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RailStaff Newspaper January 2012
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ISSU
E 1
70
Nationwide, ,
&Network Maintenance RepairImprovement Plant Hire
stobartrail.com
See StobartTraining Advert
Page 11
In this issue...
Numbers soar on
High Speed One
The second anniversary of the
start of domestic passenger serv-
ices on HS1 has seen passenger
numbers powering ahead.
Page 4
Forth Bridge
paint complete
Page 12
Work starts at
Three Bridges
Construction of the new rail op-
erating centre at Three Bridges
has begun.
Page 16-17
Rail.co - Up to the minute global rail news
Page 14
RailStaff
Network Rail’s ten year, £130M
painting and refurbishment of
the Forth Bridge is complete.
Colin Garratt outlines the story
behind his amazing world trav-
els to document the Last Steam
Locomotives of the World.
Lost Leviathans
JAN
2012
1000’s of UK rail jobs online at RailwayPeople.com
Rail Summit 2012Safety19th April 2012 Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough
SE
EP
AG
E9
SE
EP
AG
E9
www.railsafetysummit.com
High Speed Two, linking Birm-
ingham and London with
Leeds and Manchester, will act
as a rail motorway hosting
trains direct from Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool,
Preston and Lancaster.
Purpose built high speed trains
will run directly from the WCML
and ECML onto HS2. Secretary of
State for Transport, Justine
Greening, announced the added
bonus together with direct links
to the Channel Tunnel and
Heathrow Airport in a special
statement to parliament.
New high speed trains will be
400 metres long with 1,100 seats,
travelling at speeds of up to
250mph. Double-decker trains,
compatible with HS2 and HS1
loading gauge, will further boost
capacity and comfort.
Although HS2 runs through
13 miles of the Chiltern’s Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty all
but two miles of the line will be
hidden below surface level. En-
vironmentalists have welcomed
the project.
Says Shaun Spiers of the Cam-
paign to Protect Rural England,
‘We are pleased the Govern-
ment has shown its commit-
ment to Britain’s railways while
being sensitive to the impact
that HS2 will have on commu-
nities and the countryside.’
Mr Spiers welcomed the
promise of further tunnelling
under the Chilterns. The news
marks a personal triumph for
Justine Greening who faced well
organised opposition from the
Tory heartlands and her own
party.
HS2 also acknowledges the
strengths and accomplishments
of the new rail industry and
represents a big boost for staff up
and down the network. Says
Michael Roberts, Chief Executive
of ATOC, ‘HS2 is a vote of confi-
dence in the railways and recog-
nition of the vital role the in-
dustry has to play in supporting
jobs and driving sustainable
economic growth.’
Phase One will see construc-
tion of a new 140 mile line be-
tween London and Birmingham
by 2026. In the second phase
lines will be built to Leeds and
Manchester by 2033.
Scotland and the North to have direct services on High Speed Two
The Greening ofGreat Britain
High Speed Two is good news
for the rail industry. However it
is not a done deal
Despite cross party support its
opponents are powerful and
well organised. Expect it to sur-
face as an election issue. Five
main arguments can be used by
rail industry supporters to ad-
vance the case for HS2.
The first point is the non-al-
truistic one and basically says:
this is my industry and I want it
to prosper. Let’s hear a bit more
about beefing up the fortunes of
the railway business and the ca-
reers of staff who have invested
their professional life in it. The
other points highlight direct
benefits to Britain as a whole.
1 INDUSTRYHS2 is a big vote of confidence
in our industry and means more
jobs, contracts and stability of
employment. The rail industry
has proved it can deliver major
new projects on time and on
budget - High Speed One is the
most apposite example.
After years of being the poor
transport relation it is about
time railways received premium
investment. We want this work
because we’ll build the new
railway, staff the stations and
crew the trains. Railway staff
stand to benefit as a result and
we’d be failing in our duty not to
support it.
2 CAPACITY The railway network is full up.
We’re carrying more passen-
gers, a billion journeys a years,
than at any time since 1948, on
about half the amount of track.
The new high speed railway
will draw people away from ex-
isting express services freeing up
paths for hard pressed local
services.
Rail freight - which itself is
expected to double by 2030 -
will also benefit from more ca-
pacity. HS2 directly benefits
people working in London,
Birmingham and eventually
Leeds, Manchester and cities
linked by the ECML and the
WCML - these will be connect-
ed to HS2 by high speed
through services.
So it is not simply about shav-
ing a few minutes off Birming-
ham - London journey times.
High Speed Two means opening
up the wider railway to enable
more journeys for more people,
more often.
3 ECONOMYGetting out of recession means
stimulating business and trade.
Capital investment projects gen-
erate wealth, boost employment,
encourage local businesses and
directly benefit trade and enter-
prise. Better transport means bet-
ter business, a quicker exchange
of skills, ideas and commerce.
To prosper Britain needs a
more cohesive transport net-
work. Assuming the heavily traf-
ficked West Coast Main Line,
the M1 and M6 are equal to the
task of spreading south eastern
economic promise is naïve in the
extreme.
4 ENVIRONMENTPeople want to travel quickly
and responsibly. As a society
we are much more conscious of
the carbon we burn and the
time we waste. High speed rail
can help.
Train travel is a lot less harm-
ful to the planet than cars and
planes. We use less carbon and
there’s less waiting about. Using
electricity drawn from a nu-
clear or renewal source is clean
and green. Doing something
positive for the environment is
in everyone’s interests.
5 SOCIALFor generations politicians
have backed expensive social
programmes aimed at narrow-
ing the social and economic
disconnect between north and
south. The long overdue high
speed rail network will bridge
that divide.
No one could have predicted
the economic boom that has
revolutionised London over the
last 20 years. It’s a rich and
growing city with an insatiable
appetite for technocrats, entre-
preneurs and every conceivable
trade. The capital desperately
needs better connections with
the rest of Britain.
High speed rail not only brings
it nearer but transmits its own
magic. Remember High Speed
Two will have trains using it
that start at Edinburgh, New-
castle and Lancaster and other
cities that even now hold the key
to Britain’s sustainable and pros-
perous future.
In conclusion backing railways,
improving local services, stimu-
lating growth, going green and
doing something constructive
about prospering the north
country means supporting High
Speed Two.
It seems almost indecent to be rejoicing at the good fortune of
the rail industry. Abroad, the European Union lurches deeper into
crisis. Britain has avoided the euro and the ill considered fiscal
treaty botched together to save it. The United Sates has announced
an ominous draw down of its forces in Europe. This is not a time
to be found wanting in foreign affairs. Yet announcements of a
retreat from Afghanistan and failure to confront Iran underscore
the weakness of the west.
Nevertheless 2012 promises to be a great year for the rail industry.
High Speed Two is to go ahead. Justine Greening is to be com-
mended for having the personal and political courage to launch
High Speed Two, a doubly daunting exercise after just a few weeks
in the job. The Coalition Government understands the importance
of the scheme and of a rail network that will unite and strength-
en Great Britain.
Railways now enjoy the confidence of the political class, a bizarre
change of fortunes from the dark days of John Major’s splintered
sale of British Rail. Major railway projects are now routinely de-
livered on time and on budget. The actual cost of running the rail-
way is being fundamentally reduced by the Rail Delivery Group
and Network Rail.
However, the opponents of High Speed Two are never far from
the platform edge. Look at any article over the last few days on
HS2. Comments are heavily against the project. Most are spuri-
ous and un-researched. Opposition will not let up and High Speed
Two needs continuous and industry-wide support.
Retaining confidence and arguing the case for railways and High
Speed Two are imperatives for all supporters. It is legitimate to ad-
mit to doing this because it’s good for the industry, for jobs, ca-
reers, pay and profit.
There is a deeper reason. Britain is a more isolated country than
at any time since the Second World War. The Obama presidency
has deflated the once special relationship between the US and the
UK. David Cameron’s spirited defence of British interests at Brus-
sels has left us isolated on our island. Britain thus needs to be
strong and united as it faces up to the political, economic and so-
cial challenges of this century.
High Speed Two is a statement of faith in the future. Britain has
to be able to compete and win. A country that can design and build
a new railway is a place with vision and purpose. Can it be
achieved? The courage and daring of the people who make up our
industry provide the answer.
Over 600 people, from engi-
neers, electricians and builders
to carpenters, stone masons
and abseilers, working on the
King’s Cross project came to-
gether recently to celebrate the
end of major construction work
on the new western concourse.
The new concourse is the
stand-out feature of the £500m
redevelopment of King’s Cross.
The domed roof covers an area
three-times the size of the ex-
isting concourse.
Says Ian Fry, Network Rail’s
King’s Cross project director,
‘With the major construction
completed on schedule we can
focus on fitting out the retail
units and installing the new
passenger facilities so passen-
gers can take full advantage of
their new station when it opens
next year.’
Work to build the Western
concourse, which started in
2009, involved up to 1,150 peo-
ple on site at any one time. The
majority of the station rede-
velopment will be completed by
2012 in time for the Olympics
with the transformation com-
plete by 2013. Once completed,
50m passengers will use the
new station each year, 10m
more than today.
King’s Cross crew celebrate
2 | RailStaff | January 2012
Publisher: Paul O'Connor
Editor: Andy Milne
Senior reporter: Jonathan Webb
Pictures: Colin Garratt
Track Safety: Colin Wheeler
Advertising: Asif Ahmed
Craig Smith
Nigel Wordsworth
Paul Curtis
Production: Adam O'Connor
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High Fives - How to Back HS2
RailStaff | January 2012 | 3
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Room now open
Rail News in brief> Sophie names express
Sophie English is all set to name a locomotive, Eco Express,
at the National Railway Museum in York.
Eco Express is named to celebrate the partnership between
Drax and GB Railfreight in the moving of biomass material. The
locomotive was chosen following a children’s competition held
at the Great Yorkshire Show.
> Name change for Scott Wilson
Since it was acquired by URS last year Scott Wilson has been
trading as URS Scott Wilson. It will now trade under the name
URS and the Scott Wilson logo will be removed.
> Severn heaven
The Severnside Community Rail Partnership has clocked up
a small but significant success.
Passenger loadings at several stations are up thanks to the
hard work of local volunteers. Ridership soared from 135 to 201,
or by 49%, at Severn Beach station between 2009 and 2011.
The SCRP covers the network of routes radiating from Bris-
tol, bounded by Gloucester, Bath/Freshford, Weston-super-Mare,
Taunton, and the Severn Estuary - including the branch line to
Severn Beach.
> Blackpool investment
Run down station platforms at Lytham, St Annes and Ans-
dell, on the popular Blackpool South line, are to receive an in-
vestment of £100,000 to make the stations more attractive
ahead of July’s open golf tournament, when thousands of golf
fans are expected to use the line.
Fylde Council is putting £42,500 towards the scheme and the
Local Strategic Partnership is also contributing £40,000. The bal-
ance will come from Lancashire County Council, St Anne’s Town
Council and South Fylde Community Rail Partnership.
Crossrail has unveiled the first
of eight 1,000 tonne, tunnel
boring machines (TBM) that
will burrow under London ex-
cavating the tunnels for the
new west to east rail link.
The 140 metre long, fully as-
sembled tunnel boring machine
is currently undergoing factory
testing in Germany. The machine
will then be dismantled and
shipped to London where it will
be re-assembled at Westbourne
Park. Tunnelling should com-
mence from Royal Oak in March.
Eight tunnel boring machines
will be used to drill 13 miles of
twin-bore tunnels. The TBMs
will undertake ten individual
tunnel drives as they excavate
the 6.2 metre diameter tunnels.
Building Crossrail is a round-the-
clock operation and the TBMs
will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week stopping only for sched-
uled maintenance.
As the TBMs advance forward,
precast concrete segments will
be built in rings behind the TBMs.
Construction of the concrete
segment factory for the western
running tunnels between Royal
Oak and Farringdon is now com-
plete at Old Oak Common. The
plant will begin manufacturing
over 70,000 segments for the
western tunnels from January.
Says Chris Dulake, Crossrail’s
Chief Engineer, ‘Crossrail tun-
nelling will get underway in
March 2012 when the first of
eight tunnel boring machines
will begin burrowing below the
streets of London. Work is con-
tinuing across the Crossrail route
to prepare for construction of the
major new rail tunnels.
‘The new Tunnelling and Un-
derground Construction Acade-
my has welcomed its first stu-
dents and will train at least 3,500
people with the skills required to
work below ground while the
first of the tunnel segment man-
ufacturing plants will shortly
commence full operations.’
The eight Crossrail TBMs are
being manufactured by Her-
renknecht AG, Germany which
also manufactured tunnel bor-
ing machines for the Jubilee
Line Extension and the Dock-
lands Light Railway (DLR) Ex-
tension to Bank.
March debut for Tunnel Machine
4 | RailStaff | January 2012
Matthew Barrow, who works at
Neath station, has received a
special award from Trenau Ar-
riva Cymru.
Matthew was recognised for
his life saving actions in resus-
citating a baby girl at Neath rail-
way station on 17 May 2011.
Says Matthew, ‘I’d just started my
shift and was in the office talk-
ing to my manager when a fe-
male passenger came in and
asked if there were any first
aiders available.’
Another passenger was taking
her two year old daughter to
Morriston Hospital in Swansea to
be treated for a virus. While wait-
ing for the train, the baby girl had
stopped breathing. Matthew con-
tinued, ‘We cleared a desk and
brought the mother and daugh-
ter in where I gave her CPR, a
technique which I’d learned fol-
lowing the death of my 15 month
old son Samuel in April 2009. I
didn’t really think about what to
do, it was an automatic reaction,
which thankfully had a happy
ending despite the young girl
stopping breathing twice.’
Speaking at the company
awards in Cardiff, Matthew said,
‘I’m completely shocked to be
given this award. It’s been a
very emotional evening and
Ruth, my wife, is very proud.’
ATW Human Resources Di-
rector Lynne Milligan, said,
‘Matthew’s award is fully de-
served as he was faced with
the most challenging of situa-
tions to respond to. He didn’t
think twice about going beyond
the call of duty to help a com-
plete stranger in need of help.
His quick thinking response and
life-saving skills ensured a hap-
py ending to what could have
been an incident with tragic
consequences.’
Life saver honoured
Unipart Rail has won a big con-
tract in Australia.
Together with partner UGL
Limited, Unipart Rail will be
providing fleet maintenance
and logistics services for Rail-
Corp in Sydney. The contract is
expected to generate £900 mil-
lion in revenue over the initial
seven years. A joint venture
company has been established
between Unipart Rail and UGL
to deliver the scope of works
under the contract.
Says John Clayton of Unipart
Rail, ‘This contract sees us join-
ing our established supply chain
and ‘Lean’ expertise with UGL’s
proven maintenance and engi-
neering skills, to deliver signifi-
cant operational and financial
benefits to RailCorp in Sydney.
We very much look forward to
delivering success with our joint
venture partner, UGL.’
Says Rob Mason, chief executive
of RailCorp, ‘The contract with
UGL and Unipart Rail will play a
key role in RailCorp’s commit-
ment to deliver safe, clean and re-
liable passenger services, while
delivering value for money to the
taxpayers of NSW.’
Australian win for Unipart
Top cop awarded QPMBritish Transport Police Federa-
tion Chairman, Inspector Alex
Robertson, has been awarded
the Queen’s Police Medal in the
New Year’s Honours List.
Alex Robertson, from Glasgow,
joined BTP in 1978 and became
Chairman of the BTP Federation
in 1999. Alex has had a distin-
guished 33-year police career. He
was Scottish Area Secretary
within the BTPF and then As-
sistant General Secretary in 1995,
and has been an expert voice on
transport policing issues, from
the day-to-day realities of crime
and disorder to the long term
terrorist threats to the rail net-
work.
Alex has also taken an active
part in EuroCop, the European
Confederation of Police, which
deals with issues such as cross-
border cooperation, as well as
the Police Dependants’ Trust
and the National Police Memo-
rial Day. He holds the Police
Good Conduct and Long Service
Medal, the Queen’s Golden Ju-
bilee Medal and, for his Army
service in Northern Ireland, the
General Service Medal.
Says Inspector Robertson, ‘I
am absolutely delighted and
thrilled, as are my family. It is a
really humbling experience.’
Railway stations are good for
business, the community and
commerce.
Investing in them boosts ur-
ban regeneration, drives up em-
ployment levels and increases
property values by up to 30 per
cent, says a study commis-
sioned by Network Rail. The re-
port, by Steer Davies Gleave,
confirms that station invest-
ment can have a major impact
on urban regeneration within
the surrounding area, stimu-
late development, and increase
economic activity and employ-
ment levels.
Says David Biggs, Network Rail
director of property, ‘This report
confirms that investing in sta-
tions not only delivers im-
provements for passengers, but
also boosts economic activity
and leads to further investment
in the local economy. The con-
tinued growth in passenger
numbers has allowed Network
Rail to attract partners to re-
generate the areas around ma-
jor transport hubs.
‘Birmingham New Street is a
great example; we are delivering
a radically new station gateway
in partnership with the council
and John Lewis, transforming
the south side of Birmingham
city centre.’ It’s official - railway
stations can act as catalysts for
wider regeneration.
Rail estate bonus
The second anniversary of the
start of domestic passenger
services on High Speed One
has seen passenger numbers
powering ahead.
More services are being intro-
duced to meet demand. Local
people want more. Says Charles
Horton, managing director,
Southeastern, ‘This year we
have responded to passenger
and stakeholder needs and
have introduced new services
from Maidstone West, Sand-
wich and Deal and we are grate-
ful for the support of Kent
County Council, local MPs and
other stakeholders in making
this possible.
