The UK Rail Sector

A showcase of world-class expertise

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Cover image: Network Rail
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Published May 2014

by UK Trade & Investment
URN 14/667
1 The UK Rail Sector Contents 2

Contents

Introduction 02 Rail infrastructure and 04 Asset management – 06 Operations 08 Training 10 Research and education
equipment services, technology,
05 UK rail overview maintenance and renewal 64 Arriva 74 Babcock 88 RRUKA
09 Investment in UK rail 30 ASL 64 National Express 74 TUCA 88 University of Southampton
14 Showcasing international UK 31 Camlin Rail 50 Network Rail 65 Freightliner 75 Bridgeway Consulting 89 University of Birmingham Centre
supplier capability and excellence 31 DeltaRail 50 Atkins 66 Serco 75 The National Skills Academy for for Railway Research and Education
32 Pandrol 51 Perpetuum Railway Engineering (NSARE) 89 Imperial College London – The
33 GEOfabrics 51 London Underground 76 National Training Academy Future Rail Research Centre (FRRC)
34 Thales UK 52 Thales UK for Traction and Rolling Stock 90 NewRail – The Centre for Research
52 Serco (Siemens) at Newcastle University
34 Hawker Siddeley Switchgear
52 Nomad Digital (Nomad Tech) 90 University of Sheffield
35 TRE
53 Balfour Beatty 91 University of Huddersfield Institute
35 Tata Steel
of Railway Research
36 Mechan 53 Instrumentel
92 University of Nottingham
54 Tracsis

93 More information

01 Planning, design and 07 Ticketing

project delivery
70 ACT
20 Atkins 70 Masabi
20 Laing O’Rourke 09 Innovation in action
21 John McAslan + Partners
22 Clyde & Co 81 Railway Industry Association
22 Mott MacDonald 81 Aerospace lift for train door design
03 Rolling stock 82 FutureRailway Enabling Innovation
23 Arup 05 Safety and security
24 JSA Architecture Fund
40 Bombardier
24 Kier Group plc 82 The Technology Strategy Board
40 Brecknell Willis 58 Network Rail Consulting
25 Turner & Townsend 83 DIFCAM
41 Hitachi 58 Lloyd’s Register
25 Weston Williamson 83 Virtual Lineside Signalling
42 Creactive Design 59 Atkins
26 Steer Davies Gleave 84 Collaboration on energy-efficient
42 David Brown 59 Zonegreen
powertrain systems
26 WSP 43 Alstom 60 Arcadis EC Harris
43 Rowe Hankins 60 Vysionics
44 Interfleet
44 Pickersgill-Kaye
45 Siemens
45 Ultra Global PRT
46 Unipart Rail
46 Rail Interiors Solutions
3 The UK Rail Sector Introduction 4

Introduction
As the pioneer of railway development, the UK is
at the forefront of building even bigger and better
rail systems, as well as managing and enhancing a
long-established network.
What’s more, rail privatisation and liberalisation
of the market place, which the UK has led, have
not only worked to support new train operating
companies but have also driven a more innovative,
and financially efficient, industry.
Such experience means the UK has extensive
benefits to offer the global rail market.
In this publication we highlight the success of the UK
rail industry, recent and current investment, and the
UK supply capability that’s working for rail clients all
over the world.
On these pages you’ll find insight to:
• planning design and project delivery
• rail infrastructure and equipment
• rolling stock
• asset management
• safety and security
• operations
• ticketing
• training.
We also put the spotlight on how UK rail innovation
is being supported, and the role played by the UK’s
research and education institutions.
This is not a comprehensive directory, but an
overview of UK capability, with case studies as
exemplars of what UK organisations can provide.
Companies have been included mainly on the basis
of their exports work. Many of them operate in more
than one sector but have been referenced in one only.

Image: John McAslan

To talk more about how UKTI can help with your
rail development, contact the British Embassy or
Consulate General in your country, who can put you
in touch with a UKTI representative. Or visit the UKTI
website at www.ukti.gov.uk for more information. Seeing the longest sustained growth
in history, today’s network delivers
1.5 billion passenger journeys a year.
 5 The UK Rail Sector UK rail overview 6

UK rail overview Set to keep growing

This growth is set to continue well into the future, with train operators and Network Rail
planning to accommodate an extra 400 million rail journeys on the mainline network
by 2020. The industry’s business plan is for 20 percent more capacity into and out of
Safer, more reliable and more punctual – the employment, taking a bigger share of the passenger central London at peak times, and a 32 percent increase in seats into and out of large
UK’s rail industry has moved on significantly market. In fact, the rate of growth in train journeys regional cities.
in recent years. has been twice that of GDP, even though the costs of Looking even further ahead, passenger kilometres are forecast to double over
30 years from 2010 levels, with similar predictions for the growth of freight moved
rail and car travel have broadly mirrored each other.
Highlighted by stronger performance and punctuality in tonne kilometres.
Rail passenger growth in the UK is greater than all Meanwhile, many major new rail investment projects amounting to billions of pounds
scores, these achievements – which include more
other European countries, including France, Germany are underway or planned, including Crossrail, Thameslink, Intercity Express Programme,
frequent journeys between major cities – are
and the Netherlands. Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme (EGIP) and High Speed 2.
reflected in the higher passenger approval and safety
ratings received by the UK’s railways. Light rail, tram and metro networks are set to Satisfied customers
continue to grow strongly in the UK, with passenger
What’s more, a decade of unprecedented growth has The UK’s railway rates as one of the best major networks in the European Union,
journeys on the eight key networks increasing by
gone hand in hand with that improved performance. according to rail passengers who were asked for their opinion in 2013.
9 percent annually. The London Underground (LU)
Record numbers of passengers have been travelling Of the 26 countries covered in the European Commission survey of more than 26,000
network alone makes around 1.2 billion journeys
on the UK mainline railway network, reversing a Europeans, only Finland, with a much smaller, less complex rail network, scored a higher
every year. LU connects the capital via 11 lines, overall rating than the UK.
downward trend. Seeing the longest sustained
270 stations and 402km of track, with each train The survey examined rail passengers’ satisfaction with domestic rail services,
growth in history, today’s network delivers 1.5 billion
travelling on average 126,000km each year. including trains, railway stations and accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
passenger journeys a year. Since privatisation
The UK topped Europe’s seven major railways in the specific areas of punctuality and
20 years ago, passenger kilometres and journeys Remaining a significant driver for the UK economy, reliability, information during journeys and accessibility – some of the key areas focused
have more than doubled. the UK rail industry accounts for expenditure of on in the study.
around £12 billion per year and provides more than
This rail passenger growth has outperformed key Competitive and open
200,000 UK jobs, with around 40 percent of those
external drivers of demand, such as population or
in the supply chain. The UK has pioneered privatisation and liberalisation of railway systems, with other
European markets undergoing similar transformation.
Privatisation of the UK’s rail network has provided investors and companies,
both foreign and domestic, with a far more open and competitive market than
most European counterparts.
Having many passenger rail companies operating on various parts of the network
rather than one large public body means investors can engage in the UK market
much more freely.
At the heart of today’s UK rail success story lies a strong partnership between the
public and private sector. This partnership generates passenger growth by providing
commercial expertise in market growth and an industry focused on attracting more
rail users.
Indeed, working through Network Rail, successive governments have invested in the
UK’s national rail infrastructure. Meanwhile, competition has been driven between
private train operating companies to win franchises to run passenger services,
putting the emphasis on commercial efficiency and continuous improvement.
Under the franchise system, train operators have continued to innovate, and to
meet passenger expectations.
Image: UKTI
7 The UK Rail Sector UK rail overview 8

Chain of innovation Passenger and workforce fatality rates

on European Union railways 2007-2011
Liberalisation of the market has fostered competition from suppliers and
manufacturers from the UK and abroad, helping support a diverse, competitive
and innovative supply chain. This in turn has enabled new projects and
improvements in the UK rail infrastructure.
Bulgaria 135.0
Accounting for a turnover of £7 billon and 80,000 jobs, the UK rail supply chain makes
a significant contribution to the UK economy; it is stable and gaining in strength, with Estonia 111.3
new suppliers coming on board to service the UK and international markets. There’s Belgium 87.4
also a growing body of institutional support and collaboration initiatives for transport
(read more on page 77). Romania 79.0

The UK supply chain is active globally and leads in many areas, but manufacturing and Portugal 64.6
equipment exports currently only represent some 10 percent of revenues. So there’s
Greece 63.6
significant scope to increase UK rail exports, and for UK expertise to further benefit the
global market. Latvia 54.6

Poland 50.9
Safety in numbers
Hungary 46.7

The UK has one of the safest rail networks in Europe; safety is at the heart of how the Spain 44.7
railway is designed and managed and is integral to its success.
Czech Republic 43.7
EU statistics show that from 2007 to 2011 there were 0.0026 fatalities per million train
kilometres, which is equal lowest with Denmark (source: Eurostat). Lithuania 40.5

The railway industry has pledged to reduce safety risks for passengers, the public and Slovakia 35.2
its workforce, not just in the next five years, but for generations to come. Network Rail Italy 31.3
continues to invest in the safety of the UK rail network; for example, it has invested
£130 million to make level crossings safer or close them by April 2014. Through such Luxembourg 25.6
initiatives, Network Rail aims to reduce the number of accidental deaths on UK rail Slovenia 21.5
lines to zero.
France 17.3
London Underground is one of the safest railways in Europe. Over the past decade-
and-a half its level of safety has increased by six times (comparing frequency of Austria 14.1
major incidents), from what was already a good record. This is thanks to a continued
Germany 12.3
focus on health and safety for customers, public and employees. A programme
of investment is currently underway to further improve the reliability, safety and Finland 11.6
capacity of the Underground. This will help ensure that an already excellent safety Sweden 8.7
performance keeps improving.
Ireland 3.4

Netherlands 2.7

United Kingdom 2.6

Denmark 2.6 23.9

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Fatalities per billion train km

Normalised workforce fatalities Normalised passenger fatalities EU average (23.9)

