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OCTOBER 2012 IssuE 186 £3.95 

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR RAIL 

www.railpro.co.uk 

GAME CHANGER 

Howard Smith, CEO of London 

Rail, on why the Overground and 

DLR performed better than expected 

during the Olympics 

Freight 

expectations 

Debate on EU-wide liberalisation 

Tickety 

boo? 

Making smartcard ticketing work

OCTOBER 2012 IssuE 186 £3.95 



GAME CHANGER 




during the Olympics 

Freight 

expectations 


Tickety 

boo? 

Making smartcard ticketing work


OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE 186 £3.95 

Making smartcard ticketing work 

Welcome 

www.RAILpRO.cO.Uk ISSUE 186 • OcTOBER 2012 



GAME CHANGER 




during the Games 

Freight 

expectations 

PUBLISHER 

RAIL PROFESSIONAL LTD 

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EDITOR 

KATIE SILVESTER 

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MILES JOHNSTONE 

production@railpro.co.uk 

SUBSCRIPTIONS 

Tickety 

boo? 

AMY HAMMOND 

subscriptions@railpro.co.uk 

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Thanks also to Rail Images for 

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necessarily those of the publisher, 

nor does he accept liability for any 

printing errors or otherwise which 

may occur. 

Comment & news 

4 

Samaritans launch new rail initiative; First Capital 

Connect begins apprenticeship scheme with a 

difference; West Coast handover suspended; 

Southampton to get improved link to WCML 

Train of thought 

9 

Readers’ letters: have your say about the rail industry 

and Rail Professional 

Rail Professional interview 

10 

London Rail CEO Howard Smith breathes a sigh of 

relief as London Overground and DLR get through the 

Olympics without incident. He tells Katie Silvester about 

the planning behind the Games 

In the passenger seat 

16 

Is the move towards smartcard ticketing being driven 

by the industry or passengers’ needs? Passenger 

Focus’s Anthony Smith looks at what passengers 

want from more sophisticated tickets 

Cross-border co-operation 

17 

Ron Smith meets the head of a Swiss freight operator, 

which is part private and part public owned, to find out 

why rail liberation is important for freight operators in all 

business models 

Delivering the goods 

19 

An increase of Channel Tunnel traffic between the UK 

and Poland is good news, says Chris McRae, but the 

tunnel is still under used 

Proactive about plastic 

21 

David Naylor discusses the advantages of using 

plastic pipework systems for bulk refuelling 

Taking on the recession 

25 

Freightliner’s Peter Maybury tells Tim Gillett how 

the company has improved business practices to 

survive difficult economic times – and ensure a more 

prosperous future 

Follow us on Twitter RailProMag@twitter 

IMAGINE 

Real-Time Passenger Information System 

built for the future and built to last 

Infrastructure focus 

29 

Catch up on Crossrail, while Wessex gets longer platforms 

and Network Rail buys a new ultrasonic test train 

A duty of care 

32 

Whether staff are confronted with an incident on the 

railway – from a major accident to an attack on staff – 

the majority of those involved will experience a negative 

reaction. Gerry Jackson explains how staff can be 

supported through difficult times 

Institution of Railway Operators 

34 

Find out what other IRO areas have been up to. 

Plus: dates for diary 

Safety in the pipeline 

37 

Ian Morris, of the British Fluid Power Association, explains 

why it is so important to chose the right hydraulic hoses 

Transport finishes first 

39 

Twelve million spectators travelled to and from venues 

on public transport to watch events during the Games. 

The ODA’s David Emmerson and William Barter 

explain how it was done 

Off the rails? 

42 

Daniel Ball argues that FirstGroup taking over the West 

Coast from Virgin may lead to a duff contract 

Business profiles 

45 

People 

55 

Introducing Klüber, Stannah, Socomec and the Severn 

Partnership. Plus details of the Transport Security Expo 

& Conference 

Patrick McLoughlin; Theresa Villiers; Norman Baker; 

Simon Burns; Stephen Hammond; Tom Clift; Maggie 

Simpson; Iain Mobbs; Ana Santos; Andy Lewis; Mark 

Bullock; Mike Fleming; John Coates; Richard Algeo; José 

Viegal; Emmanuel Moulin 

Recruitment 

57 

Find your next job here and online at 

www.railpro.co.uk/recruitment 

Your solution with our knowledge

Rail Professional opinion 

Katie Silvester, editor 

McLoughlin takes centre stage 

In just over six years there have been eight transport 

secretaries. How many people could name all of them? 

For the record, they were Alastair Darling, Douglas 

Alexander, Ruth Kelly, Geoff Hoon, Lord Andrew 

Adonis, Philip Hammond, Justine Greening and now Patrick 

McLoughlin (see page 55). 

If a private company had had eight CEOs in seven years, would anyone have 

any confidence in it? Probably not. The only changeover that was unavoidable 

was between Andrew Adonis and Philip Hammond when Labour lost the 

election and perhaps between Ruth Kelly and Geoff Hoon when Kelly wanted to 

reduce her workload to concentrate on her family. 

Some of the changes seem, to the casual observer, to be without rhyme or 

reason. If Theresa Villiers was to be promoted to secretary of state, why not 

keep her in the Department of Transport? Instead, she has moved across to the 

Northern Irish office. She will be missed, as Villiers was the only consistent 

figure in the department, having shadowed the secretary of state role in 

opposition and been a transport minister proper since the coalition came to 

power. For most of that time she concentrated on rail. 

She was largely responsible for High Speed 2 getting the go-ahead, the 

Conservatives having proposed it in opposition, with Andrew Adonis adopting, 

then progressing the idea into firm policy during his brief tenure as head of 

the department. Who knows why Villiers was shuffled off to Belfast instead of 

moving up within the DfT? We might find out when she does her memoirs in 20 

years time. 

There has been talk of Greening’s removal being linked to her opposition to 

a third runway at Heathrow, with the suggestion that this Conservative policy is 

about to be reviewed. It was Villiers who ushered in the ‘no third runway’ policy, 

but Simon Burns, who replaces her, has also opposed a new runway. Newcomer 

McLoughlin is said to be more open to Heathrow’s expansion, while Stephen 

Hammond has moved from being against a third runway to writing in the 

Evening Standard earlier this year that the case for an additional runway should 

be re-examined. 

It seems that the position of transport secretary is often viewed as a transitional 

one – a weighty role, but also a stepping stone to the lofty heights of defence 

or Treasury. This is in sharp contrast to posts such as that of chancellor of the 

exchequer, which Gordon Brown held for 10 years and George Osborne looks 

set to hang onto for a while. Or foreign secretary, which Robin Cook did for four 

years, followed by Jack Straw for five years. 

We would like to see McLoughlin given time to see the job through – there 

is plenty for him to get stuck into. The coalition has had a good record on rail 

so far – we hope that this will continue. The railways had a lucky escape in the 

coalition’s cuts, following the last election, which shows a broad commitment 

to rail. Crossrail and High Speed 2 are still on schedule, when some feared they 

would be delayed. And the Northern Hub has got the funding it deserves. But 

McLoughlin will need to keep up the pressure for cost cutting 

in the industry. 

He has walked straight into the West Coast franchising 

row, of course. Whether he will consider that Virgin’s 

objections to the current franchising process have any merit 

remains to be seen. 

News in brief 

Cable thieves jailed 

Four men have been sentenced 

for conspiracy to commit 

railway cable theft, thanks to 

the use of SmartWater forensic 

markers. The four have been 

jailed for a total of 11 years 

due to tools found in their 

possession being marked by a 

forensic solution traceable to 

multiple Network Rail sites. 

Go-Ahead sees profits dip 

The Go-Ahead Group has 

reported its highest ever 

passenger levels across both 

rail and bus in 2011-12. The 

group’s revenue grew from 

£2.3bn in 2011 to £2.4bn, but 

operating profits fell slightly 

from £115m to £110m. Gains in 

the bus division were eaten up 

by rising premium payments 

for Southern. 

Government subsidy 

decreases 

The rail industry has received 

£3.9bn in public subsidy from 

the government in the last 

financial year, data published 

by the ORR has revealed. This 

is the fifth year in a row that 

government subsidy has 

decreased since it reached 

its height in 2006-7 when the 

rail industry received almost 

£6.31bn. 

GBRF expands Lafarge 

contract 

GB Railfreight has increased 

the amount of aggregate 

transported to Wellingborough 

from Mountsorrel for Lafarge, 

running up to five extra trains 

a week from the granite plant 

to a depot in Wellingborough. 

The move is part of a longterm 

deal that will see an 

increase in the amount of 

aggregate transported to 

Northamptonshire over the 

next few years. 

Signalling Solutions works 

on prototype 

Signalling Solutions, a joint 

venture between Alstom 

Transport and Balfour Beatty 

Rail, has been awarded a 

contract worth around £7m 

from Network Rail to deliver a 

prototype for the introduction 

of a new National Rail Traffic 

Management System. The 

delivery is scheduled for 2013. 

Page 4 OCTOBER 2012

News 

West Coast handover suspended 

after Virgin demands review 

by Alexandra Warren 

The start of the next West Coast 

franchise is to be delayed by the 

legal challenge Virgin Trains has launched 

against the Department of Transport, 

following its decision to award the West 

Coast Main Line franchise to FirstGroup. 

The government has admitted that 

the deal with FirstGroup to take over the 

West Coast line, which runs from London 

to Glasgow via Manchester, is unlikely to 

begin on 9 December due to the judicial 

review launched by Virgin. The start 

of the new franchise has been delayed 

indefinitely. 

Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin, 

has questioned the DfT’s decision to 

hand the franchise from Virgin Trains 

to FirstGroup, claiming that the rail 

franchise system is flawed. 

The Transport Select Committee has 

been examining the decision to award the 

contract to FirstGroup. 

Committee chair Louise Ellman MP 

said: ‘The government decision to award 

the West Coast rail franchise to First 

West Coast Ltd has raised a number 

of concerns. I want the Transport 

Committee to have the opportunity to 

explore these issues.’ 

While giving evidence to the Select 

Committee, Branson said that the 

government should not be opting for a 

franchise that was risky over one that had 

the passengers’ interests at heart. 

Branson also claimed that the DfT 

is wrong in claiming that Virgin’s bid is 

‘less deliverable’ than FirstGroup’s, saying 

that in order for FirstGroup to cover the 

franchise it will have to fill every seat 

or put up fares. ‘The Virgin bid is more 

deliverable and much more financially 

robust,’ he said. 

FirstGroup chief executive, Tim 

O’Toole, told the Select Committee 

hearing: ‘We do not have a cash flow 

problem.’ He also added that his bid 

assumes fares will increase only with the 

rate of inflation and there would be no 

job losses, at least in the first five years. 

Branson’s fears for FirstGroup’s 

failure are not unfounded – two previous 

operators on the East Coast line have 

gone bust – however O’Toole is confident 

in FirstGroup’s success. ‘I don’t think 

there is any chance of us handing back 

the keys,’ he said. 

An e-petition started by passenger 

Ross McKillop asking the government to 

reconsider the decision has collected over 

172,000 signatures, and celebrities such 

as Stephen Fry, Dermot O’Leary, Eddie 

Izzard and Joey Barton has pledged their 

support via Twitter. 

Branson has offered to run the service 

as a not-for-profit operation should the 

decision not have been reached by the 

handover date. 

It is more likely, however, that the 

government will temporarily nationalise 

the line through the state owned 

company Directly Operated Railways 

(DOR). DOR already operates the East 

Coast line. 

Southampton to get improved link to WCML 

by Alexandra Warren 

The EU has pledged £4m to improve freight access at the Port of Southampton, 

as part of a project to boost the European economy. The money will be used to 

upgrade links between the port and the West Coast Main Line to improve hinterland 

connections. The European Commission has pledged €200m overall to infrastructure 

projects throughout the European Union for 74 projects in 27 countries. More than 

€15m has been made available 

to projects in the UK with 

€4m to go to the Felixstowe 

to Nuneaton Freight Line and 

€1.3m to improve hinterland 

connections at Belfast Port. 

EU Commission vicepresident, 

Siim Kallas said: 

‘The European Commission 

continues to support the 

construction and upgrade 

of European transport 

infrastructure to ensure its 

citizens can reap the benefits 

of a complete, safe and 

modern network.’ 

Sign of the 

times? 

Cheerful staff can make all the 

difference to passengers’ journeys 

on a grey day – even better if they have 

a sense of humour. 

Public announcements on trains 

and buses are designed to keep people 

informed on what’s happening on the 

transport networks, but according 

to a recent survey, not everyone is 

happy with them. In fact, some find 

announcements downright irritating. 

The survey, carried out by The Writer, 

a language consultancy, found that 57 

per cent of people disliked announcers 

who do not exhibit sincerity or 

even the mildest empathy in their 

announcements. 

The responses to Boris Johnson’s 

‘Get ahead of the Games’ recordings, 

aired during the Olympics, ranged from 

amusement to mild hatred. 

The consultancy polled nearly 300 

people on the best and worst ways 

to communicate with a transport 

audience. Creative director Nick Parker 

says the survey was carried out to prove 

a link between reputation, profits and 

communication. 

‘We did the survey to prove our 

hunch that it’s not just irritating to 

customers – it’s costing train companies 

money,’ says Parker. ‘Which train 

company is finally going to change the 

language of its announcements to make 

its passengers happier?’ 

But respondents also picked out 

people who brightened up their 

days with funny and informative 

announcements. Recently, a whiteboard 

sign at Farringdon station, London, 

advised passengers to watch out for 

mice attacks. 

A spokeswoman for Transport for 

London said that the notice, which 

advised travellers to tuck their socks 

into their trousers to avoid being bitten, 

was not an ‘official TfL message’ and 

station staff had not been responsible 

for the board, which was wiped clean as 

soon as it came to attention. 

Other announcements that have 

brightened up people’s commute, 

according to the Evening Standard, 

include a spoof sign at South 

Kensington tube station, with 

the sarcastic message: ‘Aren’t you 

wonderful, taking little Hugo to the 

museums? WALK ON THE LEFT.’ 

Finally, one sign on a Gatwick Express 

train read: ‘For a more efficient service, 

please alight at the next stop where a 

team of heavily drugged sloths will drag 

you to your destination.’ 

OCTOBER 2012 Page 5

News 

Four apprentices with Keith Jipps, customer 

service director, Norman Baker MP and 

managing director Neal Lawson 

FCC launches new apprentice scheme 

by Peter Brown 

First capital connect chose speakers 

as diverse as transport minister 

Norman Baker Mp and former champion 

boxer Billy Schwer to talk to an invited 

audience at the launch of its first customer 

service apprenticeship scheme. 

Five apprentices had won their places 

on the scheme that had 266 applicants 

and was launched in meeting rooms at 

Moorgate, city of London, in August. 

The 12-month course will lead to an 

NVQ Level Two in customer service and 

business administration. 

Fcc managing director Neal Lawson 

explained his company had engaged with 

schools, colleges and job centres in areas 

on its network. 

He told the audience: ‘we pride 

ourselves in working with communities 

across our network. This is a new scheme 

in the training of customer services. It 

also includes participating in the Duke of 

Edinburgh Awards Scheme throughout 

the 12 months. 

‘There will be monitoring of the 

apprentices every three months. I believe 

in this scheme and that it will develop the 

hopes of these people.’ 

Transport minister Norman Baker 

Mp applauded the introduction of the 

apprenticeship scheme, saying that it 

was vitally needed in the modern railway 

industry. 

He said: ‘customer service is the key to 

growth of the railways. It is not just about 

putting money into tracks but a scheme 

which encourages people onto trains. And 

we want people on our trains! There are 

more people using the trains now than at 

any time since 1929. 

‘Rail traffic continues to grow year on 

year. people are choosing the train as a 

preference and not as a last resort. This is 

a growth industry and these apprentices 

are coming in at the right time. I think it’s 

going to be a great experience. Some 266 

people applied, so I hope that Fcc will 

expand the scheme.’ 

Now an international speaker and 

performance coach, Billy Schwer was 

former National Schoolboy boxing 

champion in 1982 and 1983 before 

turning professional in 1990. Between 

then and 2001 he became IBO Light 

welterweight champion; European Light 

Heavyweight champion, commonwealth 

Light Heavyweight champion and British 

Lightweight champion. 

The title of his talk, aimed principally 

at the apprentices, was Box clever. He 

spoke of his many disappointments at 

losing vital fights but told of his strengths 

to get to the top of his profession. He 

illustrated this in seven parts. The first was 

‘win or lose, you choose’ which dealt with 

choosing a new way of life, number two 

was ‘knock out fear, then ‘Fight for what 

you want’. 

Number four was ‘You are only as 

good as your next fight’, five was all about 

looking for a new approach and titled ‘Jab 

and move’, six was ‘Take it on the chin’ and 

seven was ‘Box clever’. 

Another former boxer – Mickey 

cantwell – was at the presentation, 

sitting with the apprentices. The winning 

candidates are craig Evans-Bird, from 

Enfield, north London; Stacey Hawes, 

from Stevenage, Hertfordshire; Daniel 

Salemo, from Letchworth, Hertfordshire; 

Terrell kilpatrick, from Huntingdon, 

cambridgeshire; and Shaun Lennon from 

Bedford. 

Second phase of Samaritans rail suicides campaign begins 

The second phase of a campaign to reduce suicides on the 

GB rail network by 20 per cent over five years has just been 

launched by a Samaritans/Network Rail partnership. 

key to the partnership strategy is a nationwide public 

awareness campaign: we’re In Your corner is designed to help 

people working in suicide prevention to understand more about 

working class men in their 30s, 40s and 50s deemed at greatest 

risk, and to reach out to them. 

when the first phase of the we’re in Your corner national 

advertising campaign launched two years ago, the boxer image 

was displayed at railway locations countrywide to increase 

public awareness of Samaritans’ support services for people 

struggling to cope. 

The challenge with this year’s campaign was to find an image 

or images similarly recognisable to – and respected among – the 

target male audience. For the campaign to work, it was vital for 

this target group to identify with the images. 

Feedback from the railway industry influenced a decision to 

produce three male images of differing ages, to reach a variety of 

male audiences. 