‘The service continues to prove
popular with 89 per cent of pas-
sengers telling the independent
Passenger Focus satisfaction
survey they think it is good or
very good.’ In the second year of
operation Southeastern has
recorded an additional million
passenger journeys compared to
the first year of operation, now
totalling 8.2 million.
Numbers soar on HS1
Jim Taylor’s new year gets off to
a good start with an internal
promotion to the board.
Jim, the divisional manager of
NRL Rail, has been appointed a
director with effect from 1st Jan-
uary 2012. He has been with NRL
Ltd since 1994 and was the driv-
ing force behind the establish-
ment of the Rail Division in 2001.
Under his guidance, the divi-
sion has achieved Link-Up ac-
creditation in over 140 product
categories and has earned sig-
nificant contracts with Network
Rail, Story Rail and Balfour Beat-
ty Rail. Says Jim, ‘I am delighted
to be made a director at NRL. Our
rail business has gone from
strength to strength and I look
forward to developing the Rail di-
vision further, with the help of an
excellent team.’
Mike Barber, managing direc-
tor of NRL Ltd, says, ‘Jim has
worked tirelessly over the last
few years to build and develop
our Rail Division and with the
support and hard work of his
loyal team he has created a fan-
tastic business unit.
‘The team has, under Jim’s lead-
ership, delivered consistently good
financial results throughout 2011
whilst at the same time diversi-
fying its supply capability. There
is already a strong order book and
pipeline for 2012 and we are con-
fident that the ongoing success of
the Rail division will continue to
contribute significantly to the
NRL Group’s performance.’
NRL Rail operates from offices
in Grangemouth, Scotland
where Jim is based and Wigan in
Greater Manchester.
RailStaff | January 2012 | 5PEOPLE MOVES
Donovan to head TPENick Donovan is the new man-
aging director of First
TransPennine Express.
Nick, 48, who was FTPE’s engi-
neering director, succeeds Ver-
non Barker OBE now heading
FirstGroup’s Rail Division as
managing director September
2011.
Having joined the company
as new trains project director,
Nick has worked for FTPE since
the start of its franchise in 2004.
He successfully managed the in-
troduction of a new 51-strong
fleet of Class 185 diesel trains.
Says Nick, ‘I am delighted to be
given this opportunity to take on
the role and to build on the
tremendous successes that have
been achieved. FTPE has always
been a company that has inno-
vated and we are entering a re-
ally exciting period.
‘There are a range of infra-
structure projects upcoming and
we are working closely with the
Government to increase capac-
ity and provide more carriages
by 2014. My aim is to lead FTPE’s
already successful team through
these great opportunities and
provide an even better service to
our customers.’
Nick joined British Rail as a
trainee engineer in 1981. He
worked in project development
in the UK, Australia and Taiwan.
He worked for Alstom from 1997
and joined FirstGroup in 2001. In
2011 Nick completed the London
to Paris bike ride in aid of the
Railway Children and raised
over £7,000.00.
Tipping the Scales
Neil Scales is quitting his job as
chief executive of Merseytravel
and heading for Australia and a
new career as ceo of TransLink,
the public transport authority
in Brisbane, Queensland.
Mr Scales has spent 15 years at
Merseytravel and takes up his
new post in March. ‘It was a hard
decision to make and one I
spent some considerable time
agonising over but I have re-
ceived an offer which was too
difficult to refuse,’ says Neil.
‘For me this is a challenge to
make a real difference on the
other side of the world and an
opportunity of a once-in-a life-
time experience ‘down under.’
In a message to staff he said,
‘There is much I will miss, in par-
ticular the tremendous support
I have received from you all
during my time here. I truly
thank you for your loyalty and
hard work and wish you all
every success in the future.’
Born in Sunderland, County
Durham in 1956 Neil Scales
studied at Southmoor Technical
School and played rugby for
Durham Schools. Leaving school
at 16 he took an engineering ap-
prenticeship with Sunderland
Corporation Transport.
He continued his studies at
Sunderland Polytechnic, even-
tually gaining an MSc in Control
Engineering and Computing
Systems and an MBA at the
Open University. He even be-
came a part-time associate lec-
turer with the Open University
and is proud of a pass-rate of
over 90 percent for his students.
Before joining Merseytravel
Neil was an independent trans-
port and engineering consultant
working for the World Bank on
projects across Europe. After his
apprenticeship, he first worked
for Tyne and Wear Passenger
Transport Executive before be-
coming Director of Engineering
and Purchasing at Greater Man-
chester Buses, and then Man-
aging Director of Northern
Counties Ltd in 1990.
In 1997, he was appointed Di-
rector of Customer Services,
Merseytravel, two years later
becoming the Chief Executive
and Director General. He is cred-
ited with completely reversing
the fortunes of Merseytravel
which is now recognised as one
of the best transport authorities
in Britain. Merseyrail is one of
the best performing rail net-
works in Britain.
Richard Parry has joined FirstGroup to help bid
for more franchises.
Richard joins FirstGroup’s bid team from Trans-
port for London (TfL) where he worked for 19 years
in a range of senior roles, most recently as
Deputy Managing Director and Director of Strat-
egy and Commercial for TfL’s London Underground
and Rail divisions.
His new role will focus on First’s bid for the pres-
tigious InterCity West Coast franchise. Says Ver-
non Barker, Managing Director UK Rail, ‘I am de-
lighted to have attracted someone of Richard’s tal-
ent and calibre to the Group. The wealth of ex-
perience that he brings will be invaluable as we
seek to build on our market leadership position
in rail and progress the opportunities created by
the Department for Transport’s new franchising
programme.’
First footing for Richard
Taylor-Made
Olympian role for AndrewAndrew Williams has been appointed c2c’s new
Olympics Project Manager.
He will be liaising with Network Rail, Transport
for London, ODA, LOCOG and the British Transport
Police as c2c prepares for the London Olympics. c2c
serves West Ham station, which is one of the of-
ficial gateways to the Olympic Park and Excel ven-
ues for the Games.
c2c’s Leigh-on-Sea station is the official station for
those arriving by rail for the BMX events at
Hadleigh. Andrew joined the railway as part of the
National Express Graduate Training Scheme in 2008.
He worked for National Express East Anglia and
spent 8 months as a c2c Assistant Group Station
Manager. At the conclusion of the scheme he took
up a permanent position as Duty Station Manag-
er for NXEA at Stratford, before moving to Chiltern
Railways as Performance Planning and Project
Manager.
Says Julian Drury, c2c’s Managing Director, ‘The
London Games are extremely important for c2c
and our customers and Andy will be working in
partnership with the c2c team and our stake-
holders to ensure that everyone travelling by
train on our network during Games time has an
enjoyable experience.’
6 | RailStaff | January 2012
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Crossing closuresNetwork Rail says it has now
closed 500 level crossings in
Britain since April 2009.
The company intends to close
a further 250 by 31 March 2014.
Many of these are user-worked
crossings often connecting pri-
vate land and are not public
rights of way. Located in rural ar-
eas, many cross busy main lines.
The barriers or gates need to be
operated by the person crossing
and not the railway. Warning
measures include miniature
warning lights, signs or tele-
phones. In many cases an al-
ternative access for the user is
either available or has been pro-
vided to secure closure.
Says Robin Gisby, managing di-
rector for network operations for
Network Rail, ‘In closing these
500 crossings we have removed
the risk of a vehicle or person be-
ing struck by a train at these lo-
cations and improved safety
across the network for everyone
working or travelling by rail.
While this is good progress,
there is much more to be done.
‘We aim to close a further 250
by April 2014 and we will work to
further improve other crossings
across the network and contin-
ue to raise awareness of the
dangers of misuse. Closing a
level crossing is not always an
easy process, and we often need
the support of land owners, lo-
cal authorities and users. I hope
we can count on their continued
support.’
Network Rail intends to close a further 250 crossings by March 2014.
A former Northern Rail manager, who ded-
icated fifty years to the railway industry,
has received an MBE in the Queen’s New
Year’s Honours List.
Phil Thickett, 65 of Darlington, was recog-
nised for services to the railway industry. He
began his career as an apprentice in 1961 and
worked his way up to become Northern’s
Area Operations Manager, where he man-
aged more than 700 staff and more than
1,200 trains every day across Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire, until his retirement last May.
Phil was recognised for his long term
commitment to the railway and his will-
ingness to help others, both inside and
outside the industry. He has mentored
many school children, on a voluntary ba-
sis, on work experience schemes. In ad-
dition he has been involved with many
projects and charity events.
Says Phil, ‘I couldn’t believe it when I was
told the news about the MBE. I have seen
many changes to the railway industry over
the last fifty years and for me it was about
embracing those changes and providing a
service for thousands of people every day.’
Phil was praised for encouraging staff. Says
Ian Bevan, Managing Director of Northern Rail,
‘We are proud of Phil and delighted he has re-
ceived this fantastic honour. He has helped
develop so many of our employees, in both
their daily duties and further education as-
pirations and is a true ambassador for North-
ern Rail and the whole rail industry.
‘Phil’s kind and unassuming nature has a
positive effect on everyone he comes into con-
tact with and makes him a pleasure to work
alongside.’ Phil is married with two children.
Ops manager awarded MBE
Birmingham New Street sta-
tion’s Gateway project took a
visible step forward over
Christmas with the removal of
part of the Navigation Street
footbridge.
A new section of footbridge
was lifted neatly into place.
When the extended bridge
opens at the end of 2012, it will
provide access to Platform 12 for
the first time and create a new
station entrance on Hill Street.
Says Geoff Inskip, chief execu-
tive of Centro, ‘Whilst a lot of the
work so far has not been visible
to passengers, the installation of
this new bridge clearly shows the
excellent progress being made
towards delivering a bigger,
brighter and visually stunning
New Street Station - a world
class facility the whole West
Midlands can be proud of.’
Prior to the bridge lift the old
platform 12 bay platform had to
be closed and the track cov-
ered. Since the ending of parcel
traffic at Birmingham New
Street there has been no need to
stable an 08 shunter and the
platform had become redun-
dant. Working from Christmas
Day through to 27 December, en-
gineers used a 700 tonne crane
to do the job.
The Gateway project should be
completed in 2015. Natural light
will flood across the concourse.
More lifts and escalators will
help speed passengers on their
way.
Says Chris Montgomery, Net-
work Rail project director, ‘The
work we have completed over the
Christmas break represents a
major step forward in our excit-
ing plans to rebuild Birmingham
New Street for the thousands of
passengers who use it every day.
‘Undertaking projects on this
scale in the heart of Birmingham
city centre represents a huge lo-
gistical challenge and we
planned the work carefully to
minimise disruption to passen-
gers and Christmas shoppers
visiting the city centre.’
Better facilities for rail staff
are an essential part of the
scheme. Over the Christmas
break new train crew accom-
modation was built above Plat-
form 1. Other major works in-
cluded the construction of a
tower crane outside the front of
the station. The crane will be
used throughout 2012 to con-
struct the new public square
opposite the Bullring.
The old Pallasades link bridge
and escalator above Station
Street was removed along with
other redundant structures.
The first half of the new station
concourse is expected to open
in time for next Christmas.
The project itself should be
complete in 2015.
Navigation progress at Birmingham
Network Rail is moving furni-
ture for its new national centre
in Milton Keynes by rail.
Thousands of desks, chairs
and tables made by furniture
supplier Vitra, based in Weil am
Rhein, Germany, will be trans-
ported by train from nearby
Basel in Switzerland to Hams
Hall rail freight terminal in
Birmingham. The combined
length of wagons required to
move the furniture is more than
half a kilometre.
Says Tim Coucher, Network
Rail project director for The
Quadrant:MK, ‘Our new nation-
al centre in Milton Keynes will be
one of the most sustainable
buildings in the country, so it
makes sense that we encourage
the use of rail wherever possible
throughout the supply chain.
‘We’re proud to be supporting
the rail industry by choosing
DB Schenker Rail to transport
our furniture from Europe, re-
moving a huge number of lorry
journeys from our roads and
cutting carbon emissions by
more than 90%.’
The Quadrant:MK, will be
home to around 3,000 Network
Rail people when it opens lat-
er this year. It will bring to-
gether all the company’s plan-
ning and support activities un-
der one roof.
Rail turns tableson road haulage
8 | RailStaff | January 2012
Tel: 01623 646789 or see our website: www.repta.co.uk
Membership open to: all rail and transport industry staff, active or retired,including immediate family.
Membership Card andYearbook
Price: £4.50 inc P&P. Extra family members: £3.00
You can also now join and pay for membership online at www.repta.co.uk
please send cheques / postal orders payable to REPTA to:
4 Brackmills Close, Forest Town, Mansfield, Notts, NG19 0PB. (REF: RS)
New for 2012: Family Membership £9.00 - 2 Adults and Children up to age 10.Plus Discount CinemaTickets.
REPTA 2012
Wild card for FirstGroupFirstGroup has donated £10,000 to its national charity partner, Save the Children.
This brings its total in-kind support and cash donations to just over £4.5 million since the partner-
ship began in 2007. Rather than sending traditional Christmas cards this year, First posted a Christmas
message on its website, including a reference to Save the Children. As a token of the savings made, First-
Group was able to donate an extra £10k to its charity partner.
‘I’m thrilled that our £10k donation breaks the £4.5 million mark and hope it helps bring some much
needed joy to the children in the UK that need it most this Christmas,’ said Avril Gill, FirstGroup’s
Marketing Manager.
A new trial scheme aimed at com-
bating metal theft has been
launched in the north east.
Operation Tornado requires anyone
selling scrap metal to participating
dealers in Northumbria, County
Durham and Cleveland to provide
proof of identity via a photo card. The
trial will last for six months.
Lord Henley, Minister for Crime
Prevention and Anti-Social Behav-
iour Reduction, launched the
scheme at the metal recycling cen-
tre in Shildon, Co. Durham. Cable
theft remains a serious problem in
the railway and rail chiefs will be
watching the scheme closely.
Operation Tornado blows thieves off track
Network Rail in Scotland has
placed £55m-worth of con-
tracts as the Edinburgh Glas-
gow Improvement Programme
powers up.
Morgan Sindall will construct
a new £25m station at Haymar-
ket in Edinburgh, to create a
fully accessible station as well as
an integrated train, tram, bus
and taxi transport hub.
BamNuttall will be working
on railway structures around
the central belt in a £27m proj-
ect and Carillion will deliver a
range of track alterations in a
deal worth £3m. The contracts,
all of which will see work com-
mence in 2012, form part of the
£1bn EGIP scheme.
The Edinburgh Glasgow Im-
provement Programme will see
the electrification of 220 miles of
the existing rail network in the
central belt, including the main
Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow
Queen Street line. The project is
being funded by the Scottish
Government.
Says David Simpson, Network
Rail route managing director for
Scotland, ‘The investment an-
nounced today will transform
Haymarket, delivering a facility
which will better serve customers
and offer the city as a whole a
station it can be proud of.
‘The track and bridgeworks
contracts we have awarded also
mean that preparations are well
under way to deliver the elec-
trification of rail lines in the
central belt, which will cut jour-
ney times and increase capaci-
ty on key routes into Scotland’s
two biggest cities.’
Haymarket is Scotland’s fourth
busiest station and handles four
million passenger journeys a
year. This is predicted to soar to
10m by 2025. Work at Haymar-
ket includes refurbishment and
the construction of a new mod-
ern concourse to the west of the
existing building as well as a
new access bridge and a spruce
up for the platform canopies.
EGIP spring
In what has become an annual event, the idea of
riding subway cars without your trousers on has
spread to 59 cities globally.
In London earlier this month over 200 passengers
rode the tube in their underwear. More daring was
Istanbul where ten trouser-less travellers were
tailed by police and later arrested. Photos of the
event were confiscated and deleted and the riders
later released.
Warsaw did better with 150 riders. In Paris par-
ticipants in the event had the inspired idea of meet-
ing up in a bar called ‘Sans Culottes.’
New York still tops the ratings with over 4,000
people joining the bare legs brigade. The event is
organised by Improv Everywhere, a New York City-
based prank collective that aims to cause scenes
of chaos and joy in public places.
No pants day
The signalling of the East Mid-
lands and transfer of the re-
gion’s signalling to the East
Midlands Control Centre in
Derby, took a big step forward
on New Year’s Eve with the clo-
sure of Leicester Signal Box.
Opened in 1986 Leicester con-
trolled a vast area, stretching
from Sharnbrook to Loughbor-
ough, along with various branch-
es that came off the Midland
Main Line. Numerous manual
boxes were closed as a result.
For the last shift three local
operating managers who had
worked in the box over the last
quarter of a century came to-
gether to say their farewells to the
signal box. Shortly after it opened,
Leicester Signal Box featured in
an Open University programme
about how modern signalling
works. Opened in 2008, the EMCC
should see control for the whole
of the region’s signalling based
there in the next decade.
New Year’s Eve farewell©
BR
ITIS
H T
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NS
PO
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PO
LIC
E
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The final Leicester local operations manager Nick Allsop is joined by re-tired Leicester LOMs Garth Lewin and Trevor Willett, the first LeicesterLOM, in Leicester signal box on Dec 31st just hours before it closed.
Following on from the success of the Rail Safety Summit 2011 we are delighted toannounce the line up for the Rail Safety Summit 2012...
Rail Summit 2012Safety19th April 2012 Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough
Colin Wheeler
Steve Diksa
Willie Baker
Chairman
Assurance Services Director,
Bridgeway Consulting
Major Rail Incident Planning and
Training Expert
Andrew Livingston
Catherine Behan
Jeff Espenship
Dr Liesel von Metz
Seamus Scallon
QSE Business Partner, Atkins
General Manager, HSQE,
London Underground
Target Leadership
HM Inspector of Railways
Safety Director, UK Rail, FirstGroup
www.railsafetysummit.com
The Rail Safety Summit is a conference for rail safety managers,
infrastructure owners, rail stakeholders and training professionals.