9 The UK Rail Sector UK rail overview 10

Investment in Intercity Express Programme Thameslink Programme

UK rail The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) comprises the infrastructure, rolling stock and As a result of the £6.5 billion Thameslink Programme, rail passengers will see more
franchise changes needed to replace the fleet of Class 125 and 225 trains that operate frequent and less crowded trains on one of the south-east’s busiest rail routes. The
on the Great Western routes (GWML) and East Coast Main Line (ECML). These faster, trains will be lighter, more reliable and more energy efficient.
The significant investments higher capacity and more environmentally sustainable trains will improve the passenger This Department for Transport Programme comprises the upgrading of infrastructure,
being made in the UK rail experience and support growth along the corridors they serve and through their the deployment of new rolling stock and the introduction of a new Thameslink franchise
manufacture and supply chain. Agility Trains, a consortium made up of Hitachi and to achieve 24 trains per hour through London’s core, almost doubling current capacity.
infrastructure are not John Laing, is to build 122 new trains and is an excellent example of world-class
just testament to the UK The investment in infrastructure will allow longer trains to run with new, fast and
companies working together.
frequent London connections to towns and cities both north and south of the capital.
Government’s commitment to Significant investment has been made in Blackfriars and Farringdon stations and longer
invest in rail but also to the Rail Investment Strategy (formerly High Level 12-carriage trains have been introduced.
capability of UK companies Output Specification) Looking ahead, redevelopment of London Bridge Station is underway and will be
to deliver this major ongoing complete by June 2018.
As part of the UK Government’s vision for a better, faster and greener railway, the
programme of works. £9 billion Rail Investment Strategy, announced in 2012, provides for railway upgrades
across England and Wales for the period 2014 to 2019. This includes upgrading stations
Wales
Here, we showcase some major and tracks to create enough capacity around cities for an additional 140,000 passenger
projects: some completed, some journeys daily at peak commuter time. A £300 million scheme to electrify more than 160 route kilometres of the South Wales
local network is being sponsored by the Welsh Government. This scheme is planned to be
under construction and some The Scottish Ministers published a separate HLOS as part of a £5 billion package completed in 2019 and enables the 30-plus year old diesel fleet of passenger trains to be
planned. of funding and investment in Scotland’s railways between 2014 and 2019. This will replaced by faster, quieter and more environmentally friendly electric trains. The growth
support Network Rail’s delivery of a number of major rail projects as well as a rolling in the use of rail into Cardiff, the Welsh capital city, has averaged 5 percent a year in the
programme of network electrification to improve performance and journey times and peak commuter time and electrification helps deliver the extra capacity needed.
reduce emissions.
Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme and the
Electrification Borders Railway
To cut down on CO2 emissions, reduce operating costs and speed up journeys as part of
The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) is a comprehensive package
a long-term programme, the Government is electrifying railway routes to phase out the
of improvements to Scotland’s railway infrastructure. The first phase of the scheme
use of diesel trains. By 2020, around three-quarters of all passenger kilometres will be
includes modernisation and upgrades to key junctions and infrastructure as well as
by electric train.
widespread electrification of the Scottish rail network, including the main line between
Edinburgh and Glasgow. As part of the programme the £25 million redevelopment of
Crossrail Edinburgh Haymarket station was completed in December 2013.
The Scottish Government has provided investment of £353 million for the Borders
Europe’s largest construction project, Crossrail, is a £14.8 billion scheme that will create
Railway, which will re-establish passenger railway services between Edinburgh through
a new transport infrastructure to support London’s economic growth. Running under
Midlothian to Tweedbank for the first time since 1969. The 48 kilometres of new
central London, it will deliver faster journey times and a 10 percent increase in London’s
railway and seven new stations will deliver major economic and social development
rail-based capacity.
opportunities and offer a fast and efficient railway. Construction of the Borders Railway
The first Crossrail services through central London will start in late 2018. Bringing an is on schedule for completion in June 2015, with passenger services available by
extra 1.5 million people to within a 45-minute commuting distance of London’s business September 2015.
centres, it will also lead to the creation of up to 30,000 jobs by 2026 in central London.
The route will run for more than 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Major mainline upgrades
Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, involving the construction of 42km of new
tunnels under central London. The 38 Crossrail stations will include nine new stations The UK is upgrading a number of major main lines and stations so longer, faster trains can
at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, operate more frequently. Alternative routes are being provided to enable growing freight
Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich. traffic to stay clear of the fast intercity trains. Lines being upgraded in the UK as part of
Crossrail Ltd, a special-purpose delivery body set up to deliver the project, is the Strategic Freight Network include the Great Western Main Line, Transpennine, Midland
constructing Crossrail. Jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Main Line, East Coast Main Line and the link from Felixstowe to Nuneaton.
Transport for London (TfL), it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL.
11 The UK Rail Sector UK rail overview 12

High Speed – High Speed 1 and High Speed 2 • King’s Cross

King’s Cross lies at the heart of the busiest transport interchange in the country.
The UK currently has one high speed line, High Speed 1 (HS1), running between
St Pancras in London and the Channel Tunnel, connecting with international high Network Rail invested more than £450 million redeveloping and restoring the station in
speed routes and serving a domestic commuter route. one of the most significant infrastructure and regeneration projects in the UK over the
last decade. Despite the major disruption to an important rail hub a full train service was
We are planning to build a further high speed line, High Speed 2 (HS2) to meet future
maintained throughout the improvement work.
needs. Even with the extra capacity being delivered through the mainline upgrade
programme, the UK will run out of space by the mid-2020s on the West Coast Main Line. The Victorian structure was renovated and expanded to create a transport hub ready to
accommodate the unprecedented numbers taking to the railways. The bright, spacious
With construction expected to start in 2017, the new HS2 project will provide a high
new concourse is the largest single-span structure in Europe. It opened in March 2012 in
speed rail connection between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, forming
time to welcome the world for the Olympics.
the “Y” network.
The rest of the project was completed in 2013, revealing the original station facade for
To ensure its benefits can be swiftly realised, the Y network will be delivered in two
the first time in 150 years, and opening the just-under 7,000 sq metres King’s Cross
phases: Phase one will deliver the London to West Midlands line with a link to Europe
Square in front of the station.
via HS1, and phase two will extend the line to Manchester and Leeds. Completion of HS2
will free up capacity on existing lines for services to intermediate towns and cities where The station redevelopment has been the catalyst for one of the largest regeneration
trains already run at around 200kph. schemes in Europe, attracting £2.2 billion of private investment. With 27 hectares of
brownfield land being developed into offices, retail and 2,000 homes, Google, BNP
Paribas, University of Arts London and others are building a future in this thriving area
Major station redevelopment
of London.
The UK has seen a significant programme of station redevelopments in recent years, • Birmingham New Street
and that’s set to continue. Completed projects of note include St Pancras, King’s Cross,
Stratford, London Blackfriars and Newport, while ongoing projects or those nearing The £600 million New Street redevelopment will see the current 1960s-built station
completion include Reading, Paddington, Birmingham New Street, London Bridge, transformed into a bright, modern, 21st-century focal point for Birmingham. The project
Farringdon, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Victoria, Peterborough, Waterloo will bring major economic growth by creating new jobs and stimulating regeneration.
and Nottingham. When the project is completed in 2015, the station will be wrapped in shimmering, carefully
Here, we highlight several of those projects. crafted stainless steel and include a giant atrium, allowing natural light throughout the
station and to platform level. The new concourse will be two-and-a-half times bigger, giving
• St Pancras International more space for the 140,000 passengers who use the station every day.
St Pancras International Station is one of the biggest landmarks in London and serves The station plans also support the extension of the Midland Metro tram system that will
as a gateway to Europe. It’s used by 45 million passengers annually and is the UK home run through the heart of the city, terminating at New Street station.
of Eurostar.
• Edinburgh Waverley
The station was designed by William Barlow for The Midland Railway and opened in
1868. But over time it fell into decline and by the time restoration plans were announced Edinburgh Waverley Station is of critical importance to Scotland’s historic,
in the 1990s it had become a sad symbol of UK railways neglect. environmental and commercial wellbeing, as well as being key to delivering capacity
Happily, the station reopened in 2007 following a £800 million redevelopment plan that for new rail lines, such as the reopening of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link.
saw it restored to its Victorian-era glory, with added retail and hospitality areas. Britain’s largest railway station outside London, it has approximately 23.5 million users
The new station has 13 platforms, six of which are more than 430m long and being per year and climbing. Over the past 15 years, the number of trains has increased by
used by Eurostar. A key feature of the stations remains William Barlow’s train shed roof, 50 percent to more than 600 per day.
which at 30.5m high and 74m wide, remains the largest of its kind in the world. Edinburgh Waverley has been transformed by a £130 million investment in the station
The Grade I listed St Pancras International has won numerous awards since being and its facilities, creating an environment that meets the needs of passengers in the
reopened and stands as a glittering emblem of what the future holds for UK railways. 21st century while preserving Waverley’s rich heritage.
The renewal programme included replacing the station roof, providing better
• Reading accessibility and facilities for station users, refurbishing the station concourse and
main building exterior, and improvements to platforms.
Reading is one of the busiest parts of the country’s rail network and its complicated
track layout restricted the number of trains that could run. Network Rail is improving the
track layout, constructing new flyovers and building new platforms and entrances at the
station to decongest the railway and improve passenger and freight journeys. The project
has funding of £850 million and will deliver a 37 percent improvement in train service
performance, and provide more capacity for additional services to meet growing demand.
A new depot has also been opened. The project is expected to be complete a year early,
by 2015, which is testimony to the close co-operation of industry partners.
13 The UK Rail Sector UK rail overview 14

• London Bridge
Showcasing Why choose UK suppliers?
As part of the Thameslink Project, Network Rail is transforming London Bridge into a
bigger and better station, including new platforms for more trains and a new concourse.
international • Along with sustained growth in passenger numbers and expansion plans for UK rail’s

London Bridge is the fourth busiest station in the country, bringing around 50 million UK supplier national freight and passenger rail network, there’s the development of numerous
new urban mass transit systems, and extensions to existing ones.
passengers into the city each year. The changes will allow more Thameslink trains to
run every day – one every four minutes at peak time – offering better connections than
capability and These new systems must integrate different types of transport to meet the travel
needs of major cities and conurbations.
ever before. excellence • Privatisation of the railways, either wholly or in part, has brought considerable
The concourse at London Bridge station will be bigger than the Wembley Stadium pitch, benefit and improvement to the UK rail services – and these services now have to be
boasting new retail and station facilities. Connections to and between the surrounding competitive and, wherever possible, commercially viable. This has also opened up the
areas will be improved, supporting the wider regeneration of the area. There will be better UK suppliers are actively UK market to competition from other international suppliers, many of whom are now
Tube and bus links, and lifts and escalators will provide step-free access to every platform. established and resident in the UK supply chain.
working around the world to
Reconfiguring the track will allow for nine ‘through’ platforms and six terminating platforms. • There are now metrics that seek to maximise rail reliability, availability and levels of
This will mean more trains to more destinations, including a connection to Crossrail services
help other people build new
customer service. This has meant the UK has introduced a culture of focusing on the
at Farringdon, providing links across and beyond London in all directions. rail systems and manage provision of services and minimising the risks of failure.
London Bridge station will remain open during the transformation while scheduled their infrastructure and • The UK has some of the most technologically advanced and reliable rail systems in
amendments to train timetables will allow work to be carried out. operations. Collectively, UK the world, which we’re rightly proud of. We also have the know-how and expertise to
companies deliver virtually bring this total capability to bear in the introduction of new rail systems worldwide,
• Farringdon
through our extensive network of UK suppliers.
all the capability needed to
From 2018, Farringdon station will be the focal point at which Thameslink, Crossrail
support all the elements of Connecting with the right supplier
and Underground services meet. From there, passengers will have the choice to travel
north-south, east-west or around London. rail system implementation:
With 160 trains an hour in the peak it will be the capital’s newest transport hub, relieving from inception, planning, In providing an overview of UK rail capability, this brochure features some of the
the pressure on the Underground and delivering thousands more seats for commuters design, procurement, many UK-based suppliers who deliver rail equipment and services across the globe.
every day. specialist equipment supply, And with its wide range of contacts and specialist knowledge, UKTI can help put
There will be direct links to London’s three major airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and customers in touch with the right suppliers for their needs.
construction, test and
Luton, and to St Pancras International for Eurostar services – plus dramatically However, UKTI also works closely with organisations such as the Railway Industry
reduced journey times.
commissioning, through to Association (RIA), which provides a collective voice for many UK-based companies.
operations, maintenance and While members are able to access services and advice through RIA, equally, customers
Metro projects whole-life asset management. can be quickly put in touch with suppliers who can provide the right service for them.
RIA’s website search facility enables customers to quickly find the RIA members that
London Underground is undergoing a major renewal that will result in more UK-based companies and can best help them (see www.riagb.org.uk).
comfortable journeys and a faster, more reliable service. A number of train fleets are suppliers have the skills, The Rail Alliance also has a comprehensive resource in the shape of its online
being replaced or enhanced to increase the capacity and frequency of the service. expertise and global experience searchable capability database, essentially a supply-chain matchmaking tool for
The Victoria line, after its upgrade, now provides one of the most intensive train connecting buyers with sellers (see www.railalliance.co.uk). The Rail Alliance uses
to develop new rail systems or extensive contacts to enable businesses to network with each other, and also with
services in the world.
to improve and expand existing other experts with key industry knowledge.
Stations are being modernised with upgrades to CCTV, lifts and escalators,
improved fire prevention systems and public address systems. Major work to reduce ones. We have a reputation for Bodies such as the Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum (DDRF), which is able to draw on the
overcrowding is happening at key interchanges including Victoria, Paddington, delivery, being innovative and expertise of local authorities and other industry groups for the benefits of its members,
Tottenham Court Road, Bank and Bond Street. providing best-in-class products are also invaluable to the continued growth of what is already a robust UK supply chain.
You can view DDRF’s online member directory at www.derbyrailforum.org.uk/members
and services.
Tram projects
More extensions to existing networks are underway, including Manchester Metrolink,
Midland Metro Line One into Birmingham city centre and to the Nottingham Express
Transit system.
The UK’s first tram-train service is also being developed – it will run between Rotherham
Parkgate and Sheffield City Centre, operating on both the existing tramway and the
national rail network. The service will start in 2016, once the route is upgraded and the
new vehicles manufactured and delivered.
Meanwhile, a new tram system in Edinburgh has been developed and services will begin
in 2014.
15 The UK Rail Sector UK rail overview 16