In-depth research by the Samaritans also sought to 

understand the target group of men and discern the challenges 

in developing a campaign to reach them. 

It identified that most men think talking about their 

problems feels like admitting defeat – that they can’t solve them 

on their own – and that as men get older, they can get ground 

down and their ‘fire’ goes out, replacing their internal rage with 

a depressive belief that life won’t improve. 

Typical comments from the research included: ‘Talking’s good 

if you know how to do it and if you don’t know how to do it, it’s 

hard’, and: ‘we’ve never 

been a talking family… 

talking’s not a big thing. 

I don’t think we’ve ever 

done it… there’s a block 

there somewhere… you 

just hold it in the back 

of your mind somewhere 

and it sort of goes way. 

I didn’t talk about the 

divorce – it’s always seen 

as a sign of weakness isn’t 

it?’ 

To help shape the 

campaign, a series of 

one-to-one in-depth 

interviews, conducted 

with men from the target 

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In partnership with 

audience to test a series 

of new close-up images, 

strongly identified that being able to see into the eyes of the 

images was a way of connecting with them. 

The findings highlighted the need to portray the ‘ordinary 

man’ who seemed to be tough but ‘holding it together’ and 

getting on with life – most importantly they must not appear 

beaten, or as an object of pity. 

Three different images that tested positively – a boxing 

trainer, a soldier and a workman – will be appearing on 

campaign posters at Network Rail locations and across the 

country. 

Whatever you’ve done. 

Whatever life’s done to you. 

Call Samaritans. 

No pressure. 

No judgement. 

We’re here for you. 

 

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Page 8 OCTOBER 2012

Letters 

Readers air their views about the railway industry and Rail Professional 

Trainofthought 

Please email your letters to: letters@railpro.co.uk or fax to: 01223 327356. Or post to The Editor, 

Rail Professional, 275 Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8JE. Letters may be edited for length. 

David Fowler / Shutterstock.com 

Labour to re-nationalise? 

Heard it all before! 

Further to your editorial 

(August 2012 issue), 

I well remember the 

Labour manifesto when 

Tony Blair promised that if 

Labour got into power, they 

would reverse the Tories’ 

privatisation of the railways 

– but of course they didn’t, 

they just made it worse, so I 

will have no confidence that 

they would do so this time 

round! 

I am sure that they are just 

picking on this as something 

to put forward to win some 

votes as the present system 

is patently not working to 

the customer’s advantage, on 

passenger or freight. 

Ron Smith, 

Keith, Scotland 

McNulty ignored some of the 

main costs 

Your editorial 

about McNulty not 

having a similar 

European system to compare 

with is very true (August 

2012 issue). His report is all 

about the reduction of costs, 

but he makes no mention of 

reducing/doing away with 

all the lawyers/accountants/ 

consultants that our system 

is dogged with – only because 

of the way it has been set up. 

What would the effect 

be if Tocs and Network Rail 

took all these ‘in-house’? 

They would become salaried 

staff and, while it would 

probably increase their 

numbers, it would vastly 

reduce all the fees that they 

extract now. 

When I worked for 

BR, we had our own legal 

department/accountants 

and the operational research 

acted as the consulting arm. 

BR also set up Transmark, 

which did consulting 

both nationally and 

internationally. 

The other comments 

concern the ORR idea to raise 

freight prices in certain areas. 

As the FTA says – it’s totally 

unacceptable when freight 

traffic is steadily increasing. 

Regarding Anand Medepalli’s 

article (August 2012 issue), 

while the actions he proposes 

are perfectly valid, I think 

that if every company went 

to Network Rail and asked 

for paths ‘that they think 

they will need’ they would be 

asked to produce the contract 

before the pathway was 

granted. 

Anand’s proposition is all 

very well in a perfect world, 

but I see obstacles in the 

system we have today. 

John Edser FCILT 

Alsager 

Cheshire 

Government policy is what 

drives fares 

Your last editorial was 

categorically wrong 

to claim that ‘Britain 

now has the most expensive 

rail fares in Europe... because 

private companies hive off 

the profits for shareholders’ 

(August 2012 issue). 

The two key drivers of 

fare levels are the cost of 

running the railway and the 

government’s fares policy, not 

train company profits. 

Sir Roy McNulty’s Value 

for Money study said that GB 

rail was more expensive to 

run than European railways 

and challenged the sector to 

be up to 30 per cent more 

efficient by 2019. 

While it is important to 

recognise that unit costs have 

steadily declined since their 

peak a decade ago, and that 

McNulty showed that GB 

train companies’ unit costs 

compare favourably with 

their European counterparts, 

we are committed to 

working with Network Rail 

in continuing to improve 

efficiency delivering savings 

of at least £2.5bn by 2019. 

Efficiency gains on this 

scale allow the government 

to achieve its ambition of 

ending the era of aboveinflation 

fare increases, a 

decision only it can take. 

Train companies operate 

within a fares policy whereby 

successive governments 

have sought to reduce the 

contribution from taxpayers 

towards rail costs and 

increase the share paid for 

by passengers, with the 

aim of shifting the ratio of 

government subsidy to fares 

revenue from around 50:50 

to 25:75. 

The annual, above 

inflation average increase 

for regulated fares is the 

most explicit example of this 

policy but it is also a key part 

of the framework within 

which all fares are set. 

Train companies make 

profits of around three per 

cent of turnover on average, 

which is low by any standards 

and far outweighed by the 

benefits passengers and 

taxpayers gain from the 

private sector running rail 

services, including growing 

revenue that helps to pay for 

an increasingly large share 

of a public service when the 

government is seeking to cut 

its spending. 

Train companies recognise 

there is still much to do, in 

particular delivering more for 

passengers more efficiently. 

However, inaccurately 

claiming that fares are 

uniquely high because of 

industry profits prevents a 

mature debate which helps 

neither passengers, taxpayers 

nor the country. 

Michael Roberts 

Chief executive 

Association of Train Operating 

Companies 

OCTOBER 2012 Page 9

Rail Professional interview: Howard Smith

When I signed up at 

Waterloo general offices in 

1986, I thought I’d see life, but 

not quite as I have! 

London Rail CEO Howard Smith breathes a sigh of 

relief as London Overground and DLR get through 

the Olympics without incident. He tells Katie Silvester 

about the planning behind the Games 

Faced with a choice between teaching 

geography and economics or joining the 

railway after university, a young Howard 

Smith chose the latter. ‘After a year’s 

training, you were then left in charge of about 

100 people,’ he says. ‘In the south of England, you 

generally became a station manager, being left in 

charge of eight stations. That was back in the days 

when you went out on the track, wound points and 

dealt with people who had put an end to themselves. 

It was quite a lot of responsibility. It was a bit 

amateurish and almost scary in retrospect!’ 

These days, Smith’s portfolio includes London 

Overground, DLR and Croydon’s trams. He has an 

office in London Underground’s iconic headquarters 

at 55 Broadway, London over St James’ Park 

Tube station. His father, a schedule compiler for 

London Buses, had an office in the same building 

– constructed in the 1920s to house the London 

Electric Railways Company of London – just after 

the war. 

I met Smith junior there between the Olympics 

and the Paralympics. The Olympics went better than 

expected he says, sounding genuinely chuffed. 

‘We all hoped that it would go well, but I think 

we expected to have to spend more time than we did 

having to intervene, rectifying in order for things 

to run smoothly, and mitigating issues that arose. It 

hasn’t been a completely smooth ride, but perhaps 

the surprise has been that we’ve achieved what we 

have largely by avoiding incidents happening in the 

first place.’ 

DLR moved twice as many people in the 

Olympics as it did in the same period last year 

– around 500,000 each business day. London 

Overground carried about half as many people again 

as it does normally. In spite of the drastic increase 

in numbers, DLR increased its punctuality from 

the usual 98 per cent to 99 per cent PPM and the 

Overground went from around 96 to 98 per cent. 

‘Looking at what went so well, passenger delays 

went down. That’s not as daft as it sounds, because 

there was a lot of crowd control and there were extra 

trains. We saw much smoother flows than we do 

normally because people had really thought about 

how they would do their journey. We did stick to 

the timetable – the train plan matched very closely 

what we were able to do. There was good execution 

and then the remaining factor was luck. If it had 

been exceptionally hot or exceptionally rainy, that 

wouldn’t have helped, or if a bus had driven into a 

sub-station, or something. It was a bit like people of 

my parents’ generation saying about how everyone 

pulled together in the war. The bigger the problem, 

the more people stop focusing on every day niggles 

and just get on with it.’ 

Another factor was that all works were halted 

during the Olympics, a state of play, which, Smith 

admits, could hardly be maintained in the long term. 

He likes the mantra ‘great railways do everything 

right’, which was coined by a benchmarking group at 

Imperial College. 

‘I’m not making us out to be a great railway, but 

great railways do do everything right. The weakest 

OCTOBER 2012 Page 11

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PAGE 12 OCTOBER 2012

Interview 

www.railimages.co.uk 

link will always drag you down – so if you get eight 

out of 10 things right, the other two will still drag 

you down.’ 

Planning transport for the Games took seven 

years, says Smith. London Rail undertook a £3bn 

investment programme in preparation. The case 

for the East London Line project was helped by the 

Olympics, while other work would not have gone 

ahead were it not for the Games, such as the building 

of Stratford International station and the North 

London Line upgrade. A third of the North London 

Line project was paid for by the Olympic Delivery 

Authority (ODA). 

‘I was out in Beijing four years ago and at that 

point we already knew what questions we wanted 

to ask,’ says Smith. ‘I was speaking to colleagues 

at Locog [London Organising Committee of the 

Olympic and Paralympic Games] and the ODA and 

they were saying that what we can do for Rio is pass 

on more information than has ever been done before 

about how the Games were organised. 

‘Sydney, to some extent, was the last Anglo Saxon 

Games and that was completely different to Beijing. 

In Beijing they decided three weeks before that 

they were going to inspect everybody’s bags going 

into the underground stations and they did it! They 

were probably able to fit x-ray machines together in 

a factory around the corner in a few days, they had 

500,000 People’s Liberation Army personnel to do 

the inspections and people queued up outside the 

station and volunteered their bags. We just looked 

at each other and thought, well that’s not going to 

happen here! Sydney did a lot of advanced planning 

and we did learn something from that.’ 

The 7/7 Tube bombings happened just a day 

after the announcement that London had won the 

Olympics in July 2005. Did that make a difference to 

how the planning for the Games was approached? 

‘We had some American consultants over who’d 

just arrived before 7/7 and they were surprised how 

little difference it made,’ says Smith. ‘To some extent, 

Londoners have always lived with security issues 

because we had the IRA. It’s not like 9/11 where 

America had this total impregnability followed by 

thinking “Oh my goodness, this can happen in the 

middle of town”.’ 

Growth on London Overground has been 

phenomenal, he says, since the brand was launched 

five years ago. Before that, the lines were mostly 

run by separate operators and often were not that 

well used. Now ridership has increased by several 

times over. ‘The growth has been phenomenal – the 

increase in customer satisfaction has been dramatic. 

The problem now is that expectations are so high!’ 

PPM is running at around 96, making London 

Overground one of the most punctual services 

in the country. ‘Now we’re looking at dealing 

with increasing capacity because of the growth in 

ridership. The trains that run through from Clapham 

up to Highbury are starting to run more frequently 

– the mayor wants it to move to five car. On the East 

London Line, we’ve also been increasing seats. And 

the people keep coming, which is a nice problem to 

have. 

‘Londoners are just so much more aware of 

London Overgound now. The Games helped with 

this, as people were looking for alternative routes 

and you could see passengers on platforms looking 

at the maps and trying to work out where it could 

take them. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a two 

to three per cent permanent increase from people 

who’ve now discovered it and didn’t know about 

it before. The North London Line used to be the 

best kept secret – part of the increase has come 

from putting it on TfL maps. The Olympics made 

people realise there were these beautiful new air 

conditioned trains they hadn’t discovered before!’ 

Smith is also responsible for the cable car that 

crosses the Thames carrying people from the 

Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks. Opened in 

June of this year, it’s known as the Emirates Air Line, 

as it was sponsored by Emirates airline. It was well 

used during the Games and became popular with 

celebrity visitors. 

‘Everybody thought it was fraught with risks 

in terms of the Olympics, but it’s been stunningly 

successful. On Saturday, we moved 31,000 

people – the highest ever in a single day. Arnold 

Schwartzenegger and Boris Johnson needed 

escorting from the basketball at North Greenwich 

across to the Closing Ceremony. Huge screaming 

crowds gathered to watch them cross and ITN had a 

camera crew. When I signed up at Waterloo general 

offices for, sort of, £8 a week or something in 1986, 

I thought I’d see life, but not quite as I have!’ he 

laughs. 

With the Paralympics still to come at the time of 

our interview, the DLR’s big moment was perhaps 

still to come. It had a key role in the Paralympics 

because the service is fully accessible. In terms of 

Curriculum vitae 

1964 Born in Hampton Court, west London 

1986 BSc from the London School of Economics 

1986 British Rail graduate trainee 

1987 Manager of Balham station in London 

1992 Strategic Studies manager for Railfreight 

Distribution, British Rail 

1997 Managing director of Allied Continental 

Intermodal Services, an EWS/SNCF/ 

Intercontainer joint venture 

1998 Planning and development director, 

Docklands Light Railway 

2000 Director of Docklands Light Railway 

2004 Chief operating officer, TfL London Rail 


Interview 


planning, the Olympic schedules were planned 

meticulously. 

‘We actually ran the Olympic timetable for days 

on end before the Games, so we knew everything 

worked and we knew that with record numbers of 

trains out on the system, we weren’t going to come 

up against software or power problems. In theory, 

you can do all this from a text book but it helps to 

try it in practice.’ 

Like London Overground, the DLR has seen 

huge growth in passenger numbers. It is predicted 

to carry about 100 million passengers this year, up 

from around 30 million a year when Smith first took 

responsibility for it in 1998. 

When Crossrail is finished in 2017/18, he will 

take charge of finding an operator for it – it will 

be run as a concession under a similar arrangement 

to London Overground. For now, he oversees the 

funding of it. His final area of responsibility is 

Croydon Tramlink. 

‘Last year we moved into the sunny uplands of 

expanding,’ he says of Tramlink. ‘We now move 

nearly 30 million passengers. Compared to any Toc, 

it’s phenomenal how intensively the kit on every 

tram is used. Two have to be out of service every day.’ 

New trams have just been provided by Stadler, which 

were originally built for use in Bergen but were 

quickly rebranded for Croydon when the trams were 

required at short notice. Tramlink had been hoping 

to get unused trams from the stalled Edinburgh 

Tram project, but the trams didn’t materialise. 

‘Croydon Council chipped in £3m for the new 

trams, which for a cash strapped local authority is a 

bit of a commitment, but they see the trams as being 

an iconic part of Croydon.’ 

When Croydon’s centre was set on fire during last 

year’s riots, causing damage to tram infrastructure, 

everyone rallied around to get the repairs done as 

quickly as possible – it was back to normal in three 

days. 

‘When the Reeves store burnt down there were 

staff that night giving people lifts home in their new 

cars,’ says Smith of the community spirit that the 

trams inspire. 

Looking to the future, TfL has been working 

with London mayor Boris Johnson to bring more of 

London’s railways under TfL’s control. If approved, 

the plans would see the London-based sections of 

franchises hived off, with local services and stations 

run as a concession on TfL’s behalf. 

‘We believe Overground has been a success. In 

London – this is not a prescription for the rest of the 

country – but in the capital, journeys are integrated. 

TfL sets the fares and the market’s definitely a 

commuting market that is largely driven by central 

London employment. There’s a huge case for 

integration with other types of transport, so in those 

circumstances the party best placed to specify the 

railway – not to run it – is TfL. 

‘You have to decide what’s in London and what 

we can add most to. With some services they divide 

into inner and outer commuters, some don’t. For 

example, C2C is working well – it meets its targets, 

why would you change that, other than a power 

grab? Chiltern has a long franchise, so it’s not going 

to be available. Tocs you could look at, then, are 

West Anglia and Southeastern’s inners. The mayor’s 

been saying we should transfer those to the model 

used for Overground. So separate them out from 

the wider Tocs, transfer the subsidy that those parts 

of the network get to TfL and allow TfL to specify 

them with performance at their heart rather then 

running them for spin-the-bottle revenue risk.’ 

What would happen if the plans went head is 

that in the case of the West Anglia franchise, for 

example, longer distance trains running through to 

Liverpool Street would still be run by the franchisee, 

with the final through stations now managed by TfL. 

Suburban services from the outskirts of London into 

the centre would no longer be part of the franchise, 

but would be let as part of the new concession. 

‘It would involve about 80 stations,’ he explains. 

‘Network Rail would continue to run the tracks, 

ORR would specify it, exactly the same as the 

North London Line’. The plans are currently being 

considered by the government, with a response 

expected in the autumn. Some transport groups are 

less keen on bidding for TfL concessions than they 

are on tendering for DfT specified franchises. The 

difference between the two is that the franchises are 

far more risk based, with the opportunity for greater 

rewards for the franchisee, but also the possibility 

of disaster if the bid has over-estimated future 

demand. In TfL-specified concessions, the operator is 

simply paid to run the trains on time. Both are quite 

complicated arrangements in practice, of course, but 

that is the difference in a nutshell. Tramlink, DLR 

and London Overground are all run as concessions. 

‘We’ve got no philosophical view about the rest 

of the country,’ Smith clarifies. ‘It’s not having a 

pop at train operators. What we’re saying is that 

they respond to the incentives they have under the 

contract, and what they have under the contract 

for suburban services leads them to do what they 

do – provide a pretty basic service and invest as 

much as they can within a seven-year horizon, bid 

the maximum amount of revenue they can, then 

frantically look at the FT to see if it’s doing as well as 

it should.’ 

If you are the managing director of a DfT Toc, 

Smith quips, you get up and read the Financial Times 

to see where central London employment’s going. 

If you’re the MD of one of Transport for London’s 

concessions, you wake up in the morning and look at 

your pager to see if your trains are running on time. 

