishment market, Craig

and Derricott have developed a solution in the form of

LED tubing, which can be replaced in existing fittings

with minimal wiring changes. The new product has

been released following several complex trials, meeting

all specifications, and the business looks forward with

Performance LED, industry drivenIn an interview with Railway Strategies, Jon Beaumont, business development

manager, sheds light on future interests of Craig and Derricott as it releases industry changing LeD technology

The history of Craig and Derricott in the rail industry

stretches back over 60 years. Predominantly

involved within the rolling stock of the industry, the

company has worked with an array of businesses

including Alstom, Bombardier and Hitachi, and today

employs 90 people, with 30 per cent of sales attributable

to contracts within the rail sector.

“We are involved in new build

and refurbishment projects,

as well as the design of

new components,” begins

Jon. “Our target market

is the UK, although we

have established a

partnership with Mafelec

in France,” he continues.

Providing solutions for

both rail infrastructure

and rolling stock, Jon

goes on to say: “We

offer a wide range of

very bespoke equipment,

from the overhaul and

new construction of drum

switch un-couplers, to


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

confidence having secured its first major order surrounding

the innovation.

The fully UK owned business is recognised for the

quality of its products and a full understanding of market

requirements is gained through talking to manufacturers

of trains and refurbishment companies like Rail Services,

Wabtec, Bombardier and Alstom, as well as talking

closely with ROSCOs and operators, visiting depots to

generate business. “Over the recent period we have been

concentrating on refurbishment work, although interests

are again growing in new build. It is through the knowledge

of the market, listening to the needs of the customer and

delivering the products that they want, that we are able to

supply to the market on several levels.

“We are expecting to receive orders from Hitachi in

Japan for a range of products on the Intercity Express

Programme (IEP). Following the government’s decision to

electrify the Great Western Main Line to Swansea, Hitachi

will deliver the new trains for passenger service.”

Set with a focus of maintaining a skills level that supports

the steady growth the business has seen over the last few

decades, Craig and Derricott continually takes on graduate

engineers as it looks to develop skill sets through training.

With the industrial sector of the company expanding

into foreign soil, Jon explains the limits to the rail trade

interests extending so far: “We are involved in a project

with Mafelec in South Africa, but as with rail projects in

the UK, the contractor is looking to source the majority of

manufacturing locally. To continue in this direction long-

term would require establishing sales and manufacturing in



zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Craig & DerriCott zznew locations. Such an undertaking can only happen

with the assurance of a sustainable market and

confirmed orders.”

The news announced in February 2014 surrounding

the success of Derby based Bombardier on the

£1 billion Crossrail contract is positive news for UK

based manufacturing with an estimated contract spend of

74 per cent in the UK. “Over the last 15 to 20 years there

has been little opportunity to introduce new products as

electric style has remained constant. It has therefore been

our strategy to focus on refurbishment. However the new

project gives us the scope to introduce and focus on our

new range of products for potential use in the deal,”

says Jon.

Remaining committed to its contracts with Hitachi

on the IEP project, the drive to introduce the LED tubes

into the refurbishment market will continue. Highlighting

the future vision for the business, without hesitation, Jon

exclaimed: “We don’t want to stand still. Our aim is to

help the UK rail industry to solve issues and problems,

overcoming obsolescent issues. Our focus is steady and

sustainable growth. The new high-speed rail link and new

build train contracts promotes a positive period ahead.” zz

http://www.kmf.co.uk


l The railway electrification programme is one of

the most significant railway investments in decades.

Increasing the electrification of Britain’s railways will lead

to cheaper, faster and more efficient trains along with

rail becoming part of a long term low-carbon, more

sustainable transport strategy. However, bridges and

tunnels pose a challenge for an electrification scheme,

since catenary may not suit the original gauging to fit

underneath the bridge. As part of the electrification

programme, FutureRailway, Network Rail and the

Department for Transport will shortly be running a

competition to develop technology enabled solutions

addressing the avoidance of bridge reconstruction.

The competition aims to find solutions and ideas to

harness novel methods of increasing the clearance below

the bridge whilst avoiding reconstruction, minimising the

cost of the works and disruption to the service beneath

and across the bridge. This could include techniques to:

l Allow OLE equipment to run underneath the bridge for

current collection purposes

l Improve the sophistication of gauging design

and assessment

l Secure additional clearance by lowering the track

without compromising the bridge structure.

There are also opportunities to improve operating

efficiencies and solve issues around the overhead and

third-rail changeover that will continue to exist within

the network. Overall, there is significant opportunity to

innovate and make electrification easier, cheaper and

safer by applying the latest and best technologies.

Any solution proposed has to be deliverable within

conventional bridge reconstruction railway possession

times. Techniques which require full bridge reconstruction

are out of scope for this project.

Enquiries about the Bridge Reconstruction competition please contact:

[email protected]

FutureRailway launch structures electrification competition

Centre of Innovation in Rail – Partner OrganisationsThe role of the partner organisations is key to the success of

this RGF funded project. Each partner brings an essential

component to the proposed Centre for Innovation in Rail.

l Institute of Railway Research –

www.hud.ac.uk/research/researchcentres/irr/

l RSSB – www.rssb.co.uk/Pages/Main.aspx

l Unipart Rail Ltd – www.unipartrail.com/

l Omnicom Engineering Ltd – omnicomengineering.co.uk/

l National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering – www.nsare.org

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Research

Centre for Innovation in Rail gets underwayl The Government is providing crucial funding enabling the

University of Huddersfield’s Centre for Innovation in Rail (CIR) to go

ahead. This £4 million Regional Growth Fund grant will be matched

by the project partners. The overall investment in the project is over

£20 million.

The CIR will be based within the internationally-renowned Institute

of Railway Research (IRR) at the University and will build on the

Institute’s strategic partnership with RSSB, with the support of the

National Skills Academy for Rail Engineering (NSARE) and technology

partners, Unipart Rail and Omnicom Engineering.

The Institute was formed at the University of Huddersfield in 2012

and the RGF funding will take the size of the team to 40 research

staff. Its director, Professor Simon Iwnicki, expects the CIR to

capitalise on the best of the Institute’s research output and embed

this within the UK railway industry.

“The research and training carried out by the Centre will contribute

to the strategic needs of the railway industry as outlined in the Rail

Technical Strategy and will increase the level of innovation in the

industry and reduce the barriers to knowledge transfer and reduce

industry costs,” said Professor Iwnicki.

The new facility will build upon the world-class product design

and R&D capability of the project partners, to provide industry and

academia with training, research and expert services to develop and

improve critical engineering interfaces in the rail industry. The IRR’s

assistant director and CIR project manager Dr Paul Allen explained

that the Centre will have a dedicated team comprising academics,

researchers, business development staff and administrators.

“This will include all aspects of vehicle design and track

construction to increase safety and reliability, reduce asset costs and

drive performance improvement of the railway system. Priority will

be given to assisting regional SMEs to develop competitive products

and services that can be brokered into the railway supply chain, and

result in new job creation and up-skilling of the workforce,” said Dr

Allen.

Professor Iwnicki added: “We are delighted that the Government

has agreed to help fund this initiative and I would like to thank all our

partners for their support in putting the proposal together.”

Gateless gate-lines competitionl FutureRailway is launching a £2 million Future Ticket

Detection Competition. This intends to look at alternatives

to the existing gate-line and ticket detection system in

order to cope with increased passenger flows within the

same floor space. Safety, security, and revenue protection

will be significant factors in finding a solution to this

challenge.

The competition is seeking solutions and ideas to meet

this challenge, which could include:

l Ticket detection systems

l Revenue protection methods

l Interfaces with existing systems

Ideally the proposal would offer a complete solution

covering people, process and technology. The initial focus will be on the most congested stations in Great Britain but solutions must be equally

relevant to any station size. Any proposed new system should not reduce revenue protection, but should consider the needs of different

passenger types and must be compatible with the existing national rail infrastructure (both physical and digital).

Any solution proposed has to fit In with the Department for Transport’s vision for ticketing, focused on ITSO. Proposals which cope

appropriately with existing ticket types, whilst offering a migration strategy towards potential new ticketing types, would be particularly welcome.

The competition will be formally launched on 21st March and a briefing/partnership-forming event will be held on 2nd April to allow bidders to

gain further information about the competition and seek partners to form a consortium.

For further information, please contact: [email protected]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Research


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.


Emergency repairs are being carried out to the decimated railway

line in Dawlish which was destroyed in the recent storms.

Technical specialists from Professional CP (formerly Pochins),

who were prevented by the dangerous weather from beginning

emergency repairs as soon as they had hoped, spent a week pumping

4500 cubic metres of concrete into the precarious section of the sea

defence wall to help prevent further erosion. The team used a pump to

deliver concrete across distances of up to 160 metres alongside two

static pumps, with work carried out 24 hours a day by four men working

12 hour shifts. Pump operators slept in their cars next to the equipment

while waiting for yet another storm to abate before continuing work as

soon as it was safe to do so.

The first round of storms saw around 80 metres of the coastal

defences fall into the sea after being battered by huge waves, leaving a

significant stretch of railway line hanging perilously in mid air and cutting

off a vital train link connecting Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the

country. Temporary protective shipping containers installed to prevent

further damage were breached during a subsequent storm, and waves

eroded the sea wall still further. zz

Pumping concrete to repair the Dawlish damage

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Plant & Equipment


l Machines with a massive reach

in excess of 25 metres are being

used to remove several thousand

tonnes of material and install deep

counterfort drains on the rail slope.

Designers of the scheme reduced

the angle of the cutting to safeguard

against future land slippage, with

the addition of drainage to get the

water away effectively and reduce

the risk of the ground failing.

The specialist machine supply

is by WM Plant Hire, with long-

reach excavators ranging from

four to 115 tonnes and a reach of

over 30 metres. Using their own

experienced PTS Operators, the

methodology and planning has

provided minimal disruption to the

train operations with the works

programmed under line blockages.

The sequence of excavating

material at night and drainage

installation during the day has

proved most effective. zz

Earthworks use long-reach solutions

Essential maintenance work on a rail embankment near Chipping

Sodbury is using long-reach excavators to complete a major

re-profiling exercise.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzPlant & Equipment

Work in progress at Chipping Sodbury

http://www.railimages.co.uk

http://www.bamritchies.co.uk


Unwavering political support for major infrastructure

projects such as HS2 and Crossrail demonstrates

this Government’s determination to radically

overhaul Britain’s rail network. Public support

has also been cited as a major reason for the huge sums

of money being ploughed into these schemes, with a

reduction in travel times and the delivery of up to 400,000

new jobs at the forefront of a recent publicity campaign.

However, with tens of thousands of households potentially

being subjected to high levels of noise from the new lines,

much work needs to be done to ensure that high speed

rail lines are a help not a hindrance to small communities

and villages living close to proposed routes. IAC Acoustics

is providing some of the latest technology to address this

issue to ensure that railways are a much quieter transport

method in the future.

Noise reduction an important planning considerationNoise has already been recognised as a major issue by

the Government when considering the implications of

both HS2 and Crossrail on local communities, as well as

by protest groups who are using the issue to galvanise

opposition to the proposals. A survey conducted by the

Department for Transport found that 4860 homes would

experience an increase in noise levels as a result of HS2.

In response, the Government quickly acted by announcing

it would spend approximately £215 million on noise control

measures throughout the line, such as on the installation of

noise barriers. This is something repeated on the Crossrail

scheme where the Government pledged up to £2 million

for the installation of ‘noise dimming’ on parts of the rail

track after businesses and residents on the proposed route

complained about noise levels.

How noise mitigation technology can helpHowever, much more can be done. Noise abatement

technology such as high performance silencers, exhaust

ducting, air inlet silencers and engine compartment

acoustic treatments would allow high speed railways

to reduce their noise emissions even further. These

engineering solutions, already installed by IAC across the

world, have reduced noise levels and can help to convince

those living near the proposed routes that high speed

rail can be much more accommodating than it is being

portrayed by its opponents.

Noise is not just a problem exclusive to overground rail

transport – there are also issues with underground trains,

as well as other large pieces of equipment, producing

high noise emission levels. However, noise mitigation

engineering is providing the solutions. IAC Acoustics

recently completed a major project mitigating excessive

noise caused by air extraction units running through the

tunnels of the London Underground. The work focused

on the Victoria line, a track where air ventilation is crucial

as it never goes above ground. As the line has expanded,

the air ventilation fans have had to grow in size, creating

an ever-increasing level of noise. IAC addressed this

problematic issue by installing a combination of heavy-duty

rectangular silencers, D-duct diffuser silencers, acoustic

doors and acoustic wall lining systems, leading to a

considerable reduction in noise emissions.

Some opponents of HS2 and Crossrail will argue

that noise mitigation is merely exchanging one sort of

environmental degradation for another, citing large acoustic

boards running alongside the track. However with the right

noise mitigation engineering solutions, the issue of noise

can be addressed in a subtle and effective way. zz

As noise emissions are becoming an increasingly important consideration to major rail projects, either during construction or

once operational, ANDY HEATHERINGTON looks at how developers are meeting these challenges

Sound advice

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Plant & Equipment

Andy Heatherington has worked for IAC

Acoustics for over 24 years and is

currently the global technical manager

for HVAC

Noise barrier wall


New locos to support growthl In order to deliver further growth, GB Railfreight has decided to

strengthen its existing fleet of locomotives by the procurement of a

further 13 Class 66 locomotives from Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. (EMD)

and the purchase of 16 Class 92 electric locomotives from its mother

company, Europorte, a subsidiary of Groupe Eurotunnel.

On top of the purchase of eight Class 66 locomotives from EMD

announced in September last year, this brings the total number of

additional locomotives on order for the GB Railfreight fleet to 37. The

company hopes this procurement drive will double turnover over the

next three years, which is currently in excess of

£100 million a year. The purchase of 21 Class 66 diesel locomotives

will take GB Railfreight’s current Class 66 fleet to 71. They will be

delivered by Chicago-based Electro-Motive in late 2014.

The 16 Class 92 electric locomotives have been bought from

Europorte, a subsidiary of GB Railfreight’s parent company, Groupe

Eurotunnel. This type of locomotive was specially designed for

traction through the Channel Tunnel. With European Technical

Specifications for Interoperability (STI) now applying to the Channel

Tunnel, these locomotives can be used on different routes, as they

already are for other Class 92 owners. They are the first Class 92

locos in GBRf’s ownership and will form part of the company’s plans

for future development of international traffic and electric haulage on

the UK rail network.

High speed project sees Southeastern train at Old Dalbyl Visitors to the Old Dalby area will have noticed something unusual about the latest train to hit the test track there. The new arrival is

High Speed Javelin train 395 011 ‘Katherine Grainger’, named for the Olympic rowing champion and normally operated on Southeastern

routes through Kent. It arrived at the Old Dalby test track near Melton Mowbray for testing of the newly installed AC powers for the Great

Western line.