Leading figures from the rail safety, security, risk assessment and
training professions will be in attendance.
Conference speakers include:
BONUS: Network Rail Safety 365 Truck on site
10 | RailStaff | January 2012
Join the Rail Alliance now
Rail Alliance membership starts
from just £500 per year
log on to www.railalliance.co.uk
email jo.bennett@railalliance.co.uk
or call 01789 720026.
EVENTSUKTI/Rail Alliance NW Regional Rail Briefing Event
27th Jan tbc - Location... Crewe tbc
Members’ Meeting & Networking Event
Feb tbc - Location... TRaC Global, Skelmersdale - tbc
Infrarail 2012
1st-3rd May - Location... NEC, Birmingham
InnoTrans 2012
18th-21st Sept - Location... Berlin, Germany
New membersGatwick Construction | www.gatwickconstruction.co.uk
(Specialised Construction and Engineering Business Delivering a
Wide Range of Project Building and Maintenance Services to UK
Airport, Rail and Road Markets)
Horizon Specialist Contracting | www.horizonsc.co.uk
(Provider of Specialist Services for Lightning Protection, Earthing,
Structural Maintenance and Height Technology)
Keltbray Rail | www.keltbray.com
(Suppliers of Road Rail Vehicles and Equipment for the Rail Industry
who also Carry out Civils Work including Piling)
Premier Pits | www.premierpits.com
(Global Manufacturers and Installers of Steel Prefabricated
Vehicle Inspection Pits)
Elma Electronic UK Ltd | www.elma.com
(Global Manufacturer of Products for Housing Electronic Systems)
Entire Engineering Ltd | www.entire-engineering.co.uk
(Sub-contract Machining and Fabrication Engineers Specialising in
the Rail Industry)
Anderton Concrete Products Ltd | www.andertonconcrete.co.uk
(Market Leading Supplier of Cable Protection Products to the Rail
Industry)
Green Dragon Rail Ltd | www.4greendragon.com
(Provider of Safety Health Environment & Fire (SHEF) Risk
Management Solutions in all Minor Railway Sectors)
Positive news for 2012view. Welcomed by developers of
major inland rail terminals the
Policy Guidance on Strategic
Rail Freight Interchanges will
help them negotiate the ever
burdensome planning process.
FreightThe review also sanctions Net-
work Rail to invest a further £55
million in the development of the
Strategic Freight Network. This
work includes track doubling be-
tween Ely and Soham eliminat-
ing a major bottleneck on the Fe-
lixstowe - Nuneaton corridor.
Other works include the gauge
clearance of additional routes in
the midlands to allow the pas-
sage of 9ft 6 containers, support
for new services from both Fe-
lixstowe and Southampton ports
and improvements to the 24
hour availability of the network
by enabling diversionary routes
to be available.
Direct Rail Services has an-
nounced the placing of an or-
der with Vossloh España for the
supply of a new fleet of 3750
hp, diesel-electric locomotives
expected to become UK Class
68s. All of this backs up opti-
mistic forecasts predicting a
doubling of rail freight vol-
umes by 2030.
2012 looks like being a good,
positive year as the renais-
sance of Britain’s rail network
continues.
Rail Alliance’s MacroRail 2012
will be held on the 12 and 13
September.
The Rail Alliance is building
on the success of last year’s
event where 60+ exhibitors pi-
oneered the idea. The aim this
year is to have 100 exhibiting
companies with plenty of out-
side exhibitors carrying out
demonstrations.
So, reserve space in your diary
for the second week in Septem-
ber to come and visit Macrorail
2012 at our Long Marston head-
quarters. For member compa-
nies wishing to exhibit, they
can reserve a standard 3m x 3m
exhibition space for £300 plus
VAT (roughly the cost of 1m x 1m
space at a ‘standard’ rail exhibi-
tion!). For more information
please contact:
robert.hopkin@railalliance.co.uk.
As 2012 arrives and both the
Euro crises and the recession
continue, our good fortune is to
be in an industry that is still
spending money and attracting
investment.
High Speed Two is head line
news but Rail Alliance mem-
bers will benefit from a pletho-
ra of positive developments. In
his Autumn Statement, Chan-
cellor George Osborne under-
lined the government’s contin-
ued belief in the recession bust-
ing role of the railways by con-
firming £1.4 billion of invest-
ment as part of the economy re-
vitalising national infrastruc-
ture plan, the Rail Alliance’s Rail
Industry Liaison Manager Neil
Stevens reports.
Projects included the £290 mil-
lion electrification between
Manchester, Leeds and the
ECML. Another beneficiary was
the Oxford - Bedford railway,
where £270 million will open the
western section of the Oxford -
Cambridge ‘Varsity Line,’ as a
100mph mixed traffic route.
Tyne and Wear MetroWith Chiltern Railway’s previ-
ously confirmed upgrade of the
Bicester - Oxford section of this
route, the funding will link fast-
expanding Milton Keynes with
Bedford, London Marylebone,
Oxford and Reading.
Additionally the Chancellor
confirmed a further £390 million
for station improvements,
£290m for bridge renewals, £4m
to upgrade the Tyne and Wear
Metro, £45m on extending the
Oyster scheme in London and
£290 million to limit the planned
January 2012 fare rises to 1%
above inflation rather than the
3% originally proposed.
At the same time the Chan-
cellor backed the extension of
the Charing Cross branch of the
Northern Line through to Bat-
tersea, including two new sta-
tions at Battersea and Nine Elms.
BombardierThere’s good news for rolling
stock with the announcement of
£80 million support for South-
ern’s acquisition of 130 new
Class 377 Electrostar vehicles.
These will supplement South-
ern’s existing fleet and provide
a timely boost to the fortunes of
Derby train builder Bombardier.
Rail freight has also fared well
with Government commitment
to modal shift and rail freight re-
inforced with the publication
of the DfT’s Logistics Growth Re-
Make a date for MacroRail
© T
IMO
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LL
RailStaff | January 2012 | 11
Course Title
Personal Track Safety
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CPCS Theory Tests
Ten
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Translink ticks m-ticketingRail passengers in Northern Ireland can now
use Translink’s new mobile phone ticketing
system, mLink.
Passengers can buy, receive and display an elec-
tronic ticket on their mobile phone doing away
with the need for a paper ticket. Says Catherine Ma-
son, Translink Group Chief Executive, ‘With
Northern Ireland having the highest mobile phone
penetration in the UK at 92 per cent and almost
one quarter of people using smart phones, we are
confident that mLink will soon prove to be the pre-
ferred option for train travel.’
Trapeze Group (UK) Ltd helped Translink devel-
op the scheme.
Crossrail has launched a compe-
tition seeking names for six of its
giant tunnel boring machines.
The TBMs will be constructing
the new rail tunnels under Lon-
don. Londoners and people liv-
ing along the Crossrail route
have been asked to propose
pairs of names for the machines.
The winning entries will be
painted onto the tunnel boring
machines.
This spring, the first two 140
metre long TBMs weighing 1,000
tonnes will burrow four miles
east from Royal Oak via Padding-
ton, Bond Street and Totten-
ham Court Road before reaching
Farringdon in summer 2013.
Later this year, the second pair
of machines will launch from
Limmo in Docklands driving 5.2
miles west towards Farringdon
via Whitechapel and Liverpool
Street.
In the winter, two TBMs will be
launched from Plumstead tun-
nelling 1.6 miles and under the
River Thames to North Wool-
wich. A Crossrail panel will se-
lect a shortlist before the public
is invited to vote online for their
favourite pairs of names in Feb-
ruary. Prizes will be awarded to
the three entrants who receive
the most votes.
Winners will receive either Eu-
rostar vouchers or an annual
family pass to Merlin Theme
Parks and will be invited to at-
tend the tunnelling launch event
at Royal Oak Portal.
Naming boring machines
The DfT is to look in more detail at a scheme to
convert the Bombardier built CrossCountry Voy-
ager fleet to hybrid operation, by inserting a pan-
tograph-carrying carriage.
The e-Voyager project would provide more work
for Bombardier’s Derby workforce. Transport Min-
ister, Justine Greening, has asked the depart-
ment to check out costs and described herself as
enthusiastic about the project.
Large parts of the CrossCountry network, such as
Devon and Cornwall, will not be electrified in the
medium term. However a number of CrossCoun-
try journeys, such as those between Birmingham
and the north-west, are made entirely along elec-
trified routes.
Says Paul Roberts, president of Bombardier
Transportation in the UK, ‘It is encouraging news
from Ms Greening on her plans for the eVoyager
project, where we hope a contractual agreement
can be reached in the first quarter of 2012.’
© J
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Pan up for Voyagers
12 | RailStaff | January 2012
A woman who fainted and fell
onto the tracks at Rochester
has thanked the mystery hero
who jumped down and lifted
her back to safety.
A fellow passenger witnessed
the rescue. Linda Evans, from
Strood in Kent, was standing
nearby on the platform waiting
for a London train. Says Ms
Evans, ‘It was a couple of minutes
before the train was due. She ap-
peared to have fainted. Nobody
seemed to do anything and this
young man jumped down onto
the track to help her.’
Paramedics rushed to the
scene and took the woman to
Medway Maritime Hospital. The
casualty suffered a head injury
and scratches to her arms after
the fall. Meanwhile the mystery
hero has disappeared without
trace.
Mystery hero
Work has begun on a major
upgrade of the railway between
Hastings and Ashford.
Drainage will be improved in
Ore Tunnel and track renewed.
The tunnel lining inside of the
structure will be repaired to pre-
vent water seeping through.
Whilst the line is shut nearly a
mile of track between Rye and
Winchelsea and around one
mile of track between Ashford
and Ham Street will be replaced
with continuous welded rail.
Two rail-over-road bridges at
Doleham and Three Oaks will be
replaced. Work is scheduled for
completion on 9 March 2012.
Hastingsshock and Ore
The future for Bombardier’s
Litchurch Lane works looks
brighter this year after it secured
an additional order for 130 Elec-
trostar cars for Southern.
The new trains will beef up
Southern’s existing fleet and the
contract is valued at £189 million.
‘We are delighted to be awarded
this contract by Southern. This is
a significant project which em-
phasises the performance of
Bombardier’s products in the
UK,’ said Paul Roberts of Bom-
bardier Transportation UK.
‘These vehicles have a proven
track record for their excellent
reliability and environmental
performance which will now
benefit many additional pas-
sengers in London and the
South East. The new trains will
be manufactured in the UK with
initial production commencing
in the latter half of 2012.’
Bombardier Transportation has
people at production facilities in
Derby and Plymouth and 15
maintenance and overhaul cen-
tres across Britain.
Wise men followElectrostarBetter news for staff at Litchurch Lane.
Nottingham’s tram network is set to double
in size with a similar boost to the tram fleet
after funding was agreed.
Work on the five mile extension to Clifton
and the six mile route to Beeston starts soon.
The new services should be running by 2014.
Tramlink Nottingham has taken over the
running of the railway on 16th December
and will be responsible for building the
new lines.
The consortium includes Vinci Invest-
ments, Alstom, Keolis, Wellgrade, Meridiam
and OFI Infravia. The DfT will contribute £371
million of the £570 million needed to com-
plete the scheme. Nottingham City Council
plans to raise most of the rest through the
Workplace Parking Levy, a scheme that
charges employers based in the city a fee for
providing 11 or more car parking places for
employees. The 22 new Citadis trams will
complement the 15 Incentro trams already
in service.
Says transport minister Norman Baker, ‘I
am delighted that we are able to finally ap-
prove funding so that construction of Phase
Two of the tram system can begin. Line One
of the Nottingham tram has proved to be a
great success in encouraging people onto
public transport.
‘These extensions provide the opportuni-
ty to build on that success, and give people
in the south of Nottingham quicker, more
convenient access to the city centre as well
as providing an alternative means of ac-
cessing the city centre for people commut-
ing by car.’
Advanced works including utility diver-
sions start over the next few weeks with the
main tramway construction starting in
March.
Tram extension for Nottingham
Network Rail’s ten year, £130m
painting and refurbishment of
the Forth Bridge is complete.
For the first time there are no
decorators working on the
bridge. With the scaffolding
which has encased the bridge for
over a decade now removed,
the 125-year-old structure will
not need a full paint job for at
least 20 years. The project in-
volved caging the bridge in 4,000
tonnes of scaffolding, painting
over 230,000 square metres of
steel and all 6.5 million rivets in
the structure.
Says David Simpson, Network
Rail route managing director for
Scotland, ‘Our staff and con-
tractors can take real pride in
their achievements on this proj-
ect, not least in the fact that
through their efforts this amaz-
ing structure will remain free of
major maintenance work for at
least two decades.’
Traditionally painters started at
one end of the bridge, worked
across it and then painted back.
Says Marshall Scott, Managing
Director of Balfour Beatty Re-
gional Civil Engineering, ‘Balfour
Beatty is immensely proud to
have successfully delivered the
programme to refurbish the Forth
Bridge over the past decade.
‘It is a testament to the skill
and commitment of the project
team, and the subcontractors
and suppliers, involved in this
significant and complex pro-
gramme of works that the icon-
ic Forth Bridge has been re-
turned to its original condition.’
In the years ahead, a small
team of specialists and engi-
neers will continue to monitor
and maintain the bridge.
Forth Bridge paint complete
Rewiring initiative at ShenfieldAhead of the summer Olympics, engineers
at Network Rail are pressing ahead with
an overhead line upgrade on the Shenfield
and Witham line on the Anglia network.
It’s all been made possible by the hard
work of railway engineering staff over the
Christmas break. Working round the clock
teams completed challenging improve-
ment works between Stratford and London
Liverpool Street.
Now the £200m overhead line upgrade is
to enter its next phase. From 9 January to 21
March, Network Rail engineers will be car-
rying out improvement works on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday nights between
Shenfield and Witham. Engineering staff are
replacing 60-year-old overhead line equip-
ment on the Great Eastern main line.
Says Dave Ward, Network Rail route man-
aging director, ‘The completion of work be-
tween Liverpool Street and Stratford marks
a major milestone in this project. The work
we are doing is a once-in-a generation op-
portunity to enable us to run a more reliable
railway and deliver a better service for
passengers. This line is one of the busiest
rail routes in the country and we need to
carry out crucial works to maintain and re-
new the railway.’
Network Rail has 22 scheduled engineer-
ing-free weekends through the summer, in-
cluding the 11-week period between late
June and early September when all dis-
ruptive engineering work on key rail lines
around the country will be suspended for
the London Olympics.
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RailStaff | January 2012 | 13
Book your tickets online: http://tinyurl.com/yrpdinner______________________________________________________________
dinner@youngrailwayprofessionals.org
Last chance to get tickets: only £40 per head!
With special guest speaker Mark Hopwood, MD First Great Western
Sponsored by:Sponsored by:
A Christmas gift for lifeStaff from First TransPennine
Express helped provide gifts
and support for Leeds-based
charity Caring for Life.
Staff donated hours of volun-
teer time to the charity which
assists homeless and vulnerable
people by providing accommo-
dation, ongoing support, friend-
ship and rehabilitation. 21 col-
leagues from FTPE worked over
three days sorting and packing
250 food hampers. In addition
one FTPE employee donated a
further £300.00 as a personal gift.
Says Pam Parkinson from Car-
ing for Life, ‘It was lovely to meet
up with the team from FTPE
again, who came to wrap and
pack 250 Christmas Food Ham-
pers. They have helped to make
this Christmas a special time for
the people we are trying to help.
FTPE’s continued support of our
projects is making a real differ-
ence to so many people who
would otherwise not be able to
enjoy this festive time of year.’
FTPE and parent FirstGroup
have previously donated nearly
£2,500 to Caring for Life to help
funding for the charity’s minibus.
More platforms and a new
ticket hall feature in a £43m
plan to upgrade Peterborough
station.
The redevelopment heralds
longer, more frequent trains and
anticipates a surge in passenger
volume. Four million people a
year use the station and this
number is expected to double
over the next 25 years.
Says Phil Verster, Network Rail
route managing director, ‘We
are making a significant invest-
ment to improve the railway in
Peterborough, providing a better
station and more trains for pas-
sengers. Rail is vital for Peter-
borough given its position as a
strategic transport hub and this
upgrade will provide a real boost
to the local economy.
‘When we’re finished in De-
cember 2013 the station will
have a modern main building,
extra platforms to increase ca-
pacity and reduce congestion,
easier access thanks to new lifts
and longer platforms ready for
new, longer trains serving more
destinations.’
Peterborough is a major rail-
way centre and hosts a complex
mix of commuter and long-dis-
tance services travelling both
east-west and north-south as
well as burgeoning freight traf-
fic - the station itself has two
freight passing loops.
Network Rail’s redevelopment
will increase capacity through
the station, with two new plat-
forms constructed on the west
side of the station for use by
trains travelling on east-west
routes, freeing up the existing
platforms for north-south serv-
ices. The current platform 3 will
also be widened and a new plat-
form added for future London-
bound high-speed services from
Peterborough.
In addition to the new plat-
forms, platforms 2 and 3 will be
extended to facilitate future 12-
car Thameslink services, which
will provide direct connections
from Peterborough to London
and destinations across the
South East. Platforms 4 and 5 will
be extended for future Intercity
Express services, which will pro-
vide new trains on long-dis-
tance routes to the north of
England and Scotland.