With that, I am ushered out of Howard Smith’s 

office by a TfL press officer, as Smith hurries off to 

another meeting. But I do manage to have a quick 

look at the roof terrace on this unique building – the 

hub of operations for London’s public transport for 

almost 100 years. 

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Opinion 

In the passenger seat 

SMART(ER) 

TICKETS? 

Is the move towards smartcard ticketing being driven by the industry or by passengers’ needs? 

Anthony Smith looks at what passengers want from more sophisticated tickets 

I 

recently made the journey from Tooting to North Berwick 

and back in a day. Was my recent journey cruelly hampered 

by the lack of one smart ticket to take me on the train, 

train, plane, coach and train journey and back? No, it was all 

facilitated by one very smart card – my credit card - with four 

bits of paper produced as evidence of what I had paid for. 

No problems with information either – it was very easy to 

find out about all the steps. 

So what is it that passengers really 

want with smarter ticketing? Is there a 

danger of products looking for markets 

setting the debate rather than really 

basing the future around passenger 

needs? 

The Department for Transport has 

asked us to do a large-scale piece of 

research about passengers and smarter 

ticketing. The first part of this will 

be published this autumn, looking at 

the South Eastern Fares and Ticketing 

project. 

We will soon start looking at 

current smart ticketing schemes, 

evaluating them from the passenger 

perspective and putting forward 

what passengers might want from 

future schemes. One emerging theme 

is the continued desire among some 

passengers to compartmentalise their 

transport spend and the reluctance to 

get out and wave around bank cards or 

mobile phones in stations. 

The passenger experience with 

Oyster has set the benchmark. As a 

system it has a number of features: 

• Trust: passengers are sheltered by 

the knowledge of what they have loaded on, the overall cap 

and, as long as you touch in and out, a reliable back office 

system. Disputes, and who is responsible for them, are 

sorted out; 

• Simplicity: fares are relatively clear and the back office 

complexity hidden from passengers; and 

• Business case: the reduction in the cost of retailing had made 

the huge investment in Oyster worth it. 

A vast number of rail journeys are now made using 

Oyster pay-as-you-go and the rate of revenue increase is still 

impressive. So, what next? Some train companies would like 

Oyster-like products to spread further out. While London and 

the south east has unique travel patterns, the features of Oyster 

could be spread to other major urban areas. The Department for 

Transport has been pushing for ITSO implementation for some 

time. 

The government’s recent fares and ticketing consultation 

represents the latest attempt to clear up some of the broader 

problems with rail ticketing. But with yield management, 

regulated fares, 2,500-plus stations and increasing devolution, 

replicating Oyster simplicity is never 

going to be easy. 

Information must play a key role 

in this – if you could ‘read’ your ticket 

in a more intelligent way, many of the 

‘see restrictions’, ‘HS1 only’ and ‘any 

valid route’ type problems go away. 

The complexity of the rail fares system, 

currently dumped on passengers to 

navigate, must be masked. The crucial 

element of overall trust, lacking at the 

moment, could then be built into the 

system. 

So will these new tickets be loaded 

on to smartcards, mobile phone or 

paper tickets? It will probably be a 

combination of all of these as the 

future retailing landscape looks 

increasing diverse. Or is something 

more radical about to happen? 

Everyone is looking for a universally 

accepted, trusted and value for money 

retailing system that can cope with 

vast numbers of relatively small 

transactions. Only debit and credit card 

and telephone billing systems fit the 

bill. 

Could the future be the increased 

use of bank cards – trusted, accepted and 

used worldwide with a back office system already built? Could 

an urban travelcard be loaded onto a bank card, which then acts 

as the Oyster, Mango Swift or whatever? 

Or it may be that the future is based around zonal pre-paid 

smartcards for urban intermodal travel – again, these could 

be loaded onto bank cards or Oyster style travel cards. Other 

rail tickets? They could be put on either, as long as they can 

be easily read. Maybe the desire to travel around the country 

on one card is already a reality and we just don’t know it? The 

important thing, which will decide whether the innovation 

lives or dies, is that it is designed with the needs of the 

passenger as the starting point. 

Anthony Smith is the chief executive of Passenger Focus. 


Europe 

Burnard Kunz, managing director of Hupac 

Cross-border co-operation 

Ron Smith meets the head of a Swiss freight operator, which is part private and 

part public owned, to find out why rail liberation is important for freight operators 

in all business models 

Hupac (from the German word 

Huckepack, meaning ‘piggyback’) 

was formed in 1967 in Chiasso, on 

the Swiss/Italian border. Its shareholders 

are 72 per cent private transport 

companies, and 28 per cent Swiss national 

railways. Hupac is concerned solely with 

transporting intermodal freight, and has 

the most energy efficient, effective and 

busy terminals in Europe at Busto Arsizio, 

Italy. 

Its volumes transported show a 

continual growth, taking out fluctuations 

caused by economic crises, with its 

traditional routes being from the North 

Sea ports to Italy, including rolling road 

from Germany to Italy. Increasingly, it is 

moving more traffic east to west, including 

founding a Russian subsidiary Intermodal 

Express LLC in Moscow in July 2011. 

Hupac believes strongly in a liberated 

railway market. 

RP: You have recently expressed your 

views on the state of the open market for 

rail. What do you see as the problem? 

Burnard Kunz, managing director of 

Hupac (BK): The European Commission 

has set itself some ambitious goals in the 

2010 White Paper – 30 per cent of long 

distance traffic should be handled by rail 

by 2030, with a target of 50 per cent by 

2050. Yet the railway system enters the 

race with considerable handicaps. In many 

cases, national and geopolitical interests 

dominate the state owned railways. 

As a result, while the EU calls for the 

creation of a European rail market, certain 

railways are delaying the implementation 

of liberalisation, harmonisation and 

interoperability; in fact they are raising 

the barriers even higher. The only winner 

in this game is the road – all of us are the 

losers. 

RP: What do you suggest? 

BK: Europe needs an open, efficient 

market for rail freight transport if it is 

to achieve its transport policy objectives. 

Hupac aims to stimulate the future of the 

railways with a 10-point plan and a call of 

‘Just do it’. 

RP: Liberalisation so far has not produced 

many new entrants into the rail freight 

market – why do you think this is? 

BK: There was plenty of optimism when 

the liberalisation process began more 

than a decade ago. Many new railway 

undertakings (RUs) entered the freight 

market and on the axes where competition 

worked, the market flourished. The 

number of private RUs still in existence 

today is more sobering. The young 

companies suffered greatly from the 2008 

crisis, which led to much consolidation in 

the market. Forced to rely on the private 

capital market for money, the RUs faced 

liquidity problems during the crisis and 

were no longer supported by the banks. 

Such problems are unfamiliar to the 

state-owned rail freight companies, which 

survive despite large deficits on their 

balance sheets. 

RP: There has also been a consolidation 

of the market where, for instance, 

Deutsche Bahn has bought up some of the 

independent operators – where do you see 

the market going? 

BK: Rail freight is a capital-intensive 

business. A number of new railway 

undertakings had to give up. We strongly 

believe in the benefits of an open rail 

market, such as we have experienced it on 

the north-south axis via Switzerland in the 

last decade. Keeping the market open was 

our main goal when we recently entered as 


Europe 

shareholders into the newly founded SBB 

Cargo International. Our strategy is to 

co-operate with a large number of strong 

railway partners. The focus lies on quality 

and productivity in order to compete with 

road transportation. 

RP: How do you see the competition with 

road developing? 

BK: Most experts agree that the volume 

of freight within Europe will increase 

substantially in the next 20 years. So ways 

and means must be found to handle this 

volume as efficiently and ecologically as 

possible. 

Rail and road, which together account 

for approximately 90 per cent of the 

transported freight volume, have been 

in unequal competition for years. There 

are considerable differences between 

the two modes of transport in terms of 

their competitiveness. The formation of 

the EU brought a number of substantial 

advantages for the road. In contrast, 

liberalisation of the railways began much 

later and is still in its infancy in many areas 

today. Whereas a truck licensed in Sweden 

or Italy can travel freely throughout 

Europe, the system of rail transport is tied 

to a rigid and complex transport network. 

Every locomotive must be individually 

licensed for each country, because Europe’s 

railways face dozens of different signalling 

and safety systems, licensing regulations, 

voltages and operating regulations. In 

contrast, the technical regulations within 

Europe for road vehicles differ only in 

terms of detail. The costs of licensing are 

also miles apart. European rail freight 

transport thus urgently needs harmonised 

operating systems. 

RP: One of the areas of harmonisation 

under way is the adoption of European 

Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) 

across Europe. Do you think this will solve 

some of the interoperability problems? 

BK: Of course it will. The question is 

whether the railways are willing to invest 

and adopt the new standard in due time. 

RP: Hupac has traditionally operated 

from north to south. Recently you have 

opened a branch in Moscow and have sent 

trial containers by land to Shanghai, in 

November 2010. What do you see as the 

areas for future expansion for Hupac? 

BK: The north-south axis is the main 

intermodal transport axis in Europe and it 

will remain so in future. There is still a lot 

of traffic that can be converted on rail, of 

course, depending on the political will to 

promote modal shift and to invest in rail 

infrastructures. 

In recent times, transport volumes 

have grown remarkably on the east-west 

axis. In order to serve our customers, we 

have developed transport services from 

Benelux/Germany to Poland and Russia, 

to Austria, Hungary and Romania, as 

well as to Spain. The developing of Far 

East services is quite a big challenge. We 

operate together with local partners. Our 

recent test transportations to China and 

South Korea were successful. We expect an 

increasing demand for the land bridge to 

the Pacific area in the coming years. 

RP: A growing flow of rail freight traffic is 

on EU corridor 10, through Slovenia and 

the Balkans, leading to Greece and Turkey. 

Does Hupac have any plans to develop 

traffic on this axis? 

BK: We are looking with interest at this 

corridor, even if at present we do not offer 

transport services in this area. 

RP: There are many bottlenecks in the 

network, for example, in Germany to 

connect with the Scandinavian flows, and 

also to connect with the new Gotthard 

tunnel when it opens, and in Italy, Do 

you think that there is enough ‘joined 

up thinking’ by the national railway 

authorities to look beyond their frontiers? 

BK: The various national strategies 

and priorities hinder the overcoming 

of the existing technical barriers. As a 

consequence, international transport 

corridors with harmonised parameters 

are still waiting to become reality. This 

has negative consequences on efficiency, 

quality and competitiveness of rail 

transport. 

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Opinion 

Delivering the goods 

TUNNEL 

VISION 

An increase of Channel Tunnel traffic between the UK and Poland is great 

news, says Chris McRae, but the tunnel is still under used 

In August, the FTA welcomed the news that DB Schenker 

Rail is expanding its freight service between Poland and 

the UK, on the London to Wroclaw corridor. This is good 

news for cross-channel rail freight, which has yet to live up to 

its potential. 

According to the announcement, DB Schenker Rail will run 

an additional weekly train from 9 October ‘to help satisfy the 

demand for transport services on this trade corridor’. This is 

in addition to the current service of one freight train between 

Wroclaw and London, which has been running since November 

2011. From October, the trains, used by customers from the 

automotive, retail and food industries, will be leaving London 

for Poland on Tuesday and Fridays, with departures in the 

other direction on Tuesdays and Saturdays. According to DB 

Schenker, the new service will help to save around 3,700 truck 

journeys more than 135,000 kms on the roads. 

Despite this positive development of a growing service, real 

challenges remain for cross-channel rail freight. Compared to 

what was initially forecast for the Channel Tunnel, usage is low 

and there is no doubt that the asylum seeker crisis of stowaway 

illegal migrants on freight trains did severe economic damage. 

However, a far more severe impediment would appear to be the 

current cost, which is more than seven times the cost of using 

Network Rail infrastructure, and even more than three times 

the cost of using HS1. 

The issue of charging for freight train use of the Channel 

Tunnel is a matter of concern to the FTA. Because the Channel 

Tunnel predates EC Directive 2001/14 on Access Charging, 

it is not clear whether this applies. The directive specifies 

that freight traffic will pay the marginal cost of track damage 

directly imposed and also potentially a mark up that the 

market can bear. It is upon this basis that Network Rail 

charges for access to Britain’s rail network. It remains to be 

tested how pre EC/2001/14 arrangements such as the Channel 

Tunnel are affected. It is overseen by the Intergovernmental 

Commission (IGC), with the Office of Rail Regulation as the 

UK representative. However, as France has only comparatively 

recently been establishing an independent economic regulator 

of its railways along the lines of Britain’s ORR, the role of the 

IGC has hitherto been that solely of a safety regulator rather 

than that of a combined safety and economic regulator such 

as the ORR. 

Aside from all of this theorising, the difference with 

the charging model for lorry shuttles using the Tunnel is 

stark. Shuttle prices are much lower and effectively set by 

competition and over-capacity in the ferry market. Arguably 

the market cannot bear the freight train charges as evidenced 

by the low volume of trains against forecast. 

There are also other developments with cross-channel rail 

freight. Eurotunnel’s takeover of the freight train operator GB 

Railfreight heralds ambitions to provide direct competition 

to existing service providers. Additionally, given the UK’s 

traditionally restrictive loading gauge, the development of 

services carrying road lorry trailers piggy-back style up HS1 

to Barking is welcome. Sadly, even the Government’s £200m 

investment in loading gauge clearance of Britain’s existing rail 

network for 9-foot 6-inch deep sea and domestic intermodal 

freight containers won’t see piggyback services extended north 

of London. 

Lastly, Network Rail is leading a project considering the 

designation of a route into/out of the UK as an international 

rail freight corridor under EC Regulation 913/2010. It is seeking 

feedback from industry to ensure that the final proposal reflects 

logistics’ needs. The key potential advantages of designating 

a route could include simplified pathing arrangements and 

improvements to co-ordination of infrastructure management 

(such as engineering works). This might improve reliability and 

service in the network in France, which has been a problem 

for some freight operations in the past. Network Rail is 

establishing a stakeholder group that includes the FTA. The 

ORR is currently consulting on this. 

So there remains tremendous opportunity for cross-channel 

rail freight, not least of all because of the EU white paper on 

transport’s challenging targets on modal shift for road to rail on 

journeys over 300km. Yet the charging regime for freight using 

the Channel Tunnel remains one of the key challenges. 

Chris MacRae is the rail freight policy manager at the Freight 

Transport Association. 


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Opinion 

Being proactive 

about plastic 

David Naylor discusses the advantages of using plastic pipework systems 

in the bulk refuelling market 

Northern Rail - Allerton Depot 

Refuelling trains is a major logistical 

exercise for railway stations, so 

operators are always looking at 

ways to improve speed and efficiency to 

reduce train downtime. 

To ensure that unnecessary technical 

faults do not cause time wasting and 

delays in transportation, it is essential 

that reliable and durable systems are 

in place to successfully refuel vehicles. 

The pipework that carries the fuel is an 

integral part of the system and within 

the bulk refuelling market, stainless steel 

pipe-in-pipe systems have traditionally 

been specified by contractors for 

conveying fuel. However, these systems 

do not always provide a cost effective 

pipework solution. In an economy 

where budgets are increasingly tight, 

contractors should be looking to ensure 

that every penny of their budget is being 

spent on the best performing and most 

cost effective products that will provide 

benefits across the lifetime of the system. 

When dealing with the transportation 

of fuel, and particularly in large volumes, 

secondary contained pipe systems are 

becoming compulsory for many pipework 

applications and are the specified 

solution for fuel conveyance, due to the 

potential safety hazards caused if fuel 

was to leak into the atmosphere. But not 

all secondary contained pipe systems 

are the same and they all offer different 

performance and installation capabilities. 

A consistent flow rate of fuel is 

essential to keep the bulk refuelling 

process in operation and to avoid costly 

delays. As the fuels for trains can vary 

in composite and blend, clogging and 

corrosion, which can occur with steel 

pipe systems, are issues that contractors 

need to consider in relation to flow 

rates. Clogging and corrosion have the 

potential to reduce fuel flow rates, stop it 

altogether or potentially contaminate the 

fuel it is carrying. These issues highlight 

just how important it is that careful 

consideration is given to the type of 

pipework system that is specified for bulk 

train refuelling. 

High performance capabilities over 

a long period are essential for vital 

operations within the rail sector, due to 

the volume of fuel being transported on a 

regular basis. Although stainless steel has 

been widely used in many applications, its 

lifespan is questionable when conveying 

aggressive liquids such as fuel. This 

provides concerns for bulk rail refuelling 

– contractors need to be aware that with 

an estimated fuel-carrying lifespan of 

just over five years, steel is a solution 

that cannot guarantee performance 

capabilities over a long period of time, 

and would need frequent maintenance 

and replacement work to ensure it is 

continuing to perform to the required 

standards. 


Opinion 

In some stainless steel pipework 

systems, the build up of particles in the 

inner bore can contaminate the fuel it is 

carrying which has potentially hazardous 

consequences for the trains. For instance, 

contaminated fuel can result in damage 

to the train’s engine and in certain cases 

can result in the fuel tank needing to be 

repaired or replaced incurring additional 

costs to the running of trains. Rigorous 

and frequent quality control checks on 

pipework systems are necessary to ensure 

maximum performance. 

In terms of the installation process, 

this can be lengthy with traditional 

metal systems such as stainless steel. 

Whether these systems run above 

or below ground, it requires skilled 

installers to fit the pipework. In the case 

of installing underground pipework 

systems, hot works permits are needed 

and extra wrapping has to be added to 

the outside of these pipes, which can 

result in an extremely complicated and 

time-consuming installation process. It 

is difficult to understand, therefore, why 

innovative materials, such as plastic, are 

not being readily used by contractors and 

specifiers. Plastic is a reliable alternative 

material that can be used to provide 

pipework solutions for bulk railway 

refuelling. 

Lightweight and easy to install by 

nature, plastic pipework eradicates the 

complex installation demands associated 

with metal alternatives. Plastic pipework 

systems simplify the installation process 

for contractors, as they do not need a 

skilled welder to install the system thanks 

to the alternative electrofusion jointing 

system. What is more, they do not require 

the use of hot works permits when being 

installed, which greatly speeds up the 

installation time as well as significantly 

reducing labour time and costs. These 

economic savings can be extremely 

beneficial for contractors at a time 

when project timings and budgets are 

continuing to be ever narrower. 