Delivering across the globe

Europe
UK companies have the skills and
experience to meet the equipment and Mott MacDonald
Norway: Design for Bergen Light Rail
Balfour Beatty
Switzerland and Italy: Gotthard
LPA
France: supply of rolling stock
Arriva
Poland: Train operations
service needs of rail systems worldwide. Atkins Tunnel rail systems services interior LED lighting to AGV (Alstom
new high speed train), TGV East,
Freightliner
Denmark: ERTMS signalling upgrade Lloyd’s Register Poland: Rail haulage operations
Denmark: Technical and procurement Spain: Independent quality inspection Corail Intercity and AGC (regional Interfleet
consultant for Copenhagen Metro services for Metro Madrid’s new Series train) UK: Certification activities for Hitachi’s
Cityringen 3000 metro vehicles Nomad High Speed Electric Multiple Units
Pandrol Netherlands: Real time travel
Turkey: Rail fastening and baseplate information for NS Dutch Railways
assembly – Kadiköy-Kartal Metro Line

Asia Pacific

Mott MacDonald
India: Gurgaon Metro – detailed design
for six stations
Taiwan: High speed rail asset
management strategy
John McAslan + Partners
America India: Delhi Metro stations
Hyder
Arup Australia: Ulan+ alliance track, civil
USA: Design and engineering for and structural design
2nd Avenue Station Manhattan
Atkins
Steer Davies Gleave Hong Kong: Detailed design for Hung
Canada: Edmonton NorthWest LRT Hom Station and associated tunnels
planning study
Laing O’Rourke
Halcrow Australia: Multiple projects including
Brazil: TAV High Speed Line feasibility track construction BHP Billiton
Balfour Beatty RGP5 and Novo Alliance Sydney Rail
USA: Construction of Denver infrastructure upgrade
commuter rail Hong Kong: Multiple projects for MTR
Chile: Metro de Santiago track work including Express Link and South
and electrification construction and Island Line
maintenance services Balfour Beatty
Brecknell Willis Australia: Overhead Catenary System.
Canada: Vancouver Skytrain Queensland.
conductor rail Malaysia and Singapore:
Atkins Electrification and trackwork
New York City: Transit development Brecknell Willis
of an enterprise asset management China: Rail and system components –
concept, framework, and Africa & Middle East Beijing Metro Line 5
implementation roadmap
Knorr Bremse
Roughton Foster & Partners Holdtrade
China: Braking systems for over
Nigeria: rail consultancy to the Saudi Arabia: Design of Haramein Ghana: Mining railroad rehabilitation
10,000 metro carriages
Government of Nigeria stations and maintenance
Freightliner
Interfleet Turner & Townsend and Parsons Mott MacDonald
Australia: Rail haulage operations
South Africa: Assistance to PRASA’s Brinckerhoff South Africa: Transnet rail project
Arup
rolling stock replacement strategy Qatar: Integrated Rail Programme programme management
Hong Kong: Infrastructure and
Atkins Lloyd’s Register Bombardier
knowledge management for MTR
Saudi Arabia: design and engineering UAE: Independent safety assessor for South Africa: Rolling Stock and Fixed
Interfleet
for Makkah Metro and Riyadh metro Dubai Metro and Etihad Rail Systems – Gautrain Project
New Zealand: Rail operational
lines 4, 5, 6 Saudi Arabia: Northern section of the Serco
modelling and network simulation for
North South Line Dubai: Dubai Metro operations and
Auckland Transport Authority
Al Sufouh Tram operations
17 The UK Rail Sector 01 Planning, design and project delivery 18

01 P
 lanning,
design and
project
delivery

Features

20 Atkins
20 Laing O’Rourke
21 John McAslan + Partners
22 Clyde & Co
22 Mott MacDonald
23 Arup
24 JSA Architecture
24 Kier Group plc
25 Turner & Townsend
25 Weston Williamson
26 Steer Davies Gleave
26 WSP

Image: Crossrail
 19 The UK Rail Sector 01 Planning, design and project delivery 20

Planning, design and project delivery Laing O’Rourke – best practice in international rail projects
Playing a major role in many of the world’s leading rail projects, Laing O’Rourke delivers
services in railway infrastructure, design and construction, trackwork, high speed rail,
UK capability in planning, design and the strongest possible offer to clients. mass transit systems, depot construction, electrification, signalling, junction renewals,
maintenance, and plant and equipment supply.
project delivery is rightly recognised Such a co-ordinated response can gain
As part of the Novo Rail Alliance in Australia, the company has delivered rail
around the world for its excellence. the edge over competitors, not only on infrastructure upgrades across metropolitan Sydney for the past five years, and has
The UK is home to some of the best legal quality and price, but the proven products also helped deliver such projects as the upgrade of Adelaide’s urban rail network and
firms, architects, engineering consultants, and capability that come as part of that construction of the 1,420km Alice to Darwin Springs line.
programme managers and contracting collaborative package mean clients are Laing O’Rourke has been involved in the construction and upgrade of railways across
businesses working in the rail sector. presented with a low-risk solution. the United Arab Emirates in Saudi Arabia and South East Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore,
Thailand and Malaysia) for many years. In Taiwan, Laing O’Rourke’s joint venture
UK companies are active in international The wealth of original thinking found in constructed the track work for the 345km high speed line from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
It managed international and Taiwanese contractors, as well as traffic management,
projects across commercial and legal the UK ranges from award-winning uses of
logistics, ventilation, lighting, power, tunnel communications and quality control. In
services, transport strategy and planning, building information modelling processes, Hong Kong, meanwhile, Laing O’Rourke joint ventures are delivering two packages
engineering and design, procurement, to designing for complex engineering of construction works at the new West Kowloon Station terminus, and have been
programme and project management, and challenges. And whether a government is recognised for its safety performance on those projects. The company is also helping
provide infrastructure for Hong Kong’s Admiralty Station.
construction. They can support every phase looking for advice on a project that will have
In the UK, the rail industry’s first “pure construction alliance” is seeing a collaborative
of a project, from advising at the earliest a transformational impact on its country’s and unified agreement between Network Rail, Laing O’Rourke and two further partners
stages on the best transport mode to adopt transport infrastructure, or a client wants to delivering the Stafford Area Improvement Programme on the West Coast Main Line.
right through to commissioning. know how their project’s costs measure up The model is a move away from traditional “hub and spoke” contracts towards an
integrated “one team” structure where all parties share benefits and risks, and widely
against similar projects in the rail sector –
Flexible and adaptable, UK suppliers often regarded as the ideal format for future projects. The company has also helped deliver
the answer can be found in the UK. the redevelopment of St Pancras, King’s Cross, and Farringdon stations, and is now
partner with other nations’ suppliers to forge
delivering Crossrail stations at Liverpool Street, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road,
Custom House and Canary Wharf, as well as new depot facilities for Transport for
London at Willesden.
Laing O’Rourke’s best practice approach across these projects includes modularisation
and offsite fabrication, which means components can be made in a controlled factory
environment, saving time, improving safety and resulting in high-quality installations.
It is also using digital engineering to overcome potential design challenges and ensure
up-to-date and intelligent data at handover.
www.laingorourke.com

Atkins – expanding Hong Kong’s rail network

With a long history in Hong Kong, Atkins is working with operator MTR Corporation on
the vital expansion of the metro network on two key lines: the West Island Line and the
Express Rail Link.
Atkins has played a pivotal role that includes the analysis, design and detailing of tunnel
internal works on these complex projects, which had to be designed under a fast-track
programme. This called for all Atkins’ technical skill, along with effective collaboration
between the company, its partners, sub-consultants and the MTR Corporation to deliver
the projects on time and to a very high design standard.
The design of urban rock caverns, overcoming challenges such as soft ground
excavation through densely populated areas and deep rock tunnels beneath the highest
mountains in Hong Kong, has made these projects an international technical showcase
for the tunnelling sector.
Image: Crossrail

Expansion of Hong Kong’s rail network is driven by an increase in population and

business. Both these strategically important projects will contribute to making Hong
Kong accessible and successful, providing long-term benefits to the economy in one of
the world’s premier business centres.
www.atkinsglobal.com
 21 The UK Rail Sector 01 Planning, design and project delivery 22

John McAslan + Partners – transforming King’s Cross Station Clyde & Co – Simandou project Trans-Guinean railway
The transformation of King’s Cross Station has been a complex, multi-phased project, Clyde & Co is a global law firm with more than 1,400 lawyers operating from 33 offices and
with John McAslan + Partners as lead architects and master planners. associated offices across six continents. The firm has a keen focus on the rail sector and
The historic train shed and range buildings have been adapted and re-used, the station’s acts as an adviser for those who want to operate in the rapidly expanding rail markets.
previously obscured Grade I listed facade has been restored, and the new Western The firm is advising the Guinean Government on the high-profile Simandou South iron
Concourse is now the centrepiece and the “beating heart” of the project. ore mining project developed in partnership with Rio Tinto, Chalco and the International
The brief included converting Victorian sub-platform vaults to contain new servicing Finance Corporation – a member of the World Bank.
systems; creating a new decant platform, requiring a 200m excavation under the The $20 billion project involves one of the world’s largest untapped high-quality iron
Eastern Range; upgrading all other platforms, and a new glazed bridge spanning the ore deposits, located in the south-east of Guinea, and includes the construction of
tracks in the main train shed. a trans-Guinean railway and the development of a deep water port to the south of
The project’s most significant design and engineering challenge was the creation of Conakry, Guinea’s capital.
the new 7,500 sq metres concourse which, measuring 120m wide by 20m high, is triple The complex, 670km multi-user railway to take iron ore from the Simandou concessions
the size of its predecessor. The simultaneous construction of London Underground’s will include two viaducts, 24km of tunnels and 29 bridges, and is expected to help open
concourses and ticket halls beneath the new concourse meant that its structural up the heavily populated hinterland. In addition to allowing freight movements to enable
supports were designed to direct forces away from the foundations of the Grade I listed the iron ore to be exported, the railway will facilitate passenger services as well as the
Western Range building and Great Northern Hotel. movement of other freight.
The redevelopment of King’s Cross Station creates a dialogue between Cubitt’s Once completed, it is set to be the largest integrated iron ore mine and infrastructure
original design and 21st-century architecture, resulting in an iconic architectural project ever developed in Africa, offering the potential to transform the country’s
gateway to the capital. economy and transport infrastructure.
www.mcaslan.co.uk Clyde & Co has a long heritage in supporting integrated natural resource projects,
particularly in Africa, and has advised on a number of mining and infrastructure
projects including the Tonkilli project in Sierra Leone.
www.clydeco.com