In an example of rail operators working together to improve service across the UK network, the train is in the area for testing ahead

of plans to introduce new Intercity Express / Super Express Trains to run on the Great Western mainline from the end of 2017. The

Southeastern unit has been fitted with Breknell Willis high speed pantographs, which are similar to those to be used on the new trains.

They will also be built by Hitachi, which supplied the trains run by Southeastern on Britain’s first high speed domestic train service

through Kent, launched in 2009.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzNEWS I Rolling Stock

Siem

ens

plc

Southeastern’s High Speed Javelin train arrives for testing at the Old Dalby test track

A GB Railfreight Class 66 locomotive at Felixstowe

Sout

heas

tern

GB R

ailfr

eigh

t


FOCON’s real-time passenger information system

can be tailored to the individual needs of each

operator and can be extended when desired. It is

less susceptible to obsolescence, has a lifetime

cost several times less than you have seen in the past

decade and is easily upgradable over time at substantially

lower cost. New functionalities and new devices can be

added to the basic product backbone without having to

replace the entire system.

Passengers demand evolutionThe rail industry is increasingly focused on real-

time passenger information systems and other new

technologies. From the passenger’s viewpoint, tomorrow´s

information system will have to satisfy customer

requirements for timely and accurate information regarding

arrival and departure times as well as address the

expectations of an increasingly younger passenger

group who demands internet access and entertainment

services on board.

New contracts for train operating companies are

increasingly including evaluation and remuneration criteria

zz Passenger Information Systems

A passenger information system

of the future

based on customer satisfaction. One way to improve

the customer experience/satisfaction is through radically

changing the information offering to the passenger.

Effective information systems will often go unnoticed

– when they work, customers take them for granted.

Ineffective information systems, however, are directly

measureable on any customer satisfaction index. Poor or

no information leads to disgruntled passengers.

Tomorrow’s passenger is a product of the modern age

with expectations of instant access to the global data

highway and with expectations of constantly evolving and

improving service, in part fostered by the development of

consumer electronics. To fulfil the needs of tomorrow’s

passengers it is important to keep up these expectations

and investigate the needs and demands of the future.

Prepare your fleet for the futureWhen investing in rolling stock it is crucial to have the

demands of the future in mind. The technology today

could be outdated tomorrow, products may not comply

with all the regulations and standards of the future,

obsolescence is a risk and it can be expensive to be

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

FOCON can provide you with the technology and expertise you need to meet the high demands of modern passengers. A Real-Time Passenger Information System for you to keep your

passengers well-informed and entertained during their journey


continuously updating or replacing your products.

Over the past decade the rolling stock industry has

changed radically. Technology development is going faster

than ever; the railway technology has changed from being

simple to complicated resulting in high rate of obsolete

issues and gradual decay not seen in the past where

products were simpler in design. Today, it is a growth in the

industry, railroads have led in innovation to a degree that

people don´t realize; new technology is released every day

and it is difficult to keep up if you are not open to it.

The latest financial crisis brought focus on smart and

effective investments where the key point is not only the

initial cost but also the lifetime cost of an investment.

It is easy to spend considerably more than the initial

investment’s value, and it is therefore wise to examine the

estimated lifetime cost before committing to a purchase.

New legislation and standardization can change making

it difficult for all products to comply with. Complying

with ongoing changing legislations and standards like

accessibility for persons with reduced mobility (in Europe

referred to as TSI-PRM) or new standards within safety

regulations, e.g. SIL (Safety Integrity Level), demands not

only adapting products but also comprehensive testing and

documentation of compliance.

These are the key factors when designing a passenger

information system; by keeping them in mind, you will have

a product that complies with all the required standards and

regulations of the future, has low lifetime cost and comes

with technology that meets the demands of the future.

FOCON’s solution for the futureFOCON is preparing for the changed world that is

approaching by keeping customers, train operators, train

consultancy companies, service providers and passengers

in the loop when designing our passenger information

system and keeping close eye on the needs and demands

of the future.

The result is a market leading platform, called IMAGINE,

customizable but yet built on proven modules, which offers

an optimum and effective solution today and also in the

future, as the system can be adapted to changing needs.

The platform is scalable from a basic core solution, for

example basic passenger announcement functions, to a

high level solution to suit needs including a broad range of

optional features as added communication features –

RIS/TIS (travel information system), infotainment with

real-time update and CCTV. On the same core platform

FOCON covers solutions from LRV (Light Rail Vehicles) to

regional and mainline, as well as metros to high speed and

very high speed solutions.

FOCON is today a market leading solution provider and

our core capabilities are integrated solutions consisting

of total project management, software programming and

software-friendly hardware. The newest platform is IP

based and includes numerous solutions designed to meet

the requirements of the railway industry.

The benefits for investorsFOCON is not only focusing on the initial cost but also

taking total lifetime cost into consideration when building

the passenger information platform and it is now easier to

update than ever before. The platform complies with all

standards and regulations of the industry and, as required

from our customers, FOCON is an IRIS-certified company

which guarantees products of proven quality and creates a

win-win situation for all stakeholders.

The IMAGINE platform is not a stand-alone solution; it is

effectively supported by a strong, customizable aftersales

concept called InMotion, giving optimum up-time and

lifetime cost by maximizing availability of spares, service

and proven products with high reliability.

FOCON is a supplier who will be there in the long run

for its customers across the entire supply chain. From

OEM, to maintenance companies, operators and local

authorities, FOCON will approach your business as we

approach our own. We understand what is important

and we can provide reliable guidance and products to

ensure that the choices you make are the right ones

for today and most important – for tomorrow. zz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

More information is to be found on FOCON’s website www.focon.com or by contacting FOCON directly. Contact information is available on the company website

is committed to the continuous acquisition of new

rolling stock and the long-term asset stewardship of its

impressive fleet throughout its complete life cycle. “We

have assets in all stages of the product lifecycle and the

protection of our long-term profitability lies not only in

our commercial strategy, but in our structured approach

to the stewardship of our rolling stock from cradle to

grave,” says Tribley. By ensuring the asset’s value is

optimised throughout its lifecycle, the company protects

the asset during operations and provides added value

to passengers via the provision of a safe, reliable and

efficient mode of transport.

Passionate about the financing and delivery of high

quality, modern assets to its customers and with a

significant number of its 4500 rail vehicles due for re-

release over the next five years, Angel Trains has been

keen to demonstrate the benefits of vehicles remaining

in continued service operation (CSO) over the next

franchise term. Looking for an opportunity to show the

market the benefits of investing in existing stock, the

company initiated a trial on the Class 317 Stansted fleet

when it was returned by Abellio in 2012.

Unveiled in November 2013 at an event held at

Bombardier Transportation’s depot in Ilford, London,

the Class 317 pre-series vehicle was part of a £7 million

refurbishment project between Angel Trains, Bombardier

Transportation and Abellio Greater Anglia. Discussing

the project further, Tribley explains: “The project included

C reated in 1994 as one of three rolling stock

companies (ROSCOs) in preparation for the rail

industry’s privatisation, Angel Trains today is one

of Britain’s leading train leasing firms. Unique in

its leasing of rolling stock to all 19 franchised operators

and open access operators in the UK, the firm today

acts as a conduit for private investment in the UK rail

industry. Speaking to Railway Strategies magazine, Chief

Operating Officer Kevin Tribley begins: “The company

was acquired by a consortium of pension fund and

infrastructure fund investors from Australia, Canada,

Luxembourg and the UK in 2008.”

He continues: “We have invested £3.4 billion in new

rolling stock and refurbishment programmes since

1994 and are one of the largest private investors in the

industry, owning and maintaining over 4500 rail vehicles

and represent approximately 36 per cent of the UK’s rail

rolling stock. Our fleet includes high-speed passenger

trains, regional and commuter passenger multiple units

and freight locomotives.”

Employing approximately 120 professional, technical

and support staff at its headquarters in Victoria,

London, as well its second office in Derby, Angel Trains


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

AMS100 mobile welding machine

A classBy refurbishing existing assets, train leasing firm

Angel Trains provides significant advantages to train operating companies and passengers alike

ANGEL TRAINS

of its ownThe Class 350/4

Desiro EMU (Electric Multiple

Unit) at its launch event in Preston in

December 2013

The re-engineered and refurbished Class 317

Unit at the Ilford train depot in preparation for

its maiden voyage


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzza complete interior redesign to increase capacity and

ensure PRM (persons of reduced mobility) compliance

and significant engineering work on the doors to

increase the ease of maintenance. A major re-tractioning

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 as well as significantly reduce power

consumption and operational costs. These developments

mean the re-engineered vehicle will be able to attain a

new train performance with lower operational costs in

comparison to original Class 317 units, all without having

to build a new train.”

Modernised for use on newly electrified rail networks,

the re-tractioning project and additional regenerative

braking offers five key benefits: improved acceleration,

reduced maintenance, greater reliability, reduced

environmental impact and lower costs. “Enhanced

performance will provide faster journey times on both

existing and newly electrified lines, while AC traction

motors remove the need for brush changes so the time

between maintenance overhauls can be significantly

increased. Another clear advantage is reduced

environmental impact, both from the Class 317 using up

to 40 per cent less power during optimal conditions and

not having to build carriages from scratch, which requires

new resources and large amounts of energy,”

explains Tribley.

Working with Bombardier Transportation and Abellio

Greater Anglia on this major project was an easy choice

to make for Angel Trains, as both firms have experience

of working with the fleet. “Bombardier has a long

association with our Class 317 fleet, having performed

the heavy maintenance on it for many years, while

Abellio Greater Anglia is already operating a large fleet

of Class 317 in its franchise. We are very proud of the

work that our team carried out alongside our partners.

As operators increasingly look to reduce operational

costs, increase the passenger capacity on their franchise

and offer passengers a more comfortable experience,

the Class 317 re-engineering project satisfies these

demands at approximately half the price of a new train,”

says Tribley. With trials commencing in March 2014, the

Class 317 unit is currently undergoing approval testing on

Network Rail infrastructure and is performing in line with

expectations.

Having delivered a highly successful refurbishment

project, Angel Trains will continue to prepare its portfolio

of fleets for re-leasing by developing options that will

extend service life into the 2020s. “Our staff have

delivered some excellent work during 2013 and we

will look to continue that through 2014 and beyond.

Angel Trains has around 90 per cent of its portfolio to

be re-leased as part of the extensive DfT re-franchising

timetable over the coming years and we are committed

to providing our current and future customers, and

ultimately passengers, with cost-effective rolling stock

solutions. We will also focus on the upgrade and

enhancement of many of the existing fleets to provide

modern, reliable and lower operating cost options to

reflect the increasing demands of passengers and

rail vehicle accessibility regulations. We would like to

think we know the market and the commercial realities

which our customers operate in, we understand the rail

industry, and most importantly we have a proven track

record of delivery,” says Tribley.

Acutely aware that the UK rail industry is reliant on a

small number of suppliers, Angel Trains is collaborating

with the supply chain in preparation for a significant

increase in projects over the next three to five years.

“Angel Trains is open for business and is committed to

adding new assets to its portfolio as opportunities arise

to finance new trains. Ultimately our three core elements

of focus are meeting the needs of our customers,

preparing our fleets for re-leasing and actively bidding for

new-build rolling stock opportunities to expand our fleet,”

concludes Tribley. zz

www.angeltrains.co.uk

Above: The refurbished interior of the re-engineered Class 317 Unit before its launch in November 2013

Left: The Class 350/4 Desiro EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) on its maiden voyage between Preston and Manchester in December 2013

Below: The re-engineered Class 317 Unit’s new AC traction which enables the train to make use of regenerative braking and benefit from faster acceleration, saving power consumption and operating costs


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPercy Lane Products

The engineering route For over 80 years Percy Lane Products (PLP) has provided

trusted window, door and fabrication solutions across the

transport sector

T he company was founded in June 1932 by

Captain Percy Lane as a producer of windows,

windscreens and louvres for all classes of

mechanically powered vehicles and caravans.

The Lane family remained involved with the business

until the 1980s, when it became part of the Planet and

Heywood Williams Groups before re-entering private

ownership in 2001. The current management team

of PLP has been in place for over 12 years and today

the company continues to serve a number of sectors

throughout the transportation market including, bus and

coach, automotive, off-road and marine applications as

well as its firm base within rail. Recently, PLP has also

taken the decision to expand into the aerospace market,

with initial supplies under delivery to what promises to be

an exciting new customer base.

Previous and existing customers include all of the

major rail car manufacturers throughout its years

of operation as well as spares distributors and

refurbishment companies. Similarly, PLP is proud to be

associated with several blue-chip companies across all

of the sectors in which it is active. Its principal products

are aluminium windows, doors and general fabrications

http://www.pughsanders.co.uk


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPercy Lane Products

The engineering route

throughout the transport sector and products within the

railway sector generally include bodyside windows, cab

glazing (including opening windows and windscreen

frames), detrainment devices, flooring, internal doors and

partitions, gangway frames and sliding door gear.

As it has grown throughout its 80 years of

development PLP has established a number of defining

factors that allow it to maintain a competitive edge. As

well as several decades of experience PLP approaches

all of its clients with a ‘can-do’ attitude and an innovative

approach to product development. A key advantage

of PLP is that it is able to deliver bespoke engineering

solutions in a turnkey fashion, with in-house design and

manufacturing facilities. The development of new and

custom solutions is sped by a large product portfolio

that can be adapted to meet the requirements of new

applications.

Percy Lane Products maintains a full and

comprehensive range of production and design facilities

that allows it to deliver solutions in both low and high

volumes as required. It is able to design bespoke

solutions using CAD design software in both 2D and

3D before commencing production in its large, modern

manufacturing facility. Latest machinery includes CNC

http://www.independentglass.co.uk


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Veker are a British manufacturer of solid and sponge rubber extrusions and gaskets whose comprehensive range of polymers meet UK and international design standards. If you need quality extrusions, check Veker for fast delivery at competitive prices. Veker Extrusions & Gaskets LimitedShaftmoor Industrial Estate | Hall Green | Birmingham | B28 8SP

T 0121 777 5000 W www.vekex.comF 0121 777 5015 E [email protected]

Proud to support Percy Lane Products

British Felt5 Fingle Drive, Stonebridge, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire , MK13 0AT

SUPPLIERS OF FELT, FOAM, SPONGE AND ADHESIVE TAPE PRODUCTS TOOEM Rail manufacturing companies and rail conservation worldwide.