A new goods loop will also be
created to the west of the station
to increase freight capacity on
the key cross-country route from
the port of Felixstowe to the
Midlands and beyond. A sepa-
rate £3m scheme will provide a
brighter, bigger entrance and a
larger concourse at the station.
Olympic gateway for Calais
A giant set of Olympic Rings
has been unveiled on the en-
trance to the Channel Tunnel at
Coquelles near Calais.
The tunnel itself and High
Speed One will be one of the
main gateways to the London
2012 Games. Athletes anxious to
avoid the twin traumas of air
travel and motoring are expect-
ed to catch the train. The rings
have been put up by Eurotunnel
working with the French Na-
tional Olympic Committee.
Says Mayor of London, Boris
Johnson, ‘As the starting line
for 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games fast approaches we want
to say loud and clear to all our
European neighbours that Lon-
don is the only place to be next
summer.
‘Whether you’re heading to
the Olympic Park to watch some
amazing sport, soaking up the
best cultural events the city has
to offer or coming to revel in the
atmosphere at our Live Sites
there is something for everyone
to enjoy.’
Rail is poised to play a central
supporting role in the 2012 Lon-
don Olympics.
Platform promisefor Peterborough
The Young Railway Professionals will be holding
their third Annual Black Tie Dinner on Thursday,
2nd February 2012 in London.
The event provides a unique forum for young
people working in the rail industry to meet with
their peers, be inspired and have a great time. The
Young Railway Professionals is keen to ensure that
everyone across all disciplines is given the op-
portunity to meet their contemporaries in style.
Held in central London, guests will enjoy a net-
working drinks reception before sitting down to
a three course meal and entertainment. Mark Hop-
wood, Managing Director of First Great Western
will be following in the footsteps of Chris Mole and
Pete Waterman as he takes to the stage as the af-
ter dinner speaker, championing interdisciplinary
working and railway apprenticeships.
Representatives from the Railway Children char-
ity will be on hand to oversee a raffle stuffed with
generously donated prizes from across the in-
dustry. For more information, or to book a ticket
visit: www.youngrailwayprofessionals.org
Dinner date for YoungRailway Professionals
An impressive line-up of
keynote speakers will be a
major draw for visitors to this
year’s Infrarail exhibition.
Minister of State for Transport
Theresa Villiers, Network Rail’s
Managing Director Investment
Projects Simon Kirby and
Howard Smith, Chief Operating
Officer, London Rail at Transport
for London, will all be making
presentations as part of the
show’s seminar programme, or-
ganised by our sister publication
the rail engineer.
Free to attend and open to all,
the seminars will be a highlight
of this ninth Infrarail event,
which showcases the latest rail-
way infrastructure products and
systems from the industry’s
leading suppliers.
With less then four months be-
fore the show opens its doors,
momentum is now building.
More than 120 exhibitors have
confirmed their participation in
the event, with just a few stands
remaining.
Space on the On Track Dis-
play is all sold, but some op-
portunities for exhibitors re-
main in The Yard, a new In-
frarail feature for showing larg-
er plant and machinery used
for railway construction and
maintenance.
Infrarail 2012 takes place at the
NEC in Birmingham from 1 to 3
May. Pre-registration offering
free entry to the exhibition will
be available soon via the show
website – www.infrarail.com
Well worth a visit, the website
also provides an up-to-date list
of exhibitors and the latest news
on all that will be happening at
this year’s event.
14 | RailStaff | January 2012
Infrarail keynote speakers
Canfield backs better buy strategyThe Railway Industry Association has backed a
call by the Transport Select Committee for a
clear strategy on future procurement of new
trains.
Says RIA Director General Jeremy Candfield, ‘It
is absolutely essential that the supply industry
has a clearer understanding of future rolling stock
needs if it is to plan resources for efficient delivery.
It is now 981 days since an order for mainline pas-
senger trains was placed.
‘The current situation of long gaps between or-
ders and great uncertainty over timescales adds
significantly to costs and deters investment in
skills and equipment. We urge that a long-term
rolling stock strategy is published, developing
from the Initial Industry Plan and Network Rail
Passenger Rolling Stock RUS documents that the
railway industry has jointly produced.
‘We fully support the Committee’s recommen-
dation that the Government explain how the very
welcome improvements to procurement practices
they have recently announced will be applied.’
Construction of the new oper-
ating centre at Three Bridges
has begun.
When completed in 2013 it
will become the nerve centre of
railway operations in Sussex.
Local MP Henry Smith joined
railway staff at the site. The rail
operating centre at Three Bridges
will be one of 14 centres na-
tionally, built to replace more
than 800 signal boxes currently
used to control train movements
across the network.
The new centres will have
more advanced signalling tools
and technology and will help re-
duce delays, improve perform-
ance and increase capacity. The
new operating centre at Three
Bridges is one of three major
projects in the area.
As well as the new centre
these include a new 11,200
square metre traction and main-
tenance depot for the new
longer Thameslink trains and an
array of station improvements at
Three Bridges. New car and cy-
cling facilities will also be built
for staff.
Says Henry Smith MP, ‘Three
Bridges is a significant transport
interchange hub that serves lo-
cal commuters and business
alike. I’m delighted at Network
Rail’s commitment to invest in
upgrading this important Craw-
ley gateway.’
Major construction of the rail
operating centre, which is being
carried on behalf of Network Rail
by C Spencer Ltd, is expected to
be completed by early 2013. Says
Mark Ruddy, Network Rail’s
route managing director for Sus-
sex, ‘The new operating centre
and train depot will make Three
Bridges one of the most impor-
tant places on the railway in the
south east.
‘As well as helping to create a bet-
ter railway, the 900 plus jobs po-
tentially being created in the area
will also give a vital boost for local
shops and amenities. The
plans are also great news
for passengers in Three Bridges
who will get a better station and
other improvements along the
Brighton main line.
‘Thameslink will deliver
longer, more modern trains,
more seats and a wider choice
of journey options and the op-
erations centre will help us run
a more punctual and reliable
service.’
Work on the
new rail operating centre at Three
Bridges station was officially
started by (from left): Chris
Burchell, managing director of
Southern trains; Mark Ruddy,
Network Rail’s route managing
director for Sussex; Henry Smith
MP for Crawley; Brett Jarman,
Spencer’s project director, and
Peter Lawrence, Spencer’s rail di-
rector (south).
Work starts at Three Bridges
Northern Hubplans promotedPeople across the north of Eng-
land want to see more railways
and better services.
Network Rail’s biggest ever
consultation exercise in the
north promoted plans for the
Northern Hub and a vision for
rail investment across the re-
gion. If fully funded the Hub
would allow faster, more fre-
quent journeys.
It includes the Ordsall Chord,
a new short section of railway
near Manchester which will
reduce journey times by easing
a major bottleneck; work to
electrify the network between
Manchester and Liverpool and
the Lancashire triangle, and
plans to fully restore Man-
chester Victoria station.
Says Network Rail’s Graham
Botham, ‘The scale of this con-
sultation clearly demonstrates
our ambition to stimulate eco-
nomic growth by better con-
necting the towns and cities of
the north. It is hugely encour-
aging that the overwhelming
majority of the public in the re-
gion support our plans to make
it easier for people to get to
work, do business, go shopping
and visit friends and family.’
80 per cent of local people in-
terviewed said the plans would
make them more likely to use
the train.
The North Norfolk Railway is
celebrating a new year’s bonus.
Last year the railway beat its
records, carrying over 150,000
people for the first time in a sin-
gle year. The final figure of
150,497 was 5 per cent up on
2010, which was itself 13 per cent
up on 2009. The railway is based
in Sheringham and runs along
the spectacular Norfolk coast.
Says Colin Borg of NNR, ‘Com-
ing on top of a 13 per cent in-
crease in 2010, the record result
is a tribute to our volunteers who
operated an intensive pro-
gramme of services and special
events throughout the year. It
emphasises the importance of
the Poppy Line to the tourist
economy of North Norfolk.’
The railway plans a special
three day event in June com-
memorating the 60th anniver-
sary of the Ealing comedy film,
‘The Titfield Thunderbolt.’
North Norfolk’srecord year
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RailStaff | January 2012 | 15
The man who signalled the last
train from Swanage to Corfe
Castle and Wareham on New
Year’s Day 1972 has returned
to the Swanage Railway to
mark the 40th anniversary of
the sad day.
Amidst high winds and heavy
rain retired signalman, Bob
Richards joined other passen-
gers from the 1970s for a cheer-
ful steam trip on what is now a
flourishing heritage railway. Bob,
from Corfe Castle, who went on
to work for Network Rail, joined
Peter Sills and his father Fred-
erick Sills from Wareham as
well as Malcolm Munro from
Wool who were passengers on
that last fateful day.
Bryan Trent, from Parkstone in
Poole also came along with his
1972 British Rail train ticket to
watch the first steam train of the
day carry a special commemo-
rative headboard designed and
produced by Malcolm Munro.
Bob was also reunited with
two pieces of equipment. The
first piece of signalling equip-
ment from 1972 was a single line
staff, an inscribed section of
steel tube with a metal ring in
the end, used to allow a train on
the line between Swanage and
Corfe Castle. The single line staff
was used from the summer of
1967 when the signalling at
Swanage station was taken out
of use and dismantled.
The second piece of signalling
equipment from 1972 was an in-
scribed Tyer’s electric key token
made of steel which was the au-
thority for a train to run on the
single line between Corfe Castle
and Worgret Junction near
Wareham.
Peter Sills, also the volunteer
chairman of the Swanage Rail-
way Company, brought along a
photograph of Bob using the
same staff and key token to sig-
nal a British Rail train at Corfe
Castle in late December, 1971.
A delighted Bob said, ‘It was
great to hold the staff and key to-
ken again after 40 years. The
British Rail signalling system at
Corfe Castle back in 1972 was a
traditional Edwardian manual
system but it worked very well.’
Peter added, ‘I remember Bob
because I rode on the trains be-
tween Wareham, Corfe Castle
and Swanage as a child and so
I knew the staff very well. The
people who operated the branch
line were like a large family and
it was very sad indeed when the
railway closed after a period of
decline.’
The Swanage Railway service on
New Year’s Day, 2012, was hauled
by ex-British Railways Standard
Class 4 Tank steam locomotive No.
80104 built at Brighton in 1955 and
restored from a scrapyard condi-
tion by Southern Locomotives
Limited during the 1990s. The
railway forms a central attraction
on the isle of Purbeck - Dorset’s
hidden gem.
Return of the Signalman
The station at Stratford upon Avon is to benefit from a new £1.26m
footbridge for passengers.
The Government has approved a Warwickshire County Council
funding bid. Transport Minister Norman Baker MP, who last month
visited the station ahead of the announcement, approved the fund-
ing for a new disability compliant footbridge at the town station which
will be fitted with lifts. The scheme will be completed by March 2014.
When it is built, the new footbridge will mean that people will no
longer have to use the barrow crossing between the platforms when
taking a train from the island platform. The barrow crossing is prob-
lematic for passengers who cannot manage the stairs because it re-
quires a long walk and a wait for station staff to escort them across
the track. The existing step footbridge will remain in place, follow-
ing its recent restoration by Network Rail.
Says Peter Butlin of Warwickshire County Council’s transport sec-
tion, ‘The new footbridge is a much-needed improvement which will
help bring the station up to date by providing better access for pas-
sengers. The securing of this funding reaffirms our commitment to
the long-term future of the town station and that it continues to be
a vital transport hub after the opening of the new Parkway station.’
A Winter’s tale
Flower PowerTransport for London is hoping
a new campaign featuring
flowers painted on the ground
at 15 spots around Croydon,
where trams share the streets
with cars and pedestrians, will
help make people more aware
of their surroundings and
avoid accidents with trams.
The message accompanying
the flowers is: Don’t be remem-
bered like this. Watch out for
trams. Other measures to im-
prove the safety and comfort of
the 71,000 passengers that use
the system every day include the
deployment of six Tramlink
neighbourhood officers, im-
proving sightlines for tram driv-
ers and pedestrians and road
markings showing the path of
trams.
Staff limber upStaff on London Underground are receiving special training ahead
of the London Olympics.
The focus may be on customer care but the training includes a trip
to the Olympic Park. Olympic authorities want to see athletes and
spectators travelling to the games by rail.
New Venture for Ironman AndyAndy Ridout has launched Advance Train-
ing and Recruitment Services, a Link Up
approved recruitment company specialis-
ing in railway engineering and construc-
tion.
The move marks the high point of Andy’s
15-year career in the industry, including ten
years as Director for Rail at a major Re-
cruitment company. He is now using his
wealth of experience to place candidates
into engineering, management and project
services roles, both contract and permanent,
across all major rail disciplines.
Andy said, ‘I’ve always loved working in
rail recruitment. I want to be dealing with
candidates directly, as I believe they stand
a better chance of success if their recruiter
has extensive experience and a thorough
understanding of the industry. At Advance
TRS our knowledge and experience isn’t
promoted up and out of the candidate’s
reach, but right on the front line where it’s
needed most.’
The philosophy is proving a success, with
Advance TRS having placed over 30 candi-
dates into permanent positions in its first
ten weeks and appearing on the preferred
supply lists of seven respected rail organi-
sations.
‘We’re already seeing some cracking re-
sults,’ added Andy. ‘We’re looking forward
to continuing our success into the new year
by growing our team and getting more can-
didates into the jobs they deserve.’
Andy believes, despite the nation’s gloomy
employment figures, that 2012 will be an ex-
citing year for those working in the rail in-
dustry. ‘There are some huge projects com-
ing up, such as the MAFA frameworks and
London Underground’s SSR project. Net-
work Rail’s centralisation to Milton Keynes
will create a host of new opportunities, not
to mention the Olympics. The upshot is, if
you’re getting bored and starting to wonder
what else is out there, now could be the per-
fect time to do something about it.’
Starting a new company may seem like a
brave move, but then Andy never has been
one to shy away from a challenge. As well
as having run five marathons since 2003,
Andy completed the Barcelona Ironman
race in 2009 and has now begun training for
the world’s toughest Ironman, the Norse-
man, in 2013.
Andy is inviting anyone to get in touch and
find out what Advance TRS can do for them.
If you would like to introduce yourself, call
01483 230624 or visit www.advance-trs.com
for more information.
Success Spotlight
Bob Richards with Peter Sills at Corfe Castle on the 1st January 2012.
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The Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park.
16 | RailStaff | January 2012
The decision to document the Last
Steam Locomotives of the World was
not taken lightly.
From the outset it was going to be a
desperate race against time. By 1969,
having turned professional to begin
the task, steam traction had already
vanished from the main lines of Amer-
ica, Great Britain and parts of Scandi-
navia. It was obvious that countries
around the world would follow suit.
The steam age had been an incredi-
ble phenomenon by any standards.
Steam was the driving force behind the
Industrial Revolution; anywhere that
was anywhere had a railway. The steam
locomotive was also a sensual and
beautiful creation, the one truly living
machine.
Some 640,000 steam locomotives are
believed to have been built, embracing
thousands of different designs and
shapes operating over a multiplicity of
different gauges around the world.
America built the greatest number with
177,000 examples.
Great Britain - railway builder to an
empire and the world - produced some
110,000 locomotives and these came
from an amazing total of over 350 dif-
ferent foundries over more than one
and a half centuries.
Remotest places on earthThe diversity of railway operations led
me to some of the remotest places on
earth embracing all five continents.
The first long haul expedition was to
Finland and Lapland in 1972 to capture
the Arctic snows.
This expedition included an
overnight footplate journey on a bal-
last train from Rovanemi to the quar-
ries at Raajarvi inside the Arctic Circle
from which we were to bring a loaded
train.
Chilled and covered in snow, I mount-
ed the footplate of Finnish Railway’s TR1
Class Mikado No.1074 which drew into
the yard at Rovanemi with a long string
of empties. The cheery crew seemed
pleased if surprised that an English vis-
itor would be joining them.
We departed on time at 02.41 and en-
tered a world of extremes. From the hot
roaring locomotive to the arctic blizzard
sweeping across the desolate white
landscape. Our engine’s exhaust must
have been audible for miles as, burning
a mixture of logs and coal, the huge
Mikado plunged into the darkness with
headlamp blazing, the track ahead hav-
ing disappeared under a blanket of
snow.
Dawn broke whilst the wagons were
being assembled at Raajarvi and coffee
was brewed from a blackened kettle
hung inside the firebox whilst huge
Finnish skin sausages sizzled away on
the Friedman injector mount. Never did
food taste so good as in that remote La-
pland quarry.
African expeditionWithin months of returning from
Finland came the first African expedi-
tion embracing South Africa, Rhodesia,
Kenya and Tanzania. This three month
tour had many highlights, not least
working with the 234 tonne condensing
4-8-4s, built to work over the waterless
Karroo Dessert between De Aar and
Beaufort West.
Ninety of these 108 foot long giants
were built by the North British of Glas-
gow in 1953-54 at a cost of £112,000
each. Prior to their introduction, water
had to be specially conveyed into the
desert.
An unforgettable week was spent
photographing these engines whose ex-
haust steam passed through condens-
ing elements in the tender. One of the
pictures from that week was captioned:
Eruption screaming. Two condensers
ease up to the semaphores with fires
made up and blow down valves scream-
ing.
The steam giants which truly opened
up the African continent were the Gar-
ratts. In Kenya I experienced the red liv-
eried Mountain Class 2-8-4 and 4-8-2,
thirty four of which were built by Bey-
er Peacock of Gorton in 1953.
These oil fired metre gauge giants
were 104 feet long and weighed over 250
tonnes in full working order. They
climbed the 332 miles long route from
Mombasa on the Indian Ocean to the
Kenyan capital of Nairobi, one mile
above sea level.