Mott MacDonald – BIM innovation on the Victoria Station

Upgrade Project
Mott MacDonald developed the concept design for the Victoria Station Upgrade Project
and is now project designer for Taylor Woodrow-BAM Nuttall (TWBN), the joint venture
contractor delivering the project.
The upgrade is an example of innovation leading to a more sustainable design for a major
infrastructure scheme. In this case, complex construction work is being done while the
underground station is kept fully operational in a congested urban environment.
This work has included constructing tunnels at shallow depths, mainly in wet gravel
where the technique of “jet grouting” is being used to stabilise the ground and keep out
groundwater; this has involved installing 2,122 jet grout columns.
Building information modelling (BIM) by Mott MacDonald produced data that
enabled the jet grout rigs to be accurately positioned. The Victoria Station Upgrade
subsequently scooped the BIM Project Application Award at the 2012 British
Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) in recognition of its innovative use of BIM.
Mott MacDonald’s BIM expertise has also been put to use by its teams in Kuala Lumpur,
Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and UK. Two other projects to which Mott
MacDonald has contributed, the Hong Kong International Airport midfield concourse
and the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension twin tunnels, have also picked up
honours in the Bentley Systems global BIM Awards.
The company is also leading on station design and sustainability on New Zealand’s first
underground railway, the NZ$2.86 billion Auckland City Rail Link.
Image: John McAslan

www.mottmac.com
 23 The UK Rail Sector 01 Planning, design and project delivery 24

Arup – high speed experience JSA Architecture – design for Dublin Metro North
Arup’s rail experience covers all forms of guided transport systems and associated JSA Architecture Limited is an award-winning consultancy specialising in transport
facilities, including intercity rail, urban rail and freight. architecture and master planning. JSA has wide international experience of the design
The company created an alternative to the Government’s initial HS1 route, to avoid of underground, elevated and at-grade stations. Other work in the sector includes urban
demolishing property, enable regeneration of run-down areas, provide a faster, more design, depots and associated commercial property developments.
direct route, and offer additional fast commuter services to London. JSA works at all stages of projects from feasibility studies, concept and detailed design,
This route was subsequently adopted, and Arup then became a founding member of LCR, through to the provision of construction support during on-site operations. JSA is
the company formed to finance and deliver the project. In fact, Arup’s 18-year involvement frequently appointed as specialist rail architects by major engineering consultancies
in the project included the routing, economic viability, design and delivery of this 108km, and contractors.
300kph railway. It led the majority of the engineering disciplines and environmental JSA also provides consultancy services to railway authorities, giving expert advice on
work through the preliminary and detailed design phase, and assisted in the successful architecture and urban design, including the development of design standards and
project management and delivery of the project, involving more than 1,600 Arup staff. guidelines. Leading clients in the European rail sector include Transport for London,
In 2009 Arup – which had undertaken a concept study of routes to the north of Network Rail, Swedish Transport Administration and Irish Rail. In the Middle East and
London in 2001 – was appointed to investigate and develop options for the HS2 route, Asia, JSA has worked for Qatar Rail, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, Singapore
connecting London to the north of England and Scotland. Land Transport Authority (MRT) and the Hong Kong MTR Corporation.
The company looked at solutions for a 400kph high speed line from London to Dublin Metro North is a proposed metro line crossing through Dublin, extending 16.5km
Birmingham, including options for stations in London and Birmingham; access to from the city centre at St Stephen’s Green in the south, to Dublin Airport in the north.
Heathrow Airport and possible connections to HS1. It will consist of some 17 stations, of which nine will be underground. JSA was a key
adviser to the project, acting as chief architect for the Irish Government’s Railway
Subsequently, Arup carried out route options studies for an extension of the network to
Procurement Agency, and was involved in designing six major city-centre underground
the north-east, incorporating stations to serve Nottingham/Derby, Sheffield, and Leeds.
stations, as well as having other key responsibilities on the project.
Following the Government’s decision to go ahead in 2012, Arup was appointed
www.jsaarchitecture.com
engineering designer for the London terminus at Euston; engineering designer
for the route through the West Midlands including two stations and the depot; the
Kier Group plc – constructing Admiralty Station in Hong Kong
environmental overseeing consultant for the whole route; environmental impact
assessment consultant for the West Midlands section; and for specialist services
Kier Group plc is a leading construction, services and property group active in the UK,
including noise simulation and tunnel aerodynamics.
Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions.
www.arup.com
In rail, Kier provides multi-disciplinary project management and construction services
and has been responsible for some significant projects, including the channel tunnel
rail link and the award-winning KCRC Mei Foo rail station in Hong Kong. Recent rail
Image: ARUP

projects include Crossrail tunnelling in London, the Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the
extension of Hong Kong’s Admiralty station.
Under a £200 million, four-year contract, Kier is extending the existing Admiralty
Station to provide interchange facilities between the existing Tsuen Wan Line and Island
Line, the new South Island Line and the Shatin to Central Link. These works to one
of the busiest stations in Hong Kong are progressing without affecting the existing,
continuing operation. As well as the four new platforms under construction below and
adjacent to the existing station, the works include an interchange concourse, relocating
existing passenger entrances and external landscaping.
The project is in the central business district on Hong Kong Island, a complex working
environment with considerable constraints in terms of access, traffic and noise. Work
is being carried out on multiple fronts in a congested site surrounded by skyscrapers,
major highways and the existing MTR underground lines. These daily challenges to the
site team call for detailed planning and organisation to keep the site moving.
www.kier.co.uk
25 The UK Rail Sector 01 Planning, design and project delivery 26

Turner & Townsend – consultants bringing global best practice Steer Davies Gleave – delivering the right transit solution
to rail tunnelling in three continents
Across the world, towns and cities looking to support economic growth, promote
Turner & Townsend is an independent construction and project management consultancy regeneration, address social inequality and tackle problems of congestion are turning
with a truly global footprint. For years the company, formed in the UK in 1946, has to the idea of new or improved transit lines.
captured intelligent data from projects around the world to enhance new rail projects. But their investment costs are significant, so the choice of which mode of transport
The company uses data gathered on major projects to produce a global benchmarking – bus rapid transit, light rail, metro or suburban rail – and which route to develop are
database for project costs, bringing together cost information from several sectors. critical for meeting objectives and securing value.
In the rail sector the company has completed sub-sector data benchmarking sets for Spatial planning policies, urban form, city size, cultural factors and economic profile all
light rail, metro, freight, high speed and conventional rail projects – against which clients influence travel patterns and therefore the specification of transit systems. Steer Davies
can measure their own projects. Gleave has built an international reputation for developing innovative, integrated and
This approach not only helps projects in mature markets with sophisticated supply deliverable solutions that help clients through every stage needed to reach the right
chains, but also those where the scale of infrastructure projects outstrips in-country urban transit solution.
experience and knowledge. In Puerto Rico, the company is working with the country’s government to develop
Turner & Townsend is helping deliver three globally significant rail tunnelling projects, ridership and revenue forecasts for a new commuter rail route to the capital San Juan.
bringing expertise in cost estimating, procurement and cost management systems to In Dublin, it was instrumental in specifying the role of LUAS – Dublin’s light rail system
London Crossrail, Doha Metro – which will be one of the largest urban metro systems in – in Dublin’s transport system, route planning and then the process of securing funding
the Middle East, and Sydney’s $8.3 billion North West Rail link. from the Irish Government and European Union.
Not only has Turner & Townsend implemented cost management best practice on In Delhi, Steer Davies Gleave supported the development of India’s first rail-based
such projects – where its global benchmark databases have proven invaluable – but express airport link – which will connect India’s largest airport, the newly privatised
the company has also enhanced projects with its knowledge and best practice on risk, Indira Gandhi International Airport, with the city centre.
project controls, programme management and procurement. Meanwhile, the London Underground’s Northern Line Extension to Battersea will
The consultancy’s in-depth knowledge of international construction contracts has provided open up a swathe of south-west London for redevelopment. Steer Davies Gleave
insight that’s helping to meet client objectives in an increasingly global field of competitors. has led integration of this scheme with development plans and the scheme’s benefit
www.turnerandtownsend.com cost assessment.
www.steerdaviesgleave.com
Weston Williamson – design for Klang Valley Stations
WSP – Stockholm’s largest construction project
Weston Williamson+Partners (WW+P) is an architectural and urban design practice
that specialises in transport infrastructure and related urban design projects. WSP is a leading professional services consultancy with more than 60 years’ experience
Geographically, WW+P works both in the UK and overseas with projects in Boston in rail project delivery, and 5,000 transportation and infrastructure professionals
USA, Dubai, India, Kuala Lumpur and China. employed worldwide. The company has delivered major rail projects across the world,
Notable UK rail projects include London Bridge Station for the Jubilee Line Extension, from huge and intricate underground lines in Stockholm and high speed rail concepts
Paddington Station for Crossrail, Pudding Mill Lane for Crossrail, East London Line, in Norway, to planning rapid light rail systems in the Caribbean and redeveloping
DLR extensions to City London Airport and Stratford International, London Victoria landmark stations in London.
Station Upgrade and Dubai Light Railway Transit. In 2010 WW+P was appointed The City Line is Stockholm’s largest construction project, involving the drilling and safe
architect for 14 stations on the elevated section of the blue line of the Klang Valley blasting of a 6km rail tunnel under central Stockholm and the construction of two new
MRT in Kuala Lumpur, designing the stations and helping integrate them with stations. WSP is responsible for delivering the largest and most complex part of the
a complex urban setting. This was done alongside URS and Aecom to interpret project, providing a range of multidisciplinary services including tender documents,
passenger numbers and plan the stations to provide best value. detailed design, project management and technical support during construction. Its
Two years later, the company was appointed as an architectural design lead working three contracts cover about 2km of the line – the Norrmalm Tunnel, Norrström Tunnel
with the design consultants (AECOM/Mott MacDonald) on the UG1 and UG2 sections and City Station.
of the first Klang Valley MRT line – the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line. The scope Linking the City Station with the existing blue metro line involved blasting a
of work involves streamlining the interpretation of the architectural station design connection tunnel through an area of bedrock that measured just 3m across, within
between these two underground sections, which consist of seven stations and a fixed four-month window. The complexity of the project required WSP to apply its
ancillary buildings. This includes resolving technical interface and integration market-leading expertise in the latest building information modelling (BIM) tools.
issues, and standardising the design and finishes with recommended access and The number of tunnels, all going in different directions, could not be drawn in 2D,
maintenance strategies. so 3D CAD was used to get the correct design. Then, all the geotechnical surveys,
www.westonwilliamson.com rock surveys and other information were added to the model, and it was used for
collaboration between the various technical teams working on the project.
The project’s geotechnical models are the most complex ever run in Sweden.
www.wspgroup.co.uk
27 The UK Rail Sector 02 Rail infrastructure and equipment 28

02 R
 ail
infrastructure
and
equipment

Features

30 ASL
31 Camlin Rail
31 DeltaRail
32 Pandrol
33 GEOfabrics
34 Thales UK
34 Hawker Siddeley Switchgear
35 TRE
35 Tata Steel
36 Mechan