Tel: 044 (0) 1908 320329Fax: 044 (0) 1908 226599Email: [email protected]

Window Felts, Felt Gaskets, Sound deadening felt, Sponge strip and seals, Sponge Insulation products

four and five axis machining centres

that are capable of machining

aluminium extrusions up to 12.5

metres long and polycarbonate

sheet, as well as a CNC bending

centre able to provide multiple radii

per rail and curvature and CNC

router. PLP also employs fully coded

welders, which are complimented

by further assembly and production

solutions for sheet metal using turret-

punch, breakpress and guillotine

cutting. Furthermore, it is able to

carry out an array of bonding techniques including the

bonding of aluminium to aluminium, glass and synthetic

rubber.

In addition to its dedicated fabrication capabilities

PLP is also host to a full range of finishing technologies,

which include a powder coating plant, modern extraction

booths and a wet spray climate controlled oven to ensure

optimal conditions for an effective and even covering.

The company is also capable of glass filming meaning

that whatever the application, PLP has it covered. All of

its designs and products are tested to ensure the highest

quality with testing facilities including water ingress,

Welding Machine SalesWelding Equipment Hire

Repairs & ServiceGas Equipment

www.arcweldingservices.co.uk

CALL NOW 0121 327 2249

Fast, Reliable, Cost-Effective Welding Equipment Service

http://www.arcweldingservices.co.uk

http://www.vekex.com

http://www.britishfelt.co.uk


pneumatic control and impact rigs. The company holds

quality approval standards including ISO9001:2008 and

IRIS Rev 02, specific to the Rail sector, to provide full

product confidence as well as ISO14001 to manage a safe

and environmentally conscious workplace.

Predominantly associated to the design and

manufacture of railway bodyside windows, for which

the company holds a number of patents, PLP has been

quick to react to recent specification changes so as to

provide compliant solutions to UK Railway Group standard

GM/RT2100 Issue 5. As sales director John Whetton

elaborates: “PLP was the first company to prove a number

of window designs conforming to GM/RT2100 and has

a suite of impact test equipment on site to enable type

testing. Furthermore significant development commissions

have aided the industry in determining the compliance level

of historical window products versus GM/RT2100.”

As well as this important development for bodyside

windows, PLP has worked tirelessly in recent years to

develop new solutions including detrainment devices and

flooring. These generic solutions are then adapted to meet

the requirements of specific customer requirements and

applications. This also applies to developments in other

markets outside of the rail sector including frames for anti-

ballistic applications, cassette pneumatic powered doors,

window systems for Euro 6 compliant buses

and aerospace windscreen frames.

The design team at PLP consists of seven design

engineers and four toolroom operatives as well as

eight apprentice employees to enable the company to

continue to provide turnkey design solutions well into

the future. Commenting on the capability of the team,

John says: “We worked on a flooring project that took

less than nine months to go from initial invitation to

participate in the project to first serial production supply.

This incorporated activities such as concept drawings,

mock up, final design, validation, type testing, tooling

and manufacturing cell creation to support peak volume

demand. This was a magnificent achievement from all

involved including the customer and PLP suppliers.”

With such a strong development base and core of

engineers the future is set to be a smooth journey for

PLP as John concludes: “The future is exciting with new

builds and refurbishment contracts giving the potential

to supply historical and new products. The relationships

with major spares providers also remain strong as

we strive to support trains in service. Certainly the

management team believes that there is

significant opportunity for the business to grow over

the coming years.” zz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Percy Lane Products

SJG INTERNATIONAL LTD MANUFACTURER RUBBER

EXTRUSIONS AND GASKETS AND ARE ALSO ONE OF THE

UK’S LEADING FOAM CONVERTORS.

WE SERVICE A WIDE RANGE OF SECTORS SUCH AS

MARINE, DEFENCE AND CONSTRUCTION AND CURRENTLY

HAVE A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY.

SJG INTERNATIONAL LTDUNIT 6/12 TYTHING ROAD, ARDEN FOREST INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, ALCESTER, B49 6ES Tel: 01789 763721Fax: 01789 764070Email: [email protected] ref: RSMAR14

FOAM CONVERSION

RUBBER EXTRUSIONS

GASKETS

http://www.sjginternational.com


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzNusteel structures

Established in 1954 Nusteel Structures Limited is

today one of the leading suppliers of steel bridges

and gantries to the UK construction industry. The

organisation prides itself on providing a first class

service to clients, and all of its work is designed in line with

current European Standards and fabricated to strict quality

control procedures, in modern purpose-built workshops in

Kent, in the UK.

From this site the company fabricates and installs bridge

structures ranging from five metres to over 100 metres,

in a variety of designs. Since the company was founded

it has supplied over 900 portal and 400 cantilever gantry

structures across the UK.

The company’s experience in footbridges began in

1967 when it fabricated its very first one for the London

Borough of Haringey. Since that time it has designed,

manufactured, shot blasted, welded, painted and installed

thousands of bridges over roads, rivers and railways

across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Its expertise has expanded and it can now create a range

of different products including AFA bridges, bow arches,

cable stays, Vierendeel bridges and warren truss bridges.

Another area is Rail Bridges, and in this section

Nusteel has designed a variety of solutions to comply

with the Strategic Rail Authority’s (including London

Underground’s) requirements, and additionally the

company is Network Rail Link up approved, so it often

works directly for Network Rail.

Although they can vary in style, due to safety and DDA

considerations, bridges over rail facilities include anti-

vandal and anti-access measures such as solid cladding

and mesh canopies, and therefore have their own set of

challenges for Nusteel to address. The usual approach

is to design a bridge from a suite of standard Network

Bridge to the futureCelebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Nusteel Structures

is the principle rail bridge constructor in the UK

Lenham Station Footbridge


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzRail designs, and Nusteel can undertake every stage of

bridge construction and installation on the railway, in order

to ensure a smooth process and on time delivery for the

project.

The company has worked with Network Rail on

countless schemes, but most recently the first of the three

Anglia Project bridges was installed at Mansers Lane. This

14-metre LM span with canopy and anti-climb measures,

together with two staircases was installed during a full rail

possession. The two other bridges on the project (Kennett

and Shaw Crescent) are to follow in spring 2014.

Previous projects include Reedham Station, North

Bromley Station and Bedfont Road. This latter contract

involved a 36.5 metre Bow Vierendeel Footbridge, with

fully enclosed span, welded steel six mm panels to a

height of 1.5 metres and galvanised and powder coated

mesh panelling to the full height of the span. The central

22 metres also featured a roof canopy composed of the

same mesh, creating a very striking end result.

Although Nusteel’s pedigree in the manufacture of

footbridges is impressive, this is not the only string to

the company’s bow. It also has been manufacturing and

installing gantries since the 1970s and has produced many

of the structures currently being utilised over both road

and rail. The range of gantries available includes cantilever

JotunJotun is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of coatings. Jotun has 71 companies and 36 production facilities globally. Jotun products are available in over 90 countries. Founded in Norway in 1926 on four core values to which it still lives by today, Care, Loyalty, Respect and Boldness. Its core values mean it builds enduring relationships with customers, and to best serve the UK market Jotun has manufactured highest quality products in Flixborough since 1989.

http://www.jotun.com


signs, full access portals, non-access

portals, and VMS signs.

In December 2013 the company installed five gantries

on the M25 together with several MS3 cantilevers and

three gantries on the Birmingham Box. It was also busy

installing three rail bridges for Network Rail. Two of the

three bridges at North Bromley Station, London and

Reedham Station, Surrey, were installed on the same

night with Kingswood Station, Surrey following

a week later.

As we go further into 2014, the first two months have

already proven to be busy in the gantry area for the

company, as in January it continued its work on the M25

and Birmingham Box projects with the installation of

several refurbished gantries, as well as several

new gantries and steelwork to structures installed

before Christmas.

Alongside footbridges and gantries, Nusteel can also

put its skills into practice on other projects. Over the years

it has fabricated and installed everything from road beams

to pipe bridges, airport link bridges to enclosing concrete

bridges with mesh canopies and even the heavy lifting

gantry cranes used to build the Swale Bypass. Its efforts

can be found on highly presitigous and well-known sites,


Co-op Footbridge

Birmingham Box Portal Gantry

http://www.bapp.co.uk


such as the London Eye, Gatwick and Stansted airports

and the Ricoh Stadium.

Since being founded in 1954 by Robert Benson,

Nusteel has grown from a small business into one of the

leading fabricators within the infrastructure industry. It has

earned a list of highly respected industry accreditations

including ISO 9001 and EN 1090 (enabling CE marking),

National Highways Sector Scheme 20 – Execution of

Steelwork, National Highways Sector Scheme 19A –

Corrosion Protection of Ferrous Metals by Industrial

Coatings, and is Preloaded Bolting Certificated, including

Level 3 Bolting Co-Ordinators. It is also a member of the

BCSA, the British Safety Council, the Institute of Corrosion

and the RQSC and is approved by Building Confidence,

Builders Profile, ConstructionLine and Exor. Its dedication to

working to only the highest standards of quality throughout

its operations has established its leading place at the

forefront of the market and it is looking forward to continuing

its success for 40 more years and beyond zz

www.nusteelstructures.com


Loughborough Station FootbridgeProtective Coatings Solutions International Paint work with Nusteel and other major Network Rail sub-contractors to successfully provide protective treatment solutions to high profile and significant projects throughout the UK, both in new build and maintenance situations.The full range of approved products and systems allows International Paint to provide corrosion and aesthetic protection to all structural steelwork assets including bridges, gantries, lighting columns and station structural steelwork. Recent projects include Crossrail and London Underground regeneration scheme.

http://www.international-pc.com

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

T his will be the tenth edition of these popular

Infrarail shows focusing on technologies,

products and services for railway

infrastructure, and it will follow a format familiar

to anyone who has visited previous events.

The previous Infrarail in 2012 attracted more

than 4500 managers, engineers and buyers, all

keen to learn about the technologies and possible

partnerships that will help guarantee the safe, efficient

and cost-effective operation of railway networks.

The exhibition

By early March, more than 180 companies had

confirmed their participation in the exhibition,

covering every sector of the market and promising

to present much that is new. On display this year will

be innovative products for signalling and train control,

track construction and maintenance, electrification

projects, station facilities and security systems. Also

present will be suppliers of products and services

for civil works, worksite safety, site access, cable

products and systems and lighting, plus specialised

consultancy, recruitment and occupational health

services.

Features in the exhibition hall will include The Track,

sponsored by Tata Steel to showcase track-mounted

equipment and products, and The Yard, a display

area for larger vehicles. And the Recruitment Wall will

enable visitors to search exhibitor vacancies live as

they explore their next career move. More details plus

an up-to-date list of all exhibitors can be found on the

show website www.infrarail.com

The role of Infrarail in showcasing the latest the

supply industry has to offer is underlined by its strong

endorsement by the industry. Organisations supporting

this year’s event include Network Rail, the Railway

Industry Association, the Rail Alliance networking

association, with its own members’ display area at

the show, the Rail Plant Association, the Institution

of Railway Signal Engineers, the Permanent Way

Institution and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,

as well as many other key industry bodies.

The Civil Infrastructure & Technology Exhibition

This year Mack Brooks Exhibitions is organising a new

event which will be co-located with Infrarail in the main

hall at Earls Court. The Civil Infrastructure & Technology

Exhibition (CITE) 2014 will share much common

ground with the rail show by featuring equipment,

products and services needed for constructing and

maintaining vital infrastructure such as roads, ports,

utilities and communications networks. The move has

been widely welcomed by firms taking part in both

exhibitions and Infrarail visitors will be able to move

freely between the two.

Keynote speeches & seminars

For visitors and exhibitors, a key feature of Infrarail is

its busy programme of supporting activities intended

Infrarail 2014Final preparations are now being made for Infrarail 2014, which takes place at Earls Court in London from 20 to 22 May


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


to enhance the value of time spent at the show. Each

day will see a keynote speech delivered by a leading

figure shaping the rail industry. This year’s speakers

are Minister of State for Transport Baroness Kramer,

Network Rail’s Managing Director Infrastructure

Projects Simon Kirby, shortly before his new

assignment with HS2, and the Director General Rail

Group at the Department for Transport, Clare Moriarty.

Also running through the event is a series of industry

seminars by managers from leading organisations

specifying or implementing major UK rail infrastructure

schemes, featuring senior figures from Amey, Balfour

Beatty Rail, Siemens Rail Automation and Transport

for London. Other speakers will cover innovations in

technology by firms exhibiting at the show.

Project updates & forums

Valuable insights into the latest status of some of

the country’s biggest rail infrastructure programmes

will be provided by a programme of Project Updates

comprising presentations by managers from Network

Rail, Transport for London and HS2 Ltd. And daily

interactive discussion forums will take place at The

Platform, tackling topical industry themes. All these

features are open to everyone

attending the show, free of charge. Full programme

details can be found on the Infrarail website www.

infrarail.com.

Reception & awards dinner

The need for people to get together at the show to

develop business contacts is also recognised. There

will be a welcome at a Networking Reception with

drinks and canapés on the show’s opening day, while

the following evening’s Infrarail Awards dinner will mark

significant achievements by exhibiting companies. zz

http://www.b-hepworth.com

Essential information The following information is reproduced from www.infrarail.com and www.eco.co.uk for the convenience of potential visitors to the event.

Opening hours Tuesday 20th May 2014 10:00 – 17:00 Wednesday 21st May 2014 10:00 – 17:00 Thursday 22nd May 2014 10:00 – 16:00

Register to visit Advance online registration is free of charge and closes at midnight on Monday 19th May 2014. On-site registration will be available at a cost of £20.

Venue Infrarail 2014 will take place at Earls Court Two, Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA. Centrally located in the capital, with excellent public transport links, the venue is well placed to draw visitors from the country’s principal rail transport undertakings and decision-making bodies. Earls Court Two offers high levels of on-site facilities for exhibitors, including provision for displaying large items of equipment. Off-site, the venue is served by the best in accommodation, eating and entertainment that London has to offer. More information, including a location map, may be found at: www.eco.co.uk .

Getting to Earls Court Two (see http://www.infrarail.com/travel/)

By Rail London Overground and Southern trains run direct services to West Brompton station. Direct services run from Clapham Junction, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon, Watford Junction, Willesden Junction and Stratford. Please note: Visitors arriving from Gatwick Airport will need to change at Clapham Junction or East Croydon. The entrance to the venue is directly opposite the exit at West Brompton station. For services and timetables please contact National Rail enquiries at: www.nationalrail.co.uk or call 08457 48 49 50. To buy rail tickets, go to www.thetrainline.com/buytickets. If arriving on Eurostar at St. Pancras International station, take the Piccadilly line from King’s Cross St. Pancras to Earl’s Court. By Underground Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre is a short walk from either Earl’s Court or West Brompton Underground stations. Earl’s Court (District and Piccadilly lines) From Earl’s Court station, exit through the Warwick Road exit and walk down the left-hand side of the building. West Brompton (District line) From West Brompton station, the venue is directly opposite the station exit. Walk to the left-hand side. For a map of the Underground, go to www.tfl.gov.uk

By Road l From M1/A1/M11/A10 take the A406 westbound to A4. Continue on A4 over Hammersmith Flyover until A4 becomes West Cromwell Road and follow the signs. l From M4/A4 follow directions as above. l From A3/M3 follow signs for central London, take Wandsworth or Putney Bridges. From Wandsworth Bridge, turn left onto New Kings Road, turn right onto

Fulham High Street, which becomes Fulham Palace Road, turn right onto Lillie Road and follow signs. l From Putney Bridge, turn left onto Fulham Palace Road and follow directions as above. l From M2/M20/A2 follow signs to central London, take Blackfriars, London, Waterloo, Vauxhall, Southwark, Chelsea or Battersea Bridges, turn left along Embankment and follow signs. l From A12/A13 follow signs for central London towards Tower or London Bridge. Do not cross the river, instead continue along Embankment and follow signs.