An example of the use of plastic 

pipework systems in the railway 

industry can be seen within the major 

£13.4m redevelopment of Allerton Train 

Maintenance Depot. 

The derelict depot underwent a 

complete overhaul to transform it into a 

FUEL FOR THOUGHT 

REFUELLING SOLUTIONS FOR TRACKSIDE MAINTENANCE 

Fully managed service 

Competitive pricing 

Flexible purchasing options 

Smaller drops 

National coverage 

modern rolling stock train maintenance 

facility, with the new depot now servicing 

Northern Rail’s fleet of Class 156 diesel 

multiple units, along with its Class 150s 

and Class 142s. 

Engineering firm Garrandale was 

tasked with several elements of the 

refurbishment including the fuel supply 

and management. The team was required 

to provide a system for transferring three 

different types of fuel and turned to 

Durapipe UK to cater for the pipework 

requirements. 

A reliable pipework system was 

required to safely transport engine oil, 

hydraulic oil and engine coolant from the 

external fuel farm to 10 dispensing pumps 

around the depot. Garrandale installed 

three new 10,000 litre fuel storage tanks 

within the fuel farm, one for each fuel 

variant, and then specified secondary 

containment close-fit pipe to carry the 

fuel from its storage tank above ground 

into the depot. A waste oil collection tank 

was also installed and another pipe takes 

surplus fuel waste from the trains to the 

collection tank before transferring it back 

into the main storage tank. 

Once inside the depot, the pipework 

was required to be installed in exposed 

areas above walkways and offices so it was 

vital the system was dual contained for 

added safety. 

In an industry that is continually 

looking for higher performing and more 

reliable products, there is a need for a 

reassessment of just how well traditional 

materials, such as stainless steel, are 

working within the bulk refuelling 

market and why alternatives are not being 

frequently considered at the outset of 

projects. 

David Naylor is the brand manager for 

Durapipe PLX. Call 01543 279909 or logon to 

www.plxpipe.com or www.durapipe.co.uk 

If you work in railway maintenance 

you’ll be aware of the challenge of 

finding a reliable, timely fuel supply 

for refuelling plant and equipment. 

Now fuel logistics experts Mabanaft, 

together with their specialist rail team, 

have come up with a solution. They 

have launched a new, fully managed 

refuelling service for trackside 

maintenance. The service is prompt, 

utterly reliable and keeps costs to a 

minimum – definitely fuel for thought! 

For a free quote or simply to find 

out more please contact 

Tim Milford, Commercial Sales 

Manager (Rail Division) 

0207 802 3325 

tim.milford@mabanaft.co.uk 

www.mabanaft.co.uk 

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OCTOBER 2012 PagE 23

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Freight 

Putting the squeeze 

back on the recession 

Simon Weir 

Freightliner’s Peter Maybury tells Tim Gillett 

how the company has improved business 

practices to survive difficult economic times – 

and ensure a more prosperous future 

In many ways, it has been a contradictory 

few years for Freightliner’s CEO Peter 

Maybury. At the time of his last interview 

for Rail Professional, two years ago, it appeared 

that the UK was slowly climbing out of the 

recession, and Freightliner’s fortunes were on 

the up following the economic meltdown in 

October 2008 – when, in Maybury’s words, 

‘things just fell off a cliff’. 

The predicted recovery hasn’t yet 

materialised, however – and the rail freight 

market, while not exactly depressed, has become 


Freight 

ever more watchful in its quest for good value. All this has meant 

that Freightliner has had to cut its cloth accordingly – turnover 

in some areas of the company was expected to have grown by 20 

to 25 per cent since 2008; instead it is likely that growth will hav e 

been less than a tenth of that. 

‘The customer is always looking to save money,’ says Maybury, 

‘and we really need to try to pre-empt any savings they are looking 

to make by offering the best value. We don’t even want them to 

be considering going elsewhere.’ 

Mixed fortunes 

Freightliner’s core business remains the intermodal sector, which 

turns over around £175m a year. Maybury reports that business 

has generally reflected the retail sector’s fortunes: ‘Not ideal, by 

any means.’ 

On the heavy haul side, Maybury says that the core business 

of transporting coal, is buoyant – five per cent up on last year due 

to ‘macro-economic forces’’, whereas the construction industry is 

down between seven and eight per cent. The company has made 

great strides in Australia, with growth of 50 per cent last year and 

a likely turnover of £45m – from a standing start in 2009. 

There are two 

‘The customer is 

always looking to 

save money, and 

we really need to 

try to pre-empt any 

savings they are 

looking to make’ 

sides to the Australian 

business at present. The 

first is moving bales of 

cotton from two regions 

of New South Wales to 

Sydney, from where it 

is transported mainly 

to Asia for processing. 

The company’s trains 

make the 800-mile trip 

every day. Secondly, 

the company provides 

a long-term service 

to mining company 

Extrata, with which 

it signed a 10-year deal in 2009. Some 20 locos and 700 wagons 

provide an in-house transport service for the coal giant, hauling 

goods from the Hunter Valley to the port of Newcastle in 96- 

wagon loads. 

‘It’s quite something to see,’ enthuses Maybury. ‘You can stand 

at the front of the train, and not be able to see the back. Some of 

them are a mile long; they are big, sexy machines – if rail can be 

sexy, that is!’ 

He continues: ‘As a market, Australia certainly ticked all our 

boxes. There is lots more opportunity there as well in the three 

main markets of New South Wales, Queensland and Western 

Australia – though Queensland would present different challenges 

as the lines are a different gauge and we’d need to use different 

locos.’ 

Operations continue to be successful in Poland – though, 

Maybury says, the market there has showed a slight downturn 

after a very busy 2011 fuelled by heavy investment in 

infrastructure in preparation for the European football 

championships. Freightliner will continue to take advantage of 

opportunities abroad where feasible, says Maybury, who adds 

that representatives are currently having discussions in another 

potential European market. 

A new IT system has recently been installed across all the 

company’s ports and terminals, which if nothing else appears to 

be a hit with Freightliner staff. ‘They all seem to love using it,’ 

smiles Maybury. More importantly, the system has made huge 

improvements in the ability to pre-plan loads, and give customers 

precise information as to where their consignments are. 

Maybury explains: ‘We can use it like an airline reservation 

system, so it provides us with an image of each train and we 

can see exactly how full it is at any given point. This means we 

are then able to offer our customers late-availability options, at 

reduced prices. 

‘It really comes down to effective use of resource – the rail 

network only has a certain amount of capacity and we have to 

make the very most of it.’ 

Back on the intermodal side, efficiencies have been gained with 

the development of the ‘Shortliner’ wagon, a 40-foot unit designed 

to give more flexibility and less wasted space. 

‘The reason is that retail products are generally getting lighter 

each year – so if we are transporting a certain weight of goods 

if generally takes up more room than it did a few years back. 

Because of this, the use of 40-foot rather than 20-foot containers 

is more common. Standard 60-foot wagons meant that there was 

often a 20-foot space, carrying thin air.’ 

Lessons learned 

‘It really is all about squeezing every last drop of value from the 

business,’ concludes Maybury, ‘and it’s a never-ending process. We 

can’t afford to rest on our laurels for a moment – remember that 

there’s no safety net for us on the freight side! 

‘The whole process of having to adjust to a different economic 

climate has taught us some very good, valuable and important 

lessons. We’ve certainly progressed further than I could have 

envisaged during this time, and I can definitely say we’ve prepared 

well for the future. 

‘If an idea makes sense during the bad times, it makes even 

more sense when times are good.’ 

Giving the firm a lift 

Targeted, sensible investment in the future of Freightliner has 

been something of a mantra since the recession struck. 

Two massive cranes have just been installed at its Southampton 

terminal, giving the potential to span 13 roads in comparison 

to seven beforehand. The cranes are predicted to increase lift 

capacity by 80 per cent. Further multi-million pound investments 

in Birmingham and Newcastle are giving further improvements in 

efficiency and capacity. 


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■ Archived back issues 

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Infrastructure 

Platforms that have been out of use since Eurostar moved to St Pancras 

are to be used to provide extra capacity for South West Trains 


Taking the long view 

A two-year project to lengthen 100 platforms south-west of London has begun. 

Katie Silvester finds out more 

Cramped commuters travelling into 

London on South West Trains 

services received welcome news 

last year that extra carriages are to be 

brought into use to relieve the worst of 

the overcrowding. The carriages, formerly 

used by Gatwick Express, will be used 

to extend the current eight-car trains 

to 10 cars on services from Windsor, 

Weybridge, Portsmouth, Southampton, 

Eastleigh, Reading, Hounslow and Alton 

into Waterloo. 

But improvements like this are never 

completely straightforward on the UK’s 

creaking Victorian infrastructure – 

platforms at many of the stations en route 

are not long enough to accommodate 10 

carriages. In all, 50 stations need work 

doing to platforms at stations in Surrey 

and South West London to extend one up 

and one down platform by around 40 to 

50 metres each. 

The work, known as Wessex Package 7, 

was carried out by the Spencer Group. 

The project required the company to 

design and build 100 extensions in 

about two years, with the work being 

carried out in stations that are often 

close to residential developments, on 

embankments or in cuttings, giving 

Spencer its share of challenges. 

The company decided to use small 

components, which can be carried by 

hand, so work can be done during daytime 

and with the minimal need for plant. This 

method reduced the need to close the 


Infrastructure 

railway and move bulky materials around. 

With the Olympics coming mid-way 

through the project, work had to be 

halted for the Games, with key stations 

finished in time to cope with the extra 

visitors. The cycle road race was held at 

Boxhill in Surrey, with in excess of 15,000 

visitors expected, so longer trains were 

required at Boxhill & Westhumble, Astead 

and Leatherhead stations in time for the 

July start to the Games. 

Raj Sinha, MD for rail infrastructure at 

Spencer, says: ‘There were some Olympic 

critical sites, where there were new sets 

of trains coming through and we had to 

have the platform lengthening projects 

complete. It was a tremendous success 

involving changes in the track itself, 

changes in the platform topography, 

lengthening of the platforms, new 

lighting columns, new ramps, new 

PTA systems and some signals required 

to be moved as well. It was a strong 

advertisement for everyone who’s coming 

along to London, so it was very important 

that we utilised the limited access that we 

had to complete the project. 

‘We worked very collaboratively with 

Network Rail – some of their engineers 

and managers co-located with us. It 

worked very, very well.’ 

Outgoing transport secretary Justine 

Greening also announced that disused 

platforms at Waterloo, formerly used 

by Eurostar, will also be brought back 

into use to increase capacity. ‘Passengers 

travelling into Waterloo have to suffer 

some of the busiest trains in the country, 

with sardine-can like conditions on many 

peak-time services,’ she added. 

‘These extra carriages will help ease 

those conditions, while opening an extra 

platform will provide space for additional 

trains to run.’ 

Work progresses at Shepperton station 

The Spencer Group 

Crossing the line 

Network 

Tracey Lattimore takes a closer look at the work 

that has started at the Stockley interchange in 

preparation for the coming of Crossrail 

The Stockley interchange in west London will be a crucial 

part of the Crossrail network, making a huge difference 

to train travel in the Heathrow area. Work has already 

begun on the interchange, which will allow Crossrail services to 

operate to and from Heathrow. The junction that already exists 

at Stockley allows trains to leave the main line and continue to 

Heathrow, while the new interchange will allow Crossrail trains 

to join the branch to Heathrow without delaying – or being 

delayed by – fast trains to the west. The improvements mean 

that the already busy Great Western Main Line will benefit from 

improved capacity and reliability. 

According to Jorge Mendonça, programme director for 

Network Rail, the Stockley Interchange is critical to unlocking 

the benefits of Crossrail. Speaking at the start of the build 

programme, he said that the work was an important milestone. 

‘We’ve spent years planning and preparing to reach this point,’ 

he said. ‘As well as starting the building works, we’re planning 

the rest of our programme to make sure that passengers and our 

lineside neighbours notice as little disruption as possible. This 

represents a very successful start to our delivery of this Crossrail 

structure.’ 

A new single track viaduct will be built from Heathrow 

towards London by Network Rail on behalf of Crossrail – 

Network Rail being responsible for the design, development 

and delivery of the parts of Crossrail that are on the existing 

network. Existing train services to and from Heathrow will 

continue throughout the build. Once finished, Crossrail trains 

from Heathrow will run into Paddington and under London in 

newly constructed tunnels. The service will offer passengers the 

ability to travel from Heathrow to the West End, the City, and 

Canary Wharf without changing, therefore reducing journey 

times. 

‘Crossrail will provide four 10-car trains per hour on the 

Great Western Main Line in each direction during the peak 

between central London and Heathrow,’ explains Matt White, 

SAFETY FIRST 

Rail has launched another ultrasonic rail testing train to detect 

minor flaws in the track. It’s the fourth train for the company, and uses 

ground penetrating radar, ultrasonics and a rail profile laser scanner – the 

ultrasonic equipment is the same that’s used in the medical industry. Thanks to 

this new addition, the other rail testing trains can be taken out for servicing in 

turn, making the service much more flexible. 

Boasting more accurate positioning systems and an improved ability to test 

the track, the new train – dubbed the UTU 1 – is also able to be used at higher 

speeds than the others, an important part of Network Rail’s plans for maintaining 

the network. 

Steve Yianni, Network Rail’s director of engineering, believes that adding new 

test trains is all about safety. ‘Network Rail’s number one priority is safety, and the 

addition of this unit to our fleet means we can measure the safety and quality of 

our railway to much higher standards,’ he says. 

‘It also means we can keep our test trains running more reliably and at more 

times across the country. With this, we can improve the quality of the ride for all 

our passengers, and make sure they reach their destination in complete safety.’ 

However, the UTU trains don’t replace traditional track walks by permanent 

way staff – although they do reduce the need for them. Instead, they direct the 

focus of track walks to areas needing inspection, saving time and money, and 

increasing the safety of the network. 

The £700,000 UTU1’s systems can analyse many different aspects of the 

permanent way. Its two separate ground penetrating radar units can detect 

irregularities in the ballast and formation up to two metres deep, including voids. 

The ultrasonic test equipment on board can give early warning of any problems 

that could later occur with the track; and the UTU’s rail profile scanner uses 

laser technology to compare the state of the railhead with a pre-programmed 

template to judge if the track is becoming worn out of shape and in need of 

grinding. 

Testing usually take place at night, with trains reaching speeds of up to 

30mph. And with the arrival of the new train, it is hoped that track testing speeds 

will soon reach 45mph. 

Crossrail surface director, ‘with two per hour to West Drayton 

and four per hour to Maidenhead.’ 

Currently, passengers to Heathrow have to rely on the 

underground system, which is famously busy – and often slow – 

at peak times, or the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect, 

which operate to and from London Paddington. When Crossrail 

opens, passengers will be able to reach Heathrow from Canary 

Wharf in 39 minutes, Liverpool Street in 33 minutes and Bond 

Street in just 26 minutes. 

When it opens in 2018, Crossrail will pass through 37 stations 

from Maidenhead in the west to Abbey Wood in the east, and 

run over 73 miles. 


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Rail Depot Equipment 


A duty of care 

Whether staff are confronted with an incident on the railway – from a major 

accident to an attack on staff – the majority of those involved will experience 

a negative reaction, which can interfere with their functioning in life and can 

develop into mental health problems. Gerry Jackson explains how staff can be 

supported through difficult times 

Major events on the railway are, 

thankfully, rare, but when they 

do happen they often cause 

loss of life, serious injury and huge 

disruption. This means that we must take 

steps to manage those people, ensure that 

they are well supported, identify those at 

risk of developing mental health problems 

and organise appropriate mental health 

care as required. 

The industry’s humanitarian response 

consists of rail incident care teams of 

trained individuals who are employees 

of Tocs. The training has been organised 

centrally by the Association of Train 

Operating Companies (Atoc). When 

deployed, their job is to work with 

the emergency services to provide 

practical and emotional support for 

those involved and organise funds to 

supply the urgent needs of survivors and 

families of the deceased. The training 

has been comprehensive but does now 

need updating to take account of recent 

government guidance – Psychosocial and 

Mental Health Care of Those Affected by 

Major Incidents and Disasters (see box). 

Much more frequent are the smaller 

scale traumatic incidents, like the all too 

frequent suicides. But there are other 

incidents like assaults on, and abuse of, 

onboard staff and other criminal acts. All 

of these events have the potential to cause 

adverse reactions in those experiencing 

them, which can develop into mental 

illness. The most recent central advice on 

supporting staff was a chain of care policy 

issued in the days of British Rail in 1995 

and since then Tocs have been given no 

central guidance, being left to organise 

their own response. 

Government guidance 

The practice and theory of caring 

for people after traumatic events has 

changed over time and the chain of care 

is no longer relevant. The government 

Shutterstock/Adam Gregor 


Staff welfare 

guidance referred to above recommends 

a ‘psychosocial care approach’ to 

responding to the needs of people who 

are affected by traumatic incidents. This 

focuses on people’s emotional, cognitive, 

social and physical reactions and needs. 

Most people experience reactions and 

may need support, but only a minority 

need specialised mental health care 

(counselling). 

The guidance suggests multi-agency 

planning, preparation, training and 

delivery of care services, ensuring 

that people receive the humanitarian 

assistance and support they need at the 

time they need it. In addition, those in 

need of counselling should be identified 

and referred to suitable resources. 

Humanitarian assistance and support, 

including practical help, emotional 

support and informal monitoring of those 

who may require mental health care, may 

be provided by trained people who are 

not mental health professionals using the 

objectives and skills of ‘psychological first 

aid’ (PFA). 

This is a flexible and practical 

approach based on the best available 

scientific evidence and opinion. It consists 

of a practical group of skills designed 

to respond to people’s psychosocial and 

physical needs after major incidents 

and disasters. It is intended to minimise 

the distress that typically occurs after 

traumatic incidents and to help people 

develop ways of managing and coping. 