Image: Network Rail

29 The UK Rail Sector 02 Rail infrastructure and equipment 30

Rail infrastructure ASL – tailored station management solutions

and equipment Application Solutions (ASL) manufactures public address and voice alarm equipment
for use on railways all over the world, while its iVENCS software is also making a huge
difference to station control rooms, combining numerous systems into one intuitive
3D environment.
ASL has equipment installed around the globe for long line public address over
IP applications, including in Canada, South Africa, UK, Norway, the UAE and India –
The UK rail industry supports a strong They also provide the full spectrum of power and is presently involved in such projects as the Kelana Jaya Line Extension, Crossrail
and Hyderabad.
supply chain that delivers proven and and electrification products and services,
Norwegian Rail, with ASL’s local partners Innotronic, has installed the iPAM solution
new solutions to rail clients in the UK including overhead line and catenary, third
across 400 stations with control software. In 2009, ASL was initially awarded the
and internationally. rail and traction power systems. £1.2 million contract for the 283-station-monitored long line PA system for the
country’s national rail administrator Jernbaneverke, but roll-out has continued beyond
A broad range of UK companies – from In signalling control and communications, that. Crucial factors in winning that contract included the ability of ASL’s solution to
small independents to large, international there’s a significant body of UK-based integrate with the client’s passenger information management system, as well as being
OEMs – supply products and services across manufacturing and intellectual capital across able to deliver a 20-year support framework centred on the use of open technologies.
permanent way, power and electrification, large OEMs and smaller specialist companies. Some of the stations are above the Arctic Circle and extremely remote with minimal
signalling control and communications, Siemens Rail Automation, a global leader staffing, so ASL redesigned microphones on the ambient noise sensors to cope
with temperatures as low as -50°C. Meanwhile, passengers can replay the last
stations and depots. in the design, supply, installation and announcement at the touch of a button thanks to extra functionality on the 2U rack
commissioning of trackside and train-borne mount iPA400 VoIP router and amplifier units. There’s also the facility for each unit
Recognised for the high quality and
signalling and train control solutions, has to bring together control room and monitoring data from other vendors’ station
performance of their products and services, equipment, under the supervision of the iVENCS 3D station management software.
more than 140 years’ experience in the UK –
many of the UK’s infrastructure and ASL’s ability to tailor solutions for customer needs in varying environments around the
including in earlier incarnations as Invensys
equipment suppliers are world leaders, world – coupled with reliability and the latest IP technology – has made the company a
and Westinghouse Rail Systems. world force in this market.
with capabilities ranging from the provision
of niche technologies to high-volume Other UK-based signalling expertise www.asl-control.co.uk
heavy manufacturing. encompasses both train control systems
and wayside signalling, along with strong
Attracted by the ongoing investment in
capabilities in signalling design and
UK rail, new companies continue to enter
installation. UK companies continue to
the market – bringing new competition and
develop and deliver new uses of technology
innovation from other sectors. Overseas
in signalling control and communications
companies have also looked to invest in
– such as Deltarail’s flagship control
UK-based rail suppliers, recognising the
technology, IECC Scalable.
value of their capabilities.
The UK’s offer in stations and depots spans
The UK is also home to companies such as
from architectural and building products to
Unipart Rail, which can help clients innovate
station control systems, to train handling,
to create real firsts in technologies and
maintenance and safety equipment.
services, as well as bringing new efficiencies
to their supply chains. Today, many international rail suppliers
draw on UK-based expertise and capabilities
In permanent way, UK companies export
to deliver products and services to rail
a diverse range of products that includes
customers around the world.
ballast stabilisation and drainage, track,
switches and crossings, rail fastenings,
lightweight cable troughing, and friction

Image: Network Rail

management solutions as well as track plant
and maintenance equipment.
31 The UK Rail Sector 02 Rail infrastructure and equipment 32

Camlin Rail – ensuring signalling power supply Pandrol – world leader in rail fastenings
Camlin Rail, part of the Camlin Group, has been working in partnership with Network Pandrol is a technological innovator in the rail industry and a leader in the world rail
Rail for more than ten years, delivering clever products to solve complex problems. fastenings business. It has been in business for more than 75 years, thanks to ongoing
The Camlin Group is a privately owned holding company with a distinguished 30-year investment in its R&D facilities and the reach of its global operations. Its products are
history in the global utility and rail sectors. Its headquarters are in Lisburn, Northern regularly sold on every continent in the world.
Ireland, with engineering and customer support facilities located around the world. Pandrol has built its recent success on combining low-maintenance threadless
The West Coast Main Line, owned and managed by Network Rail, is the busiest technology with high output mechanised equipment. The Pandrol FASTCLIP “switch-on/
route in the UK, connecting London to Glasgow and carrying more than 30 million switch-off” rail fastening system, for example, can be applied at the impressive rate of
passengers annually. Network Rail recognised a signalling power failure on this part of 70 sleepers per minute using Rosenqvist CD 500 clipping equipment.
the network would cause severe disruption leading to long delays for rail passengers Already leading in conventional ballasted tracks, Pandrol also supplies rail fastening
and incur significant financial penalties for Network Rail. technology for slab track on light rail, metro and high speed systems. A number of
An automated system was needed to re-configure the signalling power network in the projects in major cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kolkata
event of a power supply failure, cable fault or cable theft and eliminate the possibility and on the Golden Horn bridge in Istanbul have installed Pandrol systems on their slab
of a train delay. Camlin Rail came up with the cost-effective solution of using SIGNET, track. High speed trains in China, Korea and Japan are already running at up to 350km
a fully automated power system consisting of state-of-the-art vacuum technology per hour on slab tracks with Pandrol fastenings. Pandrol has developed special rail
with microprocessor control. fastening systems for reducing vibration and noise. These include Pandrol Vanguard,
which can often be retrofitted into vibration-sensitive areas on existing metros. The
More than 700 SIGNETS are installed and operating on the West Coast Main Line,
company delivered thousands of tailored Vanguard baseplates to Beijing Metro in
spanning over 150 miles of track, ensuring power is continuously delivered to the
China just prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, to mitigate ground vibration from
signalling systems. SIGNET has performed thousands of successful operations over
the subway system. Pandrol Vanguard has also been supplied for new-build projects
the last ten years, with last year’s operations alone saving Network Rail £10 million
in more than 20 major cities throughout the world, including London, Madrid, Milan,
in potential delay minutes.
Boston, Barcelona, Oslo, Shanghai and Belgrade.
Camlin Rail also specialises in fault location and online circuit breaker testing with
www.pandrol.com
bespoke products for portable and fixed applications.
www.camlinrail.com

DeltaRail – deploying revolutionary control technology

Image: UKTI
DeltaRail is the largest supplier of signalling control systems in the UK, and the first
to introduce next-generation IT architecture built upon a flexible Message Broker
communications platform.
DeltaRail’s systems scale to manage busy, complex parts of the network, controlling in
excess of 2,400 trains per day, through to low-density rural areas with only 70 trains
per day. The technology helps to significantly lower maintenance and lifecycle costs,
and provides a cost-effective modular approach to traffic management. What’s more,
an agnostic approach to interlocking avoids such issues as “vendor lock-in”, enabling
cost-effective re-control of existing, brownfield routes as well as the competitive
tendering of signalling works while ensuring a common user interface.
In 2012, Network Rail began deploying DeltaRail’s revolutionary new control technology,
IECC Scalable. Resulting in lower costs, fewer delays and reduced signaller workload.
The new system also delivers a range of traffic management tools and interfaces with
existing legacy systems. Network Rail has since procured another 14 systems including
more than 20 workstations. DeltaRail is continuing to develop its traffic management
solution that builds on the IECC Scalable architecture.
The company also supplies operational control software for crew rostering and depot
management, as well as asset management products to automate inspection of rolling
stock and track.
www.deltarail.com
 33 The UK Rail Sector 02 Rail infrastructure and equipment 34

GEOfabrics – geocomposite enhancing ballast performance Hawker Siddeley Switchgear – Fit & Forget technology extends
the maintenance boundary
GEOfabrics Limited is a specialist manufacturer of high-quality and performance-
orientated geotextiles and geocomposite ground engineering solutions. These products As a major national and international manufacturer of indoor and outdoor medium
are installed underneath the ballast and above the subgrade in permanent way rail voltage distribution, marine and transit switchgear, Hawker Siddeley Switchgear Ltd
infrastructure, to provide reinforcement, drainage and filtration. (HSS) serves electrical utilities, industrial, commercial and transit sectors worldwide.
The GEOfabrics portfolio includes Tracktex, a patented composite solution designed Committed to research and development, HSS’s latest range of switchgear uses the
to stop fine-grained subgrade particles, such as clays, being pumped into the ballast. manufacturer’s Fit & Forget technology, which moves life expectancy of products from
This causes vertical/lateral rail deflection and subsidence, which means expensive 2,000 to 10,000 operations and beyond.
remediation and high levels of risk associated with train speed restrictions and
The latest addition to the range is HSS’s Lightning product, which incorporates the high
derailment.
speed NDC Circuit Breaker and uses patented magnetic actuator technology. Network
Tracktex has been developed in partnership with Network Rail over the past ten years Rail has seen the benefits of the product, awarding HSS with a multi-million-pound
and is a proven solution when treating poor ground conditions, used in sites across the contract to install more than 250 Lightning NDC panels.
network over many years.
Representing a safe, cost-effective and low-maintenance switchgear solution for
Some of its key benefits include replacement of traditional granular sand blinding modern railway tracks, it boosts track performance and reliability.
layer, saving on construction costs; earthworks or excavation kept to a minimum; and
Hawker Siddeley Switchgear also boasts a worldwide presence with equipment
installation that’s twice as quick as traditional granular layers. Another key advantage
installed in many prestigious transit systems, including in Dubai, Guangzhou,
of the product is the resulting extended maintenance intervals, which in turn mean
Mumbai and the New York Metro.
reduced long-term costs.
www.hss-ltd.com
The system is currently being expanded into Europe, North America, Middle East,
Australia and Asia. Thales UK – international OEM draws on UK expertise
www.geofabrics.com
Thales has vast experience in worldwide transportation markets as well as serving the
security, defence and aerospace sectors. Transport networks around the world rely on
Thales technology and services to improve safety and reliability and optmise capacity.
Thales’ UK-based solutions range from standalone products such as signalling
(train control, axle counters, interlockings, train protection warning systems, services),
to integrated products such as supervision and control, integrated communications,
security and information management. UK clients include Transport for London,
Network Rail, London Underground, DLR, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport
Executive and numerous train operating companies.
Signalling systems and communications networks installed and managed by Thales
played their part in transporting record numbers of passengers during the London
2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Passenger numbers for London Underground
were up 30 percent, with 60 million journeys made during the Games. The Jubilee
line, which uses the SelTrac signalling system from Thales, safely transported millions
of people throughout the Olympics – including a peak performance on three successive
days when zero delays were recorded.
Thales UK is one of three organisations selected to demonstrate how advanced
traffic management technology (TMS) can be used across the UK rail network to
improve performance and capacity. The Thales ARAMIS Traffic management Solution
is already delivering benefit in 11 countries, while the company has successfully
completed the prototype phase as part of Network Rail’s plans to develop a new
traffic management system.
www.thalesgroup.com
Image: UKTI
35 The UK Rail Sector 02 Rail infrastructure and equipment 36

Tata Steel – high-performance rail for demanding applications Mechan – delivering the UK’s largest rail traverser
Tata Steel has a long tradition of rail manufacturing in the UK, and works to maintain this Mechan has more than 40 years’ experience in the design, development and production
with its commitment to developing world-class rail products and manufacturing processes. of specialist heavy lifting and handling products for the rail industry.
Its £130 million investment in the rail manufacturing plant at Scunthorpe allows for Equipment produced by the Sheffield-based manufacturer can be found in the world’s
production of long length high-quality rail. This has allowed the company to produce most prestigious maintenance depots and thanks to its innovative team, the firm has
rails up to 108m, with potential for 120m long – equalling the longest in the world – established an international reputation for quality, safety and reliability.
and weld of up to 216m strings. Mechan recently secured its place in the transport industry’s record books, after
Developing such products as HPrail, SilentTrack and Railcote, Tata Steel works closely installing the largest capacity rail traverser in the UK at the Port of Felixstowe’s new
with customers to create products that directly address their needs. Its rail technology North Rail Terminal.
specialists offer a depth of knowledge to help improve operational efficiency and The structure is used to move freight locomotives between lines and is the most
network integrity, while world-class on-site laboratory facilities mean detailed materials advanced traverser ever produced by Mechan. Weighing 90 tonnes and measuring
and product testing can be conducted on customers’ behalf. 30m in length, the behemoth was designed specifically to carry up to 170 tonnes, as
HPrail is designed to be predominantly used on curved track and other high-duty areas future locomotives are expected to be larger than today’s. It took almost 12 months
where rolling contact fatigue and wear are the issue. The reduced grinding frequency, to build and was delivered complete to site.
compared to standard grade rails, means longer rail life and lower lifecycle costs. www.mechan.co.uk
SilentTrack, meanwhile, uses sound absorbers on the rail web and upper part of the foot
to reduce noise, cutting out the need for expensive noise-abatement walls alongside
the tracks. Railcote is designed to be used in areas of track experiencing corrosion, such
as level crossings, tunnels, coastal tracks and areas prone to stray currents. Railcote
provides a more robust coating and sacrificial protection so it continues to work even