Congestion Charging Zone Please be aware that whilst Earl’s Court is not situated within the charging zone, the venues are now on the edge of the zone and customers are advised to take care when navigating through the surrounding roads. Car Parking You can pre-book your car parking at Earl’s court via the Earls Court website: (www.eco.co.uk/p/earls-court-parking/220).

By Air Earls Court can be reached easily from all four London airports. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and City Airport are all connected to the venues by Underground and mainline rail services. From Heathrow Airport Take the Piccadilly line to Earl’s Court. Alternatively take the Heathrow Express to Paddington and change onto the District line towards Earl’s Court. www.baa.com/heathrow From Gatwick Airport You can take the Gatwick Express to Victoria and change onto the District line to Earl’s Court. Alternatively train services run to Clapham Junction where you can change onto a direct train to West Brompton. www.baa.com/gatwick

From Stansted Airport You can take the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street and either take the Central line to Holborn and change onto the Piccadilly line to Earls Court, or the Circle line to Edgware Road and change onto the District line to Earls Court. www.baa.com/stansted

From City Airport Take the Docklands Light Railway from City Airport to Canning Town. Change onto the Jubilee line to Westminster. At Westminster, change onto the District line to Earl’s Court. www.londoncityairport.com

Accommodation In partnership with The Hotel & Conference Company Mack Brooks has negotiated special rates at local hotels for exhibitors and visitors to Infrarail 2014. For more information and to book please visit: www.infrarail.com/_downloads/pdf/Infrarail_2014_Hotel_Rates.pdf

Please note that the Chelsea Flower Show is being held at the same time as Infrarail, so book early to avoid disappointment. For more information please contact the event organisers: Mack Brooks Tel: 01727 814 400 Email: [email protected] Web: www.railtex.co.uk

The 10th international railway infrastructure exhibition


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


A nderton Concrete Products Ltd is one of the UK’s

leading companies in the manufacture and supply

of pre-cast concrete products. With over 50

years’ experience and an unrivalled reputation for

providing quality products, excellent customer service and

deliverability it is highly respected in the construction and

railway industries.

Fully supported by an experienced sales and technical

team, Anderton has full Network Rail Approval status and

Link-up accreditation and has successfully supplied many

prestigious schemes, including Crossrail, Thameslink and the

West Coast Main Line Upgrade.

Following on from the success of achieving ISO

9001:2008 certification for its Quality Management System,

Anderton Concrete has now achieved ISO 14001:2004

certification for the Environmental Management System at

its Northwich site. These accreditations reinforce Anderton’s

policy of continuous improvement throughout all aspects

of the business and demonstrate the commitment and

responsibility it has undertaken towards achieving industry

best practice.

Anderton Concrete manufactures a variety of products for

the rail industry which are designed to comply with Network

Rail standards, including the C1 range of troughing products

(Certificate No. PA05/00318), which incorporates Straights,

Tee pieces, Transitions and Curves.

The latest addition to the range is the revolutionary

Anderlite Lightweight Troughing System (Certificate No.

PA05/05810). Anderlite is up to 50% cheaper than alternative

lightweight systems and has an identical product profile

to the traditional product, thus a transition from system to

system is seamless. The system reduces the risk of manual

handling with a reduction in weight versus standard concrete

of up to 30%. This reduction in weight also offers transport

savings of up to 20%, lessening the carbon footprint for all

industry partners.

The troughing portfolio is supplemented by the widest

range of complimentary precast products available to the UK

rail market. This range includes Platform Copings, Oversailing

Blocks, Drainage Catchpits, Signal Bases, Point Rod Rollers

and many other ancillary products, all used extensively

throughout the rail infrastructure. Furthermore, the company

has recently announced that it will be launching two

pioneering route security systems later this year: Ander-Clip

and Ander-Fin are designed to prevent the unauthorised

removal of trough lids, thus safeguarding all standard

power and telecommunication systems.

Also available from Anderton Concrete is a range of dry

laid retaining wall and soil reinforcement solutions that are

proven in use on applications the length and breadth of the

UK. CPD seminars are offered by the experienced Civils

team and offer a valuable insight in to some of the most

innovative products in the construction industry (presented

at your offices).

Stepoc is a direct alternative to shuttered concrete. The

system combines the ease of blockwork with the versatility

of in-situ concrete, and yet is faster to apply than both,

making it an ideal component for retaining walls, flood

alleviation schemes, laterally-loaded panels, lift shafts and

platform edges.

For larger structures that require more aesthetic impact,

Keystone is a system of modular retaining wall units that

can be used in conjunction with a geogrid to provide tall

walls or to accommodate high surcharges. A great choice

for railside, roadside and bridge locations, the system has

the British Board of Agrément approval for Roads and

Bridges (Certificate No. 04/R137) and is available with a

comprehensive design support programme.

Slope-loc is used for similar applications to Keystone as

it can also incorporate geogrid. This unique alternative to

vertical retaining walls offers a sloped face finish which is

ideal for railway embankments. zz

Anderton Concrete Products Ltd

Anderton Concrete will be exhibiting at Infrarail 2014. If you are attending the exhibition why not visit their stand, C31 to find out more. Alternatively visit: www.ander tonconcrete.co.uk or call 01606 79436 to speak to the sales team.

Keystone wall at Surrey Canal Road, East London Line

Stepoc wall – Flood Alleviation Scheme at Chelmer Village, Chelmsford

Anderlite troughing system

(GNGE): C/1 Troughing – GN/GE project, upgrade of the existing joint line between Doncaster and Peterborough


Bogie drops for Thameslinkl Sheffield manufacturer, Mechan, is enjoying a boost in sales after securing work worth

more than one million pounds from Thameslink. The depot maintenance equipment

specialist will be providing four bogie drops to two new facilities being constructed as

part of this historic upgrade to London’s transport network.

Commissioned by Siemens Rail Systems UK, the first two bogie drops are under

construction and will be installed by Mechan at the Hornsey depot in April 2014. Based

in the London Borough of Haringey, this three-road, 12-car maintenance facility will sit

alongside the east coast mainline and is set to be completed in 2016.

A further two bogie drops will be delivered to Crawley’s Three Bridges depot in

September. This entirely new facility is larger than its counterpart in

Haringey, containing five roads, split across two sites

on either side of the London to

Brighton mainline.

In both locations,

the bogie drops will

be used to service

the new Desiro City

trains, entering service

early in 2016. Mechan’s

equipment is installed

in a pit within the depot

floor, enabling bogies and

undercar modules to be

removed or exchanged

without lifting or splitting the

carriages.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Depots & Maintenance

Scotland’s largest railway maintenance firml North South

Communication, based in

Kirkcaldy, Fife, has moved to

new premises and secured

new contracts. It will now

maintain a mechanical and

electrical contract which covers

all train stations and depots

for ScotRail, taking on 25 new

members of staff to cope with

the increase in demand. North

South Communications is the

largest railway maintenance

provider in Scotland and,

despite being founded only in

2010, it provides 130 stations

with CCTV, 349 stations with

customer information screens

and 101 platforms with ticket

vending machine maintenance.

Keeping the trains running on timel A new fleet of Yale lift trucks is helping to keep Alstom’s

time-critical train servicing and repair operations running

smoothly. Alstom undertakes regular train servicing and

repair across numerous sites in the UK including Oxley (near

Wolverhampton), Chester, Glasgow, Wembley, Liverpool and

Manchester, backed up by a central warehouse at Preston. Its

customers include the likes of Virgin Trains, for whom it carries

out servicing and repairs at Wolverhampton and Manchester,

as well as Northern Rail and Arriva, whose trains are serviced

at Manchester and Chester respectively.

Rolling stock arriving for regular servicing at these sites

often needs to be processed on very tight schedules

– Virgin Pendolino trains being serviced at Oxley, for

instance, must be turned around within a week. Such

servicing incorporates all manner of engineering work to

both locomotives and passenger wagons, including the

regular removal and replacement of large heating, ventilation and air

conditioning (HVAC) units that sit on top of each passenger car and the removal and refurbishment of

entire wheel bogies.

Helping to support this extremely time-critical, service-led operation is a fleet of reach trucks and counterbalanced forklifts from Yale.

They include MR14 reach trucks at the Preston warehouse, which work in narrow aisles to lift heights of around 6.5m, and a variety of

gas, electric and diesel-powered counterbalanced trucks, used at the various locations to load and unload goods vehicles and move

components in and out of on-site stores.


From their Network Operations Centre in East

London, telent engineers are managing a growing

number of station systems without even stepping

outside the office.

telent’s remote management capability is unique.

By using the latest networking tools and their own in-house

system design capability they are able to integrate with

customers’ legacy and cutting edge systems to monitor, fix and

even predict problems.

Reg Cook, Director – Asset Management, explains how

telent’s remote management services are providing service

improvements and cost savings for rail customers and ultimately

improving the experience of the travelling public:

“On some systems we’re now able to carry out 40% of repairs

remotely and fix times have been reduced radically – average

remote fix times are currently less than 20 minutes. Any service

disruption which might have occurred waiting for an engineer to

attend is minimised.

“If a fix cannot be performed online, customers or field staff can

telent engineers are boldly NOT going where telent engineers have been before…

often be talked through a fix by telephone or Skype, with the

service desk interfacing directly with their systems, in order to

show them what to do.

“If an engineer does need to attend, an accurate online

diagnosis up-front means they can do so fully briefed and

equipped to deal with the problem, resulting in a solution in a

single visit.

“Prevention is better than cure and the Network Operations

Centre also monitors the condition of assets to predict and

prevent failures and improve planned maintenance processes.

By monitoring parameters such as fan speed and temperature

we get an early warning of failure and can take proactive action.

On some contracts we’re seeing a reduction in customer

reported faults of as much as 30%. This service has recently

been extended to lifts and escalators.

“The overall cost savings and service improvements associated

with the ability to predict and prevent faults, along with

reductions in fix times and site visits, are transforming the way

maintenance contracts will be structured in future.”

http://www.telent.com


Lubrication of industrial bearings is an essential

tool for minimising friction and reducing wear that

could cause premature failure, by preventing direct

metallic contact between the bearing’s rings, rolling

elements and cage. An appropriate lubrication regime will

also prevent foreign material from entering the bearing

while guarding against corrosion or rusting.

Any discussion of lubrication inevitably leads to a

comparison between oil and grease lubricants, and a

discussion of the pros and cons of each type. The right

method of lubrication must be selected to match the

application conditions and purpose to gain the best

performance from the bearing, so selection of either will

depend on the temperature of the operating conditions,

and the speed of the process.

Oil lubricationThere are several different types of oil lubrication

methods – oil bath, drip feed, splash, circulating, jet,

oil mist and oil air.

Oil lubrication is generally suited to higher speed and

higher temperature applications and has a number of

benefits. Its fluidity is good, lubricant replacement is easy,

and removal of foreign material is also an easier process

than with grease lubrication. It has a high limiting speed,

and heat transfer is easily possible using the process of

forced oil circulation.

However, oil can be prone to leaking unless measures

are taken to effectively prevent it. Careful storage and

sealing are also required.

Best practice in bearing lubrication

It is essential to use a lubricating oil which has suitable

viscosity at the bearing operating temperature. An oil with

low viscosity is used for high speed applications, while an

oil with high viscosity is used for applications with heavy

loads.

In operating conditions where temperatures are

substantial, using a high viscosity lubrication oil is

recommended. Viscosity of lubricating oil inevitably

decreases at higher temperatures (see Fig. 1) so the

exact operating temperature should be established when

selecting a lubricant. Lubricants for radial ball bearings and

cylindrical roller bearings should have a viscosity of at least

13mm²/ s at the actual operating temperature, while

tapered roller bearings and spherical roller bearings should

MALCOLM WATSON and TONY SYNNOTT discuss the grease versus oil debate, and how to achieve best practice in lubricant replenishment and replacement

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Depots & Maintenance

be lubricated with an oil of 20mm²/ s viscosity or more.

This figure rises to a minimum of 32mm²/ s at operating

temperature for spherical thrust bearings.

Grease lubricationGreases are made from a base oil, a thickener and a

selection of additives. As a lubricant, grease has a number

of advantages. Simple to store and seal, it is the best

choice when the bearing is operating under normal speed

and temperatures. Grease also does not tend to leak, so

operating areas are seldom contaminated.

However, the cooling effects of grease and fluidity are

poor compared to oil. Replacing a grease completely is

also sometimes difficult, and the removal of debris particles

from grease is impossible. It also deteriorates over time,

so regular replenishment is essential. Due to its semi-solid

nature, grease has a lower limiting speed, typically 65 per

cent to 80 per cent that of oil.

The consistency of the grease is also an important factor

to take into consideration; consistency is a measure of the

grease thickness and is rated on a standard NLGI scale

(National Lubricating Grease Laboratory) in numbers from

0 to 4 (see Fig. 2 below). Generally grease with consistency

numbers from 2 to 3 are used for most bearing

applications, the number 3 grease being preferred for larger

bearings (above 75mm bore) and in application of higher

temperature. Number 0 or 1 grease will be soft enough to

be used in centralised lubrication systems (number 0 being

preferred for very long piping systems).

Best practice in replenishment and replacementIt is vital to get the replenishment and replacement of either

grease or oil lubricant right to ensure long service life and

high performance levels. Even if high-quality grease is

used, there is a deterioration in its properties over time, so

periodic replenishment is essential.

Differing criteria apply depending on the type of

bearing used. In the case of ball bearings, for example,

replenishing time can be extended depending on the type

of grease used. For example, using high-quality lithium


soap / synthetic oil may double the time interval between

replenishment compared to a lithium soap / mineral oil

grease. Overfilling is something to be aware of, as this may

cause a rise in temperature due to over churning of the

grease, especially at high speeds. More grease should

not be added at this stage, to avoid the risk of blowing

out a seal.