It is applicable equally to those 

affected and their loved ones and to 

supporting all personnel responding 

to the incident, in whatever role. Even 

those involved in immediate rescue 

should, where possible, use the skills of 

PFA. All survivors should be comforted 

and protected from the possibility of 

further harm, until they are rescued and 

taken to hospital or survivor reception 

centre as appropriate. The care given at 

this time has an impact on how people 

recall events and on their recovery. PFA 

is the provision of common humanity in 

dealing with people in desperate need. 

Sometimes, rescuers and other workers 

provide this naturally, but all responders 

would benefit from training. 

Everyone who provides support for 

those involved in traumatic incidents, 

including rail incident care team staff, 

should do so using the principles and 

skills of PFA and should be trained 

accordingly. 

Major incidents and disasters 

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and 

government guidance documents require 

that a variety of facilities and services 

are set up to manage the humanitarian 

response following a major rail disaster, 

including: 

• A survivor reception centre – caring 

for the uninjured close to the scene; 

• A friends and family reception centre 

– providing care and assistance for 

those seeking to be reunited with their 

family and loved ones; 

• A humanitarian assistance centre – a 

longer term facility providing a ‘one 

stop shop’ for all the needs of those 

involved; and 

• Longer term support – for families and 

loved ones of the deceased or others 

with longer term support needs. 

In addition to emergency service and 

local authority personnel, rail incident 

care teams will also provide trained staff 

in these facilities and provide longer term 

support. 

The majority of people involved in the 

type of smaller incident mentioned above 

are likely to experience a wide range of 

reactions, some of which may interfere 

with their lives, and empathic support 

from managers and colleagues early on 

may help minimise and reduce these 

reactions over time. 

The majority of Tocs have contracts 

with employee assistance programme 

providers, who will supply telephone and 

face-to-face counselling where required. 

They may also, or may not, provide a 

rapid onsite support response following 

an incident. The onsite support may be 

supplied or supplemented by trained ‘peer 

supporters’ from within the company. 

So they would be available to visit those 

affected shortly after the incident and 

offer suitable practical and emotional 

support. They should also check and 

monitor how people are progressing and 

help decide if a referral for counselling is 

appropriate. 

Managers should also be trained so 

that they can appropriately support, 

monitor and manage those working 

for them who have been involved in 

traumatic incidents. 

In addition, dealing with distressed 

people is itself highly stressful and many 

responding staff, including care teams, are 

likely to experience distressing reactions 

themselves. In order to minimise the 

effects on staff, managers and colleagues 

should monitor those they are working 

with and offer breaks and the opportunity 

to talk through how they are if they 

wish. In addition, trained peer supporters 

should be on hand to offer a higher 

degree of support and identify anyone in 

need of additional help. 

Training implications 

It is important that everyone who 

provides support and assistance in the 

major incident facilities or who provides 

support to those affected by smaller scale 

incidents is properly trained. Four types 

of training courses may be considered: 

• Training in the operation of 

the facilities for managing the 

humanitarian assistance in major 

incidents and details of their role 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

Planning for the Psychosocial and Mental 

Health Care of People Affected by Major 

Incidents and Disasters 

(NHS Guidance) 

www.dh.gov.uk/en/ 

Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/ 

DH_10 3562 

Rail Incident Care Teams 

(Guidance from the Association of Train 

Operating Companies) 

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/132907/ 

rail.pdf 

Emergency response and Recovery 

(Cabinet Office Guidance accompanying 

the Civil Contingencies Act 2004) 

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resourcelibrary/emergency-response-and-recovery 

Humanitarian Assistance strategic 

guidance 

(DCMS Guidance on the provision of wider 

humanitarian assistance) 

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ 

humanitarian-assistance-emergencies 

Humanitarian Assistance in Emergencies 

(DCMS guidance on setting up 

Humanitarian Assistance Centres) 

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ 

humanitarian-assistance-emergencies 

while working there; 

• Training in the principles, objectives 

and skills of PFA when working with 

those involved, whether in one of the 

facilities or elsewhere. This training 

should involve theory input and some 

opportunities for skills practice. This 

is particularly appropriate for rail 

incident care teams. 

• Training of an ‘in house’ team of 

peer supporters who are able to offer 

a higher quality of support to all 

personnel and other people working in 

the facilities or who have experienced 

a smaller scale traumatic incident. 

These people could also assist in 

providing support for the victims of 

major incidents and their loved ones; 

• Training of managers to support, 

monitor and manage those affected 

by major incidents or smaller scale 

traumatic incidents. 

Gerry Jackson is a leading psychosocial care 

and traumatic Incident response specialist and 

trainer with more than 20 years experience. 

He has worked with passengers and staff 

following many major incidents including rail 

accidents. 

Contact him on: 0118 973 1546; 

0781 841 0254 email: gerry.jackson1@ 

btinternet.com or visit his website at: 

www.gerryjackson.co.uk 


Become a member… 

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You now have an all-new IRO website 

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Areas 

What’s On 

Resources 

Join the community at www.railwayoperators.co.uk 

About the IRO 

Valuable opportunities for members 

to learn and share knowledge 

Your local IRO Area runs events all year round. There are opportunities to see how others 

work, broaden your experience and add to your professional development. 

Visit the website to find out more… www.railwayoperators.org 

1 

South East Area 

Safety Debate July 2012 

2 

South West Area 

Bicester MOD visit July 2012 

PagE 34 OCTOBER 2012

IRO 

Irish area 

For information on Irish Area events, contact 

Hilton Parr at: hilton.parr@railwayoperators.org 

scottish area 

24 October: Scottish Area AGM, followed by a 

presentation Diary on the Operational of events 

Aspects of the 

GSM-R Project. Time: 16.30. Venue: Buchanan 

House, Glasgow. 

For further information on the IRO Scottish Area, 

please contact Jim Douglas on: 0141 354 5684 

or email: Jim.douglas@URS.com or Jim Gillies at: 

scottish@railwayoperators.org 

North East area 

13 November: Kings Cross station visit, 

including the power-box. Pre-booking is 

required, contact: 

northeast@railwayoperators.org 

11 December: Christmas social. Venue: York 

Taps on York station. Time: from 5pm. To attend 

this event please contact: 

northeast@railwayoperators.org 

For information on North East Area events 

contact David Monk-Steel at: 

northeast@railwayoperators.org or by 

telephone on: 01751 473799 during office hours. 

North East Area meetings normally take place at 

17:30 for 18:00, in York. 

North West area 

20 October: Visit to Fiddlers Ferry Power 

Station. A UK Railtours passenger excursion will 

make a rare visit to Fiddlers ferry Power Station. 

The Education Centre manager at the power 

station has invited members of the IRO to visit 

the site to see the Railtours train. Please contact 

Iain King at: 

iain.king@networkrail.co.uk to book a place. 

Please note this is not an official IRO visit. 

All North West Area event enquiries should be 

via Tricia Meade at: 

ironw.booking@railwayoperators.org 

For general membership enquires, please 

contact Carl Phillips at: 

northwest@railwayoperators.org 

Midlands area 

8 October: The GN-GE Project – presentation 

by Ian Quick, project director on a major 

enhancement programme to uplift capacity 

of GN-GE to provide a primary freight corridor 

between Doncaster and Peterborough. Time: 

17:30 for 18:00. Location: The EMCC Derby. 

Contact: Julia Stanyard on: 0121 345 3833 or 

email: midlands@railwayoperators.org 

5 November: Level crossings – presentation 

by Martin Gallagher, head of level crossings, 

Network Rail, on the Level Crossing Programme. 

Time: 17:30 for 18:00. Location: The Quadrant, 

Milton Keynes. Contact: Julia Stanyard on: 0121 

345 3833 or email: 

midlands@railwayoperators.org 

10 December: Midlands Area Christmas drinks 

– time and venue TBA. If you would like to 

attend this event, please contact Julia Stanyard 

on: 0121 345 3283 or via email: 

midlands@railwayoperators.org 

For information on Midlands Area events, 

contact Julia Stanyard on: 0121 345 3833 or 

email: midlands@railwayoperators.org 

Unless otherwise indicated, events start at 17.30 

for 18:00. 

south West area 

8 October: Presentation on Great Western Main 

Line electrification scheme and associated 

signal sighting. Time: 17:00 for 17:30. Location: 

Swindon. 

28 December: Annual Christmas visit to the 

West Somerset Railway. Further details of 

the South West Area Christmas event will be 

confirmed in due course. 

For information on South West Area events 

contact Chris Prior by email at: 

chris.prior@firstgroup.com 

south East area 

19 November: Incident Management Debate, 

focusing on managing operational incidents 

and restoring the railway following disruption. 

This will be an open-floor debate with 

panellists. Time: 17:30 for 18:00. 

Location: LUL HQ, 55 Broadway, St James Park, 

SW1. Refreshments will be available from 17:30. 

If you would like to take part in this discussion, 

or if submit a question to the panel beforehand, 

please email: 

se.events@railwayoperators.org to book your 

place. For further information on the IRO South 

East Area, contact Jonathan Leithead by email 

at: se.comms@railwayoperators.org 

Young Operators 

24 October: Young Operators Freight Event – 

Lord Berkeley will host the IRO Young Operators 

at the House of Lords. Time: 17:30 for 18:00. For 

security purposes, all attendees must book by 

10 October and arrive at the public entrance by 

17:30. If you would like to register your interest 

in IRO Young Operators events, please contact: 

youngoperators@railwayoperators.org 

More details of area events are listed on the 

website at 

www.railwayoperators.org/Events.aspx 

‘The benefit is not only getting to 

see something that is relevant to the 

railway industry, but just as much about 

who you find yourself on visits with. 

I’d recommend anyone to just try an 

IRO event, you can benefit and enjoy 

yourself at the same time. 

Kylee Brown 

Area Delivery Assistant 

Network Rail Scotland 

3 

North East Area: 

Tunstead 

Quarry visit 

August 2012 

3 

North East Area 

Tunstead 

Quarry visit 

August 2012 

3 

2 

1 


Project management 

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PagE 36 OCTOBER 2012 

MAY/JUNE 2012 PAGE 27

Training 

SAFETY in the pipeline 

When the efficient operation of rail plant and equipment, as well as the health and 

safety of the workforce and the general public is at stake, only the best hydraulic 

hose product, training and service provision is acceptable, says Ian Morris 

Fluid power plays an important part 

in the production, maintenance and 

operation of a wide range of plant 

and equipment within the rail sector; 

everything from rolling stock to lifting 

equipment and the track itself. The fluid 

power systems and tools in question 

are many and varied; from transmission 

systems and power packs, to cylinders, 

drills, saws and presses. 

One of the most critical of all 

components within the fluid power 

armoury is the hydraulic hose. Indeed, 

in spite of its simple appearance, the 

hydraulic hose plays an all-important part 

in the efficient running of everything 

from engines to brake rafts. A hydraulic 

hose has to be able to operate at very high 

pressures and also needs to be capable of 

handling extremely high temperatures 

and shock loads. Moreover, because a 

hose is often fully or partly exposed and 

subject to damage from physical wear and 

tear or by the sun and other elements, 

only the right grade of hose fit for the 

task should be sourced. 

And when that time for replacement 

arrives, rail professionals should only 

source a hose of identical or similarly 

high-grade properties. When new, the 

manufacturer of the original machine will 

have calculated the correct specifications 

for all its parts, including its hydraulic 

hose. However, come the time for 

replacement the machine’s owner may not 

return to the original manufacturer and 

instead have a hose made by a third-party 

provider. This in itself is not a problem so 

long as the same specification of hose is 

used and so long as the replacement hose 

is correctly routed, taking into account all 

the relevant quality and safety standards. 

Training 

With these points in mind, any rail 

personnel tasked with fitting and testing 

equipment for new build or maintenance 

projects should ensure that the right 

grade of hose is attached with the right 

coupling in the most safe and competent 

manner. In general, hydraulic hoses are 

highly effective in their daily tasks – it 

is only when something goes wrong that 

serious problems can occur, such as costly 

downtime, environmental contamination 

and even physical injury. 


Training 

‘Hydraulic hoses are 

highly effective in their 

daily tasks – it is only 

when something goes 

wrong that serious 

problems can occur’ 

It is for these reasons that the 

British Fluid power Association (BFpA) 

and British Fluid power Distributors 

Association (BFpDA) have established 

their hose training courses: The 

Foundation course in working Safely 

with Hydraulic Hose and connectors 

and The Hose Assembly Skills Training 

programme. The first is a one-day course 

that clearly explains how individuals 

can work more safely with hose and 

related equipment. The second covers 

everything from hose assembly routing 

and installation and hose management. 

accreditation 

when sourcing or replacing hydraulic 

hose, we also highly recommend that the 

entrusted party is a member of the BFpA/ 

BFpDA’s Hose Accreditation Scheme. 

This scheme sets a high benchmark in 

quality by ensuring that when customers 

receive hose assemblies from a member of 

the scheme, they know that the supplier’s 

workshop and staff have been inspected 

for quality and compliance before being 

awarded the Approved Hose Assemblies 

mark. 

In summary, when working with 

hydraulic hoses and fittings, make sure 

your staff, or personnel from an outsource 

party, are fully aware of the required 

standards of installation and replacement, 

and don’t accept anything but equipment 

of the highest quality. After all, when the 

efficiency of your plant and equipment, 

as well as the health and safety of the 

workforce or general public is at stake, 

only the best product, training and service 

provision is acceptable. 

One final point, if you are ever 

tempted to recommend the re-ending of a 

failed hose – think again. 

Ian Morris is a director of the British Fluid 

Power Association. 


Olympics 

Transport finishes first 

Twelve million spectators travelled to and from venues on public transport to 

watch events during the Games. David Emmerson and William Barter explain 

how it was done 

Despite the concerns of sceptics, 

public transport was one of the 

major gold medal winners at the 

Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Not only was its performance a favourite 

with spectators, it also became first choice 

for many athletes, preferring to travel into 

central London on the likes of the Javelin 

rather than use the Games Family fleet 

of buses. 

Like any world-class athlete, the 

success of public transport was the 

culmination of many years’ hard work. 

The government announced in May 

2003 its intention to bid for the 2012 

Olympic and Paralympic Games, and 

the transport planning elements were 

led from the outset by Hugh Sumner, 

the eventual director of transport at the 

Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The 

ODA published its Transport Plan for the 

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic 

Games in autumn 2007, updated in 

2009 and 2011, presenting the proposed 

transport arrangements during the Games. 

With 8.8 million spectator tickets 

available over the Olympics and 2.7 million 

over the Paralympics, the ODA was able to 

assess the travel demand generated by each 

of the competition venues. 

To help provide the required capacity, 

the ODA contributed towards significant 

investment in infrastructure and rolling 

stock for London, including: 

• Contribution to DLR three -car project, 

co-funding the purchase of 22 of the 55 

units; 

• £11m for Beckton three-car extension 

to help provide capacity required for 

ExCeL; 

• £107m funding contribution for North 

London Line upgrade; and 

• Construction of 180 metre floating pontoon 

at ExCeL to allow use of Pontoon 

Dock station during the Games. 

With so many spectators converging on 

London, the ODA worked with Network 

Rail and TfL, investing in the resilience 

of the public transport network to ensure 

passengers could get to and from venues 

without significant delay. TfL identified 

key areas that might be more prone to 

failure, given the expected increase in 

passenger volumes, and implemented 

upgrades and renewals of infrastructure 

to mitigate risk. At key stations, 24-hour 

stand-by engineers were deployed by TfL, 

Network Rail and High Speed One to 

minimise downtime from lift or escalator 

failures. 

The Transport Co-ordination Centre 

(TCC) brought together representatives of 

all transport modes and emergency services 

to maximise integration of the capital’s 

transport modes and networks. 

Throughout the Games, the TCC played 

a vital role, feeding out information 

to different transport operators about 

problems on the network and on 

progress of games events. To support 

this the TCC worked closely with Travel 

Demand Management (TDM). Originally 

established by the ODA before its transfer 

across to TfL, TDM played a critical role 

in the run up to the Games, setting up an 

on-line journey planner for spectators to 

work out the best way to travel to their 

event, and using the Get Ahead of the 

Games (GAOTG) website to inform both 

businesses and transport users about the 

likelihood of London being very busy at 

Games time. During the Games, TDM 

put out real-time messages to the general 

public, by way of station information 


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Olympics 

systems, on-train systems and social media, 

to influence choice of routes in the face 

of emerging events such as disruption or 

overcrowding at specific locations. 

The successful movement of spectators 

across London, particularly to and from 

the Olympic Park, was a reflection of the 

planning undertaken, in particular, by 

Network Rail, TfL, Greater Anglia and 

Southeastern. Numerous records were 

broken: 

• During the Olympics, more than 1.4 

million people travelled on the Javelin; 

and 

• 28,000 spectators used the Javelin at St 

Pancras in the morning on Day 10 of the 

Paralympics; 

• More than 17 million extra seats were 

put on by National Rail during the 

Games. 

On the busiest day of Games-time, an 

estimated 800,000 spectators used public 

transport to travel to the Olympic venues, 

with 231,000 spectators visiting the 

Olympic Park. At key London terminals, 

footfall was typically more than 10 per 

cent above normal levels, and as much 

as one-third up at weekends. On top oft 

that, the majority of travel by the 100,000 

members of the Games workforce was by 

public transport. 

Feedback during the Games suggests 

that the Customer Experience programme 

undertaken by the ODA and other 

transport operators to provide customers 

with an enjoyable travel experience 

throughout their journey was a great 

success with high satisfaction scores 

recorded. Operator initiatives arising out 

this even included the giving out of free 

ice creams at St Pancras and other London 

main line stations. 

Across all transport modes during 

the Games, customer-facing staff were 

recognisable in their magenta tabards 

carrying the One Team Transport 

logo, symbolising the seamless journey 

experience. Some 80,000 copies of the 

ODA’s published En Route handbook were 

distributed to frontline staff, providing 

information such as first and last trains and 

maps showing the recommended routes 

to each venue. With a significant number 

of people with limited mobility travelling 

to events, the ODA, in conjunction 

with 24 community transport operators, 

transported some 100,000 spectators in 

accessible shuttles, establishing transport 

hubs at mainline London stations and 

Stratford Regional Station. During the 

Olympic Games nearly 150,000 spectators 

used the ODA’s directly managed transport 

rail shuttle bus service travelling to Eton 

Dorney from nearby rail stations. 