Iron Dinosaurs1974 saw the first incursion into south
east Asia covering Java, Sumatra, Taiwan
and the Philippines. This expedition
gave rise to the term Iron Dinosaurs and
rightly so as the island of Java was like
a Jurassic park of locomotives.
Over a hundred different types worked
hundreds of miles of sugar plantation
lines and many lines of the state rail-
ways. I saw engines of every colour and
shape, many were hybridised and some
were up to a hundred years old.
The diversity was enhanced by the ex-
otic nutshell burning veterans of neigh-
bouring Sumatra’s palm oil estates.
Incredible apparitions were also to be
found on the Philippine island of Ne-
gros where on the logging and sugar
railways the fabled Dragons of Sugar Is-
land coloured the night sky with their
fiery endeavours. These engines threw
shrouds of crimson embers forty feet
into the air, burning either wood or
bagasse - the straw-like waste fibres of
sugar cane processing.
The Insular Lumber Company of Ne-
gros Island operated their No.7, one of
the world’s most incredible steam sur-
vivors in the form of a four cylinder
Compound 0-6-6-0 Mallett from Bald-
win of Philadelphia in the early 1920s.
For years I had dreamed of catching this
mahogany burning giant alongside one
of the company’s vertical cylinder Shays,
Colin Garratt outlines the story behind his amazing new album
LOST LEVIATHANS
Sunlight Smoke & Shadow, China.
Indian XE being broken up. Leicester Power Station.
the classic logging engine of the
American Pacific north west -
the two veterans, side by side at
the dead of night, spraying the
tropical vegetation with fire.
It was also my dream to catch
No.7 on the wooden trestle
viaduct, built in the Wild West
tradition under American colo-
nial rule, with a line of active vol-
canoes in the background.
India and PakistanBy the late 1970s I had reached
India and Pakistan whose pro-
lific railway network was al-
most entirely built by Britain
during The Raj. India was to be-
come my second home. Not
only did I find the Britain of my
childhood but also the trains I
grew up with. Many of India’s
steam locomotives had their
spiritual home in the soft Eng-
lish countryside.
I was to make eight expedi-
tions to India, including three to
the Assam coalfield in the far
north east corner next to the
border with Burma and China.
Here I found an Inclined Plane
operated by a Lancashire Boiler
drawing coal from a hillside
mine, whilst a few miles away
was Ledo Brickworks, where
the steam powered machinery
for cutting and shaping the
bricks came from Wooton Broth-
ers of Coalville, whilst the two
stationary boilers hailed from
John Thompson’s works in
Wolverhampton.
Two foot gauge Saddle Tanks
from Bagnalls of Stafford pro-
vided the mainstay of motive
power on the Assam coalfield for
over one hundred years. I
mounted a desperate campaign
to have Ledo Brickworks pre-
served but to no avail.
Also in India I majored on the
X Series of standard designs sent
out from Britain during the 1920s
to reduce the amount of different
types being demanded by the
various railway companies. In-
cluded were the handsome XC
Pacifics, which resemble the
L.N.E.R.Gresley A3s, and the mas-
sive XE 2-8-2 Mikados with their
strong Gresley P1 aura. My at-
tempts to have an XE preserved
were successful but I failed with
the XC which are now extinct.
Latin AmericaThe longest expedition was to
Latin America where, in six
months, Argentina, Uruguay,
Brazil, Paraguay and Chile were
covered. It was a non-stop ad-
venture ranging from a Beyer
Peacock Compound 4-6-0 in
Argentina’s high security naval
base to the world’s last Texas
type 2-10-4s, caught highballing
2,000 tonne trains across the
metals of Brazil’s metre gauge
Teresa Cristina Railway.
Equally thrilling were the wood
burning Edwardian Moguls, built
in Glasgow, heading passenger
trains over the international
main line between Ascuncion,
the capital of Paraguay and
Buenos Aires.
But perhaps the high spot was
the journey into Chile’s Atacama
Dessert in search of the world’s
last Kitson Meyer, built by Kitson
of Leeds in the Edwardian peri-
od. The British-owned railways
of the Atacama once brought
gold and nitrates to ports along
the Pacific coast.
I reached that wild place to
find just one Kitson Meyer ac-
tive on track demolition duties
at Taltal. Amid the remains of
an old office block I found a
Girl’s Annual of 1912. What an
incomparable history our tiny
island has.
The World’s last greatsteam user
Over more recent years I have fo-
cussed on China, the world’s last
great steam user, with twenty ex-
peditions to date. Until the 1980s
it was almost impossible to get
into China and there were many
rumours of exotic types lingering
behind the Bamboo Curtain.
These included an ex-Great
Western Dean Goods 0-6-0s, and
4-2-2 Singles, exported to the
Shanghai and Nanking Railway
in 1910 by Kerr Stuart of Stoke on
Trent.
Then in December 1983, when
I finally got access, the opposite
proved to be the case. There
were six standard types which,
between them, amounted to
some 11,000 locomotives with
no sign of the exotic rarities of
yesteryear.
Even more remarkable, steam
locomotives were still being
built at a rate of one a day. It was
a strange feeling. I had turned
professional some fifteen years
earlier to document the Last
Steam Locomotives of the
World and here they were, still
being built and some of them
would possibly outlive me.
RailStaff | January 2012 | 17
Indian F Class, Rameshwara Jute Mill. Indian XC Pacific.
Staring glumly at the post-
Christmas middle age spread
it’s easy just to say, forget it.
I’m too old to do anything
about this. Think again. It’s nev-
er too late to start running. The
human frame was made for it.
Certainly it is worth checking
with your GP before taking up
the sport. However, the secret to
running is stick at it and run
very, very slowly at first until you
naturally pick up speed.
Champion runner, Ron Hill,
started life as the child of a
railwayman, and was born and
brought up in Accrington, Lan-
cashire. With his parents’ en-
couragement he trained hard at
various sports and went on to
excel at running.
Today he still runs every day,
without exception, aged 73. In
his time he has competed in
the Tokyo and Munich
Olympics and won the Boston
Marathon, the first Brit to do so.
He has been running every day
since December 1964.
A run, for Ron, has to be at
least a mile. Even after surviving
a car crash he kept going and
also managed a mile after
bunion surgery. He’s run thou-
sands of miles and is deter-
mined to keep on going.
‘This running has worked for
so long I don’t see any reason to
change,’ says Ron who runs a
successful sports equipment
business. A growing body of re-
search supports the theory that
mankind is descended from
long distance nomadic run-
ners, able to track and run
down antelope simply by stick-
ing with the animal pursued -
long before the invention of
sharp metal knifes, spears and
arrows.
Anthropologists conjecture
we are only ever happy when
on the move, running, slow and
sure for long distances. Rec-
ommended reading: Christo-
pher McDougall’s ‘Born to Run.’
Too old to run?
18 | RailStaff | January 2012
Already by mid-January
New Year’s Resolutions are fad-
ing fast.
Maybe you’ve relapsed and
belted down a doughnut, a pint
or a midnight slab of chocolate.
Getting to the gym can prove
much more inconvenient than
first thought. The good news is
it’s never too late to get going
and the Railway Children may
have the solution.
The secret to getting fit and
losing a few pounds is motiva-
tion. The best way to motivate is
to commit to a course of action
and tell everyone about it. The
Railway Children charity has a
range of events that people can
sign up to and help raise mon-
ey for. Committing to raising
money for charity by running a
10K or a marathon helps ensure
you get on and train for it. More-
over the Railway Children has
expert advice on hand.
Make lifelong friendsSays Katie Mason, events or-
ganiser at the Railway Children,
‘Sign up for one of Railway Chil-
dren’s events and get fit, lose
weight, go to somewhere you’ve
always wanted to visit. It’s a
chance to make lifelong friends
and change your life in a positive
way by helping children in need.
Just about anyone can compete
in our events, as long as you pre-
pare yourself.’
The idea is by committing to an
event - a fun
run or a mountain climb - you
stick at training. Katie has many
ideas on how to ramp up fitness.
‘If you’re not quite at the peak of
your physical fitness, don’t wor-
ry, we’ll give you lots of help and
advice both with training and
with raising your sponsorship.’
The Railway Children has a range
of ideas to suit individuals, teams
and corporate events.
Cycle challengesCycling is a good sport, easy on
the knees compared to running
and burns calories steadily. The
Railway Children offers several
cycle challenges with a differ-
ence this year: Why not cycle 180
miles through the Spanish
mountains of the Sierra Nevada
to the beautiful coast on the
Summit to Sea Challenge. Near-
er home try The London to Paris
bike ride which takes you 178
miles from capital to capital. For
the truly bold the new event, Cy-
cle India, begins at the mystical Taj
Mahal and finishes 300 miles lat-
er at Jaipur.
If walking is a more realistic
option the Railway Charity has
a great new event, the Welsh
3000s. Climb the 15 mountains
over 3,000 feet over three days.
The ever popular Three Peaks
Challenge by Rail celebrates its
10th anniversary in 2012. ‘We are
the only charity to do this event
by train,’ says Katie.
Virgin London MarathonThe Railway Children has
places on several major run-
ning events. These include the
Adidas Silverstone Half
Marathon in March, the Virgin
London Marathon in April and
the Bupa Great Manchester
Run in May. In London a 10k
run sponsored by BUPA takes
in several famous landmarks
and will be held on the course
which is expected to be used
for the 2012 Olympic
Marathons.
Looking further afield more
intrepid fund-raisers can take
part in an overseas challenge for
an adventure of a lifetime in
some of the world’s most spec-
tacular destinations. Trek to the
summit of Kilimanjaro, the high-
est freestanding mountain in
the world and visit a Railway
Children project in Tanzania to
meet the children who benefit
from your hard-earned spon-
sorship money.
Trek to the lost city of Machu
Picchu or walk along the Great
Wall of China. There are lots of
different challenges to choose
from all over the world. Says
Katie, ‘These events are fan-
tastic for corporate team build-
ing, comradeship, personal
achievement and simply hav-
ing fun.
Make 2012 a year to remember!’
Charitable Training gets you fit
Rani has some quickdecisions to make.Does she run from the man coming towards her,or does she talk to him? Should she trust him, or willhe abuse her, or even rape her? She knows that ithappens all the time. Should she agree to do things withmen, bad things, if it means she can stop herself and herlittle brother starving?What should she do for the best?
Thousands of children at stations around the world are makingdecisions that can shape their whole futures. The dangers are many,and the adults who will abuse them are all too persuasive.
Rani was lucky - because RailwayChildren were thereRani arrived at India’s Lucknow Train Station with her littlebrother. Orphaned, she was left with relatives that didn’tcare. Desperation led them to board a train to thenearest city, they were alone and incredibly vulnerable.Fortunately, a Railway Children worker got to them first.He gained their trust, and made sure they didn’t fallinto the wrong hands.Now Rani and her brotherare safe, happy and hopeful - as childrenshould be.
Data Protection: Railway Children hold your data for marketing purposes to keep you updated about our work. We will not share your information with any third parties.If you do not wish to receive updates from us please call 01270 757596. Registered charity number: 1058991
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I enclose my cheque/postal order made payable to Railway ChildrenOR Debit/credit card. Type of card:
MasterCard Visa Maestro/Switch* CAF
Card no:
Start date: Expiry date:
*Issue No: CSV no. last 3 digits on reverse of your card
�Yes, I’ll help children on the streets or at railway stations. Here’s my donation to make sure Railway Children get there first.
I would like to give £10 or my own amount of £............
Please help children like Ranitoday by calling 01270 757 596
or use the formbelow
The nextfewminuteswill changeRani’s lifeforever...
Please send to: Railway Children, FREEPOST RRHJ-ESZK-EYCG, 1 The Commons, Sandbach, CW11 1EG or donate online at
www.railwaychildren.org.ukTo protect identities, names are sometimes changed. Wherever possible we gained the consent of the childpictured in accordance with our child protection policy.
Find us: facebook.com/railwaychildren
Follow us: @railwaychi1dren
(please quote ‘PRRSTF’)
(code ‘PRRSTF’)
Following an excellent if snow-
less celebration of Hogmanay
may I wish you a very happy as
well as safe New Year?
It made a change for travel not
to be disrupted by snow, even if
you, like me, are awaiting gale
damage repairs. For those who
worked in possessions over
Christmas the weather was con-
siderably kinder than the last
two years!
I guess that the majority of us
will have indulged in a glass or
two at some time during the fes-
tive season, and this will have
added to our enjoyment of the
celebrations. Those who work on
railways know that alcohol and
railway work don’t mix!
“A Puff of Regret”It has been reported that the
Government are developing leg-
islation to tighten our laws on
drug taking and driving. For
those who work on the railway
it is a “criminal offence to be un-
fit through drugs or alcohol
while doing work that is safety
critical”.
Network Rail, London Under-
ground and others have de-
tailed regulations and rules in
place. Network Rail’s Safety Cen-
tral website uses the title of “A
Puff of Regret” to announce
their latest safety campaign,
stressing their rules on the use
of drugs and alcohol by those
who work on their railway, with
graphic posters and presenta-
tional materials. The principles
are sound and have my full
support.
The details however should
be challenged. Network Rail
enthuses over its zero tolerance
policy on drugs as does London
Underground. I still find it hard
to accept that Network Rail’s
standard is set at a limit of 20
mg alcohol per 100 ml of blood
whilst a driver on the motor-
way is supposedly fit to drive
with up to four times that
amount of alcohol in his or
her blood (i.e. 80 mg).
The stories about inebriated
airline pilots are I hope exag-
gerated, but do they work to any
set limit? Surely these different
responses can’t all be right? The
Network Rail limit is equiva-
lent to around one and a half
units of alcohol and I am not ad-
vocating that they slacken their
standard.
One standard please!When it comes to drugs (both
illegal and legal) one needs to be
aware that the taking of over the
counter medicines and pre-
scribed ones can also put you
the wrong side of a random rail
drugs test. The consequences
can be a ban from working on
the railway for five years.
My real concern lies in the
fact that Network Rail and Lon-
don Underground apply similar
but not identical rules to the
problems of drug and alcohol
use by those working on their in-
frastructure. Hence it has proved
possible for a worker to be dis-
missed from his job by one em-
ployer following a positive drug
and alcohol test to Network
Rail’s standard, and to work to-
tally legitimately a week later on
London Underground doing
similar work!
Another wasteful and unnec-
essary result of the differences
in standards is that the railway
medical screening providers
have to carry out two sets of
tests (one to each standard) if an
employee is to work on both
sorts of infrastructure.
On cost grounds alone Net-
work Rail and London Under-
ground should surely be able to
agree on just one standard. Do-
ing so would strengthen the
zero-tolerance message for both
organisations. I have discussed
this with senior managers of
both organisations but so far the
response from both has merely
been it will have to wait until
“they” agree with “us”!
“Dem Dry Bones”James Weldon Johnson (1871-
1938) was the Afro-American
author of “Dem Dry Bones”
which is arguably the best
known of all Spirituals. It is now
used on the Network Rail Safe-
ty Central website to publicise
their latest safety initiative
aimed at reducing the number
of slips, trips and falls that result
in injury every year.
Astonishingly 44% of all seri-
ous accidents are a result of a
slip, trip or fall. The website
uses an X-ray type skeleton
graphic with a number of click
on points which reveal details of
injuries sustained on the rail in-
frastructure and the both long
and painful recovery of those
who tripped, slipped or fell.
20 | RailStaff | January 2012
Colin Wheeler writes...
44% of all serious accidents are aresult of a slip, trip or fall
A Safe and Happy New Year to allwho work on rail infrastructure
TRACK SAFETY
© S
HU
TT
ER
ST
OC
K.C
OM
I was less impressed by the
homily that says “taking an ex-
tra five minutes to assess the site
for safety hazards can save a
whole load of pain and injury
later”. With tight possession
times, detailed planning done in
an office and extensive method
statements and briefing packs,
many of us have lost the focus
on being responsible for looking
after ourselves.
Safety Behaviours Perhaps of greater importance
is the principle to be found in
their Projects’ “Behaviour based
Safety Programme”. It states
that “strong safety cultures ex-
ist where the following are in
place - leadership, commitment
and clear expectations; critical
positive behaviours identified
and expressed; the right tools,
processes and procedures; train-
ing and awareness of desired be-
haviours and clear metrics for
performance measurement and
monitoring”.
Sounds good to me! But if
managers really know their peo-
ple (and vice versa) I believe
that the costly measurement
and monitoring, may be reduced
to a very low level. Of course this
could upset many of those
lawyers seeking no-win no-fee
“work” whose charges rise with
the amount of paperwork avail-
able to argue over.
An early Christmaspresent - “Ballast BroomBriefings”
For underworked trainers and
Machine Controllers Network
Rail sent out an early Christmas
present on December 19th. It
came as an advice from the Na-
tional Competency Control
Agency - Sentinel (NCCA) or-
ganisation instructing employ-
ers that their Machine Con-
trollers had to be briefed by
March 1st and the briefing de-
tails recorded on the NCCA
website.
The briefings give details of the
equipment and how it may safe-
ly be used to distribute tipped
ballast using ploughs, brushes
and blades attached to various
pieces of plant. The briefing ma-
terial also stresses the need for
operators of the machines to be
trained in the use of each spe-
cific piece of kit.
The briefing is in response to
an accident that occurred at
Ashby back in September 2010.
This resulted in a Machine Con-
troller suffering serious leg in-
juries. Network Rail issued an In-
frastructure Safety Bulletin
about it dated June 8th 2011.