Overall, the length of time that a grease-lubricated

bearing will operate well without replenishment will depend

on the size of the bearing, the type, the speed, the

operating temperature and the type of grease used. The

replenishing time interval will also depend to a degree on

the external forces on the bearing. For situations where

very large forces are used it may be necessary to select a

grease type containing an EP additive (Extreme Pressure).

Replacing oil lubrication is dependent on operating

conditions, and the oil quality. In most cases, in operating

temperatures of 50°C if the environment is clean, the

replacement interval could be up to a year. If the oil

temperature is above 100°C, the oil should be changed at

least once every three months.

However, whatever the application, following

manufacturer’s guidelines alongside regular checks of the

amount and condition of lubricant present in a bearing will

help ensure that lubrication takes place when needed and

that optimum performance is extracted from these key

components. zz

For further details visit www.brammeruk.comMalcolm 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.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

United Kingdom’s rail network. The company is a joint

venture between Trackwork of Doncaster and Leonhard

Moll Betonwerke of Munich, in partnership with Network

Rail. Both parent companies are well-established rail

sector suppliers, with a determination to grow their

business.

Peter Heubeck is the general manager of Trackwork

Moll. Having previously led the track materials

procurement team in Network Rail, Peter was aware

of supply constraints and inefficiencies in the existing

supply chain for concrete sleepers. “I said to the MD of

Trackwork that if we could partner with somebody who

With Network Rail’s track renewals throughout

the UK exceeding 1000 miles each year, the

need for a cost-effective, reliable and high

capacity supply chain for concrete sleepers

is paramount. Trackwork Moll is a brand new venture

that will be an invaluable partner in meeting this critical

requirement.

Since being formed in 2011, and having won major

contracts from Network Rail the following year, Trackwork

Moll has established a state-of-the-art production

facility in Doncaster, England to meet the high volume

requirement for concrete railway sleepers within the


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Trackwork Moll has only

been producing high quality pre-

stressed concrete railway sleepers

from its new factory since

summer 2013

Trackwork Moll

A new journey


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzhad comprehensive concrete products knowledge,

we could put in a strong bid for concrete sleeper

manufacturing,” Peter explains. “We had meetings with

many different concrete sleeper producers from the UK

and Europe, whom I knew from my previous position

with Network Rail. We decided to partner with the

family-owned firm of Leonhard Moll based in Munich,

who are a major sleeper manufacturer on the continent,

with three factories in Germany, one factory in Poland

and a fifth factory in Croatia.”

Between the two organisations, Trackwork and

Leonhard Moll Betonwerke bring over 100 years of

combined experience in railway infrastructure and

concrete production to the Trackwork Moll joint

venture. Leonhard Moll was founded in 1929 and has

manufactured pre-stressed concrete sleepers since

1937. The company was one of the early pioneers

of concrete sleepers and has produced more than

10,000,000 of them, with an excellent quality record.

Trackwork was formed in 1976 and operates as an

approved contractor for Network Rail. It also undertakes

contracts for materials handling at depots in Crewe and

Westbury, the supply and disposal of wooden sleepers

and bearers, as well as the manufacture and supply of

switches and crossings.

The combined expertise and resources of the two

entities were vital in securing a ten year contract with

Network Rail and the construction of a new factory at

the Doncaster Wood Yard site for the manufacture of

concrete sleepers. Prior to the agreement, the supply

of concrete sleepers within the UK was limited to two

main suppliers, one of which would leave the market

DESIGNED - FABRICATED - INSTALLED

Based in Manchester, we supply GRP grating non slip flooring constructed from fibreglass, as an ideal and cost effective alternative to traditional grating materials like wood, mild steel and stainless steel. Our fibreglass grating is exceptionally slip resistant and the gritted and concave anti-slip grating offers excellent traction in wet and icy conditions.

BESPOKE MANUFACTURINGWe like to think of ourselves as a unique one stop shop facility offering customers outstanding service and quality products. We now offer the following.

In stock availability of all GRP grating, handrailing, sections and fixings.Full in house GRP Grating walkway design and fabrication facilities.Design, drafting and detailing services.On site installation, assembly and erection services.Project Management and support.

Contact us to discuss any requirements or projects on:

01942 878 062 Manchester0207 118 2077 [email protected]

http://www.grpgratingsystems.co.uk



when Tarmac announced the closure of its precast

concrete and flooring division during 2010. In the face

of redundancies at Tarmac prior to the announcement,

Network Rail decided in 2009 to seek a new build and

supply contractor to ensure the reliable supply of sleepers

for the UK rail network. Trackwork Moll won the process

and the scheme received Board approval in Spring 2011.

The agreement between Network Rail and Trackwork

Moll will ensure that the UK rail network is specifically

supplied to continue to offer an efficient transport

solution. In a 2012 press release concerning the project

Martin Elwood, director of Network Rail’s NDS said:

“This factory is crucial if we are to deliver better value for

money whilst maintaining a safe, reliable railway. We need

between 700,000 and 1,000,000 concrete sleepers each

year and, once commissioned, this factory will produce

around 400,000 of these. It will also directly create

around 35 new jobs, with knock-on benefits to the local

supply chain.”

“This is a strategic decision by Network Rail to protect

the supplies that are vital for the company’s track

programme,” he adds. “At the same time we can reduce

cost by increasing competition and introducing more

modern production methods. Doncaster is the ideal

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTrackwork Moll

http://www.sandbeckeng.co.uk


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzlocation for this factory, as these sidings are already used

as a hub for engineering trains and its central location will

make distribution across Britain’s rail network easier and

more efficient.”

The construction of the factory building and its

associated fixed infrastructure was funded by Network

Rail and is situated on Network Rail land. The design and

construction of the factory was contracted to Trackwork

Moll, who will lease the facility from Network Rail for the

ten year term of their sleeper supply contract. “We actually

have three contracts with Network Rail,” Peter elaborates.

“We have the ten-year sleeper supply contract, which

obviously requires us to supply specification-compliant

sleepers at an agreed price. This contract comes into

effect as soon as we start supplying to Network Rail.

Nedri Spanstaal has become one of the European market leaders with a special position in steels for the railway market inside and outside Europe. With an experience of 88 years and after several mergers we are now among the top 3 producers with a very broad program in PC-strands, PC-wires, hairpins and threaded bars for railway sleepers.

Nedri Spanstaal BV:Groot Egtenrayseweg 135928 PA VenloNetherlands

T: +31 (0)77 3877477F: +31 (0)77 3873171E: [email protected]: www.nedri.nl

Nedri Spanstaal is honoured to be an important supplier to the Leonard Moll Group.

leaders in prestressedsteel technology

Nedri SpanstaalLeonhard Moll Betonwerke uses our prestressing steel not only in Germany but also in Poland and now in the technologically advanced plant in Doncaster. The prestressing steel used by Moll varies from 7.0mm wires to 9.5mm bars with thread to 9.3mm indented seven wire strand. For many years we have been supplying the various plants of Leonhard Moll Betonwerke and together we have built a highly appreciated relationship. We are convinced that Leonhard Moll will be very success full in their new Doncaster Plant and we will work as closely as possible together in order to optimise the service and product quality of the Trackwork Moll railway sleepers.

http://www.edmundson-electrical.co.uk/

http://www.nedri.nl

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTrackwork Moll

We were also contracted to design and build the factory

for Network Rail, which they will own. This meant that

we had to go out and find a suitable design and build

contractor for the project. In selecting an experienced

local company, and by segregating the site from the

surrounding railway activities, we obtained very good

value for Network Rail. Under the terms of our lease,

we are entitled to install our manufacturing equipment

into Network Rail’s building. We have invested around

£6 million in production and handling equipment for this

venture.We obviously hope to win a follow-on contract in

a decade’s time.”

Throughout the design and construction of the factory,

Trackwork Moll relied on local expertise and skills to build


the facility. J F Finnegan of Sheffield were employed

as the design and build contractor, while Race Cottam

Associates, also of Sheffield, were the project architects.

The Doncaster office of Hannah Reed were the project’s

consulting civil engineers. Furthermore, all of the sub-

contractors associated with the project were located

within 50 miles of the site. This gave real benefits in

terms of achieving best value and working to a tight

programme. The Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt.

Hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP, officially opened the factory

on 9th December 2013.

http://www.ajscott.co.uk

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTrackwork Moll

The opening of the facility, and the development of

Trackwork Moll as a cutting edge supplier of concrete

sleepers, is an exciting prospect for Network Rail, TWM’s

parent companies and the wider UK rail sector. The G44

and EG47 sleepers used in the UK are different to the wide

variety of sleeper types which Leonhard Moll has supplied

to clients in Europe. The sleeper production and handling

equipment that has been installed is a bespoke design to

offer high quality, efficient output. The benefit from Network

Rail’s perspective is in a cost-effective and reliable partner

to aid in meeting its mammoth need for concrete sleepers,

as Peter concludes: “As well as achieving reductions in

sleeper procurement and distribution costs, there are

big wins for Network Rail in terms of supply capability.

As well as adding a 400,000 sleeper supply capability

to the supply chain, we have incorporated a massive,

(90,000), stocking capacity for new sleepers and excellent

train loading arrangements. With a high capacity gantry

crane spanning the whole stockyard, complimented by

appropriate mobile plant, two long train sidings and no

planning limits on working hours, we have a very high peak

dispatch capability. This means that Network Rail should

never need to do any expensive remote stockpiling and

double handling of new concrete sleepers ever again.” zz


LEE GARTH TOOLS LTD

Units 1-3 Whittingtons CourtWheatley Hall RoadDoncaster DN2 4PE T 01302 811888 E [email protected] 01302 812370 W leegarthtools.com

Tool suppliers to the rail and associated industries

Power tools and heavy duty general tools

NATIONWIDEDELIVERIES

http://www.leegarthtools.com

http://www.pennineelectech.co.uk

a transport fleet consisting of around 190 buses and 99

trams, SWB is committed to delivering optimisation of

its services through a focus on innovation, transparency,

cost efficiency and safety. “SWB has a holding-structure

with a GmbH company and subsidiaries that makes up

the associated transport companies; this association has

achieved several milestones over the last 18 months,

including the undertaking of a tram restoration project,”

highlights Werner. “This project involves the restoration

of 25 1974 – 1977 Duwag tram models, which are

outstanding in regard to comfort and solid structure;

they have an exemplary air cushioning and vehicle

body. Today the first three trams are in operation and

an extension of the project is planned with a further 35

trams to be restored.”

Following the roll out of new tram cars in 2003 that

were deemed unsatisfactory by passengers, SWB faced

difficulties in 2005 when the time came to increase its

fleet by a further 20 models. Christian Burk, engineer

at SWB discusses the inception of the project: “It is

standard procedure to buy new cars every few years,

however the roll out of light railway trams in 2003 led

to passengers being very dissatisfied with the whole

comfort. When the time came to acquire 20 more of

these tram cars we didn’t want to buy a product that

wouldn’t satisfy customers so SWB brainstormed and

A wholly community-owned company serving

the people of Bonn, Germany, SWB’s team

of approximately 2300 employees work in

four core segments: energy supply, drinking

water, local public transport and waste processing.

Speaking to Railway Strategies, SWB Group’s director of

communication Werner Schui begins: “SWB is the fourth

largest company in the Federal City of Bonn and offers

its employees secure and sustainable jobs; owned by the

city, SWB has a company supervisory board, constituted

by local politicians and employee representatives. The

company has been a strong partner of Bonn and its

inhabitants since 1879; today, SWB can look back on

a long-standing tradition of good quality and customer

orientated activity.”

Transporting approximately 92 million passengers on


Phot

ogra

phs

® S

tadt

wer

ke B

onn,

Mar

tin M

agun

ia

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


A modern classicStadtwerke Bonn (SWB) has boosted internal

team motivation and its public image with its tram restoration programme that will save the firm

approximately 45 million euros

SWB StadtWerke Bonn


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzcame up with the idea to restore old cars built in 1974-

1977. These models are nearly 40 years old and we

know these cars very well; we have all of the engineering

and facilities designed especially for this type of tram.”

With a clear price option of 2.5 million euros per low

quality car, SWB hired two retired engineers with

previous DUWAG experience in 2005 to offer

consultation services on the condition of the 35-year-

old trams. With mild corrosion the only issue, the firm

proceeded with its plans by developing a technical

concept that received approval in 2007. “The calculation

for this project was around 600,000 euros per car for an

extended lifetime of 15 years in comparison to the price

calculations of three million euros per brand new car in

2007. However, this time frame wasn’t long enough to

receive subsidies so we changed the technical concept

and presented a price of 900,000 euros for 25 years to

the board,” says Christian. “SWB saves around 47 million

euros by restoring 25 new trams instead of buying new

ones, which would cost around 75 million euros for the

same amount of trams. There are also further benefits in

the maintenance and technical service of these trams,”

adds Werner.

Mock-up tests were undertaken on a car that the

company had lost to a fire over ten years ago, which

was cut in two and used as a prototype for the driver

cabin and whole passenger area before the restoration

began at SWB’s modern facilities. “We were very

satisfied with the fifth series of this tram car that we

purchased in 1993. The so-called ‘B-Wagen’ is a very

comfortable light-rail vehicle and has robust technical

concepts we wanted to adapt to these older cars. The

main focus for us is the modern chopper system, which

has an opportunity to bring in the braking energy to the

contact line; we have also enhanced the driver cabin

SoiltecSoiltec is a leading international mass transit business company specialising in the supply of spare parts and components, maintenance and modernisation work on rail vehicles and engineering services. It is your sourcing partner for parts and components engineering, delivering reliability and service in diverse transportation Industries. With many customers in the public transportation sector it is sharing experience and know-how in local, regional, European and worldwide projects and applications.

by expanding it by half a metre, adding a new seating

area, modern equipment and air conditioning on the top.

Drivers sit for ten hours a day in this area, they need a

comfortable working place,” explains Christian.

With three of the restored trams in operation,

the company has achieved its financial objectives

and received a positive response from passengers.

Following this successful outcome, SWB is expanding

the restoration project to a further 35 tram cars and is

looking commercialise on its knowledge through offering

consultation services to other organisations in the railway

industry. “Acquiring new cars is too expensive, so this

idea of restoring old cars would be a real benefit to other

cities and community owned firms. It is not an easy

project to start; planning is one thing, doing is another,

but the most integral aspects of a project like this is

the content, the subsidies and the final approval by the

supervising authority,” concludes Christian. zz

Restoration

http://www.mass-transit-soiltec.de


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzGB RailfReiGht

Renowned for a flexible, innovative approach

to service, GBRf was founded in 1999 by GB

Railways before it was purchased by First Group

and rebranded First GBRf in August 2003. After

seven years of innovative, reliable service, FirstGroup sold

the business to Europorte, a subsidiary of Eurotunnel,

in 2010 following this major acquisition, the company

reverted to its original name and developed its core values

and focus on customer service to become the third largest

operator in the UK market.