Image: Network Rail

if the coating is damaged.
www.tatasteelrail.com

TRE – signalling simulation for Norwegian Rail

TRE rail is a leading innovator in the supply of dedicated products and services
designed to improve the supervision and control of railways worldwide.
TRE, along with local and regional partners, implemented a full-fidelity signalling
simulator as part of the advanced training facility at Norsk Jernbane Skole (NJSK,
the Norwegian Railway School), a purpose-built training centre near Oslo.
NJSK is thought to be the most advanced railway training academy in Europe and
is unique in offering integrated dispatcher and driver training. The “full-fidelity”
simulator, which completely emulates a system, enables three dispatchers and six
drivers to interact on an accurate representation of the railway around Oslo Central,
the busiest area on the Norwegian network. This allows dispatchers to train on
an accurate representation of the traffic management system while drivers react
to accurate simulations of real-world conditions.Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian
National Rail Administration, believes in this integrated approach as a way for train
dispatchers and drivers to learn as a team and foster an understanding of the unique
pressures each is under. It also significantly contributes to service performance and
emergency recovery.
The TRE system (TREsim) uses multiple OEM interlocking data, geographical
features, track lengths, train performance characteristics and real timetable
information to produce such full-fidelity simulation.
www.trerail.co.uk
37 The UK Rail Sector 03 Rolling stock 38

03 Rolling stock

Features

40 Bombardier
40 Brecknell Willis
41 Hitachi
42 Creactive Design
42 David Brown
43 Alstom
43 Rowe Hankins
44 Interfleet
44 Pickersgill-Kaye
45 Siemens
45 Ultra Global PRT
46 Unipart Rail
46 Rail Interiors Solutions

Image: Bombardier
 39 The UK Rail Sector 03 Rolling stock 40

Rolling stock Bombardier in the UK

Bombardier has a UK workforce of more than 3,500 people and a presence at
31 locations. The company has built, or has on order, around 60 percent of the UK’s
rolling stock and is contracted to service around a third of the UK fleet.
Traditionally a major exporter of rolling The UK also offers a broad range of rolling Recently, Bombardier won the contract to deliver rolling stock and a new depot for
stock, the skills and expertise which stock products and services. This includes Crossrail, a decision the company sees as a resounding endorsement of the Aventra
Britain offers in this field are set to get a the manufacture and supply of components, electric multiple unit (EMU), the train it proposes for the new line.
major boost with the introduction of new vehicle design and engineering services Its award-winning Electrostar is already the most successful post-privatisation
EMU in the UK, with more than 2,500 vehicles entering service in the past decade.
manufacturing capability. And the UK (both chassis and interiors), management and The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link, a brand new rail system in South Africa, also operates
already has a lot to offer the international maintenance of rolling stock assets, condition Bombardier Electrostar trains. However, the Aventra is Bombardier’s latest product
market in terms of rolling stock capability. monitoring, retrofit and upgrade services, platform for the UK. Designed both for metro-type and longer distance applications,
they are more energy efficient, bringing passengers the latest train technology.
train financing and leasing, engineering and
Bombardier manufactures trains in the UK The Cross Country and West Coast networks run Bombardier Voyager and
train driver training solutions and approvals
and supports a significant supply chain of UK Super Voyager diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs). Bombardier Meridian DEMUs
support to introduce new rolling stock assets are also in daily passenger service with UK operator East Midlands Trains, and
businesses. In the UK it is focused on the
to the system. Bombardier’s Turbostar diesel multiple-units are in service with many operators.
domestic market, and recently won a high-
Meanwhile, Bombardier Flexity 2 trams, which have been in successful revenue
profile contract to provide trains for the What’s more, the UK is leading in number service in Blackpool since April 2012, incorporate the “best of the best” global
London Crossrail project. However, of areas on innovation and research and tram technology.
the company has also previously provided development. UK organisations are Among the fleets for which Bombardier has total fleet management responsibility
UK-built trains to the Gautrain project in involved in developing solutions in a are the diesel-electric trains operated by Arriva CrossCountry and Virgin West
South Africa. Coast, maintained at a purpose-built facility, Central Rivers, and a number of
range of areas including train propulsion,
overnight out-station depots. Bombardier fleets throughout the UK are supported
low-energy systems, the application of by highly skilled maintenance teams and by Orbita, a leading-edge predictive
In a huge vote of confidence in UK export
composite materials, vehicle design and maintenance capability.
potential, Hitachi has announced it is to base
condition monitoring. Bombardier Movia metro trains are making a vast difference on the Victoria and
the headquarters of its global rail business sub-surface lines in London, offering increased capacity and improving reliability.
in the UK as part of the accelerated Some of these capabilities are highlighted www.bombardier.com/en/transportation
globalisation of its rail systems business. The in this section and in the sections covering
company is already building a rolling stock asset management services, innovation, Brecknell Willis – developing a new pantograph
manufacturing facility in the UK with a view training and academia and research.
Brecknell Willis & Co manufactures current collection equipment that’s used worldwide
to serving the wider European market. on all voltages and systems. The company was involved in a recent project that
demonstrated the joint benefits of close co-operation between pantograph manufacturer,
train builder and operator to achieve a common goal.
A direct result of London Midland’s demand for better pantograph performance to
achieve higher service speeds in multiple operation, the Brecknell Willis HSP Mk2
pantograph project called for a radical rethink of panhead design. Along with a series of
other minor developments, the result was a dramatic improvement to current collection
quality, and more benefits are anticipated in the form of increased contact strip life and
reduced pantograph maintenance.
Thanks to the new 30 percent lighter panhead, the wire interface forces generated during
accelerations – due to the progressively disturbed wire – were reduced. This lessened the
impact energy between the pantograph carbon and the overhead line equipment – and
the consequential risk of disconnection. The resulting pantograph still has the majority of
components and functionality of the existing proven reliable current collection system.
Instrumented tests were carried out on the main line to demonstrate that stated goals
had been achieved to the satisfaction of the infrastructure owners, vehicle designers and
service operators. The pantograph is now also destined for the new Thameslink vehicles.
www.brecknellwillis.com
Image: Crossrail
 41 The UK Rail Sector 03 Rolling stock 42

Hitachi – establishing new UK rolling stock Creactive Design – better trains, fresh thinking
manufacturing capability
Design and engineering consultancy Creactive draws on a raft of rail experience to make
Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Europe, Ltd and sure that passengers – and the company’s world-class clients – are all sitting comfortably.
headquartered in London, UK. As a total railway system supplier, the company offers The Warwick-based company’s team of designers and engineers have skills that extend
rolling stock, traction equipment, signalling solutions, traffic management systems, and from light rail and heavy rail rolling stock to railway vehicle design, carriage interiors and
maintenance depots. exteriors, through to station infrastructure.
Hitachi draws on many years of experience as a leading supplier of metro, commuter and Creactive’s trains and transport solutions begin with the opinions of consumers, using
high speed trains such as the Shinkansen (bullet train) for the Japanese and international research and focus groups to make sure its designs will meet the needs of users.
markets. In Europe, Hitachi Rail Europe delivered the fleet of 29 Class 395 Javelin trains, For MTR’s West Rail metro trains in Hong Kong, the company worked with the Japanese
the first domestic high speed train in the UK, maintained at Hitachi’s depot in Ashford, Kent. manufacturer IKK (Itochu, Kawasaki and Kinki Sharyo) to define a sleek and engaging
As part of the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme, Agility Trains design for trains that can comfortably accommodate thousands of passengers using the
– of which Hitachi Rail Europe is the main shareholder – will finance and deliver a fleet of service during rush hour.
122 Class 800/801 trains for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line. With an experienced eye on the small but crucial details such as seat design, grab rails,
Hitachi Rail Europe has been tasked with manufacturing the trains and maintaining them intuitive spaces and safe-stepping distances between doors, Creactive is proud of an
over a period of 27.5 years. approach that’s driven by its knowledge of customer needs to come up with enduring
To fulfill this and future contracts, Hitachi Rail Europe has decided to invest in a state-of- and attractive solutions.
the-art train manufacturing plant and has chosen Newton Aycliffe, County Durham as the Creactive has helped Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) deliver the Class 22000 fleet, which has
location of the £82 million facility. transformed the image of InterCity rail travel in Ireland. Modern, light and welcoming,
The construction phase for the factory has started and is set to conclude mid-2015. these are also the first trains in Ireland to achieve European accessibility regulations,
Once operational, 730 people will be employed at the plant, which includes a test track making them easier to use for all rail users but particularly customers with reduced
and an R&D facility. mobility. Working on cab design, exterior and interior design, the team has created an
Hitachi’s substantial investment in a new train facility signals a new phase in its attractive and relaxing environment for InterCity passengers.
commitment to the British rail industry, and heralded the company’s recent decision Creactive prides itself on long-standing relationships with clients including London
to base the headquarters of its global rail business in the UK. Underground, Arriva, Chiltern Railways, Itochu, Kinki Sharyo, Kawasaki, Mitsui,
Hitachi is keen to fill its order books, building trains in the UK – for use in Britain and for Hyundai-Rotem and Hitachi.
exporting to continental Europe. www.creactive-design.co.uk
www.hitachirail-eu.com
David Brown Gear Systems
David Brown Gear Systems dates to 1860 in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire when its core
business was the manufacture of patterns for cast gears. Today the company is a global
gear engineering leader with more than one billion hours of rail gearbox service.
Image: Hitachi

From tram and light rail to heavy-duty locomotive applications, David Brown provides an
extensive range of geared products and services, which have been developed through
customer-focused innovation, as well as historic acquisition of prestige rail brands GEC
Alstom Gears, Hygate Transmissions and Maag Italia.
Recently, David Brown was awarded a contract with a leading train and tram supplier to
deliver a gearbox prototype for 100 percent low-floor trams, which is both independently
driven and can be used as the platform for a new hybrid application. With strict vehicle
weight, noise and space restrictions, David Brown’s specialist engineers had to work to
stringent parameters. This was no problem – more than 150 years of traction gearing
experience, as well as proven references in 70 percent and 100 percent low-floor
gearboxes, meant David Brown was able to design, manufacture and type test a
100 percent hypoid bevel gearbox at its UK facility.
As well as innovative gear systems, David Brown delivers a full range of service
solutions to leading companies such as London Underground Ltd, Alstom Transport,
Bombardier Transportation and other rolling stock manufacturers/train operating
companies. The company has recently upgraded the internal gears for one of the
UK’s major train fleets after they were relocated to a new, more efficient network.
The gears were modified to enable faster acceleration out of each station, ensuring
each train’s operation was fast and efficient.
David Brown Gear Systems is a story of industry, engineering and service expertise,
with six manufacturing facilities and 18 gearbox service centres across the globe.
www.davidbrown.com
43 The UK Rail Sector 03 Rolling stock 44