The Javelin high speed shuttle service 

quickly proved itself to be the popular 

way to travel, for both spectators and 

games officials. Developed as part of the 

London 2012 bid, it provided a sevenminute 

journey from central London to 

the Olympic Park, and 11 minutes journey 

time from Ebbsfleet International. The 

popularity of the Javelin continued 

to grow through the Paralympics and 

Southeastern, as the operator, took steps 

at very short notice to deploy its entire 

available fleet to meet growing demand. 

To enable the high-speed shuttle 

service to function at high frequency, 

new temporary platforms at Platforms 

1 and 4 at Stratford International were 

constructed, along a new signalling system 

that allowed all four platforms at Stratford 

International to be utilised by Javelin 

trains. 

Although extra late trains had been 

planned to serve areas as far away 

as Norwich, Newcastle, Sheffield, 

Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol 

and Exeter, as well as the more immediate 

London and South East area, the plan 

called for further amendment in practice. 

‘Supreme efforts 

enabled the Great 

Western route to be 

reopened in time for 

the match’ 

For the Olympic Games Opening 

Ceremony, it had become clear from the 

technical rehearsals that the likely finish 

time would call for trains to run even later 

than already planned, and operators took 

action to put back the departure times of 

their additional late trains even further. On 

the day. the magnificent ceremony overran 

by a considerable margin and last-minute 

co-ordination by the TCC was called for 

to advise operators of progress and allow 

them to judge whether to hold trains 

beyond the advertised times. 

On this occasion and other events days, 

operators were assisted in holding trains 

by the fact that nominated last trains on 

key routes had been exempted by the 

DfT from the performance regimes at the 

behest of an agreement brokered by the 

ODA, Network Rail and Atoc. This simple 

but effective step enabled operators to 

run their services in a commercial manner, 

freeing them from an incentive to run on 

time at the expense of the passengers. 

Despite being the biggest planned 

movement of people by public transport 

ever seen in this country, with some 12 

million spectators travelling to and from 

venues on public transport to watch 

events, the decision to run additional 

early and later trains across National 

Rail, London Underground, London 

Overground and Docklands Light Railway 

worked as planned. 

The one regional venue that was 

expected to be a particular challenge for 

rail transport operators was Weymouth 

and Portland, where the sailing events 

were held. In the end demand did not stray 

outside the expected range, and special 

arrangements, including a limited number 

of eight-car trains using the high-capacity 

Class 450 units, coped well. 

One of the few surprises was the 

demand for regional football matches, both 

in scale and distribution. Initially, these 

matches were expected to draw spectators 

largely from their local catchment areas. 

However, as ticket sales developed and 

the actual teams became known, a very 

different pattern emerged, with a much 

higher proportion of the spectators seen 

to be travelling from London. So, for 

instance, for matches in Cardiff, Newcastle 

and Manchester, rapid action was taken to 

enhance return services after the matches. 

At Cardiff in particular, first reports of 

long queues outside the station suggested 

an issue with capacity on post-match 

trains. But while many trains to Bristol 

and London were definitely crowded, 

investigation showed the issue to be more 

one of feeding passengers rapidly from the 

queues to the waiting trains than of train 

capacity itself, and for the last big match 

on 10 August altered arrangements allowed 

crowds to be cleared much more quickly. 

The ODA had also arranged for six sets 

of rolling stock and locos to be available 

at London main line terminals, to be 

activated in the event that all Toc resources 

had been deployed. These trains, provided 

and crewed by DB Schenker, saw use 

on some critical occasions, for instance 

offering a diesel-hauled capability to work 

round overhead line problems. 

Network Rail’s planning to 

avoid possessions for renewals and 

enhancements at Games-time enabled 

extended operating hours, and allowed 

flexibility when actual event finish times 

called for last trains to be held even later 

than planned. 

Inevitably challenges arose. It could 

hardly have been predicted that a retaining 

wall supporting the Valley Lines just 

outside Cardiff Central station would 

collapse onto the Great Western Main 

Line on the day of the last big match at 

the Millennium Stadium! But supreme 

efforts enabled the Great Western route to 

be reopened in time for the match, while 

Queen Street station, normally closed for 

matches, was swiftly reactivated to serve 

the Valleys routes North of Cardiff. 

The years of planning transport 

requirements for the Games has been a 

great success, and through the ODA and 

others, there remains a long term legacy 

including a permanent £6.5bn physical 

legacy of transport enhancements. 

Moreover, developments made to TfL’s 

planning and forecasting tools will also 

support improved planning of everyday 

services as well as future events. Travellers 

will benefit from London 2012 transport 

improvements for years to come. 

David Emmerson is the Olympic Delivery 

Authority’s head of public transport. William 

Barter is the rail operations manager. 


Opinion 

A CONTRACT 

OFF THE RAILS? 

Daniel Ball argues that First Group taking over the West coast from Virgin 

may lead to a duff contract 

Is the decision to switch rail provider for the West Coast 

Main Line service a bridge too far in terms of risk versus 

reward? Although we’re obviously not privy to the 

intricacies of the bidding process, there are some key questions 

and potential repercussions. According to Virgin’s own 

statistics, now might not be the best time to change the points 

on what is arguably the most vital and economically significant 

element of our transport network. 

The service has grown from 13 million customers in 1997 

to 30 million in 2011, there are more trains each day and it has 

the best customer satisfaction score for any long distance rail 

service. And despite the great track record of Virgin, we may 

well also see it leave the market for good. Is this a preferential 

outcome in terms of competition, choice and success of the 

service in the future? 

We work with organisations to help them source products 

and services from suppliers to the right specifications at the 

right price. What we know from this is that long-term best 

value is critical to the success of any contract. While price 

is obviously front of mind in a buying decision, it needs to 

placed in the context of best value. This includes factors like 

the capability of the chosen supplier to deliver, the ethical 

responsibilities of the buyer to its stakeholders – which in the 

case of the UK government are huge – and the balancing of 

risk versus reward. In many tendering and sourcing situations 

we see clients offered a lower price, but careful vetting of the 

supplier indicates that the risk of taking this price would be too 

great. It is essential that the new direction is not too high a risk 

on the promise of a much higher but less attainable reward. 

Sustainability is much more than a buzzword for businesses 

today – it’s a way of life. This is even more the case in the 

delivery of a critical public service. Evidence shows that Virgin 

had met and exceeded expectations, in terms of growing the 

service to where it is today. And it’s not a company known for 

resting on its laurels! My assumption would be that its future 

estimations of where the service can be developed would be 

ambitious and optimistic even though they are realistic. Is it 

perhaps feasible that facing a market changer and challenger 

like Virgin might force rival bidders out of their sustainability 

comfort zone in order to win? 

While any deal or tender is open season, we find that in 

more than 70 per cent of cases where the incumbents have 

delivered successfully, they are reselected. There’s a sound 

reason for this. While they have to re-sell their offer as part of 

the process, buyer common sense prevails. They know what it 

takes to deliver and their future plans are based on real data 

in comparison to estimates. Their proven ability and existing 

strong relationship is a major weighting factor against price. 

Auctions are often won officially by a challenger on price but 

the final selection is made in the context of the incumbent’s 

record and advantage. Once again Virgin has proven itself 

by turning around the West Coast and taking it forward. As 

a regular Manchester to London traveller there are far more 

improvements to note than problems. Was the incumbent’s 

advantage correctly weighted? 

A market is not a market without good competition. Richard 

Branson’s statements following the bid win announcement 

suggest that we will not see the company bidding for rail 

network operations again. This is due to the cost of bidding 

which he cited at £14m. 

While it’s Virgin’s decision if they step out of the market, it 

does raise the point that inefficient and complex bidding and 

tendering processes can lead to apathy among suppliers or even 

kill them off altogether. Is the rail network a better place with 

less UK competition? I fear not. Was its running and service 

more efficient before it was privatised and commercialised? I 

think not. 

Both Virgin and FirstGroup are proven to be effective 

suppliers of rail operations and as a customer of the West 

Coast Line myself I hope that the new operators will succeed. 

However, I question the timing of the change, the impact on 

market competition and the potential weighting of factors 

influencing the buying decision. I hope that the change will 

not mean derailment of what has become a flag bearer of UK 

enterprise. 

Daniel Ball is director of UK procurement specialist Wax Digital. 


Products and services 

If you would like your company featured here, call Doug Lewis on 

02031 501 691 or email: doug@railpro.co.uk 

YORKON AWARDED £3m CONTRACT TO PROVIDE FIVE 

BUILDINGS FOR NEW NETWORK RAIL TRAIN DEPOT AT 

READING STATION 

As part of the £850m redevelopment of Reading Station, 

construction of a train care depot is now underway by contractor 

VolkerFitzpatrick in a £36m contract. Off-site specialist, Yorkon 

has been appointed by Network Rail to provide five buildings for 

the new depot. 

The aim of the overall redevelopment project is to improve train 

speeds as they pass through the station, which was originally 

designed by Brunel, and to reduce delays while trains wait 

for vacant platforms or for conflicting train movements to 

be completed. The new depot is being moved to the west of 

Reading Station and will be operational by 2013. The existing 

train care depot is having to be demolished to make way for 

new lines to accommodate freight traffic, which will pass under 

the main lines to continue through the station area without 

impacting on other trains. 

Yorkon is providing a three-storey depot administration building, 

two ancillary buildings for train maintenance and cleaning staff, 

a security gate house, and a further train care accommodation 

building. The steel-framed modules for each building are being 

manufactured and fitted out off site at the Yorkon factory in 

York to minimise disruption on this very busy site. The off-site 

approach will also reduce the programme time as the depot 

construction project affects the critical path of the overall station 

redevelopment. 

Each building will have a mono-pitch roof and has been designed 

to stringent Network Rail standards, which include low smoke 

and fume cables and rainscreen cladding for impact protection. 

The main office building will also have a station-specification lift, 

feature windows and an architectural ‘butterfly wing’ roof. 

The new depot will maintain and service the existing rolling 

stock and will provide future capacity for the expansion of the rail 

network in the south west, which will include the new Intercity 

Express trains. 

Yorkon is a market-leading supplier of off-site building solutions 

across the public sector, which includes transport, airports, health 

and education. It provides bespoke steel-framed buildings, 

which are manufactured off site in significantly less time, with 

less disruption and less impact on the environment. Its projects 

have been recognised by numerous independent awards and 

accolades for design, build quality, project performance and 

health and safety. Over the past six years Yorkon has delivered 

96 per cent of its building projects on time and 94 per cent on 

budget, rising to a staggering 99 per cent for the last two years – 

well in excess of construction industry averages. 

Yorkon is part of the Portakabin Group. 

For further information about Yorkon off-site building 

solutions, call 0845 2000 123, email info@yorkon.com or 

visit www.yorkon.info 

HEALTHCARE CONNECTIONS 

Specialising in employment medical programmes, 

preventative health schemes and drug and alcohol screening, 

Healthcare Connections provide comprehensive occupational 

health solutions. Conducting regular medicals clearly goes 

some way to ensure employees are fit for work. 

Earlier this year, Healthcare Connections developed a range 

of combined medicals, recognising that reducing workforce 

downtime due to health matters has never been so important. 

However, companies should also be looking at the importance 

of ongoing health surveillance in line with associated job risks. 

A robust programme can ensure that workers are monitored 

well in between the periods that full medical assessments 

take place, providing early signposting of health risks before 

they can escalate into time-consuming problems, for both the 

employee and employer: 

• HAVS Surveillance 

• Lead Testing 

• Working at Height / Night 

• Lung Function Testing 

• Noise Exposure 

• Skin Assessments 

Contact Healthcare Connections’ National Sales Team for 

more information. Tel: 08456 773002 

www.healthcare-connections.com 

POLYPIPE 

FACTAIR 

POLYPIPE’S NEW RIDGIDRAIN TAKES SUSTAINABILITY 

AND TECHNOLOGY TO NEW HEIGHTS 

Polypipe, the UK’s leading manufacturer of plastic drainage, 

sewer, water management and cable protection products, 

has pushed the boundaries in product performance, 

integrity and sustainability to unprecedented levels with the 

launch of its New Ridgidrain surface water drainage range. 

New Ridgidrain is the result of an extensive 18 month 

product development and testing programme and is 

Polypipe’s most efficient surface water drainage system 

to date. 

Its optimised pipe profile maximises strength and 

minimises weight to save precious resource and reduce CO2 

consumption in the production, transportation and onsite 

handling processes. 

What’s more it is up to 94% lighter than concrete, meaning 

fewer deliveries to site and improved health and safety 

benefits. 

For more information on Polypipe’s range of sustainable 

drainage products, visit www.polypipe.com/civils 

When designing a safe system of work within railway 

tunnels there are special conditions to be considered 

in respect of the renewal and maintenance activities. 

Frequently locomotives, generators, diggers and 

bulldozers can all be operating within the same 

confined space. 

In addition, activities such as ballast changing often 

create excessive levels of dust. 

Since 1992 Factair has been helping to manage 

this problem with its temporary tunnel ventilation 

systems and battery powered air fed respirators. 

Factair’s ventilation fans been designed for rapid 

deployment minimising disruption to Contractors. 

With managed projects Factair also offer 

comprehensive environmental condition reporting 

throughout the possession. 

For more information please contact Factair at 

49 Boss Hall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5BN 

Phone: +44 (0)1473 746400 

Website: www.factair.co.uk 

Portakabin, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, 

has delivered a highly sustainable solution to provide 

Network Rail with a new waste management facility at 

its leadership training centre near Coventry. A Portakabin 

building was commissioned to accommodate the waste 

handling equipment without compromising the site’s 

strong sustainability credentials and aesthetic appeal. 

Supplied as a single steel-framed module, the building 

features wide double doors to the front and side that 

facilitated the installation of the specialist equipment. The 

floor was specially reinforced to achieve a 5Kn loading to 

support the heavy composting plant, and the complete 

building was wrapped in vinyl sheeting overprinted 

with images of trees and plants to help it blend into its 

surroundings. 

For further information about modular buildings for 

permanent and interim applications, call 

0845 401 0020 visit www.portanews.co.uk or email 

information@portakabin.co.uk 


The UK’s leading Baggage 

Service Operator 

Our over the counter Left Luggage systems 

maximise locker revenues 3 times 

Left Luggage Storage 

Baggage Courier/Shipping 

Bag Wrap 

Dry Cleaning 

Travel Goods Retail 

Online Lost & Found 

Lost Property 

Courier Last Mile/First Mile 

Excess Baggage Company has provided baggage services to the travelling public for over 25 years. The company has 

developed over this period a wide range of passenger baggage systems, for rail operators, which maximise operator 

revenues. 

 


Business profile 

Klüber Lubrication: tailor-made 

solutions for the rail industry 

For more than 80 years the special requirements of rail industry 

users have been a central concern of Klüber Lubrication. It 

analyses the lubrication requirements of the components 

together with its customers and takes the defined specifications as a 

basis for developing tailor-made lubricants. 

Besides high-quality, mineral oil based lubricants Klüber also 

offers a comprehensive range of synthetic high-performance 

speciality lubricants that contribute to better efficiency of rail 

vehicles and higher infrastructure uptime. Its speciality lubricants 

help extend maintenance intervals and reduce lubricant quantities. 

With its eco-friendly and readily biodegradable lubricants, it 

supports the industry’s efforts to preserve the environment and make 

a major contribution to environmental protection. 

Clearing the line 

The rail industry has its own special challenging requirements for 

lubrication. Trains have to work reliably in any weather conditions, 

run on time, offer a comfortable ride and carry goods safely. With 

Klüber Lubrication speciality lubricants, the complex interaction 

of trains and infrastructure is kept running. The right lubricant for 

the maintenance of bogie components, doors and points will reduce 

operating costs reliably and efficiently. All these requirements must 

be met both in summer and winter. Further factors influencing 

performance are vibration, shock loads, rain and snow. A lubricant 

must maintain its specific characteristics under all environmental 

conditions to ensure correct performance at all times. 

high-performance lubricant Klüberrail AL 32-3000, developed by 

Klüber Lubrication, ensures low adjustment forces in points, even at 

temperatures down to minus 30 degrees. 

The synthetic lubricant provides good wear protection and 

excellent adhesion on the slide plate, extending relubrication 

intervals. ‘Lubricating railway switches is time consuming. As staff 

costs for lubricant application are normally considerably higher than 

the costs for the lubricant itself, one of the most important lubricant 

requirements is long relubrication intervals,’ explains Thomas 

Kamprath, market manager rail at Klüber Lubrication. 

Klüberrail AL 32-3000 has good UV resistance preventing 

gumming of the applied lubricant after long exposure to sunlight. 

Its excellent water resistance and corrosion protection allow a 

considerable extension of maintenance intervals. Due to its low 

viscosity, Klüberrail AL 32-3000 can be applied both by portable 

spraying equipment or brush. 

On the track with the right lubricant 

Trains can only run smoothly and on time if points function properly 

under all weather conditions. The new rapidly biodegradable 


Rail Images Video 

 

Digital video shooting & edit facilities 

Full digital effects and output to DVD 

Video Packages starting from £1000 

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Lubricating traction motor bearings 

Klübersynth BHP 72-102 was developed by Klüber Lubrication for 

grease lubrication of bearings constantly operated at temperatures 

considerably above 100°C. The synthetic long-term lubricating grease 

was developed for highly loaded rolling bearings, particularly in 

traction motors, to considerably extend relubrication intervals above 

conventional lubricants. Klübersynth BHP 72-102 stands out for its 

excellent corrosion protection and water resistance. 

‘The new bearing grease ensures very good component availability, 

especially in corrosive environments, under strong vibrations and 

high loads,’ explains Kamprath. ‘The powerful grease has shown to 

run for hundreds of thousands of kilometres without relubrication in 

the field.’ 

Klübersynth BHP 72-102 is based on an innovative, patented 

lubricant concept for high oil retention at constantly high 

temperatures. Termed a ‘hybrid grease’ Klübersynth BHP 72-102 

forms a stable grease collar serving as a vibration-resistant oil 

reservoir for better protection against contamination. 