“GBRf ran its first services in 2001; we are now

reasonably established with approximately 550 personnel

and around 60 locomotives, with another 20 due for

delivery in June 2014. We operate across various

commodities and offer a nationwide service such as

intermodal, infrastructure work, aggregates trains, coal

traffic and of course biomass, which is beginning to replace

coal in certain UK power stations,” begins John Smith,

managing director of GBRf.

From the very start GBRf has focused on building a

culture based on customer service and reliability; values

that have led to the company developing a proven track

record for delivering performance improvements and

enhancing business operations for customers. “Our staff

are our most important asset,” states John. “I am very keen

on communicating with everyone; things have changed

since the 1970s, the way people are treated, managed

and looked after has progressed within companies and I

am immensely proud that this is how we operate here.” By

constantly challenging traditional thinking and operating

Going locoWith a turnover of £110 million in 2013, GBRailfreight (GBRf) has

developed core strengths and values since its inception in 1999 to become the principle freight train operating company in the UK

Molten Steel movements in Lackenby

One of GBRf’s six daily intermodal services from Felixstowe The 560 staff members are the most important asset for GBRf



parent company, Europorte. As the largest procurement

in the company’s history, GBRf is proving its commitment

to improving service quality further and meeting the

current and future demand of its customers. Furthermore,

through acquiring this fleet, GBRf will prepare itself for the

electrification of parts of the UK’s rail freight system and

shows the company is investing in the future of rail freight

as a whole.

Anticipating that this investment will dramatically

increase turnover over the next three years, the company’s

in an environment where communication is absolute,

hierarchy is minimal, standards are high and reliability is

key, GBRf has become one of the UK’s most trusted rail

freight operators in the country.

Transporting a diverse range of commodities has

enabled the company to develop a strong foothold in a

wide range of industries, as John highlights: “We work

with most of the electricity generators, so that means

EDF, Drax and Scottish and Southern, so we deal with

most of the generators producers of coal. On top of

this, we operate container services out of Felixstowe,

our main customer there is MSC, and we take on a lot

of infrastructure contracts for Network Rail and London

Underground. We do a lot of work that is London based,

mainly putting trains on the London Underground to

renew infrastructure at weekends and also delivering

the new trains that are taking over the Metropolitan,

Hammersmith and Circle lines for Bombardier.”

A recent major contract for the firm is with Sibelco

Europe to provide freight services for its silica sand

product. Announced in January 2014, GBRf will transport

silica sand from Sibelco’s quarry in Kings Lynn, Norfolk,

to Guardian Industries’ plant in Goole, Yorkshire, as

well as Ardagh Group’s UK glass sites in Doncaster

and Barnsley. Under the contract, two trains will run

three days per week and one train will run two days per

week to the locations. Boosting GBRf’s position in the

aggregates market, the contract is a prime example

of how the rail freight industry supports manufacturing

and supply in the UK. Furthermore, to provide the

best possible innovative solutions to Sibelco, GBRf will

introduce a different mode of train operations. “This

contract involves moving sand from East Anglia to the

North East for glass production; we also have a number

of contracts that involve moving waste away, such as

our project to move all of the tunnelling waste from

Westbourne Park at Paddington.”

Operating in a market that is steadily growing, the

dynamic company has decided to strengthen its existing

fleet with a further 21 class 66 locomotives from Chicago

based Electro-Motive diesel Inc. (EMD) procured and

the purchase of 16 class 92 electric locomotives from its

Going locoGBRf supports Network Rail’s renewal programmes

Meeting the rise in import demands

http://www.railwaysupportservices.co.uk


purchase of 21 class 66 diesel locomotives will take

its current class 66 fleet to 71. Due for delivery in late

2014, the locomotives have been acquired ahead of

EU emission regulations coming into force in January

2014. Meanwhile, the 16 class 92 electric locomotives

are specially designed for traction through the Channel

Tunnel but, with European Technical Specifications for

Interoperability (STI) being applied to the Channel Tunnel,

these trains can now be used on other routes.

Elaborating on the purchase, John says: “There is a

permanent process of contracts ending and winning new

work so you always have to balance your fleet off against

the level of work that you have. All freight operators

run off a fairly high fixed cost base. This year there is

an element of contracted work that we have won, an

element of faith in the market going forward and also a

bit of risk; we are taking some risk in our ability in selling

this equipment but demand is growing and I think there is

currently a degree of frustration in the market over the rail

freight sector’s ability to meet this increased demand.”

With a turnover of £110 million in 2013, a 20 per cent

increase on the previous year, GBRf intends to maintain

this growth over the next three to four years. Furthermore,

with the rail freight movement worth £30 billion to the

UK economy, the company is also keen to educate the

government on the challenges of getting freight off the

roads and onto rails. As a growing business at times

constrained by issues such as poor rail infrastructure,

GBRf is calling for increased awareness and a greater

vision, as John concludes: “If politicians really want to

get lorries off the road and onto rail then they need to

understand the economics of how that works and make

adjustments to support the rail sector. Rail freight is

all about energy generation, renewing or constructing

infrastructure and finding efficient ways to bring all

material into London to allow for the massive growth

taking place. You can’t build a tower with aggregate and

cement and a huge amount of this comes into London

by rail freight; the lack of appreciation for the intrinsic role

that rail freight plays in the UK economy is something we

are trying to correct.” zz

www.gbrailfreight.com

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzGB RailfReiGht

GBRf carries 30% of the UK’s Coal for power Class 92 electric loco’s leading the green initiative

GBRf also supports the steel industry in Wales

PO Box 7512, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7DR. Email:[email protected]

SERVICES OFFERED INCLUDE:

Railway Track Inspection and ExaminationRailway Track MaintenanceRailway Track Repairs and renewalsDrainage solutionsVegetation control (Herbicide application)Site SurveysMinor civil engineering worksCrane rail inspections and repairs24-hour callout facilityConsultancy for any of the above

We can also provide consultation for track layout remodelling and improvement for increased tra�c �ows, solving problems with departure and train acceptance times.

A NEW ERA IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

Call: 01773 763508www.track-maintain.co.uk

http://www.track-maintain.co.uk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz OleO InternatIOnal


“Oleo’s product portfolio has expanded

since then to include elevator buffers,

industrial buffers, end stop solutions as

well as testing and simulation software,”

added Sul. “Testing is done at our factory

in Coventry using specialist test rigs

developed by Oleo alongside mathematical

algorithms that can simulate the linear

and non-linear dynamic energy absorption

characteristics of our products. This

combination of physical testing matched

by mathematical analysis has enabled Oleo

to maintain leading edge products and

simulation software.”

As Sul pointed out, Oleo prides itself

on being innovative in response to both

A s Sul Sahota, managing director,

explained, the company’s roots go

back a long way: “In 1934, Peter

Thornhill (the founder of Oleo)

devised a design of undercarriage strut for

aircraft using a free floating piston, which

allowed the whole strut to be inverted,

this enabled the strut to work at an angle

eliminating the problem of an oil and air

mixture.”

Sul continued: “Using this principle

and after many years of research and

development for a hydraulic railway buffer

a patent was lodged, pioneering the

first practical design for a self-contained

hydraulic buffer for railway rolling stock.

For over 60 years Oleo has been involved in the design and

manufacture of energy absorption

technology for a variety of industries,

including rail

RailJet

An absorbing story



customer demands and technological

opportunities. “Continuous investment

in research and development (R&D),

state-of-the-art technology and modern

manufacturing processes has made Oleo

leading experts in energy absorption,”

he elaborated. “By utilising our in-house

simulation software and testing equipment

it has been possible to develop new

technologies. R&D is ongoing at Oleo

with new services being introduced and

products patented, and we have ISO17025

accreditation for our testing facilities.

As a result we are routinely undertaking

type testing for customers as well as new

product development activities.”

These customers include major train

operators such as SNCF and RATP,

train manufacturers such as Alstom,

Bombardier, Siemens, CSR and CNR as

well as their suppliers of couplers and

buffers such as Dellner, Voith, Faively SRI


Temple Mills Depot with Oleo end stops

Oleo’s in house test rig

Lee SpringSprings and fasteners are often vital

components in the manufacture or

construction of a component for

transport systems and with Lee Spring’s

stock range of over 19,000 springs

and fasteners, customers value a

faster route to precise and accurate

specification. The Lee Spring custom

design service also provides precise

application matched solutions.

Lee Spring supplies springs and

fasteners to various industry sectors

for a wide range of applications. The

ISO 9001 Registered Company ensures

that the highest quality materials are

used to manufacture all the springs Lee

Spring supplies and that the springs

themselves meet exacting transport,

medical, military, aerospace and/or

equivalent British and DIN Standards.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz OleO InternatIOnal zzand Axtone.

Serving these customers is a

knowledgeable and well-trained staff, and

ensuring it has the best people within the

business is one of Oleo’s priorities: “Oleo

has an active programme of recruiting and

developing apprentices and graduates,

recruiting seven apprentices and 12

graduates in the last two years, as well as

one staff member doing an engineering

degree on day release. We encourage and

support all our engineers to work towards

Chartered Engineer status and we also

have two engineers undertaking Ph.D

programmes. We are planning on recruiting

for apprentices and graduates again this

year,” noted Sul.

This combination of in-house expertise

and sophisticated systems means

that Oleo can continuously release

innovative products that are developed

using proprietary technology and at

the same time achieve cost leadership

Baker Street

http://www.leespring.co.uk


A SUPPLIER OF STEEL TUBE AND BAR TO OLEO INTERNATIONAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RAIL BUFFERS AND END STOPS

PRODUCTSCold Drawn Precision Steel TubeHot Finished Seamless Mild Steel Tube and Carbon Hollow BarHydraulic Products; Honed and Smooth Bore Tube, Chromed Bar, Stainless Bar and Cast Iron Bar.Hot & Cold Finished Structural Hollow Sections

MARKETSRail IndustryConstructionEquipment ManufacturingFluid Power (Cylinder Tubes and Chrome Plated Bar for Hydraulic Applications)

SERVICEIdeally situated close to the A1 in North Yorkshire, we use our own fleet of 20 trucks to deliver a fast and efficient service throughout the UK and the Republic of IrelandAn Extensive Product Range with over 30,000 tonnes of stock held in our 37,000m sq purpose built warehouse9 Fully Automatic Saws Cutting up to 650mm OD, which includes 1 High Speed Circular Saw operating 24 hours a day 5 days a week

NTS are Part of the Bianco Group, a family run business made up of over 20 companies in Europe and North America

ISO 14001: 2004 OHSAS 18001: 2007

ISO 9001: 2008

Tel: +44 (0)1845 577440Email: [email protected]

www.nationaltube.co.uk

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzOleO InternatIOnal

rail which simulates rail collisions.”

Since Oleo was founded it has has

grown from small beginnings to become

a leading world expert in crash energy

management and energy absorption

technology with manufacturing facilities in

the UK and China and a sales and service

facility in Germany as well as subsidiaries

in the USA and India. “Products are sold

and distributed from our warehouse in

Atlanta to support our growing business

in the US and Oleo products are sold

worldwide through a host of distributors,”

noted Sul. “Over 95 per cent of Oleo sales

are exported from the UK with Europe and

China being the largest markets.”

It is clear that the rail industry is growing

strongly worldwide and this is both a

challenge and an opportunity to Oleo as

Sul concluded: “Oleo is an engineering

company and that’s our core activity.

Therefore our mission is to continue to

grow and develop our engineering team,

development, testing and manufacturing

facilities and apply these expert capabilities

to strategic markets such as the rail sector.

We aim to maintain world leadership of

our products and services by continuous

commitment to engineering excellence.” zz

China

Bombardier AGC

by investments in manufacturing. “We

introduced Oleo 1D Rail simulation

software and a range of gas hydraulic and

deformation products during 2013, and

these have had good market response,”

highlighted Sul. “We have more innovative

new products and services to launch in

2014, including an updated version of 1D

http://www.nationaltube.co.uk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Odlewnie POlskie s.A


Union (EU) and further afield. In production operations, the

company offers a complex customer service, including

design, the production of foundry equipment and the

creation of castings, machining and heat treatment,

surface treatment as well as painting, assembly and

shipment.

The technological process is controlled under thorough

monitoring of the quality of burden materials and the fast

analysis of the chemical composition of compounds,

moulding sands and casting dimensions. In an interview

with Piotr Kielbasa, project manager, he explains: “Our

focus is on the production of the castings, using grey cast-

iron, nodular cast-iron and also ADI cast-iron, providing

products ready to be used on the production lines.

“For the rail industry we produce components for

traction, anchors, shock absorbers, braking systems, and

Chambers of fireFrom the historic foundry site in Poland, Odlewnie Polskie has been firing its furnace for 115 years producing components that continue to keep industry moving

In 1899 the first coke fed furnace in Poland was run

on the site of the present foundry producing castings.

During the period between World War I and II, the

Starachowice Plants Company was utilised to produce

castings for an armaments factory, and from this location in

Starachowice, surface-to-air cannons were manufactured.

Following the war, the foundry was part of a heavy

goods vehicles factory, Star, producing castings for the

motor industry. Between 1993 and 2001, the foundry

became a part of Grupa Kapitałowa Exbud, one of the first

private Polish companies quoted on the stock exchange,

signifying the privatisation of the foundry, and since 1993

has been operating as Odlewnie Polskie.

Producing a full range of foundry materials, today it

serves factories located in Starachowice, and to a range

of industries in Poland and other countries in the European



new machinery for casting production. The investment is

an essential part of the strategy to remain one step ahead

of our competitors. It is important to develop and utilise the

latest technology in order to fulfil customer requirements,

which are increasingly more difficult,” says Piotr.

The business undertakes in-house training for all its

employees, but also works very closely with associations

and universities, including The University of Science and

Technology in Krakow. “We are working in close co-

operation with the Foundry Institute where we provide

training for students, covering industry related topics, with

the vision that they will join our business at the end of their

education. The recognition of our brand is proven by our

association with Polish and international organisations such

as the Foundry Chamber of Commerce, the European

Foundry Association (CAEF), and the Cluster of the

Producers of Foundry Components (KOM-CAST),”

Piotr adds.

The workforce has a valued knowledge, represented

by the older generation of employees, who through

experience have established a great level of understanding.

This is passed to the students from schools and

universities who join the industry, additionally benefitting

from the latest education. “Combined with new technology

and equipment, we are able and provide to our customers

with the service they require, producing very difficult and

complex parts to a high quality and delivering products

within the desired time frame.

“We are at the very top level of the foundry industry, and

it is these attributes that attract clients to use our service.


plates for rails connections amongst others.

Eighty per cent of our manufactured products are destined

for export, mainly to countries within the EU including

Sweden, Germany, Hungary and the UK but also supplying

the US rail industry.”