Allegedly there are nearly 40
people employed writing these
amendments to competency re-
quirements, so I was not sur-
prised to find this updating
(which is complementary to a
December Rule Book change)
described as “Machine Con-
troller Miscellaneous Module 2
Group 2 competence”!
Hopefully no one rushed to
get started on this exercise
since the training presentation
was modified and reissued on
January 12th!
How best to train? The training module comes
as a Power Point presentation to-
gether with the trainer notes etc.
Two questions; firstly, were the
delays between September 2010,
the June 2011 Safety Bulletin
and the March 2012 briefing
deadline a timely response to
the accident and the findings of
the Rail Accident Investigation
Branch (RAIB)?
Secondly, is classroom training
the best way for Machine Con-
trollers? When I worked in the
northwest we had both safety
and productivity problems with
plant due mainly to the limited
understanding staff had of what
it could and couldn’t safely do.
Our response worked well. We
set up a series of on-track depot
demonstrations explained by
Machine Supervisors to all who
worked with the plant, including
the normally office based people
who deployed it. We recorded
the details of those who went
out to the depot for the training.
The results were dramatically
good in terms of productivity
and a reduction in incidents.
The train that ran into alorry load of straw bales
Also on December 19th an ac-
cident occurred which is cur-
rently being investigated by
RAIB. The 0910 passenger train
from Milford Haven to Man-
chester Piccadilly was a two
coach Class 175 Diesel Multiple
Unit.
About 14 miles from Car-
marthen it was near the village
of Whitland approaching Llan-
boidy Level Crossing travelling at
68 mph. The driver saw a lorry
and trailer of straw bales on the
crossing in front of him and
applied emergency braking. He
was still travelling at 41 mph
when he hit the lorry.
The train cab was seriously
damaged but the train did not
derail, although it pushed the
lorry and attached trailer 80
metres down the track. Several
passengers received minor in-
juries and shock. The lorry on
the crossing was stationary as
the train approached and the
exit side half barrier was down.
The RAIB website states that
their inquiry will focus on why
the lorry was on the crossing
with the barrier down and the
crashworthiness of the train.
Simplification and lessfragmentation
With the long awaited decision
to go ahead with the construc-
tion of High Speed 2 now made
there needs to be a fresh urgency
to get our industry’s act togeth-
er. The involvement of rail spe-
cialist contractors and consult-
ants with all rail infrastructure
owners is essential.
The errors made back in Rail-
track’s days must not be re-
peated. Simplification of stan-
dards, specifications, tendering
and contract award processes
should all be made to reduce
costs and improve both safety
and efficiency.
I respect the professional work
done by the Office of Rail Regu-
lation (ORR) and the Railway
Safety and Standards Board
(RSSB). But surely now is the
time when their functions need
to be rationalised.
The ORR is described as the
“independent safety and eco-
nomic regulator” but its activities
I understand exclude London
Underground, city tram and
metro systems. The Rail Safety
and Standards Board (RSSB) is
funded jointly by a levy paid by
its members and grants from the
Department for Transport.
It works with its funders and
Network Rail and describes its
role as focussing on “the GB
railway”. Its work is clearly more
widely applicable than this sug-
gests. In terms of competence
and efficiency (and for the ben-
efit of companies undertaking
work with all and any railway in-
frastructure company in Britain)
surely regulation and research
needs to be less fragmented?
High Speed 2, 3 and more!Whilst we have just High
Speed 1 (still widely known as
the Channel Tunnel Rail Link)
this may be excusable but as we
add High Speed 2, 3 and more I
suggest the regulation system
needs rationalising.
Hopefully after overcoming
the nimby-isms of the Chilterns
area we will as part of the coun-
try’s economic recovery redis-
cover the importance of the
north and even Scotland! I write
as an Englishman living in Eng-
land some way north of Hadri-
an’s Wall from where Gateshead
is considered to be the south and
Manchester and Liverpool are in
the south west!
Arguably we will be the last
major country in Europe to de-
velop a high speed rail system.
Doing so will redefine the eco-
nomics of internal air travel and
help all parts of mainland Britain
to contribute to our economic re-
covery and future.
RailStaff | January 2012 | 21TRACK SAFETY
Rail Summit 2012Safety19th April 2012 Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough
SE
EP
AG
E9
www.railsafetysummit.com
22 | RailStaff | January 2012
One of Waterloo’s four disused
Eurostar platforms is to be re-
turned to service in 2014.
Longer trains are to serve the
terminus as the DfT announced
plans to add extra carriages and
upgrade the SWT commuter
fleet. The carriages, which will al-
low around 8,000 extra peak-
time passengers into Waterloo
every morning, will begin arriv-
ing from May 2013, with all new
services in place by July 2014.
Government funding means
lease company, Porterbrook, will
be able to create a fleet of 36 five-
car suburban trains to run on
South West Trains routes. This
new fleet will enable around
8,000 extra peak-time passen-
gers to travel into London’s Wa-
terloo station every morning,
as 8-car trains will be lengthened
to run in 10-car formation on
certain routes.
Alstom is masterminding the
project. Known as Class 458/5,
the improved fleet will be made
up by converting two existing
Alstom-built fleets, the Class
458s, used by SWT and Class
460s, formerly used by the
Gatwick Express.
Modifications will include cabs,
couplers, gangways, as well as
conversion of baggage areas into
passenger saloon areas. Up to
92% of the material content of
the project will be sourced from
the UK supply chain. Doncaster-
based Wabtec will carry out the
work. Alstom is recruiting
around twelve engineers in or-
der to provide a team of twenty
five dedicated to supporting the
conversion project.
Says Transport Minister Justine
Greening, ‘These extra carriages
will help ease those conditions,
while opening an extra plat-
form will provide space for ad-
ditional trains to run. But our
plans do not stop here. We are
now embarked on one of the
largest programmes of rail in-
vestment since the Victorian
era and we expect to introduce
further carriages on Waterloo
routes and bring more plat-
forms into use in the future.’
Waterloo’s former Eurostar
platforms have been out of use
since 2007 when services
switched to St Pancras. Since
then the only rail activity the
platforms have seen is a steam
locomotive being propelled into
the station as part of the Railway
Children theatre production.
Waterloo Sunrise
A £40m plan to improve the rail infrastructure
between Swansea and Gowerton, developed by
Network Rail, has been backed by the Welsh Gov-
ernment and the South West Wales Integrated
Transport Consortium (SWWITCH).
Under the plan six miles of track will be laid be-
tween Cockett West Junction and Duffryn West
Junction. In addition, the disused eastbound plat-
form at Gowerton station will be reinstated to serve
the new track. The Loughor Viaduct will be re-
placed. The bridge is a grade II listed structure.
Says Mark Langman, route managing director for
Network Rail Wales, ‘Today’s announcement of our
plan is another affirmation of Network Rail’s
commitment to growing the railway in Wales. This
scheme has come about by a shared vision with
the Welsh Government and SWWITCH, and the
recognition that investment in rail infrastructure
is good for the economy and will help support and
nurture Welsh economic growth.
‘We hope that local authorities, passengers and
the local community share our vision of the long
term benefits and support us during the con-
struction works to deliver the scheme successfully.
The scheme promises to bring huge social eco-
nomic benefits in south west Wales by improving
capacity and connectivity to key employment cen-
tres such as Swansea, Llanelli, Carmarthen, Fish-
guard and Milford Haven.’
The new viaduct over the River Loughor will be
strong enough to support two tracks. Doubling the
track will improve performance.
West Wales rail boost
Plans to transform London
Bridge station have been given
the green light by Southwark
Council.
The station will have a com-
pletely new platform layout al-
lowing high frequency trains
on the Thameslink route.
Britain’s largest station con-
course will provide more space
for passengers. Sadly the historic
station roof will be demolished.
However new eye-catching en-
trances on Tooley Street and St
Thomas Street will make the
station more accessible and eas-
ier to use. Says David Higgins,
Network Rail’s chief executive,
‘London Bridge is one of the
busiest stations in the country
and this investment is vital for
passengers who want more
space, less congestion and bet-
ter services.
‘Our proposals will breathe
life back into London’s oldest rail
terminus and help build on the
programme of regeneration
along the South Bank and Bank-
side. It will provide a focal point
for the local communities it
serves as well as the tens of mil-
lions of passengers who use it
every year.
‘We are grateful for the sup-
port we’ve received and will
continue to work closely with
our partners and the local au-
thority to deliver the project ef-
ficiently and considerately over
the coming years.’
The station will remain oper-
ational throughout the rede-
velopment and will be com-
plete by 2018.
Razing the roof
The official handover of the
Gogar tram depot to the City of
Edinburgh Council took place
shortly before Christmas.
Four tram drivers are current-
ly on site testing fleet. Graeme
Healy (37) from Edinburgh is
the fleet’s first driver. Says Mr
Healy, ‘I am proud to be able to
say that I am the first of the city’s
next generation of tram drivers.
I did my initial training in Not-
tingham and will be training
the other drivers that come on
board throughout 2012, which is
something I’m really looking
forward to.’
The depot will be home to the
new tram fleet and will also
host the network control centre
when the service opens in 2014.
Says Jenny Dawe, of the city
council, ‘Looking around the de-
pot, it is clear that we have a
world class facility from which
to run the tram network. We are
already well into the testing
programme and it was a real
boost to see the trams in motion
along the test track - a very vis-
ible indication of the momen-
tum we have built up over the
past few months.’
Depot handover forEdinburgh Trams
Cut to the Chase reversedThe increasingly popular
Chase Line between Walsall to
Rugeley is to be upgraded.
Line speeds will be increased to
75mph on many sections of the
route once the £5.4 million proj-
ect is complete. Currently much
of the route is limited to 45
mph. Originally closed to pas-
sengers during the Beeching
era, passenger services were re-
stored by Centro, the transport
authority for the West Midlands
during the 1990s. It has become
an increasingly important com-
muter service in and out of
Birmingham.
Says Tom Ansell of Centro, ‘We
are delighted that Network Rail
is making this important in-
vestment, which will hopefully
act as a catalyst for further im-
provements such as additional
services on both routes and
electrification of the Chase Line.’
© J
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RailStaff | January 2012 | 23
Train driver wins picture competition
An Edinburgh-based train
driver has won a top photogra-
phy competition for his stun-
ning photograph of a passenger
train near Ballencrieff.
Stephen Gorman of Cross-
Country has won the Arriva
Photo of the Year 2011 award
for his picture taken looking
east towards North Berwick,
with North Berwick Law pro-
viding stunning background
terrain. His image of the Cross-
Country train was judged
alongside other finalists’ im-
ages from across the Arriva
group for the annual award.
Stephen, aged 44, is from Gul-
lane, East Lothian. He said, ‘I can
remember that day was very
cold and I was standing in a foot
and a half of snow to get the pho-
to.’ The competition, open to all
47,500 Arriva employees across
12 countries, receives hundreds
of entries every year.
RailStaff editor, Andy Milne, urgesreaders to get involved with theRailStaff Awards.
New Year’s resolutions are all very
commendable but in the main they
concentrate on the ego, the self: Me.
It’s all about me losing weight, me
meeting that someone special, me pay-
ing off the loan, me running that
marathon, me pulling down a new job
or promotion. Maybe a better new
year’s resolution, and one that can
prove a lot easier to stick with, is sim-
ply this: Be a better friend.
Expanding, challenging industryFor some years now RailStaff’s edito-
rial policy has been simply to support
and encourage all who work in the rail
industry, and that’s a pretty wide defi-
nition. Everyone from a tram driver in
Croydon to a cleaner in Edinburgh Hay-
market is part of the industry.
Readers also include senior politi-
cians, people who have just joined
from other industries, new immigrants
who do not have English as their first
language, hence our insistence on plain,
clear English, and a steady core crew of
long term staff.
It makes no difference to us who you
are or where you work. We are here to
support your career in an expanding,
challenging industry. RailStaff seeks to
do this by running good news stories
about new investment, rolling stock or-
ders and acts of heroism by passengers
and staff alike as well as triumphs like
long service awards and sporting
achievements.
Boost moraleThe idea of the paper is to boost
morale and reassure staff. We start
from the unshakable conviction that
Britain needs more railways, more tram
systems, freight railways and high
speed railway lines. Best of all we believe
the industry needs more people like our
readers to build and operate the railway
of the 21st century.
Too often in what is a busy, public-fac-
ing, labour intensive industry the
achievements of the men and women
who make up the railway can be over-
looked. As well as the newspaper, Rail-
Staff, created in the dog days of pri-
vatisation when every one assumed the
railway was doomed, we started the
RailStaff Awards six years ago.
For the peopleThe idea is to shine a light on the acts
of good sense, bravery, courage and pro-
fessionalism which many staff regard as
just routine. Industry and showbiz have
lots of awards for actors and rocks
stars, for hard headed businessmen and
investors but what we want is an
awards scheme for the people who ac-
tually do the work.
The RailStaff Awards are for the en-
gineers and track workers out in all
weathers, the driver checking a train at
four in the morning, the cleaner hiking
into work through a sub-zero snow
storm, the platform dispatcher who
saved a heart attack victim’s life. It’s a
long, long list… However, the success of
the RailStaff Awards depends on you the
reader.
Encouraging a friend is free. The
words, ‘Of course you can do that...’ cost
nothing and are always helpful. Em-
phasise how good you feel about a col-
league or a member of staff by putting
them forward for a RailStaff Award.
The good thing about the RailStaff
Awards is that everyone is a winner.
Nominations can be posted up on web
sites, reprinted in staff newsletters
and of course we feature the winners
and nominees on our web sites and in
RailStaff.
Third party endorsementThe point about the awards scheme is
that it amounts to third party en-
dorsement. You saying your fellow rail
colleague is the best might be quite true
and sincerely meant but give the re-
mark the added impetus of a RailStaff
Awards nomination and suddenly the
whole compliment takes on a stronger
more exciting meaning.
This year will be challenging eco-
nomically. Abroad the fate of the Euro-
pean Union and disagreeable develop-
ments in Iran and Afghanistan over-
shadow us. However 2012 will also be
one of great strides forward as planning
in earnest for High Speed Two gets go-
ing and Crossrail tunnelling forges
ahead along with a dramatic array of
other rail capacity projects.
2012 is a year to affirm our faith in
each other and in this industry. Enter
that special person or team for the Rail-
Staff Awards. Read what happened last
year. We will run articles on how best to
write nominations. Make that resolu-
tion: ‘I will encourage my colleagues.’ It’s
a good New Year’s resolution and could
make 2012 extra special for rail staff.
STAND BY ME
Colleagues of Jenny Calvert celebrate as she wins Rail Person of the Year at the RailStaff Awards 2011.
© STEPHEN GORMAN
24 | RailStaff | January 2012
Hard working rail engineers
were out in force over the
Christmas break renewing the
deck of Cummersdale Viaduct,
which carries the twin track
Cumbria coast railway over the
River Caldew between Carlisle
and Dalston.
The deck is being completely
replaced as part of a £1m proj-
ect designed to keep the vital ru-
ral rail route open for years to
come. Says Chris Chatfield, Net-
work Rail’s scheme project man-
ager, ‘Compared to many other
railway lines, the Cumbria coast
line is relatively lightly used.
However, it provides a vital link
for all the communities it serves,
which is why we are investing
such a large sum of money in it.
‘The deck of the existing
viaduct is made of timber
planks, which are now life ex-
pired and need replacing. We will
use rail mounted equipment to
lift out the old timbers and in-
stall the new steel deck units,
which come in 46 pieces.’
The River Caldew is a noted
spawning ground for wild
salmon. Scaffolding was at-
tached to the underside of the
viaduct and covered in an en-
vironmental wrap to protect
the river below. This part of the
project had to be completed in
September before the start of
the salmon spawning season.
The fish breeding also means
work can’t be completed before
June 2012.
Mr Chatfield explained, ‘We
need to carry out scour protec-
tion work. This stops the flow of
the river eroding the viaduct
piers, but to do this, we actual-
ly need to work on the river bed.
However, the salmon breeding
season lasts from September to
June so we will have to come
back next summer to finish
the work.’
The new viaduct will be paint-
ed a holly green colour to blend
in with the surrounding coun-
tryside, fooling the fish.
Salmon check forCummersdale Viaduct
Subway salute for AnneThe 115th anniversary of the opening of the
Glasgow Subway is particularly poignant for 80-
year-old passenger, Robert Connor.
A regular user of St George’s Cross station it was
there Mr Connor met Anne, a subway ticket col-
lector, who he’d later marry. He handed her his tick-
et one winter evening in 1974 and never forgot the
encounter.
Says Bob, ‘I knew the staff at St George’s Cross well
as I used the station all the time. A lot of them had
worked on the tram cars before so you’d recognise
all the faces. The Subway had ticket collectors in
those days, often girls, standing at the rear end of
the platform at the bottom of the stairs.
‘I remember coming off at the station one night
coming home from work and handing my ticket
to a girl at St George’s Cross I hadn’t seen before.
We’d see each other most days after that and al-
ways say hello.’
Bob knew the stationmaster quite well and one
night was talking to him about a Christmas par-
ty. Says Bob, ‘The Subway staff at that time had a
party for all of the kids at the Salvation Army func-
tion hall on Butterbiggins Road. I was in for my usu-
al chat and Anne was talking about taking her two
nieces along to the party. Another member of staff,
I forget their name, volunteers ‘Bob will go with
you’. I said I would and that was that.’
Bob approached the date with some trepidation.
‘I remember being quite nervous and had visions
of having to get all dressed up like a waiter in a ho-
tel, but we got on really well. After that we’d use the
Subway to go to the cinema together and we even-
tually got married in August 1981, although we had
a car take us to St Aloysius rather than the Subway!’