Alstom – Health Hub Interfleet – from procurement to wheel know-how

Alstom has created a state-of-the-art bespoke “health measurement” system called Interfleet’s experts provided a wide range of commercial and technical consultancy
Health Hub for the Virgin Pendolino fleet that runs on the West Coast Main Line, to support Northern Ireland Railways’ (NI Railways) procurement of two new diesel
Europe’s busiest train line. The system produces a swathe of information that helps multiple unit (class 3000 and class 4000 DMUs) fleets – as part of NI Railway’s ongoing
increase fleet life and reduces maintenance downtime. investment in the province’s rail system.
Health Hub is effectively a “drive through” health scanner for rolling stock that can provide Work during the procurement phase ranged from developing commercial and technical
reports for individual trains by using specialist measuring systems that use precision lasers specifications for the new trains and their maintenance support, right through to tender
and cameras to acquire profiles of selected components. It can then carry out automated evaluation and subsequent award of contracts for manufacture, supply, maintenance
assessments of those components, producing health reports for individual trains based on support and materials provision to Spanish company CAF. For both fleets, Interfleet
their wheel measurements and wear, brake integrity and/or thickness, and the integrity of provided continuing technical, strategic and commercial support, from concept design
the body, as well as being able to measure pantograph carbon levels. through to final service delivery of the trains. Interfleet also supported NI Railways as an
This information is then delivered to key users in Alstom’s skilled maintenance teams, independent assessor of the status and risks of the project, attending board meetings,
who are able to immediately see the condition of the trains in real-time, something that technical and project meetings. In addition, the company provided leadership and
was not previously possible. The users can then drill down in more detail to any one of guidance to NI Railways and CAF in achieving the complex safety approvals necessary
the measured components and predict what its remaining useful life will be. Users also for passenger service.
get the opportunity to see in-depth 3D images of the component to give them even With 650 railway experts working out of 31 offices in ten countries, Interfleet’s knowledge
more information on wear and tear. spans the spectrum of the railway system: providing consultancy on rolling stock,
As well as providing such real-time information, Health Hub also helps increase the infrastructure and railways systems.
mileage between standard services, improves fleet reliability and availability, and Interfleet’s specialist rolling stock expertise has also helped resolve ride comfort
helps reduce lifecycle costs associated with key components, such as wheels. problems in Hong Kong, where new trains on the KCRC West Rail line were suffering
The highly innovative, industry-leading system is being pioneered at Alstom’s hunting instability following moderate wheel wear. An investigation and on-track testing
Manchester Traincare Centre, having been developed as a research and development by Interfleet identified that the radial stiffness of the primary radial arm bush was not to
project between Alstom in the UK and also in Spain. It is currently still in its trial phase specification. This insight was followed up by dynamic modelling to prove that restoring
but expected to be rolled out across Alstom’s transport business across the world in bush stiffness would resolve the issue.
the near future. KCRC retained Interfleet as its independent technical adviser while it worked on
www.alstom.com/uk maintaining long-term ride stability.
Later, when KCRC needed to look into the potential effects of a soft floating slab
Rowe Hankins – all aboard for answer to wheel wear challenge track on the Kowloon Southern Link, which passes under a prestigious hotel,
Interfleet won the contract to investigate electric multiple units (EMU) ride safety.
Rowe Hankins Ltd (RHC) is a specialist distributor of electro-mechanical components, This led to on-track tests on both West Rail and East Rail, involving bespoke use of
and it designs, engineers and manufactures safety-critical components and solutions Interfleet’s instrumented wheelset technology (IWT).
for the global rail market. www.interfleet.co.uk
Based in Greater Manchester, UK, the company’s products are distributed worldwide,
including to rail projects in Europe, Australia, Russia and the USA. Pickersgill-Kaye – door locks and security systems
One solution the company has developed, to overcome the costly – and global – issue
of wear at the track-wheel interface, is Intelligent Wheel Flange Lubrication (iWFL), an Pickersgill-Kaye Ltd has built a solid reputation through the specialist design and
on-train system that’s suitable both for national rail networks and urban tram services. manufacture of Kaye’s patent door locks and security systems for the rail industry.
RHC worked with Metrolink in Manchester to test and develop a dedicated iWFL The company, which has 150 years’ experience in the industry, manufactures external
system for the city centre transport system. Trials have shown that the iWFL system LED train door status indicators, internal and external cab door locks and internal egress
significantly reduces the high-pitched noise pollution at the track-wheel interface and external access devices. These are supplied for new-build trains and retrofit projects.
and extends the life between wheel face regrinding, from the usual 55,000km to Pickersgill-Kaye’s manufacturing flexibility and commitment, backed up by a focus
80,000km. Having been tested on a single vehicle, these benefits would be expected to on providing excellent service, has helped the company win new business against
be multiplied on a full rail service. often-tough overseas competitors.
The intelligence of the system lies within the iWFL Falcon control unit, which uses GPS The company’s products are used by train companies all over the world. Its customers
to identify specific locations of the vehicle, which then in turn distributes the lubrication include rail operators and OEMs such as Siemens, Bombardier, Alstom, Irish Rail, CAF,
– while the radius of track curves is detected with the help of a gyroscope-based tilt Jiwon Tech, Rotem, Ocean Eagle and Hitachi.
sensor, working out a lubricant dispensing strategy dependent on speed and distance. As well as manufacturing standard products, Pickersgill-Kaye is also able to design and
The data is processed and stored in memory so that the on-train unit has a complete make custom-built equipment, such as the bespoke driver door for the Strasbourg Tram.
plan of the route and can lubricate precisely where it’s needed.
www.pkaye.co.uk
The iWFL system can be installed on new rolling stock or be retrofitted to
existing vehicles.
www.rowehankins.com
45 The UK Rail Sector 03 Rolling stock 46

Ultra Global PRT – on-demand transport systems Rail Interiors Solutions – experience on the inside
Ultra personal rapid transit (PRT) is a new on-demand transport system for developed When it comes to providing first-rate interiors, Scotland boasts some high-profile
or urban environments. It’s designed to meet the need for congestion-free, multi-origin, examples in world-renowned settings – after all, even the US President’s Oval Office
multi-destination public transport. features fabrics all the way from Scotland.
PRT systems are being actively considered for applications around the world, with But Scottish talent for interiors also extends to the global rail interiors market – and
developers, local authorities and private companies all keen to take advantage of the five specialist firms who have come together in the shape of Rail Interiors Solutions
benefits this innovative form of transport provides. are providing top quality carriage environments to high-profile sector players including
Using small, driverless electric vehicles that run on guideways, the lightweight and flexible Bombardier, First Great Western, Eurostar and Alstom.
nature of the system means it can be retrofitted into a broad range of environments, One project illustrating the group’s collective strengths involved carriage interior
providing transport that’s environmentally friendly and operationally efficient. refurbishment for 27 Meridian 222 trains for East Midlands Trains.
Conventional forms of public transit call for passengers to collect in groups, wait until a Standard Class seating fabrics were supplied by Peebles-based Replin Fabrics, while
large vehicle with a fixed schedule arrives and travel on a pre-determined route, stopping leather for First Class seats was provided by Glasgow’s Andrew Muirhead & Son.
for more passengers on the way. In contrast, Ultra offers personal transport with no Working on site at the customer’s depot in Derby, Transcal, the Livingston-based
waiting, taking passengers non-stop to their chosen destination. seating specialist, swiftly completed its contribution to each train. The project’s focus
In 2005, Ultra was chosen to build a pod system at London’s Heathrow Airport; since then switched to the train’s surfaces, the specialism of Novograf. The East Kilbride
2011 this has provided more than 1,000 passengers each day with a vital link from the firm provided a durable and easy-to-install product. Meanwhile, hardwearing vestibule
T5 Business Car Park to the terminal. The system complements existing forms of public matting and linoleums came from Forbo Flooring, a global leader in its field.
transport with an on-demand and direct service over a localised area. Commissioned by The £6 million project was completed in February 2012.
Heathrow Airport operator BAA, the system was completed at a cost of £30 million, and www.railinteriors.com
consists of 21 vehicles, a total of 3.8km of one-way guideway, and three stations – two in
the T5 Business Car Park and one at Terminal 5.
Unipart Rail – transforming the rolling stock supply chain
Ultra Global Ltd is now the world leader in PRT engineering and operations. Starting
the Heathrow pod project largely as a research and development-focused organisation, Unipart Rail is well known in the UK for its logistics services to the industry, but the
Ultra has built significant project delivery skills. Successful completion and operation of company is increasingly raising its profile in the Australian market. Its most successful
Heathrow Pod gives Ultra a showcase that in turn provides the opportunity to take the project there is a joint venture (JV) with United Group Limited (UGL) to manage the
product forward to new projects around the world. maintenance of Sydney Trains’ fleet of electric and diesel passenger vehicles for the
www.ultraglobalprt.com Sydney and State of New South Wales rail network.
UGL Unipart Rail Services Pty Ltd got underway in January 2012 and has delivered
Siemens – rolling stock maintenance centre of excellence significant cost, operational and efficiency savings to Sydney Trains. Unipart’s
involvement in the JV is in managing all logistics and supply chain issues and introducing
Siemens sees new technology and innovation as essential to maximising the rail industry’s benefits through this outsourced service.
return on investment in expensive assets, and helping to achieve the aims set out in the The combination of Unipart Rail’s systems, robust processes and supply chain capability
McNulty report (Sir Roy McNulty’s study of rail value for money). aligned with UGL’s asset management expertise and experience delivers improved high
Its UK Innovation Centre leads the deployment of state-of-the-art asset management levels of service.
technologies for Siemens’ international rail maintenance business. The UK was selected Supply chain benefits already delivered by UGL Unipart include:
as a test bed to enable the centre – and Siemens’ customers across the globe – to benefit
• less than 0.05 percent cars out of service awaiting materials from UGL Unipart
from experience gained from its UK service and maintenance business, which is widely
recognised as being leading edge. • 99.5 percent over the counter parts availability at maintenance centres for all
materials requested
At nine depots across the UK (Acton, Ardwick, Crewe, Glasgow Shields, Ilford, Leeds,
Northampton, Southampton and York) and with two further depots in construction, • over 70 percent of materials at maintenance centres presented line-side, avoiding
Siemens is responsible for the maintenance of more than 1,500 rail carriages for seven maintenance operatives having to wait for parts at stores.
different operators (with this fleet size set to almost double over the next five years). During the time that UGL and Unipart have been working together, Sydney Trains has
The track-side acoustic monitoring system RailBAM is one development pioneered by seen a significant level of change and a transformational journey across all areas of
the Rail Innovation Centre. the business. UGL and Unipart have brought their strengths together to deliver huge
improvements to key performance indicators.
The system – first introduced on the South West Trains network – uses sensitive
microphones to “listen” to every individual axle bearing on each train as it passes. Meanwhile, the Unipart Sydney logistics centre supports a distribution network across
It can detect axle defects and deterioration, allowing action to be taken quickly to Australia, New Zealand and the ASEAN region.
prevent failures. The system reduces in-service failures, significantly increases www.unipartrail.com
maintenance intervals and reduces train down time. In addition, a joint initiative with
Network Rail introduced variable stiffness radial arm bushes on all South West Trains
Class 444 units. The innovative design, which combines traditional elastomer bushes
with a hydraulic system, reduces the force between the wheel and the rail, ensuring
better movement on curved track at low speeds. The technology significantly cuts
down on track damage, cuts infrastructure costs and provides smoother journeys
for passengers.
www.siemens.co.uk
47 The UK Rail Sector 04 Asset management – services, technology, maintenance and renewal 48

04 A
 sset
management
– services,
technology,
maintenance
and renewal

Features

50 Network Rail
50 Atkins
51 Perpetuum
51 London Underground
52 Thales UK
52 Serco
52 Nomad Digital (Nomad Tech)
53 Balfour Beatty
53 Instrumentel
54 Tracsis