From its R&D facility the business focuses on the

development of new materials. It is through the expertise

of its team that it has become the only foundry in Poland

able to produce components using ADI and CADI cast-

iron. “We are now working on using new types of cast iron,

which although has no direct application in the rail industry

at present, certainly represents future potential that will be

of interest to our customers.

“Since 2005 we have invested over 35 million euros into


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Odlewnie POlskie s.A zz

There is ongoing heavy investment into the Polish railway,

which we are involved in and we also engage in a large-

scale contract with Knorr-Bremse. Other international

clients for whom we manufacture parts include Unipart

Rail in UK, Amsted Rail in US, and Trafikverket in

Sweden,” advises Piotr.

Drawing to a conclusion, Piotr summarises his outlook

for the next two-year period: “We are looking to develop

our business across all of our industry interests. We

recognise the growing potential of the rail industry with

countries investing in rail infrastructure, both in Poland

and the EU, and it is our intention to focus on the

development of the business in this sector.” To this end,

the company is exhibiting at InnoTrans 2014 in Berlin, in

September (stand 104, Hall 8.1). There are more details

on its wesite: www.odlewniepolskie.pl.

Piotr added: “To grow inline with our customers’ needs

and continue to fulfil their requirements, one of our long-

term plans is a creation of a machining unit for castings.

We are in the planning stage of the investment, which

we look to complete within two years. As an extension

on our existing location it will provide adequate space

for the CNC machines, from where we can provide more

complex services to our customers.” zz

Hüttenes-Albertus Polska Sp. z o.o.ul. Turystyczna 7 20-207 Lublin, Polska

T: +48 81 745 13 94 do 97F: +48 81 745 13 93E: [email protected]

IdeasCreateFuture

Materials for foundry industry Precoated sands Casting cores

http://www.huettenes-albertus.pl


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Health & Safety

GB rail safety performance and trends for 2013l RSSB has published its high-level Overview of Safety

Performance for the calendar year 2013. The performance should

be viewed against an overall context of increasing passenger

usage, with levels having increased by around 25 per cent over

the last five years. The rail industry has sustained improvements in

safety performance and risk through the efforts of its employees

and is amongst the safest rail transport in Europe.

The headlines are:

l For the sixth year in succession, there were no passenger or

workforce fatalities in train accidents.

l Excluding trespass and suicide, the total number of fatalities in

2013 was 19, compared with 11 in 2012.

l Six of the fatalities were passengers at stations, compared

with none in 2012. 2012 was exceptional in that it was the first

calendar year where no passenger fatalities were recorded. 2013

was more consistent with the longer-term average. Two members

of the workforce were fatally injured: the same number as in 2012.

Excluding trespass and suicide, 11 members of the public were

fatally injured, compared with nine in 2012.

l The number of potentially higher-risk train accidents (PHRTAs)

in 2013 was 29, compared with 36 occurring in 2012.

l At 297, the number of category A signals passed at danger

(SPADs) in 2013 was a 19 per cent increase on the 250 recorded

in 2012. In contrast, SPAD risk remained relatively stable, ending

2013 at 69 per cent of the September 2006 baseline level,

compared with 66 per cent at the end of 2012.

l Fatalities arising from trespass and suicide totalled 304 in 2013,

compared with 297 in 2012.

For further information, please visit www.rssb.co.uk

Virtual Assistant helps lighten the load

l Tensator is helping to improve traveller safety at King’s Cross station

with the introduction of a ‘Virtual Assistant’. The Virtual Assistant uses

cutting-edge technology to project an image and create the illusion of a

real person – ‘Louise’ – who is advising travellers with heavy, awkward-

to-handle baggage to use the lift rather than risk the escalator. Louise,

who is situated at the foot of the escalator and close to the lift, delivers

her directional/safety messages whenever she detects movement in

the immediate area.

Fully customisable, Louise brings messages to life and helps

engage passengers with consistent and clear directional and safety

announcements. Tensator worked alongside telecommunications and

security systems integrator TEW Plus Ltd to supply, configure and

install the unit which, during a six-week trial, has seen an increase of

over 260 per cent in passengers using the lift.

Left: The Tensator Virtual Assistant providing advice at King’s Cross station

http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Trans DaTa ManageMenT


whereby the smaller distributor organisation was buying

the bigger manufacturing company,” Geoff observes. “We

were able to conclude the deal to purchase the division in

April 2012, which was another major milestone for TDM.”

Today TDM continues to deliver expert communication

and security solutions from its headquarters within the

UK and Switzerland, comprising: VoIP communication

platforms, help points and emergency phones, customer

information systems, public address, CCTV, GSM-R

dispatching, TETRA integration, installation, maintenance

and control room integration. During December 2013

TDM received Network Rail approval for a GSM-R

trackside telephone based on a mobile system, so as not

to depend on a hard wired installation. GSM-R (global

system for mobile communications – railway) represents

an international wireless communication standard for

voice and application transmission that was introduced to

replace the incompatible analogue systems of the many

European national railways.

As such GSM-R is an incredibly important component

within Europe’s railway infrastructure that enables smooth

and safe operation through voice communication with

the traffic controller and for data communication between

the train and RBC (radio block centre). With applications

in traffic control, signalling and network control GSM-R

differs from the publically used GSM network used by

mobile phones that it is derived from. It is required to be

much more secure and to operate data transmission

at very high speeds. Additionally while a GSM network

To the pointWithin the fast paced market of the rail sector, effective communication and security infrastructure is of vital importance. With a broad base of technology manufacturing, installation and maintenance services, Trans Data Management (TDM) offers the market comprehensive turnkey solutions

The history of TDM begins in December 2000

when the company was founded to establish a

presence within the UK for the security division of

Ascom, the Swiss communications conglomerate.

Prior to Ascom’s decision to divest its overseas offices,

Geoff Vaughan, now TDM’s managing director, was

responsible for running Ascom’s security division and saw

the divestment as an opportunity to form an independent

business. “Between 2000 and 2011 TDM acted as

the distributor in the UK for Ascom’s security division,”

Geoff explains. “During this time we further grew the

market, although during the early days

the primary focus was with the

London Underground. We

later expanded into heavy

rail with the first notable

installation being with

Southwest Trains.“

Following on from

the company’s

first decade in

operation it was

again approached

by Ascom, which

was in the process

of further diversification

through the sale of its

security division. “It was a bit

of a David and Goliath situation

Geoff Vaughan



Further to its continuing product development, TDM

is also making moves into new geographic locations

and markets. From the beginnings of the company’s

operation it has partnered with the likes of Southern and

Southern Eastern Trains as well as First Great Western

Trains. Additionally, TDM has provided solutions to non-rail

oriented customers including Mersey, for which it supplied

emergency telephone systems inside their tunnels.

Recently it has expanded on its UK and Switzerland bases

with further offices in the Emirates, India and Malaysia.

“We have a small development team in India that produces

software tools for the company. The main product

development however, is based in Switzerland, where all of

our core systems are manufactured,” Geoff elaborates. “I

attended a trade delegation with the British Prime Minister

last year in India. The local government were trying to

encourage us to not only use the services that India can

offer, but also to sell into the market. As such, we have

decided to look more closely and market into the region.

“In Malaysia we had previously appointed a distributor,

which was very pleasantly surprised by the response it was

getting. As the relationship has grown we have decided

to form a joint venture company within Malaysia to begin

servicing the Far Eastern market. This is in its early days

and we are currently still trading through the distributor,

however it will soon operate as a joint venture partner to

export into all of the far eastern territories.”


is designed to function two-

dimensionally with as few base

stations and antennas

as possible, GMS-R

networks are almost

one-dimensional,

covering an area

that is long rather

than wide as

it follows train

routes.

The advantage

of the mobile

GSM-R system

developed by TDM is

that unlike ‘hard-wired’

trackside telephone

systems it will not fail if

the main telecom network

fails and is also weather and vandal

proof. Furthermore the system can be solar

powered and can be remotely monitored and tracked,

as well as offering secondary network capacity for back

up. The system offers economic savings through reduced

energy and maintenance costs and vitally, it increases safe

operation through reduced instances of failure and reliable,

high-speed data transfer.

WaveWave is a leading Software provider with a proven track

record of delivering integrated Facilities & Asset solutions.

We supply powerful web-enabled integrated CAFM

applications configured to suit Clients’ needs.

Our collaborative rapid delivery systems pull together

operational disciplines into an innovative and complete

solution. The results for our Clients are better managed

relations, operations and facilities.

Capture all the details of your estate, complete with

interactive plans and other important files, to whatever level

of detail you need, yet supply end-users with an intuitive

interface allowing them to log calls and allowing you to

progress delivery through to completion.


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Trans DaTa ManageMenT zz

Since its acquisition of the security division from Ascom,

TDM has grown to service many of Europe’s national

railways and greatly expanded the scope of markets

in which it operates. Further to this, its development of

market leading technology has caught the attention of

some of the world’s most important rail operators making

the future of TDM very bright indeed, despite challenging

market conditions. “We are moving forward in quite strong

prevailing headwinds,” Geoff concludes. “However, we

have liberated the products we supply from a primary

sales focus in Switzerland, Germany and France to

incorporate Eastern European countries as well as

Portugal and Spain. We are gathering momentum

while other companies seem to be battening down the

hatches.” zz

http://www.wave-ba.co.uk

In 2013 Midlands headquartered Arbil Rail, a

specialist manufacturer, distributor, service and

hire solution provider of rail lifting and maintenance

solutions, celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary

marking half a century as an incorporated company.

During this period the business has expanded

considerably, developing a strong reputation in the

industry as one of the UK’s leading manufacturers

of specialist track maintenance and permanent way

equipment, along with lifting products and fabrications.

Today the company operates from five fully owned

sites across the UK. From a total of some 70,000 square

metres of manufacturing, warehousing and distribution

space the company produces and sources a vast

range of specialist products that are designed and

manufactured to be the toughest and most durable in the

rail sector.

“Our initial focus 50 years ago was in lifting gear,

which naturally developed and branched into the rail


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Strong heritage

Arbil Rail, a leading name in the UK rail industry, has a long

tradition of providing high quality and reliable products

ARBIL RAIL

sector. We could see the difficulties that British Rail

was experiencing in effective sourcing, servicing and

development of rail equipment, specifically track jacks,

so we set to work to help resolve the situation,” says

Marcus Taylor, rail commercial sales & service manager

at the company. Over the years Arbil’s skills have

expanded into the manufacture of numerous bespoke

rail and track handling equipment solutions, such as the

Zwicky™ range of hydraulic track jacks and the exclusive

distribution of RAILBAND products. Arbil doesn’t just

offer sales though; its reach extends to hire, service and

a SolidWorks engineering offering.

“SolidWorks solutions cover all aspects of a client’s

product development process with a seamless,

integrated workflow – design concept, verification,

sustainable design for longevity, communication and

data management,” Taylor continues. “Our designers

and engineers can span multiple disciplines with ease,

shortening the design cycle, increasing productivity and

delivering innovative products to market faster.”

With this approach the company provides

solutions to a wide range of clients across

the UK, largely to businesses that are

responsible for operation, management

and maintenance of the rail and underground

networks. The company places considerable

emphasis on working closely with its clients to

ensure the best possible solution, and by doing so

it is able to maintain a proactive stance to the

industry’s requirements and developing working

practices. Alongside the UK sector, Arbil Rail

operates a successful export strategy, supplying

products to a number of customers globally, particularly

50th Anniversary

Crosby Engineer fabricating the platinum line

Zwicky jack in use Current Zwicky 805 Jack, which is the basis for future developments


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

to the UAE, Scandinavia and Australasia. Due to their

excellent reliability and high build quality; Arbil’s products

translate particularly well to these regions, where remote

areas and harsh environments present challenging

operating conditions where only the best equipment will

be successful.

Among the company’s leading products is its Zwicky

range of hydraulic track jacks, which is a globally

recognised brand of obstructionless jacks. Following

continued success and increasing sales the business is

looking to expand the Zwicky range to include a jack of

both 8t head and toe capacity, which will be launched

to meet increased maintenance demands throughout

Europe. This will become more commonplace in the

future, particularly as the growing demand to increase

the UK and European passenger and freight rail

networks will see a rise in requirements for heavier

capacity obstructionless track jacks.

With designs of the new Zwicky 808 track jack

nearing completion it is believed that the product will

be a vital piece of equipment for applications in both

track laying and maintenance usage. “The range has

already been modified for some local markets and we

are in the middle of a product development programme

to expand it further,” adds Taylor. “In addition, we are

stepping up our market research globally by talking to

our key customers, both within the UK and overseas

territories, to determine the exact requirements and

sales potential.”

Product development has been essential to the

ongoing success of Arbil Rail, and most recently the

company has announced the launch the new Crosby

Platinum Line range. The company has become a

preferred supplier for this 8/10 chain fittings range,

which incorporates both Grade 80 & 100 components.

The Platinum range offers a dual chain use solution and

is manufactured within the same premises as Crosby’s

premium Kuplex® range. The Platinum range offers

a cost effective solution for a quality product and it

was Arbil’s strength in distribution and longstanding

relationship with Crosby which secured its preferred

supplier distribution status.

Arbil Rail has cemented its reputation through

this type of continuous development and expansion

Strong heritage

TractelWorld leaders in the manufacture of materials handling, load indicating, height safety and access equipment, Tractel offer a number of products specific to the rail industry. These include the PR rail clamp, HT34 technical harness, Bravo lever hoist and LLX1 Dynafor. Tractel have been working with Arbil Ltd for some time now and are looking forward to a prosperous business partnership in the supply of products such as these.

of its services, mindfully staying ahead of the latest

developments in the rail industry and closely co-operating

with its customers. Along with these new additions to its

product portfolio, Arbil has recently achieved an exclusive

TRACTEL full calibration centre status; with other

accreditation statuses soon to complete. This calibration

centre status for TRACTEL, adds to its accreditation

status for Dillion, in fact, Arbil was the founding company

to be accredited with this status. TRACTEL & Dillion are

just two of the leading product brands that Arbil distribute

and service. Others include: ENERPAC, Tangye,

RAILBAND, Yale, Rotabroach and Simplex to name

just a few.

There is little doubt that the company will maintain its

successful tradition. As Taylor explained at the time of the

50th anniversary celebrations, “I am proud to say that I

am a part of Arbil Rail and I’m looking forward to our 60th

anniversary already.” zz

Platinum products coming off the Crosby

Production Line

Dynafor Calibration

http://ww.tractel.co.uk


In 2006 PMA was acquired by the private equity

firm EQUITA. “From the beginning they invested

in us,” explained country leader-sales director

Martin Gueller. “One of the new technologies

that came from that phase of expansion was the

multi-layer technology.” After three and a half

years of investment there was significant market

interest in PMA and the company was acquired by

Thomas & Betts Corporation, a leading designer

and manufacturer of electrical components

headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

“At that point we imagined we would have many

years of continuity ahead of us as part of a large

organisation with a $5 billion turnover,” Martin

continued. But that was not meant to be. “In 2012

Thomas & Betts was taken over by ABB Group,

an even larger organisation with over 150,000

employees and revenue in the region of

$42 billion.”