Anne worked at St George’s Cross until the Sub-
way closed for modernisation in 1978 and had
worked as a ticket collector on the Glasgow Corpo-
ration buses before that. Bob worked as a draughts-
man for over 20 years at a variety of companies in
Glasgow including Rolls Royce. The couple lived near
St George’s Cross station after retiring, although sad-
ly Anne passed away ten years ago.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, which owns
and operates the system, has already begun a mul-
ti-million pound modernisation project to ensure the
Subway remains at the heart of the city for genera-
tions to come. Mr Connor still travels on the Subway
and still has time for a chat with staff. Recent work
on the line means the path of true love should be run-
ning smoother than ever for another century or so.
The closure of the A4 Hammer-
smith Flyover in London is
thought to have stimulated rail
ridership on Thames Valley
services.
According to First Great West-
ern more people than normal
travelled on its London and
Thames Valley services during
the traditionally quieter period
between Christmas and New
Year. The Hammersmith Fly-
over was closed after a series of
inspections carried out by Trans-
port for London showed up
structural defects before Christ-
mas. While diversions are in
place, motorists can expect de-
lays, particularly during peak
periods.
FGW operates four stations
within 3.5 miles of the M4, all
with car parking facilities and
fast times into London Padding-
ton. These include Theale, off
Junction 12 of the M4 and
Slough, 1.5 miles from junction
6 of the M4. Reading is also a
good alternative and Taplow is
just 3.5 miles from Junction 11 of
the M4.
Says FGW’s managing director,
Mark Hopwood, ‘Rail passen-
gers numbers in the London
Thames Valley are higher than
the same time last year, and it
looks like the closure of the
Hammersmith Flyover is con-
tributing to that. We’re pleased
that we’re able to offer a fast, af-
fordable and convenient alter-
native for journeys into Lon-
don.’
The flyover was forced to close
after water corroded and weak-
ened the cables that give the
bridge its strength. TfL has
vowed to make good the dam-
age and reopen the road well be-
fore the start of the London
Olympics.
Westwayho!
A freight train has run for the first time on a re-
cently opened railway linking Afghanistan and
Uzbekistan.
The seven-car train pulled into a new station at
Mazar-e-Sharif after a trouble free journey from
Hairatan on the Uzbek border 50 miles away. Noor
Gul Mangal of the Afghan government was there
to meet the train. ‘This is a matter of pride for us
and a very important issue for Afghanistan,’ he said
speaking in Mazar-e-Sharif.
NATO forces could soon be using the railway. Mil-
itary commanders are keen to re-supply troops
from the north instead of Pakistan. The railway ex-
pects to start passenger operations soon.
Rail debut for peace train
Railways will help unite Afghanistan.
Eleanor Carling, 16 from New-
castle and Morris Pendlebury, 17
from Skipton have won the East
Coast Premier Model Search.
Staff from train company East
Coast and Premier Model Man-
agement, stars of Channel 4’s
the Model Agency, conducted an
exhaustive search up and down
the railway between London
and Edinburgh. Eleanor and
Morris have both won a 12
month contract with Premier
Model who will represent them
and help to establish their career
in the fashion industry.
Both Eleanor and Morris will
also receive a two-day trip to
London, with First Class travel
and £250 in prize money, and in
addition, £250 worth of rail trav-
el vouchers, courtesy of East
Coast, to help with their travel
expenses to London when they
begin their modelling work.
Says Paul Williams, commu-
nications manager at East Coast,
‘We are really pleased that Pre-
mier has found some future
fashion stars during the search
along the East Coast route, and
excited to see how their careers
progress after their discovery.
We’re really proud of the East
Coast Premier Model Search and
have enjoyed working with Ca-
role and the team at Premier
over the last five months.’
The search consisted of Pre-
mier scouts travelling on East
Coast trains to various destina-
tions along the route, and hold-
ing scouting events at stations
along the route including Glas-
gow Central, Harrogate, Peter-
borough, Doncaster, Newcastle,
Edinburgh, York and Leeds.
Model railway
Track cops commendedTwo sergeants who disarmed
and arrested a knife-wielding
man on rail tracks in Leeds,
have been commended by
British Transport Police.
Sgt Robert Pedley and Acting
Sgt Mark Mowvley went onto
the tracks near Redcoat Lane in
Kirkstall and tackled the man.
The two officers, along with
West Yorkshire Police officers,
arrested the man and took him
into custody.
Says Chief Constable Andy
Trotter, ‘Their fast actions helped
minimise any danger to the
public. I am very proud to be able
to congratulate and commend
them for their brave actions.’
The incident shut the railway
line for over two-and-a-half
hours. Certificates of commen-
dation are awarded by the chief
constable to police officers, rail
staff and members of the pub-
lic who have shown special
skill and resourcefulness.
© PA
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HE99z
RailStaff | January 2012 | 25
Signal success forHeritage Supporters
The Institution of Railway Sig-
nal Engineers has taken deliv-
ery of an historic locomotive
nameplate.
Class 37 locomotive no. 37232,
belonging to DB Schenker, previ-
ously carried the name: ‘Institu-
tion of Railway Signal Engineers’
and had been designated for
preservation by the Railway Her-
itage Committee (RHC). The
nameplate was handed over by
Nicky Morgan, MP, chairman of
the newly-created All Party Par-
liamentary Group for Heritage
Rail to IRSE President Claire Porter.
‘We are delighted to have the
opportunity to provide a per-
manent home for this name-
plate,’ said Colin Porter, Chief Ex-
ecutive of the Institution. ‘It was
a great honour that the Institu-
tion’s name should have been
carried on such a fine locomo-
tive, and it is wonderfully ap-
propriate that the nameplate
should now be coming to us, just
before our centenary year.’
The nameplate was initially
carried by locomotive 37411,
which was named by Margaret
Hale, wife of the then IRSE pres-
ident, Cliff Hale, at Fort William on
28th May 1987. The nameplates
were transferred to a second lo-
comotive, 37232, which was
named by British Rail’s Director of
S&T Engineering Ken Burrage at
Perth station on 6th November
1990. Latterly the locomotive
worked on engineering trains.
RHC Chairman Peter Oven-
stone said, ‘This event once
again illustrates the excellent
working partnership which the
Railway Heritage Committee
has enjoyed with the railway in-
dustry.’ He went on to explain
that it had been agreed that the
power of designation and the
statutory protection it affords
should be transferred to the
Trustees of the National Muse-
um of Science and Industry.
‘We have been greatly heart-
ened by the Government’s deci-
sion which recognises the sig-
nificance of the nation’s rail-
way heritage and the value of
continuing to maintain the
statutory protection system
which has worked so well over
the last 18 years.’
The government had intended
to disband the committee but is
now understood to be re-think-
ing this. The Railway Heritage
Committee has long been valued
by the railway industry. A final
decision on the way ahead is ex-
pected in February. The Institu-
tion of Railway Signal Engineers
(IRSE) was founded in 1912 and
has members word wide.
Dry run for MerseyrailMerseyrail plans to ban the con-
sumption of alcohol on its trains.
In an unofficial local press sur-
vey 88 per cent of voters sup-
ported the booze-ban. Following
a successful campaign that saw
antisocial passengers prosecut-
ed for putting their feet on seats,
Merseyrail is proposing mak-
ing all its trains and stations dry
to deter alcohol related crime.
Merseyrail’s new managing di-
rector, Maarten Spaargaren, is
right behind the idea. ‘I want to
make the railways a more at-
tractive, safe, pleasant environ-
ment to be in, and one way of
doing that would be to prevent
people who are too drunk to
travel using the service.
‘We think an alcohol ban
would give greater protection to
passengers and staff at all times
of the year. The practicalities of
enforcing the ban are still being
looked into, such as whether it
would need a specific by-law or
the extension of an old one.’
A similar ban, prohibiting the
carrying of open bottles and
cans of alcohol, was introduced
on public transport in London in
2008 and has proved popular
with rail staff and passengers
alike. The Travel Safe campaign
is part of a wider drive to make
Merseyrail more attractive to
potential passengers.
Maarten Spaargaren took
over from Bart Schmeink as
managing director at the end
of November last year.
Merseyrail is run by a Serco-
Abellio consortium.
School children who have been let down by their
local council and had their bus service with-
drawn are turning to rail to get them to school.
For several years now thanks to better comput-
er generated route measuring software, local
councils have been re-evaluating the distance chil-
dren live from school. If it is less than three miles,
even by a yard, measured school gate to front door,
then they no longer qualify for free travel. Among
exemptions is if the walking route is unsafe.
Leicestershire County Council withdrew the free
bus for children in Sileby who attend Humphrey
Perkins School, in Barrow Upon Soar at the end of
the Christmas term. In a controversial move the
council decided the three-mile walk between the vil-
lages was safe after it trimmed back a few trees that
force pedestrians to walk in the road.
Head teacher Peter Nutkins is concerned for the
safety of the children. ‘They (Leicestershire Coun-
ty Council) are arguing it is reasonably safe. How-
ever, when I walked it with David Parsons, the
leader of the council, it took us an hour and a quar-
ter, along a busy road. There are pavements less
than a metre wide, pot holes, ditches, and that is
what the local authority says is reasonable for our
children to walk on. It’s just crazy.’
The school has 900 pupils and 51 of those live in
Sileby. Mr Nutkins has now negotiated a deal with
East Midlands Trains allowing the pupils to trav-
el between Sileby and Barrow for about 50p per day.
School staff will be on hand at Barrow station in
the morning and afternoon to help pupils.
Rail rescue for school kids
The London to Scotland
overnight sleeper service has
been saved after London and
Edinburgh agreed a joint £100
million funding pledge aimed
at refurbishing the fleet.
However, Scottish transport
minister Keith Brown, sounded
a note of caution. ‘I am delight-
ed to now confirm that we have
submitted proposals to the
Treasury that will see us invest,
as a minimum, £50m to ensure
that the Caledonian sleepers
are enhanced to offer better fa-
cilities and a more responsive
service to passenger needs.
‘I now await the decision from
the Treasury on whether it will
stick to its promise and make
the funding available to max-
imise the improvements to the
service.’
The service is run by ScotRail
even though it connects London
with Edinburgh, Inverness and
Fort William. Options suggested
by a recent Transport Scotland
consultation included abolishing
the sleeper. The sleeper service
costs about £21 million a year to
run, excluding track access
charges.
Wake up call for sleeperAs part of the restorative justice
system, eight young people have
been helping do up Haverford-
west station in Pembrokeshire.
They took part in the painting
and restoration project as part of
their community service repa-
ration. The partnership involves
Arriva Trains Wales and Pem-
brokeshire County Council Chil-
dren’s Services. The team of
young people worked with rail-
way staff to repaint concrete
flower planters, seats and
canopy supports as well as
planting new shrubs.
Says Geraint Morgan, com-
munity affairs manager for Ar-
riva Trains Wales, ‘During the
four weekends spent on the
project, their efforts have helped
make a noticeable improvement
to the general appearance of
the station, which has been well
received by local rail users.
‘Projects such as this can help
young people make a valuable
contribution to their local com-
munity. They have also been
given the opportunity to learn
new skills and gain work expe-
rience which they may not oth-
erwise have had. This can then
help with future employment
aspirations.’
Speaking at the station, the
Chairman of Pembrokeshire
County Council, Councillor
David Pugh, said, ‘The project en-
abled the large number of young
people engaged in the work to
learn new skills and disciplines
and participate in a useful local
community project.
Furthermore they were able to
complete their reparation
promptly within their local com-
munity, a very visible form of
payback.Pembrokeshire County
Council, after this successful
start, is looking to continue
working with Arriva Trains and
improve the appearance of oth-
er rail stations in Pembrokeshire.’
Pembrokeshire restoration
© JO
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Direct Rail Services has started trials of a staff train,
aimed at reducing traffic congestion at Sellafield.
The week day service from Carlisle will be made
up of three reserved carriages for Sellafield
workers and one additional carriage for mem-
bers of the public hauled by a class 37. After Sel-
lafield, all carriages will be made available to the
public through to Barrow.
In a further development DRS has ordered 15 new
diesel locomotives. The Vossloh Espana Eurolight
UK locomotives will be based on the Eurolight lo-
comotive and will be built in Spain. The locos have
a 3750hp Caterpillar c175 engine and ABB AC trac-
tion equipment and a top speed of 100 mph.
26 | RailStaff | January 2012
Vienna match for RailsportThe Railsport Games Great Britain Chess Team
took part in a strong Railway International Tour-
nament in Vienna recently.
The team took on Czech Railways, who went on
to win the tournament, Swiss Railways and Aus-
trian Railways. Eight players and a non-playing cap-
tain travelled to Vienna. The team included Gra-
ham Bolt and John Bass of Network Rail, Peter El-
dridge and Barry Kocan of South West Trains, Tony
Lee of CSC, Dave Perrett of Arriva Trains Wales, Alan
Giles of Virgin and Trevor Jones who is retired.
Nicholas Mahoney of DB Schenker was the non-
playing captain.
The match is an annual event, apart from every
fourth year, when the European Railway Cham-
pionships take place, with the next one set for 2012
in Hungary. Railsport GB is keen to recruit addi-
tional players. If you want to find out more about
Railsport Chess activities, including over the board
matches in London, please contact Mike Broad on
020 7904 or 07771 670896 or E mail:
mike.broad@networkrail.co.uk
The Bodmin and Wenford Rail-
way has notched up a third
successive record-breaking
year.
Passenger numbers are up and
turnover at an all time high. Af-
ter the last train, the Mince Pie
Special, had returned to Bodmin
General Station on New Year’s
Eve, the BWR had recorded its
best ever results in a calendar
year. A total of 55,789 passengers
marked an increase of 6.6 per
cent on 2010 which itself was a
record year.
Achieving such impressive re-
sults for the second consecutive
year is a major milestone for the
railway and its staff, the major-
ity of whom are volunteers. The
good news marks a fitting finale
to its 25th anniversary year.
The preserved line started in
June 1986. In December 2011
alone, over 5,300 people travelled
on the Railway’s Santa by Steam
and Mince Pie Specials, 7.9%
more than in the same month
last year. The 6½-mile line be-
tween Bodmin Parkway and
Boscarne Junction was original-
ly opened in 1887-88. Passenger
services ceased in January 1967.
‘The success of the 2011 sea-
son is a further tribute to all our
staff, both paid and volunteer,
who have worked extremely
hard throughout the year to
present a caring and profes-
sional image to our visitors. We
are all naturally delighted that
2011 has again been our best
year ever with a record number
of passengers and turnover, and
are extremely grateful to every-
one who has supported us this
year,’ says Richard Jones, General
Manager of the BWR.
Record success forBodmin and Wenford
Staff special launched
The station at Goodwick near
Fishguard in Pembrokeshire
could reopen as soon as March.
Network Rail has now low-
ered and realigned the track
closer to the existing platform at
Goodwick. The progress has
been welcomed by local rail
campaigners.
The existing Fishguard station
at the ferry terminal is too far
outside the town, locals say.
Hatti Woakes, secretary of the
North Pembrokeshire Transport
Forum, says Goodwick station is
better and more accessible. ‘The
problem with the station (at
Fishguard) is it’s quite far out, at
least 10 minutes walk from the
town and most people are tak-
en there by car.
There is a car park which is ex-
pensive, it’s £7 a day. It’s a bit of
a disincentive and it’s putting
some people off, especially peo-
ple who live outside of Fish-
guard.’ Trains have not stopped
at Goodwick since 1964. ‘Good-
wick is more convenient for
many people. It’s going to be very
simple because of the funding
constraints but people will be
able to park for free and the bus
service will stop right outside the
gates,’ says Hatti.
Services on the line have
been increased and railways
are experiencing higher levels
of passenger ridership. Servic-
es at Fishguard have increased
from two a day to seven thanks
to funding by the Welsh gov-
ernment. Pembrokeshire coun-
cil owns the station site while
the work to reopen it is being
funded through the Welsh gov-
ernment’s regional transport
plan.
Fishguard fanfare
The rail industry has launched a new scheme
designed to attract graduates onto the railway.
The scheme - Track and Train - will provide an all-
round industry experience over 18 months, where
graduates will enjoy three, six-month placements:
one at Network Rail and two at either a passenger
or freight operator or another company within the
rail sector.
Says Patrick Butcher, Network Rail’s group finance
director, responsible for the scheme, ‘We know that
there are many smart, talented individuals out
there that haven’t had their break yet and as a
growing industry we can work together to provide
challenging, valuable and paid work experience to
kick start their careers.
‘What sets this scheme apart is those involved
will work across the rail industry and by linking it
all together, develop a fantastic knowledge and un-
derstanding of the challenges we all face and the
opportunities for the future.’
Graduates already at work in the railway are rec-
ommending the scheme. Says Karl Grewar, a
graduate working at Network Rail and on sec-
ondment to London Travelwatch, ‘Being at uni-
versity is very different to the workplace so it is vi-
tal graduates know how to behave in a business
environment. Learn to plan, to multi-task and to
prioritise your workload.
‘Any work experience you can get under your belt
and refer to in interviews is well worth it. Get used
to the sound of your voice and to speaking in front
of people as you’ll be talking to people at all lev-
els. I have been surprised at how many graduates’
communication skills aren’t up to scratch leaving
university.’
Rail industry plansUniversity Challenge©
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RailStaff | January 2012 | 27
This year sees Coyle Personnel
celebrating 24 years in the
business, and the business is
getting busier.
Coyle is looking for signalling
professionals, tunnelling engi-
neers, quantity surveyors, site
agents and safety officers.
