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GSM-R roll out begins with East Coast trains by Katie Silvester Installation of GSM-R radios has begun on East Coast trains, with the digital radios fitted in the cabs of 24 High Speed Trains. The roll out follows successful trials in Scotland and on the West Coast Main Line. The radios, which will be fitted on all British trains by the end of 2014, allow seamless communications between drivers, signallers and controllers overcoming the problems of ‘dead spots’ that limit analogue radios. GSM-R replaces a mixture of analogue radio systems used by the rail industry, with trackside communications masts linked to a new fibre optic network, delivering digital clarity radio signals to and from trains as they pass by. The first section of East Coast’s route to go live will be a 100-mile stretch between King’s Cross and Stoke Summit, near Grantham, which includes 18 tunnels. Forty GSM-R communications masts and 91 equipment cabinets have been installed at the trackside, with more than 75 East Coast drivers and 56 Network Rail signallers trained to use the new system.  East Coast property and projects director Tim Hedley-Jones said: ‘GSM-R will deliver clear safety and performance benefits.’  A programme to fit the digital system into the remaining six HSTs and 60 Class 91 electric driving cabs began in February. The roll out will continue across regions of Network Rail and on the rolling stock of other train operators, beginning with the south of England. Meanwhile, Northern Rail has begun trials of GPS tracking equipment on the Esk Valley line to improve the accuracy of travel information. Like many of Northern’s lines, the rural route has old signalling equipment, which is not capable of accurately reporting a train’s location. This makes it difficult to keep passenger information systems updated if a train is delayed. The GPS system, which is far cheaper to install than new signalling, has been supplied by Nomad Digital. The trial has seen the equipment put into use on 14 Class 156s. ‘A programme to fit the digital system into the remaining six HST and 60 Class 91 electric driving cabs began in February’ Cardiff considers monorail Discussions have begun over plans to build what would be Britain’s first overhead railway system, linking Cardiff Central station to Cardiff Bay. The company behind it is London-based Monometro. The elevated railway, following an old railway track on councilowned land, is said to have been inspired by a similar system in the German city of Wuppertal and has the backing of Saudi investors. Monometro chairman Gareth Pearce met Cardiff council representatives in March to present their plans. Once finance is in place, the proposed scheme would take two and a half years to complete. ‘Discussions are still very much in their early days,’ a council spokeswoman said. No one was available for comment at Monometro, which is based in Paddington, but its website does not list a contact phone number. However, it is understood that if the Cardiff project proves commercially and technically viable, Monometro may use it as a model to build one in the Saudi city of Mecca. Villiers opens new driver training academy Railway minister Theresa Villiers emphasised the importance of training the next generation of drivers when she unveiled a new £1m train driving simulator. At the opening of the National Express East Anglia Training Academy in Stratford, east London, in March, Villiers pledged government support for training. Officially opening the new suite designed for the Class 379 units for the Stansted Express and Cambridge-London services, she said: ‘The railways have seen unprecedented growth in recent years and we want this to continue. Training the next generation of train drivers is important if we’re to continue to deliver the efficient services passengers need.’ National Express East Anglia managing director Andrew Chivers said he was delighted that Villiers had been able to attend the opening. Theresa Villiers, Stuart Fraser (head of driver training) and Andrew Chivers Page 8 April 2011
News Refusal to negotiate over East Coast was right, says NAO The Labour government was right to take back the East Coast franchise in 2009, rather than renegotiate terms with National Express when it could not meet its premium payments, a report by the National Audit Office concludes. When National Express ran into problems, other operators were looking vulnerable too, and the report suggests that large-scale renegotiations with several operators could have cost taxpayers between £200m and £450m. The NAO puts the cost of taking back the franchise and running it under the auspices of Directly Operated Railways at around £15m. Devolved Network Rail unit for Wales and the Marches takes shape nNetwork Rail’s devolution experiment in Wales will see a Cardiff-centred business unit covering Wales and the Marches. CEO David Higgins said that there needed to be a ‘one-Wales strategy’. He added: ‘We’re devolving accountability so that we can get closer to our customers and be in a better position to deliver improvements to passengers and freight users, while forging stronger ties with the Welsh Assembly Government to unlock any untapped potential on the railway.’ The new unit will have its own managing director, taking responsibility for: safety; all customer service matters; asset management outputs and spend; operations; planning and delivering maintenance; and the delivery of some renewals and enhancements. It will cover an area including south Wales, mid Wales, north Wales and the Marches, which runs along the border and will include some stations and infrastructure in England. Meanwhile, Passenger Focus is calling for real-time train information at every unstaffed station in Wales as a minimum, as well as waiting area improvements and more community partnerships, following passenger research. Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said: ‘Passengers tell us repeatedly that when disruption occurs, they need accurate and timely information. ‘However, there are still too many instances where passengers are left standing on isolated stations, waiting for a delayed train with no idea when or if their train will show up.’ Southeastern gets franchise extension nGovia’s Southeastern franchise is to be extended for two years, after the operator met all the performance criteria to trigger an optional extension in its franchise agreement. It will now run until 31 March, 2014. Keith Ludeman, group chief executive of Go-Ahead and chairman of Govia, said: ‘We are pleased that this important franchise, which carries over a 160 million passengers a year, will run to 2014. ‘In the first five years of this franchise, Southeastern has increased the number of train services operated across the region and customer satisfaction has risen. ‘It has successfully introduced the UK’s first domestic high speed service and independent research shows that passengers using this service are the most satisfied in the UK.’ Govia is the Go-Ahead Group’s rail division, which is co-owned by Keolis. High speed trains ‘will not fit into existing Manchester stations’ nManchester will need a brand new major station within 15 years, if it is to take advantage of high speed trains, Rail Professional can reveal. The government is planning the initial HS2 line from London to the West Midlands to be operational by 2026, with trains then switching to conventional lines at Lichfield to reach north west England and Yorkshire, until the high speed lines to Manchester and Leeds open six years later. But the quarter-mile long trains carrying up to 1,100 passengers – Virgin’s Pendolinos carry just 440 – will not fit into Piccadilly without spending millions to move signals and points. The station is served by six lines that converge in a series of points and signals at the ‘throat’ of the station – which would be blocked by the quarter-mile long high speed trains. The HS2 company and local officials are working together and looking at potential sites for a new station within the city boundary. Specialist photo library Rail Images has launched its redesigned website at www.railimages.co.uk The company, which was started in 1998 by former British Rail photographers Alan Cheek and Ian Stoner, has more than 10,000 images of high-quality rail photography in its collection. The Linkup certified photo library also does commissioned photography and has its own video production service. Its photographers are all qualified PTS holders. Rail Images will be exhibiting at Railtex, stand D135. www.railimages.co.uk april 2011 Page 9
Page 1: APRIL 2011 Issue 169 £3.95 THE BUS
Page 4 and 5: Rail Professional opinion Katie Sil
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Page 10 and 11: News C2C says goodbye to blue liver
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Page 26 and 27: www.railimages.co.uk Philip Hammond
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Page 34 and 35: Comment Generating growth Michael R
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