Today, as a subsidiary of Thomas & Betts, PMA

is part of one of the world’s largest power and

automation technology companies. Not only is ABB

headquartered in Zurich, but it also has extensive

global reach and a focus on sustainability, creating

enormous opportunities for development and

growth for both PMA and Thomas & Betts.

T here is a certain aura of quality and

reliability about products with a Swiss

label. This is certainly the case for the high

tech cable protection systems designed

and manufactured by Swiss company PMA AG.

Founded in 1975 in the small village of Wetzikon,

PMA is a global company reaching into most

industry sectors that require cable protection, and

has established a market leading position in the

railway sector.

Based at Uster in the greater Zurich area,

PMA has co-located its headquarters, global

manufacturing operations, and extensive test,

research and development facilities on the same

site. Today, it employs some 170 staff worldwide,

100 of whom work in Switzerland and the remaining

70 are spread across PMA’s six subsidiaries in

Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Austria and Italy.

PMA has built its reputation and success on high

levels of customer service and the ability to innovate

and manufacture quality products that lead the

market for functionality and reliability. Ownership

of the company has changed several times during

its history, and two changes in recent years have

played a significant part in strengthening the brand

and global footprint.

PMA AG cable protection

systems are used in railways

around the world. Sales

director Martin Gueller and

Product Group Manager Cable

Protection Systems

EMEA Sandro Schwarz talk

about their plans for

innovation and growth

RailJet

Protecting vital data

zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPMA


Send us your requirements on turned parts

We assure you a fast offer

High customer satisfaction, and high-quality products through a personal and active customer care, from the offer to the production in compliance with the delivery are the main feature and overall objectives in Manometal.

Turn parT fromManoMeTalHighest product quality, precision turned parts and assemblies are key features in Manometal, the production range includes turn parts in parts:

Brass alloys including the alloy for drinking water - 90%•Mild steel alloys - 5 %•Aluminum alloys - 2,5 %•Stainless steel alloys - 2,5 %•From diameter of 3 mm to 80 mm•Machinery: monospindel; multispindel; •CNC-monospindel and CNC-multispindelQuantities from 300 parts to millions of parts•Export rate are 99 % - today we deliver 16 nations•

Our main customers are:

Heating and Plumbing Industries•Electrical Industries•Sanitary Industries•Valve and control industries•

Window and doors industries•Mechanical engineering industry•Automotive Industries•Leisure Industries•

Thomas [email protected]+39-335-1212012www.manometal.com

MANOMETAL GMBHTurning Company

ConTaCTmanometal GmBH obere Insel 6 39044 Neumarkt Italy

http://www.manometal.com


Innovation & manufactureAll products that come out of PMA’s plant in

Switzerland are manufactured in plastic. “Our

materials technology expertise is one of our unique

strengths,” Martin said. “Our technicians sometimes

combine materials that simply shouldn’t work

together, according to the book. But they manage

to bind them through innovative processes. We’ve

developed many new products that way, such

as corrugated tube that can withstand significant

impacts.”

Another deliberate design feature that makes PMA

products attractive across all markets is that not

only does it supply entire cable systems, but each

of its 4000 products are interchangeable, enabling

customers to mix and match to achieve the optimum

combination. “We also work closely with our

customers and develop tailor made solutions that

meet their specific needs,” explained Product Group

Manager Cable Protection Systems EMEA, Sandro

Schwarz. “On average, we manufacture 120–150

customer specific parts a year.”

All the base ingredients are shipped in from global

suppliers and combined at the Uster plant, which

is currently equipped with 20 injection moulding

machines and niner extrusion lines. The plant is

highly flexible, able to produce large and small runs

of standard parts or customer-specific products at

short notice. Staff normally work a two shift pattern

but are flexible to change. “We are currently working

three shifts because there is a high demand for our

product,” Martin said, “And this is not only for the

rail industry but also for the marine market and many

other applications.”

The rail sectorPMA has established a market leading position

in cable protection systems for the rail industry

worldwide and has been experiencing year on

year growth, particularly since achieving IRIS

(International Railway Industry Standard) approval

in 2010. In many branches of the rail sector there

has been a consistent trend for downsizing. “That

has not happened in cable protection. The issue is

power cables running very close to data cables, so

there has been an increase in demand for EMC cable

protection solutions,” Sandro said.

“Another challenge for us,” he continued, “is that

global standards are continuously becoming more

demanding in the markets we supply, and those

include rail, machines, marine and energy. So we

are always improving our products, while striving to

respond to price pressure and the need to compete

on cost.”

The most widely used product in the PMA portfolio

is the PMAFIX/PMAFLEX range of corrugated

conduits. “But we are seeing an increase in demand

for PMAFIX Pro /PMAFLEX Pro, which is our highest

specification line,” Sandro continued.

Vision for the futureLooking forward through 2014 and beyond, PMA

is continuing to focus on innovation. “We are

expanding our multilayer conduit offering to provide

complete solutions for all rail applications, so that

will include any cabling either on, inside or below

the train,” Sandro said. “We are also working on

fire barrier solutions, products which allow cables

to be fed through a fire barrier without reducing

its integrity. And we will be presenting those at

InnoTrans 2014.”

From the strategic perspective, PMA is continuing

to focus on market growth through involvement in

the many rail projects currently in progress and those

at the planning stage, by expanding its share of the

marine sector, and by moving into new transport

sectors such as electric cars. The company also

perceives great potential in Russia and in North

and South America, areas where both ABB and

Thomas & Betts have a strong presence. “One of the

challenges we face in the US market in particular is

that they are very metal focused,” Sandro explained.

But the company has been making significant efforts

to change perceptions and share their knowledge of

the benefits of plastics technology.

The arguments are persuasive. Plastic doesn’t

corrode, it’s quick and easy to install, and has no

sharp edges that can damage the cables it is trying

to protect. It’s light and flexible, and can be bent

around corners. “Often metal is perceived to have a

much higher impact resistance, but that is only half

the truth,” Sandro continued. “Metal can deform

under impact and doesn’t recover, damaging the

cables inside. So when we are able to demonstrate

and prove the advantages of plastic products over

the existing solutions, we are very successful.”

With so many metal products in use in the USA,

PMA see enormous potential. “We are already

enjoying substantial growth in the US market,” Martin

concluded. “We anticipate that trend will continue

strongly.” zz


zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzPMA

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz KIER


smooth. The remarkable success of the acquisition of

May Gurney is further enhanced by the substantial gain in

knowledge and strength made by Kier through its strategy

of significant growth and diversification. As a result May

Gurney joins Kier in a larger group mentality, although

previously the company had undertaken works valued at

as much as £40million its traditional project value was for

jobs spanning £2 million to £20 million pounds. Today as

part of a joint venture partnership, it is delivering projects

valued in the region of £200 million to £600 million. “This

takes the rail division that was May Gurney into a whole

new arena,” Richard says. “We will be targeting projects

including High Speed Two, Waterloo station development,

Oxford station and Bristol Templemeads redevelopment,

which were previously the traditional domain of the likes of

Carillion and Balfour Beatty.”

The joint venture partnership includes some of

the world’s leading tunnelling, civil engineering and

construction companies. At present the company is

constructing two railway tunnels that will run for 6.4km

between the Royal Oak portal and the new Farringdon

Crossrail station and is also building the station tunnel

caverns at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and

Farringdon. Throughout the UK rail network, Kier

specifically delivers a full design service including the

design and installation of civil engineering works as well

as building and earthworks projects including train care

During July 2013

it was announced that Kier had

completed the takeover of May Gurney in a deal

valued at £221million. The acquisition would act

as a springboard to further propel Kier into the railway

market and transformed the sector into a sizable division

within the business. “May Gurney’s turnover was roughly

£700 million a year,” elaborates business development

director Richard Turner. “Adding that to Kier’s existing

turnover over the past year and a half and the most

recent announcement is that the business has grown to

around £2.5 billion to £3 billion pounds in total. It is now

comparable in size to Balfour Beatty in the UK.”

Although the acquisition of May Gurney involved the

inclusion of 6000 new staff in to the Kier Group, the overall

process of restructuring and integration was impressively

Pushing success Formed in 1992 and with roots dating back to 1928, the Kier Group has evolved into a multi-billion pound business servicing a host of market sectors with increasing traction within the entire UK rail network

Arnside completeArnside in the construction process

Chelsea Bridge

The McGrath Group is a recognised market leader in the supply and installation of structural steel and architectural metalwork projects for over 30 years. In 2013, Network Rail selected the McGrath Group as their preferred supplier and primary Tier 2 contractor for the supply and installation of footbridges to the Network Rail National Level Crossing Risk Reduction Programme and are delighted to be associated with Kier who are the Tier 1 contractor on this framework.

T: 028 9262 1186E: [email protected]: www.mcgrath-group.com

We also work with leaders in the Rail, Construction, Housing and Infrastructure sectors delivering and installing a wide range of products and bespoke commissions such as Glazing, Facades, Balconies, Cladding and Roofing, Balustrades, Bridge Structures, Lift Shafts, Stairs and Walkways, Platforms and Canopies and our work can be seen on many award winning and iconic schemes.

Head Office Address: Lisnagarvagh House,

Lissue Road, Lisburn, BT28 2SU

Regional Offices: London, Dublin, Glasgow

STRUCTURAL STEEL AND ACHITECTURAL METALWORK SPECIALISTS

Meadow Lane Footbridge

Bedford Sidings Footbridge

Bounds Green Bridge

Kildare Station

Dorking Station

Wood Lane Station

http://www.mcgrath-group.com


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz KIER zz

facilities. Further to this Kier offers a comprehensive

package of signalling and telecommunication solutions

that incorporate design, installation and maintenance

works from small to large scale and including emergency

repair works. Through collaboration with key suppliers and

its own turnkey portfolio of services, Kier is well placed to

meet the needs of the UK rail industry and compete with

the largest contractors operating within the sector.

Historically, Kier has participated in numerous

frameworks and today the company is currently involved

in works for Network Rail including the national level

crossings risk reduction (Footbridges) framework,

building and civils development partnership (BCDP) and

BRB residuary frameworks. Bolstered by the addition of

May Gurney, Kier enjoys national coverage and a wide

portfolio of skills, which are undertaken with safety as a

paramount concern. As such, Kier has delivered services

for the past 20 months with an accident frequency rate of

zero. This was achieved by the company’s highly skilled

management team alongside its directly employed labour

force with the right skill sets to carry out construction,

rail infrastructure upgrades and planned maintenance.

This has allowed Kier to win the National Rail Awards

Engineering Achievement of the Year three times during

the past five years. The most recent example of which,

was for work on the Arnside Viaduct project in 2013.

Kier has also undertaken a variety of rail signalling,

telecommunications and minor electrification and plant

projects, including design and installation. The company

produces first-class designs for all signalling disciplines

and is recognised as an extremely competent provider

of relay route interlockings (RRI), solid-state interlockings

(SSI) including computer based interlocking (CBI data

design) and all mechanical interlockings. Further to

its design solutions, Kier also offers its clients turnkey

signalling project management services, incorporating

cost planning, developing projects and value engineering

from the feasibility stage right through to the project

close-out stage as well as testing and commissioning.

All of the company’s staff are IRSE (Institution of Railway

Signal Engineers) licensed and Kier itself also acts as a

IRSE assessing agency, which makes it one of the few

businesses in the UK that is able to test and licence its

own staff in-house.

During 2014 and beyond Kier will be focused on

meeting the requirements of Network Rail’s Control

Period Five (CP5), which will begin during April 2014 and

run through to March 2019. The company has already

tendered for and won contracts for CP5. These include the

£8.5 million station improvement scheme at Port Talbot,

Wales. Kier won out in the face of stiff competition and

while its bid was not the lowest cost submission, it was

considered to be the best technical and most innovative

solution by some margin. Further to this Kier will be bidding

for renewals frameworks contracts in Wales and West as

well as frameworks with London North Eastern. Within

Wales and the West region Kier is bidding in collaboration

with local key supply chain partners such as Keltbray,

which together with Kier results in an offering that is greater

than the sum of its parts. “We bring Keltbray onboard as

strategic junior partners so the companies share the same

terms and conditions back to back and gets full visibility of

the workload. This means that it can plan on a programme

basis rather than on individual projects,” Richard explains.

“This drives down cost, brings a safer working environment

and also delivers better quality.”

Addressing the company’s objectives for 2014 and

Network Rail’s CP5, Richard concludes: “2014 is about

making sure that we set the right foundations for the rest

of CP5. Frameworks are all about collaboration and it is

important to get that collaborative synergy right from the

start and coming together as a delivering team very quickly

during the early months of the first year will be vital. If the

right mind set is not in place at that stage it will very difficult

to recover over the full CP period. It is about ensuring that

the right culture and mindset is observed and we in the

supply chain with Network Rail work together collectively

to deliver what needs to be done.” zz

Kings Cross Roof Refurbishment

Crossrail - tunnel boring machine

North Sheen Footbridge Lift

6 March – Rail Interiors: The Inside StoryCoventryOrganisers: Coventry University/The Rail AllianceWeb: https://railsinteriorsconference.eventbrite.co.uk

18-20 March – Rail Technology Conferences 2014DusseldorfOrganisers: EuropointTel: +31 (0) 30 698 1800 Web: http://railtechnologyconferences.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

15 May – Railway Strategies Live 2014LondonOrganisers: Railway StrategiesTel: 01603 274 181Email: [email protected]: www.railwaystrategies.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.


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

1-2 July – Africa RailJohannesburgOrganisers: TerrapinnTel: +27 (0) 11 516 4015 Email: [email protected]: www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/africarail/

21-25 September – 10th International Conference on GeosyntheticsBerlinOrganisers: International Geosynthetics SocietyWeb: www.10icg-berlin.com

23-26 September – InnoTrans 2014BerlinOrganisers: Messe Berlin GmbHTel: +49 (0)30 30 38 - 2376Email: [email protected]: www.innotrans.com

29 September – 1 October – European Transport ConferenceFrankfurtOrganisers: Association for European TransportEmail: http://aetransport.org/contactWeb: http://etcproceedings.org/

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

zzzzzzzzzzzzz NEWS I Conferences & Exhibitions

http://www.kknorr-bremse.co.uk

http://www.zonegreen.co.uk

Railway Strategies Issue 105 Final Edition

Documents

Transcript of Railway Strategies Issue 105 Final Edition