Established in 1988 Coyle Per-
sonnel Plc is a professional re-
cruitment consultancy. With
offices in 12 major locations in-
cluding London (City), Birm-
ingham, York, Glasgow, Cardiff,
Maidstone, Harrow (head of-
fice), Reading and Chelmsford,
Coyle Rail can offer a very
competitive level of service to
meet clients’ ever changing
project needs throughout the
country.
With over 100 in-house re-
cruitment consultants Coyle
Rail delivers confidently every
time. Current clients include;
Invensys, Balfour Beatty,
Amey, Crossrail, Halcrow, Net-
work Rail, BAM Nuttall, Caril-
lion, Birse Rail, Buckingham
Group, Kier Group, Morgan
Sindall, Laing O’Rourke, DLR
Serco and Signaling Solutions
Limited.
Coyle Rail has also been ac-
tively involved in the delivery
and on going presence on the
following projects; West Coast
Route Modernisation, Crossrail,
Reading Regeneration, Major
contracts for Network Rail, East
Kent Resignaling, Bletchley &
Newport Remodeling, Thames-
link, Kings Cross and Waterloo
and City Upgrade.
Exceptional reputationCoyle Rail has built up an ex-
ceptional reputation within
the safety critical rail industry
by ensuring compliance with
all industry regulations, hav-
ing a fully trained and dedi-
cated in house team who hold
as a minimum, Personal Track
Safety (PTS).
Using specialist rail profes-
sionals and a technical division
which complements Coyle’s
current delivery to the railway
infrastructure there has been a
substantial growth within this
area. Furthermore, Coyle Rail
has recently been awarded
framework agreements with
national rail contractors by
consistently providing high cal-
ibre candidates for a variety of
job vacancies.
Coyle have a regularly main-
tained and updated in house re-
cruitment database of regis-
tered rail professionals which
has been built up over the last
23 years. This provides Coyle
Rail with unique access to the
latest qualified contractors and
permanent candidates on the
market. Coyle Rail can also
source both contract and per-
manent staff for Signalling and
Telecoms, Tunnelling, Heavy
Civil, Project/Construction Man-
agement, Design Engineering,
Mechanical & Electrical, Senior
Management, Commercial, Ad-
ministration, Permanent Way
Technical and Engineering.
Looking for a newposition?
With an extremely bright fu-
ture ahead, Coyle Rail is seeking
new candidates who are look-
ing for a new position, whether
it be contract or permanent,
mainline rail or London Un-
derground. Coyles are current-
ly looking for Signalling Engi-
neers (Design / Project Engi-
neers / Managers), Tunneling
Engineers, Delivery Managers,
Cost Engineers, Quantity Sur-
veyors, Site Agents and Gener-
al Foreman (Civil), HSE Advisors
with many other vacancies also
available.
Please send your up to date CV
to whitecollarjobs@coyles.co.uk
or talk to one of our team mem-
bers on 01189 550600.
Construction& Technical
Industrial& Security
Mechanical& Electrical Medical
PublicSector Rail
Secretarial& Commercial
Trades& Labour
IRSE Signalling Design Engineer
IRSE Lead Signalling Design Engineer
IRSE Signalling Design Verifier
Estimator (Rail & Civil)
Cost Engineer (Rail & Civil)
Planning Manager (Signalling)
Telecoms Project Engineer
Senior Project Manager (Rail & Civil)
Senior Quantity Surveyor (Civil & Rail)
PTS Site Agents x 9(Civil/Earthworks/Structures)
To undertake detailed design for
trackside projects
Design and independent checking of
design details
To lead a signalling application engineer team
Platform extension project
Assess and Analyse the cost status of works.
Major Infrastructure experience.
Manage and support existing planning team
for large Signalling projects.
With experience of working as a CRE
Steel & Architectural metal work background
Must come from a sub contract environment.
Degree in QS
Contract to permanent role
Birmingham / Swindon - c£300pd
- c£380pd
- up to £65k + package
London - up to £50k + package
London - c£350-£400pd
Birmingham / Derby - up to £85k + package
London - c£400pd
London - up to £65k + package
London - up to £60k + package
up to £42k + package
Based in the South WestBirmingham / Swindon
Birmingham / Swindon
Please call 01189 550600 for more information. Please send your CV to: whitecollarjobs@coyles.co.ukwww.coyles.co.uk
Coyle Personnel Plc is one of the leading independentspecialist recruitment agencies.
With over 20 years experience sourcing bothpermanent and temporary staff, we have careeropportunities for candidates at all levels and deliverhigh quality recruitment solutions to small start upbusinesses through to large multinationals.
Candidates for Coyle Rail
Success Spotlight
APPOINTMENTS
RailStaff | January 2012 | 29APPOINTMENTS
Right now, you have a unique career opportunity.Having successfully secured new orders, Bombardier Transportation are actively seeking skilled and motivated engineering and science professionals to work within our world leading Derby based UK Engineering team.
Opportunities exist in:
As part of this team, you will be responsible for engineering the entire rolling stock lifecycle – from inception through to decommissioning, including manufacture and testing at our Derby facility. In return for your work, you will be rewarded with competitive contractual benefi ts including the opportunity to participate in our award-nominated fl exible benefi ts scheme.
If you believe you can effectively bring your engineering expertise to our leading edge rolling stock design, manufacture and maintenance business, please visit: http://careers.bombardier.com/home for further information on these roles and to apply, quoting the relevant reference number.
Bombardier Transportation – 2011 Winners of the Power Panels Award for People Effectiveness at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Manufacturing Excellence Awards
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-10
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-11
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-12
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-13
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-14
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-15
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-16
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-17
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-18
Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-19
Fast trackyour career
For full details please visit www.hs2.org.uk/jobs
hs2 is one of the most exciting engineering projects of our generation.Following the Secretary of StateÕs announcement, we are now establishing the implementation team and are therefore seeking experienced professionals with expertise in:
EngineeringEnvironment ManagementProperty ManagementCommunity Liaison Management/Advisors Chief Architect
Community ForumsManagers
Community LiaisonManagers
Community LiaisonAdvisors
Property Asset Managers
Bridge Engineer
TunnelEngineer
Railway Operations Manager
Lead Ergonomist
EnvironmentManagers
Job Opportunities for Rail Staff with CUK
rail@carmichaeluk.com
Due to the growing demand from major clients within the ,
are looking for skilled personnel for Permanent and Contract opportunities.
is expanding its services into the Australian market with new offices
opening soon in 2012. This expansion puts into a unique market
position for recruiting railway staff for clients in the UK and Australia. For more information about
opportunities in Australia, please email: international@carmichaelau.com
railway infrastructure CarmichaelUK
Rail Division
We would like to hear from the following for prestigious projects starting in the
South East of England:
CarmichaelUK Rail Division
CarmichaelUK Rail Division
Register your CV today online or via email in word format to:
or : +44 (0) 208 522 8888call one of our consultants on
Engineers
Engineering Managers
Agents
Sub Agents Safety Critical personnel
Project Managers General Foreman
Works Managers Site Managers
Surveyors
Planners
Commercial personnel
Job vacancies posted daily on our site
www.carmichaeluk.com
If you’re a skilled Engineer, Manager or Technical Specialist looking to work on some of the most exciting and challenging projects in the Rail and Infrastructure sector, then TRS Staffing Solutions can help - now.
We’re currently recruiting for the UK’s leading rail companies and major clients globally, across a wide variety of projects. These include major upgrades for the National Rail network and London Underground. To apply for any of the following vacancies, you should have relevant experience at the appropriate level.
TRS are a global organisation and we are currently recruiting for rail specialists in the UAE, Australia & Far East, West Africa and Canada. If you are interested in working abroad contact TRS today.
To applyPlease send your CV to rail@trsstaffing.com Or if you’d prefer to discuss a role in more detail and in confidence, please contact one of our specialist consultants on
+44 (0)20 7419 5800
Opportunities in Rail and Infrastructure
Asset Engineers and Asset Project ManagersUK wide, £300-£400 per dayStructural, Bridge and Building Asset Management within the Rail sector
Mechanical Superintendent/Construction Managers West Africa, Guinea, 70K-100KRail, Port & Mining Experience
Senior P-Way Design EngineersLondon & Warrington, 60K-80KWorking on major new rail projects + station upgrades
Senior Geologist/Geotechnical EngineersLondon Area, £300-450 per dayExperience in Rail, Mining or Quarrying experience. (3D Resource Modeling)
Electrical Design EngineerLondon £300-£500 per dayChartered status is preferred
Senior Project Planners/Project Controls ManagersLondon £40-60KRail and Mining projects
Signal Designers & Project Engineers and Manager UK + Australia, Contract and PermanentIRSE license or significant relevant experience
Bridge Engineers & Structural EngineerUK £300-450 per day Bridge design for heavy rail freight, heavy-haul bridges over water is preferred
Civil Estimators London £40-60KRail and Civil Projects. NEC contract experience ideal
JanuaryTRSAdvert.indd 1 9/1/12 14:21:29
Technical Sales ManagerField Based – Midlands or South East
Competitive Salary + Car
Unipart Rail - Dorman is a leading UK manufacturer of LED solutions for rail & traffic signalling
and hazard warning lights, its name is recognised globally for quality and innovation.
The organisation is part of Unipart Rail who provide the most comprehensive portfolio of products,
services and solutions available for the rail industry, using its deep expertise in continuous
improvement processes to support its customers in the development of the railway system.
We are looking for an experienced Technical Sales Manager to develop sales for Dorman LED rail
products for both trains and infrastructure in the UK rail market. As a field based Sales Manager
operating out of either the Midlands or South East region, you will have responsibility for technical
sales and account management for both new and existing markets covering the whole of the UK.
hr@dorman.co.uk
17th February 2012.
www.dorman.co.uk
Excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills will be paramount to your success in the role, as is the ability to
work independently generating leads in new and emerging markets.You will have a track record in developing
and delivering new sales opportunities and markets within a technical environment.
Ideally qualified to degree level or equivalent in an engineering discipline, you should have proven
experience in the railway industry, preferably with experience in railway signalling and / or LED products.
Key customers will include Network Rail and principal contractors for signalling projects. Previous
knowledge and experience working with these organisations would be a distinct advantage.
Interested applicants should submit a CV and covering letter
detailing current remuneration package via e-mail:
The closing date for all applications is:
Unipart Rail is an equal opportunities employer
Visit our website
www.sw-gr.com
Opportunities in Australiafor Railway Staff(Competitive Salaries)with relocation packages for the right candidates &
immediate starts available
Further to our recent attendance at AusRail in Brisbane, and the continuing substantial investment
being made in Railway Infrastructure Projects, in Australia, SWGR are keen to hear from the following
individuals who are interested in pursuing an exciting new career path in a variety of locations
throughout the country and different industrial applications such as Mining, Urban Rail, Tunnelling,
Ports and Oil & Gas Infrastructure projects.
We have an urgent requirement for highly skilled Rail professionals for our clients across Australia for
Rail Upgrades and Capacity Improvements.
• A Trade qualification in an Engineering discipline
• A proven track record in Rail Construction or associated area
• Experience of delivering results in a fast paced target driven environment
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• A desire to live, succeed and excel in an exciting new environment
We are particularly keen to hear from the following:
Essential Skills / Qualifications required:
H & S Advisor Senior Civil Engineers
Structural Engineers Project Engineers/Managers
Signalling Engineers Commercial Managers
Senior M/E Engineers BDM (Mining & Rail)
aus@sw-gr.comPlease send your CV in Word Format to
U K W I D E S E R V I C E C E N T R E S
Rail RecruitmentManpower
30 | RailStaff | January 2012 APPOINTMENTS
Talascendworldwide technical resources
We have a number of open positions for Recruitment Consultants
in our London office. Please contact Matthew Roberts on
+44 (0)20 8600 1600 or email matthew.roberts@talascend.com
www.talascend.com
Your first stop for rail jobs...
Currently Hiring
Sourcing Manager - £380 - £450 depending on experience- London / Milton KeynesLeading UK Rail Client is looking for an individual who possesses experience within Rail and
understanding in GRIP stages, Strategic, quality, cost, negotiating with internal stakeholders,
tender processes, writing contract letters and schedules and extensions.
If you have passion for developing and sustaining a Supplier Relationship Management best
practice ethos, then this is the opportunity you have been waiting for.
Contact Joanna Janczaruk / 02086001198 / joanna.janczaruk@talascend.com
Comms Project Managers, £45k to £68k + benefits - London or MidlandsWorking for a leading supplier within the UK rail infrastructure sector, we require experienced
Communications Rail Project Managers for projects on Network Rail infrastructure (or LU).
Ideally you will have experience working for one of the rail contractors along with
commercial, budgetary, formal project management qualification and solid operational
comms experience in rail. Two roles; London or the Midlands.
Contact: Ewen Alcorn / 01373 464005 / ewen.alcorn@talascend.com
Signalling Designer - £Excellent – York, Birmingham and LondonThere are currently vacancies at UK locations including York, Birmingham and London for IRSE
Licensed Signalling Designers. Now is a great time to make a move in the Signalling market.
Talascend have both permanent and contract positions available for experienced Designers.
Please get in touch to discuss these opportunities further.
Contact: James Tidman / 02086001618 / james.tidman@talascend.com
Senior Project Engineer, Operational Comms, £45k - £50k + bens Gloucester, Midlands
We are working on behalf of the leading provider of engineering solutions to the UK rail
network. They require an experienced rail telecommunications Project Engineer with strong
experience of Network Rail and rail operational comms. Customer facing and managing a
small team.
Contact: Ewen Alcorn / 01373 464005 / ewen.alcorn@talascend.com
Field Engineer (x3) – Circa £350 per day - LondonA top UK rail project is currently seeking Field Engineers to be based out of Central London.
Please get in touch if you have strong experience in tunnelling, tunnel boring, excavation,
piling and large infrastructure projects. The positions available offer a great opportunity for
Field Engineers to gain experience on a high profile rail project on long term contracts. If you
are an experienced Field Engineer, Construction Manager, Site Manager or Site Engineer then
please get in touch.
Contact: James Tidman / 02086001618 / james.tidman@talascend.com
Health & Safety Advisors - £Excellent package - LondonAn opportunity has just opened up to work on one of the most exciting projects in Europe.
We are sourcing highly experienced tunnelling Health & Safety Advisors to be responsible for
this interesting and complex project.
Experience of tunnelling activities with experience of BS6164 regulations is essential. You will
be either a chartered member of IOSH or working towards being chartered with at least an
NVQ4/5, Diploma, or Degree.
Contact Rob Duncan-Anderson on / 0208 600 1606 / robert.duncan-anderson@talascend.com
Project Planner / Manager - £37k or £270 per day - London / SwindonOur client is looking for a candidate who will be managing the operational and planning and
logistics risk associated with delivering the work. You need to have a strong understanding /
experience in managing investment portfolio, Primavera P3e, CDM, Six Sigma Yellow Belt,
Wider Project Management Framework, Risk Assessment Competence and be a member of a
Chartered status / Degree level.
Contact Joanna Janczaruk / 02086001198 / joanna.janczaruk@talascend.com
Contract Administrators - Contract and Perm opportunities - LondonFantastic opportunities for Commercial/Contract Administrators with NEC experience.
You will support the Employer by assisting the Lead Contracts Administrator in relation to the
development and implementation of a Contract Management Program for the project
consistent with Contracts Management Policies and Work Processes, Procedures and
Systems. Checking that commercial and contract issues are dealt within the Project at the
lowest level, deputising for the Lead Contracts Administrator when requested and performing
duties allocated by the lead Contracts Administrator for the successful commercial
management of the project goals and objectives.
Contact Rob Duncan-Anderson on / 0208 600 1606 / robert.duncan-anderson@talascend.com
Signalling Designers - £Excellent – LondonA large mass-transit client is currently seeking Signalling Designers from a mainline
background to attend a 5 day conversion course allowing them to work on mass-transit
projects. Mainline designers with at least 5 years experience can diversify their skill-set and
open up new opportunities. Please get in touch if you are interested in exploring this exciting
opportunity.
Contact: James Tidman / 02086001618 / james.tidman@talascend.com
Site Manager - Great Project - £Excellent - LondonGreat opportunities for experienced Site Managers working on an exciting project in London.
If you have worked on large multi-discipline rail projects and ideally have SCL and tunnelling
experience then please make contact ASAP. A heavy Civil's background coupled with Station
refurbishment and excavation experience will set you apart from the rest of the field.
Contact Rob Duncan-Anderson on / 0208 600 1606 / robert.duncan-anderson@talascend.com
Principal Signalling Designer - £Excellent – LondonA leading UK rail company is currently searching for an experienced Signalling Designer to
work on cutting edge new projects. Please get in touch if you are working towards or
currently hold an IRSE Principles Signalling Designer License. The position is available for both
contractors and permanent designers.
Contact: James Tidman / 02086001618 / james.tidman@talascend.com
Rimini / SSOWP Planner - London - £32kUrgently seeking an experienced Planner in RIMINI or SSOW (Safe System of Work) packages
to start ASAP! Experience is required in quarterly work plan, data analysis, understanding of
Company Standards RT/LS/S/019, Hazard Directory, Sectional Appendix and 5 mile Signal
Diagrams.
Contact Joanna Janczaruk / 02086001198 / joanna.janczaruk@talascend.com
020 7500 6900 www.expressmedicals.co.uk
Customer Service Team
Looking after the health of your businessMedical expertise with first-class service levels helping to increase productivity, reduce absenteeism and minimise risk.
Travel Health Vaccinations Wellbeing
Rail Medicals Drug & Alcohol TestingOccupational Health Health Surveillance
Physiotherapy Counselling Blood Testing Skin Assessments
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