A tried-and-tested product 

Alongside the new product Klübersynth BHP 72-102, operators can 

opt for the fully synthetic rolling bearing grease ISOFLEX TOPAS 

L 152, which has proven to be extremely effective for the lubrication 

of traction motor bearings over many years. It offers excellent 

thermal resistance at constant temperatures up to 100°C. The grease 

maintains its lubricity in traction motor bearings after many years of 

use and stays smooth, ensuring old grease is replaced by the new one 

during relubrication. 

The combination of a fully synthetic base oil and a special 

lithium soap thickener allows the use of ISOFLEX TOPAS L 152 at 

temperatures down to -50 °C with minimum friction coefficients, 

ensuring safe traction motor start-up. 

The new Klüberrail LEA 62-2000 from Klüber Lubrication is 

a highly efficient, fully synthetic wheel flange lubricant for the 

environmentally sound lubrication of rail vehicles. 

‘Klüberrail LEA 62-2000 is a lubricant offering excellent wear 

protection of wheels and rails to significantly reduce wear and tear 

of these components,’ explains Kamprath, ‘It reduces downtime and 

increases operational reliability.’ 

The new wheel flange lubricant also reduces stick-slip effects on 

curves for less noise. The fluid grease is suitable for use in automatic 

spray systems and offers a wide service temperature range. It provides 

excellent adhesion, making sure it stays on the wheel, even at high 

speeds. Furthermore, it offers very good rain resistance. The base oil 

used for Klüberrail LEA 62-2000 is rapidly biodegradable according to 

OECD 301 F. 

Selecting the right lubrication partner is crucial to meeting all 

requirements of the rail industry. Over the years, the company has 

manufactured more than 2,000 different lubricants, many of which 

have been developed in accordance with a client’s specific wishes. 

With a team of highly skilled and competent consultants, Klüber 

Lubrication has established a glowing reputation and is seen as the 

ideal partner across all industries and trades. 

With a combined 80-plus years of experience and expertise, 

coupled with significant certifications and high-performance testing 

capabilities, Klüber’s lubricants have become a worldwide success. 

For further information, please click www.klueber.com 

Noise reduction and good wear protection 

High friction forces between the wheel flange and the rail flank, 

particularly on curves passed at high speed, cause high wear of wheels 

and rails if lubrication is insufficient, reducing wheel lifetime and 

increasing maintenance costs. Unpleasant squeaking sounds often 

occur as side effects. 

Transport Security Expo addresses key vulnerabilities 

Now in its 10th anniversary year, 

Transport Security Expo brings 

together 3,000 international 

attendees from aviation, maritime and 

public transport security. Taking place 

on 14-15 November at London Olympia, 

Transport Security Expo addresses the 

main threats posed from those with intent 

to do harm. 

This year’s focus on Public Transport 

Security includes: 

• Industry support from: UITP, ITS 

and Atoc, promoting the event to an 

international network of more than 

3,500 public transport authorities and 

operators from 92 countries – including 

all of the train operating companies 

within Britain’s National Rail network; 

• Expanded two-day conference 

programme on Public Transport 

Security – with a great live debate 

on cable theft to include operators, 

regulators and law enforcement; and 

• Key speakers include leading experts 

from government agencies and trade 

organisations such as: UITP, CPNI, 

NaCTSO, DfT, British Transport Police, 

TfL, Atoc and London Fire Brigade, 

along with leading operators including: 

Serco Docklands, Centro, Wiener Linien 

GmbH, Network Rail and Deutsche 

Bahn, offering practical advice, expertise 

and hands on experience on how we can 

achieve safer public transport. 

Register now for: 

• EXHIBITION – free access to over 80 

suppliers of the latest security solutions; 

• TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS – free 

access to over 50 industry speakers 

(including rail security); 

• NETWORKING DRINKS 

RECEPTION – free-to-attend industry 

networking drinks reception on 14 

November 2012 

Register now for your FREE visitor pass at 

www.transec.com/railproreg and save the 

£50 entry fee on the door. 


Section 12 Fire Approved System 

Retro Fixed Studs 

Stair Nosings and Treads 

Anti Slip Surfacing 

For more information please contact: Kingston House, 3 Walton Road, Pattinson North, Washington, Tyne & Wear, NE38 8QA. 

T: +44(0)191 402 1960 F: +44(0)191 402 1906 E: info@visulsystems.com 

www.visulsystems.com 

FM 

Page 48 OCTOBER 2012 

11022


Uplifting experience 

Stannah lifts enhance travel experience 

at Kings Cross station 

There is no denying that the 

refurbished and extended Kings 

Cross Station looks spectacular, but 

the successful flow of people and goods 

around the station is making life easier 

for everyone too. 

Stannah won the contract for a total 

of 24 new and refurbished lifts in all 

three areas of King’s Cross Station; the 

train shed, the Western Concourse and 

the Western Range building. Eighteen 

months of challenging work later and 

the lifts are really improving accessibility 

for everyone at this world-class London 

station. 

The refurbished train shed has three 

layers – the train platforms at ground 

level, a spectacular new bridge above the 

platforms for additional access and the 

essential service tunnels below ground 

level, where on-board services (OBS) and 

refuse collections are constantly on 

the move. 

The first noticeable passenger lifts 

within the historic train shed are five 

scenic, two-stop, eight-person mobility 

impaired persons (MIP) lifts installed to 

provide easy travel from the bridge to 

each of the platforms below. The one-way 

downward travel of these lifts is part of 

the overall design of people-flow around 

the station, which aims to keep an open, 

relaxed feel to a very busy environment. 

At platform level, four OBS 24-person 

goods/passenger lifts provide direct 

access to and from service tunnels to 

individual trains. These lifts enable the 

quick, efficient delivery of OBS directly 

to individual trains and the clearing of 

refuse from trains at the end of their 

journey. The lifts are finished to Network 

Rail specification, with ‘bumpers’ low on 

solid walls to add additional protection in 

a busy, demanding environment. 

All work to install the lifts in the 

train shed had to be completed during 

service blockades, as these platforms 

were operational throughout most of 

the working period. Machine rooms are 

housed in pits beneath the platforms 

covered by a pair of heavy steel shutters 

set into the platform walkways. 

The service tunnels are home to many 

additional lifts, the workhorses that assist 

in the movement of goods to and from all 

areas of the station. These include: 

• Two 2,500kg 33 person two-stop 

goods/passenger service lifts for staff 

use only – from delivery area to service 

corridor; and 

• Two 2,000kg, 26 person four-stop 

goods/passenger service lifts for staff 

use only, from level 2, main delivery 

area to 1, service tunnel, ground floor 

– main concourse and level 1, the retail 

mezzanine. 

Within the Western Range Building are 

seven further passenger lifts: 

• A 630kg eight-person lift that played a 

big part in moving contractors during 

all the building work and now with a 

final lift interior for public use; 

• Four 1,200kg 16-person goods/ 

passenger lifts, one of which was 

particularly challenging to install tight 

to a low pitched roof at the top of the 

shaft; 

• A 2,000kg, 26-person lift, travelling 

seven stops from the basement to the 

rooftop and featuring a very wide lift 

car for the easy movement of goods; 

and 

• A platform lift within the First Class 

Lounge approach on the first floor. 

This lift helps people with restricted 

mobility and wheelchair users avoid 

a flight of steps that lead on to the 

bridge area in the train shed where 

further passenger lifts provide access 

to the platforms below. 

Within the spectacular new space of 

the Western Concourse four more lifts 

complete the project: 

• Two 1,200kg, 16 person lifts, finished 

in brushed stainless steel with York 

stone floor and special lighting. 

Both lifts are for public access to 

and from the mezzanine food court, 

one travelling three stops to London 

Underground. These public use 

passenger lifts were specified by Arup; 

and 

• Two 3100kg, 40 person goods/ 

passenger lifts for service personnel 

provide robust movement of goods 

over four floors. These lifts were 

installed in existing shafts that were 

extended to travel further. Both lifts 

provide back-up for OBS and one 

provides access directly into the Fullers 

Pub on the concourse. 

The lifts were designed and installed by 

Stannah’s Major Projects Team reporting 

to main contractor, Vinci and Network 

Rail. 

All 24 lifts will be maintained by the 

Dartford branch of Stannah Lift Services 

as part of its contract to look after 

Network Rail stations in London and the 

South East. 

Stannah Lift Services maintains more 

than 83,000 lift products nationwide – 

all types of lifts from all manufacturers. 

This includes more than 800 lifts on 

Network rail stations right across the UK. 

In additional to maintenance, Stannah 

carries out lift refurbishments and 

installs new bespoke lifts, escalators and 

moving walkways, sometimes in the most 

challenging environments. 

King’s Cross station will see its final 

phase of refurbishment to the station and 

Kings Cross Square completed in 2013. 

For more information on Stannah Lift 

Services visit: www.stannahlifts.co.uk 


E 

S 

I 

T 

efficient - compact - tough - reliable 

Socomec IP + Rail - the new standard in UPS critical power equipment. 

Socomec’s IP+ Rail is the very latest in UPS technology for the mass transportation sector and has been 

engineered specifically to provide optimum energy efficiency for high performance critical power 

applications - in the most challenging operating environments. 

Housed in a compact, robust, steel-framed enclosure, the system has IP31 or IP52 ingress protection as 

well as anti-corrosion tropicalised circuit boards and an electromagnetic disturbance immunity level, 

double that required by European standards. The system is available for use in London Underground 

Section 12 buildings: this uses low smoke, zero halogen components and has surfaces painted in a 

finishing system compliant with London Underground specifications for use in sub-surface stations. 

Socomec’s specialist engineering team has the necessary trackside training and accreditations to install 

and support your equipment throughout its lifecycle. 

To find out how you can benefit from Socomec’s expertise and comprehensive range 

of critical power solutions contact us at rail.ups.uk@socomec.com or speak to a 

member of our team on 01285 863300. 

Socomec UPS UK Head Office, Cirencester | 01285 863300 | www.socomec.com 

Socomec UPS London Office, Holborn | 020 3427 5107 | rail.ups.uk@socomec.com 

Supplier ID 25176 

M 

A 

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E 

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. 

. 

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- 

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. 

R 

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Focused Exhibition 

30 Free to attend Technology Workshops 

Networking Functions & VIP Hosted Lunch 

Free to attend Evening Reception 

Four High Level Conferences: 

– Aviation Security & Air Cargo 

– Maritime & Counter Piracy 

– Public Transport Security 

– Supply Chain Security in Association with TAPA 

Aviation 

Cargo 

Maritime 

Supply Chain 

Supporters 

For more information please 

email info@transec.com 

www.transec.com/advert12 14-15 November 2012 | Olympia, London 



Socomec designs UPS specifically 

for UK railway infrastructure 

A European manufacturer of UPS and electrical control and protection systems, Socomec, has 

developed an advanced critical power solution – the IP+ Rail range – designed specifically for the 

uniquely demanding requirements of rail sector applications 

Founded in 1922, Socomec is a 

market leader and specialist in 

the design and manufacture of 

protection and switching solutions and 

critical power supply. 

Socomec is a truly global business, 

with commercial and engineering 

operations around the world. Its 

European manufacturing plants produce 

the world’s most comprehensive range 

of highly energy efficient and reliable 

uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) 

and rectifier products, many of which 

are suitable for mass transportation 

applications. 

The specialist IP+ Rail range was 

launched earlier this year at the InfraRail 

2012 show and represents the very 

latest in UPS technology for the mass 

transportation sector, ensuring the safe 

and reliable operation of rail networks 

and infrastructure. 

The range – which has been awarded 

a Product Registration Certificate 

Number (1492) by Transport For London 

(TfL) London Underground – has 

been engineered to provide optimum 

energy efficiency for high performance 

critical power applications in the most 

challenging operating environments. 

The Socomec Masterys IP+ Rail is the 

first and only UPS range currently listed 

on the London Underground Product 

Register and holds ‘authorised for use’ 

status. 

Working closely with Socomec’s 

partners at London Underground, as well 

as specialist testing houses and directly 

with the Socomec manufacturing facility 

in Italy, TfL granted the approval on 24 

July. 

In order to gain this important 

authorisation, the Socomec range had 

to demonstrate compliance with the 

demanding London Underground 

Section 12 specification, as well as with 

LU1-085 Fire Safety Performance of 

Materials and EMC Standard: EN62040-2 

and LUL EMC Standards: 1-222, G-222 

and 1-196. 

Based on Socomec’s ultra-efficient 

range of equipment already proven 

within harsh industrial applications, the 

Socomec Masterys IP+ Rail houses the 

most advanced UPS technology within a 

compact, robust steel-framed enclosure 

– almost twice the thickness of standard 

UPS cabinets – and has anti-corrosion 

tropicalised circuit boards. 

Available with IP31 or IP52 ingress 

protection, this system will operate 

in environments where there is 

conductive dust or dripping water. The 

electromagnetic disturbance immunity 

level is double that required by European 

standards and the internal components 

meet the strict, low smoke requirements 

of rail sector customers. 

Socomec’s IP+ Rail is designed to the 

highest specifications and produced to 

the most exacting standards, benefiting 

from economies of scale – thanks to the 



success of the IP+ industrial range. This 

provides the rail sector with a state of 

the art, high performance machine in a 

highly price-competitive package. 

Power options range from 10-80 kVA for 

three-phase models and 10-60 kVA for 

single-phase models with scalable power 

and the facility to parallel up to six units. 

Furthermore, units can be customised to 

meet more specific requirements. 

Socomec’s IP+ Rail Overhead Line 

Infrastructure (OLI) offers increased 

energy availability: the system can take 

inputs from both a 25kV overhead line as 

well as a 400V AC mains supply. 

As a result, this solution potentially 

avoids the need for a diesel generator 

and its associated maintenance, fuel 

storage and refuelling costs. The 

innovative rectifier stage converts the 

input voltage into a DC voltage that will 

charge both the UPS battery and supply 

the input stage of the inverter. 

Socomec has also adapted its emergency 

and lighting technology to produce 

the Rail Centralized Power Supply 

Systems (CPSS) range, developed to 

protect passengers and staff in the event 

of a major power failure or incident. 

EN 50171 compliant, Socomec CPSS 

emergency lighting can also support 

other emergency systems including 

automatic fire sprinklers, detection 

and warning units, smoke extraction 

equipment, carbon monoxide detection 

units and access control systems. 

Andrew Wilkinson, managing 

director of Socomec UPS UK says: ‘At 

Socomec, we recognised that much of 

the equipment used in the UK rail sector 

was at least one generation behind the 

critical power systems being sold into 

industrial and data centre applications. 

We have, therefore, developed a system 

specifically for UK rail and underground 

applications, using our rugged industrial 

IP+ unit as a platform. 

‘We are very committed to working 

with partners in the mass transportation 

sector to develop complete critical 

power solutions which not only 

provide outstanding performance but 

also deliver exceptional value when 

compared to the current market offer.’ 

Socomec provides a complete 

range of engineering support services. 

Its own highly trained engineering 

team has the necessary trackside 

training and accreditation to install 

and support equipment throughout 

the product life-cycle. A nationwide 

network of specialist engineers provides 

local support 24/7/365 to guarantee 

operational continuity. 

The business also has a highly 

experienced projects group which can 

work with the client’s engineering team 

to optimise system performance and 

robustness. 

Wilkinson continues, ‘Total cost of 

ownership is becoming increasingly 

important in the mass transport sector 

and, as well as the IP+ offering superior 

operational performance, it has also 

been designed to be easy to maintain 

throughout its lifecycle. At Socomec, we 

intend to build on our current range and, 

if necessary, work with our customers to 

develop customised solutions for specific 

applications. 

‘As newcomers to this sector, we 

are very much looking forward to 

working with the network operators and 

specialist consultants and contractors 

to integrate our systems into both new 

and existing infrastructure. This is a 

very exciting time for mass transport 

in the UK and I believe Socomec can 

make a significant contribution to the 

development of the sector.’ 

For further information on Socomec 

IP+ Rail, or to discuss any current or 

forthcoming projects please contact 

Claire Rainbow on 01285 863300 or 

email rail.ups.uk@socomec.com 

True measure 

of success 

Severn delivers value 

The government has continued to 

invest in railway infrastructure 

in preference to improving the 

congested road network or adding 

new runways to airports in the face of 

mounting demonstrations. 

The £16bn Crossrail project confirms 

this trend and demonstrates how 

important investment in the capital’s 

rail network will continue to be in the 

next decade. Severn Partnership has 

been involved at the very early stages of 

the Crossrail project with the Geodetic 

mapping aspect, in the words of Severn, 

‘making sure it joins up in the middle 

and it misses the existing tube network!’ 

Crossrail itself has spawned 

numerous other major rail projects 

across the UK: electrification of Great 

Western, increase in line speed from 

St Pancras to Sheffield on the Midland 

Main Line and numerous railway 

station and depot projects, many of 

which Severn Partnership have been 

involved in. 

Severn Partnership supplies survey 

measurement engineering services, 

backed up with 3D modelling and 

building information model (BIM) 

services across the rail industry directly 

for Network Rail and through all the 

major engineering consultancies. 

Investment in and training on 

the very latest survey technology has 

allowed Severn Partnership to pass on 

greater survey efficiencies critical to 

surveying the railway network in ‘white 

periods’, where track access is very 

limited and needs to be optimised. 

The increase and development 

in Network Rail Safety procedures 

have seen a decline in ‘red zone’ track 

maintenance on ‘live’ railways, which 

has been replaced with ‘working 

between trains’ in green zones. 

Severn Partnership is a 24/7 company 

with qualified highly trained track 

surveyors often working at night, 

lowering disruption to the incredibly 

busy railway network. Severn 

Partnership survey data undergoes 

rigorous QA procedures delivered by 

personal track safety (PTS) surveyors, 

some of whom are co-ordinators of site 

safety (COSS), and with the company 

being Link-Up and Network Rail 

approved it is well placed to deliver 

value to your railway project. 

For further information, please 

contact the Severn Partnership on 

0844 880 8247 or email; 

info@thesevernpartnership.com 


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Our Services include:- 

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London N1 9AW. Tel: +44 (0) 7042 9961 

david.hiscock@rmf.co.uk www.rmf.co.uk 

a 


Cabinet reshuffle sees big 

changes for transport 

Patrick McLoughlin 

has been appointed 

transport secretary in 

the coalition government’s 

first cabinet reshuffle. 

McLoughlin, 54, takes over the 

post from Justine Greening, 

who has become secretary 

of state for international 

development. 

Other changes in the 

department see long-standing 

rail minister Theresa Villiers 

departing for the Northern 

Ireland Office, where she has 

been promoted to secretary of 

state for Northern Ireland. 

Norman Baker remains a 

transport minister, with new 

entrant Simon Burns joining 

him. The reshuffle also sees 

Stephen Hammond return 

to transport as a minister 

– Hammond was a shadow 

transport minister while 

the Conservatives were in 

opposition, but did not join 

the DfT when the coalition 

first came to power. 

Formerly the government’s 

chief whip and parliamentary 

secretary to the treasury, 

McLoughlin has had previous 

experience of the transport 

industry when he served for 

three years as junior minister 

for aviation and shipping in 

the Thatcher government 20 

years ago. 

Following in the footsteps 

of his father and grandfather, 

he became a coalminer at the 

Littleton Colliery in Cannock. 

After becoming a member 

of the National Union of 

Mineworkers and an industrial 

representative for the National 

Coal Board’s Western Area 

Marketing Department, he got 

involved with the voluntary 

arm of the Conservative 

Party from 1977, becoming a 

member of several national 

committees and serving as 

vice-chairman of the National 

Young Conservatives from 

1982-84. 

In 1986 McLoughlin 

became an MP after having 

gained experience sitting on 

two local county councils. He 

was appointed to the Privy 

Council in June 2005. 

Issues that the new 

Patrick 

McLoughlin 

secretary will have to deal with 

include choosing between the 

route options for the £33bn 

high speed rail network north 

of Birmingham, and Virgin’s 

application for a judicial 

review of the west coast main 

line franchise award. 

It’s thought that he may 

also push the Treasury to 

soften the blow for commuters 

on planned rail fares, which 

are set to rise between 6 

per cent and 11 per cent in 

January. 

He said: ‘I’m delighted and 

I feel very excited about the 

position. I’m looking forward 

to getting to grips with the 

job.’ 

Speaking at the TUC’s 

annual conference, he declared 

that a relentless focus on 

efficiency would help to put 

an end to the above-inflation 

rail fare increases at the 

earliest opportunity. 

‘We are only able to fund 

this biggest modernisation 

programme since the Victorian 

era to build a railway fit for 

the 21st century because we 

have taken tough but correct 

decisions elsewhere to cut 

spending, redirecting our 

resources to boost growth and 

to get our economy moving. 

‘Of course, when it comes 

to resources we invest in our 

railway network, fare revenues 

are crucial in being able to 

fund the massive upgrade 

programme we are delivering.’ 

Mobbs joins Aecom 

Engineering consultancy Aecom has appointed Iain 

Mobbs as an associate director in its European 

transport practice. 

Mobbs, who joined the company in August, is 

responsible for developing the firm’s rail planning 

practice in Yorkshire and the north-east of England. 

He has 16 years of experience in strategic rail 

planning, revenue forecasting and business case 

development, having been an Associate for Arup. 

Simpson joins RFG board 

The board of the Rail Freight Group appointed Maggie 

Simpson as an executive director on 12 September. She 

will be responsible for leading the strategic direction of 

the group, while chairman Tony Berkeley will concentrate on 

political and European issues. 

Berkeley said: ‘Maggie Simpson has led RFG’s work for 

several years, gaining the respect of government, regulators 

and our members for the quality and strategic thinking she 

contributes to this work, as well as her knowledge of the 

industry. We wish her every success in her new role.’ 

New directors join Invensys 

Invensys Rail has appointed two new 

senior executives in the UK. Ana 

Santos has joined the company as 

VP Finance and IT. Formerly director of 

finance at Ametek Airtechnology Group, 

Santos is a chartered accountant and 

economics graduate from the Autonama 

University of Lisbon. 

Andy Lewis has taken over the role of 

director of environment, health, safety and sustainability. Prior 

to joining Invensys Rail, Lewis held a similar role with Serco. 

Tom Clift dies 

Former Grand Central 

MD Tom Clift has died 

aged 56. Having joined 

the rail industry in 1972, 

Clift went on to operational 

roles in British Rail, before 

taking on a management role 

at Arriva Trains Wales and 

becoming managing director 

of Valley Lines. He was about 

to take up the position of interim manager of First Hull 

Trains when he died. 

Vernon Barker, FirstGroup’s managing director of 

rail, said: ‘We were extremely saddened to hear of the 

news of Tom’s death.’ He added: ‘Tom was a railwayman 

for four decades, becoming a respected personality in 

the industry he cared about. Our thoughts are with 

Tom’s family and friends.’ 


Bullock and Fleming join 

Balfour Beatty 

Balfour Beatty Rail 

has appointed two 

new directors. Mark 

Bullock has taken over from 

peter Anderson as managing 

director for the Uk Rail 

business and Mike Fleming 

has joined the company as 

human resources director. 

Bullock joins the company 

from Heathrow Airport, 

where he was the MD. 

Fleming has worked in 

HR for the past 15 years with 

Nalco, the US multinational 

market leader in water, air 

and energy technologies, 

in the roles of European 

HR manager for the Nalco/ 

Exxon Joint Venture and vice 

president HR International of 

the parent company Nalco. 

Mike Fleming 

People round-up 

Coates bows out 

John Coates, maintenance 

manager at Greater 

Anglia’s Ilford Train 

Maintenance Depot, 

has retired after 50 years of 

working in the rail industry. 

Jason carey, Greater Anglia’s 

feet manager said: ‘John has 

been a key member of the 

depot team. His knowledge, 

experience and dedication 

are second to none and I wish 

him a very happy retirement.’ 

Algeo is new technical director 

parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed Richard Algeo 

as a technical director. He joins the company from 

transport consultancy cJ Associates. 

Transport Forum gets new secretary general 

The International Transport Forum at the OEcD 

(Organisation for Economic co-operation and 

Development) has appointed José Viegal as 

secretary-general. He is a professor of civil Engineering 

at the University of Lisbon and chairman of the transport 

consultancy firm TIS.pt. 

Moulin is new deputy CEO 

Group Eurotunnel has appointed a new deputy 

chief executive officer responsible for corporate 

Services. Emmanuel Moulin, 44, joined the 

company in August replacing claude Lienard, who has 

retired. Formerly economic advisor to the president of 

France, he has also held the position of deputy director in 

the office of the French minister for the economy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

info@1stinrail.co.uk 

t 0845 527 8440 

f 0845 527 8441 

1 st inrail limited 

1d North Crescent 

Cody Road 

London 

E16 4TG 

Unit 2, Redwell Close 

Dinnington 

Sheffield 

S25 3QA 


Recruitment 

Plan for an exciting future 

SAFETY AND STANDARDS MANAGER 

Basic salary £50-55k + pension and benefits package including bonus and 

relocation assistance if required 

About us 

Working in partnership with Lothian Buses plc as the designated 

operator for the tramway in Edinburgh, the project is at a pivotal 

point as it moves toward operation. 

Testing and commissioning is now underway and, as a result, 

the scoping and leadership of the full operational service is now 

required. 

We are working toward delivering a top quality service for the 

people and visitors of Edinburgh, making ‘Trams in Edinburgh’ 

into a customer focused service that is fit for purpose and delivers. 

Our vision is to make Edinburgh Trams efficient and operationally 

effective. As an employer we will be engaging, enabling and 

empowering. Delivering ‘Extcellence for Edinburgh’ is our mantra. 

About you 

We are looking for an experienced senior health and safety 

professional with rail experience who can work across the 

disciplines (operations, engineering, customer service and 

support) to support the tram team into operation. 

The successful candidate will have the ability and desire to 

transform this project and deliver a safe and commercially 

successful operation. Bringing proven experience and expertise 

within a ROGS regulated organisation where they have 

successfully delivered a safe and reliable service, that has 

excelled when audited and gained external accreditation. You 

will also have an innovative approach to the application of 

your knowledge and demonstrable interpersonal skills. 

About the role 

Working in collaboration with the General Manager and the 

project stakeholders, you will be responsible for developing 

the current safety management system through testing and 

commissioning and into shadow running and ultimately 

passenger service. You will be charged with the development 

and implementation of strategies to deliver trams safely to 

Edinburgh on time, in full and within operational budget and 

provide the tram team with expert knowledge with regards 

to safety, quality and environment. 

Salary and benefits 

Basic salary of circa £50-£55k 

We offer a stakeholder pension scheme and benefits package 

including bonus and relocation assistance, if required. 

Closing date for applications 

Noon on Monday, 15th October 

How to apply 

To request a job description and person specification 

please contact our HR Manager, Marie Hernandez on marie. 

hernandez@edinburghtrams.com or call 0131 623 8616 / 

07808 713953. 

To apply, submit your CV to recruitment@edinburghtrams. 

com plus cover letter outlining your motivation for applying 

and demonstrating where you meet the spec for this role. 

Office 3-4-5, Pristine House, Hurst Street, Longton, 

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST3 2LT 

Tel: 01782 244833 Mobile: 07878 041285 

Email: Johnsherratt11@gmail.com 

Safety Critical Training - Manual Handling - Various Fire Courses 

Member 


Recruitment 

Managing Director 

South Yorkshire 

Six figure basic salary plus strong benefits package 

An outstanding business leadership opportunity in engineering/manufacturing 

Our client is a substantial international engineering and 

manufacturing group with strong interests in the railway industry and 

a multisite UK activity that has grown both organically and through 

strategic acquisitions during the last 10 years. 

The autonomous South Yorkshire business forms part of a larger UK 

activity and is very well established with significant growth in recent 

years to a turnover of £80m and circa 800 employees. Activities are 

focussed on the maintenance, repair, refurbishment and upgrade of 

large scale mechanical and electrical capital equipment. The site has 

a strong reputation for high quality professional level engineering 

services and is a market sector leading business. 

Key Activities of the Role: 

• Provide strategic and operational leadership of the business 

through a strong senior management team. 

• Develop and implement business improvements to meet further 

growth and maximise operating performance. 

• Enhance the profile of the business across its’ industry sector 

and extend the reputation for strong operational and customer 

oriented performance. 

• Take a lead role in key customer relationship management and in 

the negotiations of larger sales contracts. 

• Drive the on-going application of best practices and current 

techniques for effectivess, efficiency and safety in all activities 

leading to continual improvement at all levels. 

• Report business performance within the group structure and 

work with group companies on wider corporate development and 

shared activities. 

Candidates should be experienced leaders of engineering/ 

manufacturing businesses with turnover levels in the range £20-50m 

at least and senior management team responsibility. Qualifications 

should be at graduate and professional (e.g. chartered) levels, ideally 

in engineering or other relevant disciplines. The role may particularly 

suit those who meet the above criteria and who are seeking increased 

responsibility, challenge and reward in a high profile business. The 

requirements of the role are such that candidates must be able to live 

within reasonable commuting distance of South Yorkshire. Relocation 

assistance will be available if required. 

Benefits will include bonus arrangements, company car facilities, 

pension scheme membership and other executive entitlements. 

Please forward your CV, covering letter and salary level indication 

to enquiries@rgsexecutive.co.uk or call 0115 959 9687 

with any particular queries. www.rgsexecutive.co.uk 

Resourcing Specialist within 

Rail Systems 

Signalling Tester in Charger – East Midlands 

The client is a world leader in maximising the availability, 

reliability and capacity of railway systems in partnership 

with their clients. This is a new opportunity to lead and 

manage the signalling capability. The successful candidate 

will organise and complete the delivery of testing activities 

for testing of safety-critical railway signalling systems in 

accordance with applicable rail standards and project 

requirements. 

Candidates applying will ideally have an IRSE Tester-in- 

Charge license 1.3.190 - although not essential and/or 

completion of MOD1 course. 

Lead Software Test Engineer – South West 

The client is a leading innovator in the supply of dedicated 

products and services, designed to improve the supervision 

and control of railways worldwide. You will report to the 

Technical Director with responsibilities of improving the 

testing capability through new test methods such as test 

automation and assisting in the development of products. 

Candidates need to have a good understanding of modern 

testing philosophies, tools and methods, working knowledge 

of a variety of modern computer operating Systems and 

hold Software Testing Practitioner Certification. 

Track Design Manager – West Midlands 

The client is a leading independent global projects firm 

with a combined portfolio that is recognised as adding 

value to new railway systems being developed around 

the world. You will be responsible for the overall Checking 

or Approval of detailed track designs and calculations 

within all implementation projects, track renewals or track 

amendments resultant from other railway asset renewals, 

the technical quality of all output from the rail engineering 

team and be responsible for improving the companies 

technical capability in use of the most up-to-date track 

engineering design software. 

For all applications please contact Chris Jefferies on 

01934 757034 / chris@atmosrecruitment.com 


Recruitment 

At First Great Western, we’re not just dedicated 

to making sure people get where they want to go 

– we’re committed to providing the best possible 

train service. Help our Engineering team to deliver 

a safe and reliable service, and who knows where 

your career could take you? 

Senior Rail Consultant 

Location: London or Derby 

Salary £60,000 - £75,000 (Negotiable) + Benefits 

Fleet Engineer, Swindon 

Circa £56,000 

A highly motivated and committed Fleet Engineer is 

required to lead activities for the HST, Class 180, Night 

Riviera and shunting locomotive fleets. The role will 

manage the technical engineering safety requirements 

of the Safety Management System as well as 

performance management to ensure that engineering 

business plans are met. 

The successful applicant will have a proven 

T&RS engineering management background and 

preferably be a Chartered Engineer or possessing 

qualifications leading to chartered status. In addition 

the role demands a self-directed person with strong 

interpersonal skills and proven ability in data gathering 

and root cause analysis of failure and defect modes. 

Standards & Schedules Engineer, 

Swindon 

Circa £50,000 

Maintaining and developing engineering standards, 

methods of work and audit are integral to maintaining 

high levels of Traction and Rolling Stock (T&RS) safety 

and performance. Joining us, you’ll work directly 

for the Head of Engineering, to ensure we meet 

our legislative and mandatory industry engineering 

standards. This will include providing expert advice 

company-wide, ensuring compliance to standards for 

vehicle maintenance plans, monitoring supplier and 

technical audit plans and maintaining the Engineering 

risk models. You’ll also act as our representative with 

other rail industry groups. 

Preferably a Chartered Engineer with demonstrable 

experience in T&RS engineering management, you’ll 

have an up-to-date knowledge of maintenance regimes 

and T&RS systems, as well as an understanding 

of legislation, standards and approvals. Just as 

importantly, you must be a highly-motivated people 

person with the ability to lead others and influence 

decision making. 

In return you will receive a competitive basic salary, 

entry into a final salary pension scheme, a generous 

holiday allowance and free travel for you and your 

family on First Great Western services. First Great 

Western is committed to the safety of its customers 

and employees. The successful candidate will be 

required to attend a pre-employment medical (including 

a drugs test), provide satisfactory employment 

references and undertake a criminal record check. 

To find out more and apply visit 

www.joinusonthejourney.co.uk 

One of TXM Recruit’s Rolling Stock Consultancy partners 

is looking to recruit a number of Senior Consultants 

within either their Derby or London based team. The 

role will hoTld considerable amount of time spent within 

London, so candidates are needed to travel frequently if 

based outside of the London area. 

Role Overview 

Joining the Traction and Rolling Stock Division, the 

successful applicant is required to lead and participate 

in a wide range of projects in the UK and Europe. As a 

key member of their team, you would be responsible 

for continuing to grow the business in strategic services 

by undertaking a range of Business Development, Bid 

Management and Project Delivery activity. 

Typical projects include acting as technical advisors 

during the procurement and delivery of new rolling 

stock, supporting the development and delivery of rolling 

stock and maintenance strategies, advising franchise 

bidders, undertaking feasibility studies and life cycle cost 

modelling. 

Key Role Objectives 

Develop business with and deliver strategic traction and 

rolling stock services to clients including the DFT, TOCs, 

ROSCOs and financial institute, which will involve a range 

of technical, financial and managerial activities. 

• Delivery of strategic traction and rolling stock 

technical services 

• Growth of strategic services market 

• Leadership and management (including financial 

stewardship) of complex projects 

• Technical guidance and mentoring of junior 

engineers 

• Management of project risks (technical, financial, 

timescales, etc) 

• Bid leadership 

Experience Required 

• Recent experience of delivering strategic services to 

DFT, ROSCOs, TOCs or lenders 

• Engineering Degree & Chartered Status (Preferable) 

• Detailed understanding of the UK rail market.• 

Proven track record of undertaking a senior role 

when successfully delivering strategic services 

relating to the procurement and operation of traction 

and rolling stock 

• Good technical knowledge of the design, operation 

and maintenance of a range of vehicle types 

Our client is looking to add to their already successful 

team imminently, so if your career is ready for the next 

step and you have interest in the above position, please 

forward your CV for immediate review to 

lee.reynolds@txmrecruit.co.uk or contact Lee on 

01908228646 

TXM Recruit is an equal opportunities employer. If you have 

any specific requirements or require assistance or reasonable 

adjustments to be made for you during the selection process 

due to disability or long-term health condition, we will do 

our best to assist you

TRANSFORMING RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE 

FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY AND BEYOND 

Photograph: Sandhills Station. Hyder’s innovation at this station was highly commended at the National Rail Awards. 

Hyder leads the way in providing innovative solutions to network operators on capacity 

enhancement and line upgrade schemes. We create world class railway stations and deliver 

cutting edge designs for bridges, tunnels and rail infrastructure. 

With an enviable portfolio of projects including 

Crossrail, North London Line, major stations 

depots, we are the team you can trust to deliver your 

multi disciplinary rail projects. 

Our expertise covers: 

Design of rail infrastructure 

Design of rail systems 

Design of underground and metro 

Rail management services 

For more information, please contact: Mac Alghita, Sector Director - Rail 

T: 01925 8 E: mac.alghita@hyderconsulting.com www.hyderconsulting.com

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