Image: Network Rail

49 The UK Rail Sector 04 Asset management – services, technology, maintenance and renewal 50

Asset management – services, technology, Network Rail – optimising maintenance interval analysis

maintenance and renewal Network Rail is a world leader in developing and applying integrated tools and
techniques to monitor and manage rail assets.
Within the UK, Network Rail has made marked improvements in its own asset
management through an integrated programme addressing an array of enablers.
UK expertise in rail infrastructure asset Planning maintenance schedules and overhauls, These include improvements to asset data specification and capture, decision support
tools, investment in people and their competencies, integrated processes, asset policies,
management is second to none – and it’s the rather than simply reacting to malfunctions when strategic asset management planning, reliability modelling and whole-lifecycle tools
UK Standard, PAS 55, that sets the benchmark they arise, reduces in-service failures and the which evaluate the trade-off between cost, performance and risk.
for modern asset management systems. inevitable disruptions these cause. Network Rail Consulting is using its knowledge in this sector to help global operators
plan, manage and deliver infrastructure that supports current and future maintenance
Railway and track operators around the world rely This approach also cuts costs by extending intervals activities efficiently and sustainably.
on UK know-how to deliver major gains in efficiency between services, improving capacity and use of www.networkrailconsulting.com
and make the most of their expensive assets. Cutting- service fleets, and lengthening the life of assets.
edge technology and tools are being developed and Atkins – asset management services for RTA, Dubai
The trend is for a preventive and predictive approach
used by the UK to allow for precision evaluation of
to asset management and maintenance to lengthen Atkins is one of the world’s leading engineering, design and project management
the status and condition of infrastructure, rolling consultancies. It has wide-ranging technical expertise and experience in major asset
the lifecycle of assets and increase the time between
stock and individual components. management and monitoring regimes across many industries in the UK and across
maintenance levels. the world.
Maintaining rolling stock and infrastructure in Atkins worked interactively with all parts of the Road and Transportation Authority
The UK’s rail industry and research organisations are
optimum condition impacts positively on several (RTA) to raise understanding and design a tailored blueprint to embed asset
leading the way in providing first-class maintenance
fronts: asset performance, service reliability, management across the full portfolio of transportation assets including structures,
and monitoring services and developing efficient, roads, metro, buses, boats, and taxis. RTA recognised that managing assets in a safe,
passenger and customer experience, and a rail
effective and easy-to-use predictive and diagnostic optimal and sustainable manner is fundamental for ensuring efficient transportation
operator’s bottom line. services, which are vital to the economic development and social wellbeing of the
tools for infrastructure engineers and train operators.
Emirate of Dubai.
Atkins’ work considered asset lifecycle, information needs, and performance
measurement to set out an overall approach, helping RTA to identify and
develop the critical processes tailored to its goals. This enabled it to become
the first multimodal transportation service provider in the Middle East to obtain
accreditation to the PAS 55 Asset Management Standard.
www.atkinsglobal.com

Image: Network Rail

51 The UK Rail Sector 04 Asset management – services, technology, maintenance and renewal 52

London Underground – asset management and Thales UK – delivering the Intelligent Infrastructure
reliability improvements Programme
London Underground’s approach to asset management has played an important role in The Intelligent Infrastructure Programme (IIP), delivered in partnership between
the gains it has made in reliability. This improvement has been achieved while carrying Network Rail and Thales UK, was highly commended in the Innovation of the Year
increasing numbers of customers, running more train services, upgrading vast swathes Award category at the prestigious National Rail Awards event in 2013.
of the network and keeping some of the oldest trains and signalling in Europe going The programme was described as “game changing” in leading industry standards –
until they too can be replaced. What’s more, London’s Underground network presents for introducing cost-effective and major changes to existing maintenance processes.
some unique challenges, with 45 percent of the network in tunnel and access for Its Predict and Prevent nationwide approach, which now monitors more than 25,000
maintenance work restricted to a few hours in the early morning. assets on a nationwide basis, has directly resulted in an estimated reduction of
Since 2003, London Underground’s reliability has improved significantly and in 2012/13 450,000 delay minutes – improving service for the travelling public and freight
the network delivered its best ever levels of reliability, of 22.9 million Lost Customer operators. For Network Rail, adoption of the solution has helped deliver a culture
Hours (LCH) while delivering 1,229 million customer journeys – a record number. change on a national scale. Maintenance teams are better prepared than ever before
For reliability, this represents an improvement of more than 40 percent and London when maintaining the railway infrastructure. The adoption of a centralised, remote
Underground is committed to a further 30 percent improvement by 2015. London condition monitoring solution for infrastructure asset monitoring places the UK
Underground’s approach to asset management spans a range of initiatives to predict technically in advance of other European rail infrastructure systems.
and prevent failures, respond more quickly to problems and roll out better equipment. www.thalesgroup.com
This includes:
• taking a systematic approach to managing trains, signalling and track Serco – pantograph testing and overhead line monitoring
• grouping London Underground’s 11 lines into three levels to get the most from their
current and planned condition Serco’s pedigree in independent rail technical services goes back to its origins in British
Railways. Combining deep operational and technical know-how with state-of-the-art
• a track replacement programme, the delivery of which is critical as track condition
engineering means the company is in demand from infrastructure managers, railway
underpins the performance of trains and signalling equipment
undertakings and the wider railway supply industry.
• installation of remote condition monitoring equipment to a range of signalling
Services include non-destructive testing and training, railway engineering, data
equipment including point machines and points heaters, giving an early warning of
management and asset management software and consultancy.
potential failures
As an example of its work, Serco’s extensive experience in pantograph testing and
• exploring the feasibility of using wi-fi head-mounted cameras for technical staff, so
overhead line monitoring enabled it to develop an unattended pantograph monitoring
that live video can be beamed to relevant experts to support faster fault diagnosis and
system in partnership with Transmission Dynamics Ltd.
repair on signalling and train faults
This system had to be capable of being fitted to vehicles operating in passenger-
• Automatic Track Monitoring System (ATMS), enabling continuous and accurate
carrying service and has been designed to automatically detect and report the type of
monitoring of rail condition, and better predictive maintenance, using in-service trains.
faults that lead to pantograph damage and possible de-wirement incidents. The fitting
It is estimated ATMS will save approximately 100,000 LCH per annum
of this equipment to trains operating in normal passenger service allows monitoring
• remotely monitor the trains’ systems using the wi-fi network being rolled out. across large parts of the infrastructure on a daily basis and at line speed without the
www.tfl.gov.uk need to run additional, specialist test trains. The system combines the latest technology
to provide accurate locations of incidents using GPS coordinates, real-time data
Perpetuum – monitoring wear in train wheels and bearings streaming via Bluetooth, signal waveform and context data and statistical mapping
of events locations.
Perpetuum is a leader in wireless condition monitoring for rail applications. Products www.serco.com/markets/transport/rail
are based on the company’s expertise in understanding and using vibration.
Perpetuum’s wireless condition monitoring systems monitor the wear in wheels and Nomad Digital (Nomad Tech) – telemanagement on trains
bearings on trains. This is done by monitoring vibration and temperature and then
using sophisticated algorithms and software to look for the signatures of bearing and Nomad Digital, global leader for high-availability wireless solutions to the
wheel wear. The output of this analysis is a simple measure of the health of the wheel transportation sector, has created a joint venture with EMEF, the primary Portuguese
or bearing. This allows maintenance to be scheduled when needed rather than on a operator in the railway maintenance sector, to meet the great rise in demand for
distance basis so customers can make massive savings in their maintenance costs. telemanagement solutions such as condition-based monitoring (CBM) and energy
The sensors require no wiring and no batteries are needed as they’re equipped with efficiency in the rail sector.
Perpetuum’s proprietary energy harvesters that convert the vibration of the train into Telemanagement solutions give rail operators a real-time fleet-wide view of how
power. All data is transmitted wirelessly. This allows customers to install the sensor on-board systems and isolated components are performing in the field. This enhanced,
systems with minimal disruption to their services. in-depth information allows operators to be more proactive on their operational and
Fleets where Perpetuum’s wireless condition monitoring is deployed include maintenance regimes.
Southeastern Railway’s Electrostar fleet and the Gatwick Express operated by Nomad Tech is to develop more services to address demand for improvements in
Southern Railway. The technology is being extended to encompass gearboxes and operational efficiency, vehicle availability and reduced lifecycle costs. It will merge
traction motors as part of the Future Railway programme in co-operation with a CBM tools with a reliability centred maintenance (RCM) strategy to help operators
number of UK train operators. build new business-oriented maintenance processes, where maintenance is based on
www.perpetuum.com/rail the condition of equipment and not pre-determined intervals, or to improve existing
maintenance management systems. It will also provide a suite of energy-efficiency
53 The UK Rail Sector 04 Asset management – services, technology, maintenance and renewal 54

tools, including accurate and continuous monitoring of energy consumption, such Tracsis – SA380 data loggers for Network Rail remote
as drivers’ styles (based on brake, throttle and location settings) and fuel levels. conditioning monitoring
This information is incorporated into train driver training programmes for eco-driving
techniques. Using the real-time links, operators can also more accurately schedule
In 2009, Network Rail began trials of remote conditioning monitoring on the Edinburgh
refuelling and even remotely alert control centres of suspected fuel thefts in progress.
to Glasgow Line. Tracsis’ conditioning monitoring subsidiary MPEC was successful in
These solutions are proven to deliver significant improvements in energy consumption, winning sole supply of the hardware for this pilot, where it further developed its
availability of trains during peak times, a reduction in new train purchases, a reduction hardware to interface to the newly developed Intelligent Infrastructure system. The
in maintenance costs, and less downtime from fewer faults or repairs, providing rapid trials of Intelligent Infrastructure resulted in a 20 percent improvement in the reliability
business pay-back. of points and track circuits. Thanks to the enormous success of the trials, Network Rail
www.nomadrail.com began and has continued to roll out and develop the system across the network.
During phase one of the project Network Rail spent £13 million, focusing on the assets
Balfour Beatty Rail Technologies – maximising the that caused the biggest problems – points and signalling power supplies. Phase two of
maintenance window the project saw Network Rail spend an additional £24 million to monitor 7,000 track
circuits and 3,200 point heaters; failure of track circuits leads to delays as signals revert
Balfour Beatty Rail Technologies’ (BBRT) products and services enhance railway to red and failed point heaters cause delays as points have to be manually switched.
infrastructure asset performance and include specialist solutions for signalling, Tracsis data loggers were fitted to signalling infrastructure and, in conjunction with
automated rail inspection and managing the UK’s structure gauging data for Network. algorithms developed specifically for the industry, were used to analyse, recognise and
BBRT provided London Underground with a solution that gets the best out of its limited generate alerts from the data collected on each asset operation. The devices determine
maintenance window by moving key parts of the inspection process from the track to whether the points are experiencing gradual deterioration or are on the verge of
the office, allowing work requirements to be better understood and planned and so, imminent failure. As the data is collected, warnings are sent out to Network Rail control
better delivered. An important aspect of this is making sure maintenance is carried out centres and engineers, so repair teams can be sent to the correct sites with the right
at the optimum time, either early or clustered with other works. Frequent measurement spares and tools to fix problems before a failure can lead to disrupted services.
is key to providing an early indication of developing faults and a clearer understanding In one example of the benefits, Network Rail has estimated that the repair of faults
of deterioration rates to help with such decisions. The BBRT solution provided London before train delay is incurred on their London North Eastern route has saved around
Underground with an automated unattended track geometry measurement and video 10,000 delay minutes following 140 Intelligent Infrastructure alarms.
monitoring system small enough to be fitted to a normal service train running on the Phase three has now begun, with Tracsis continuing as a key supplier under a five-year
District line. This provided frequent track geometry measurements at dramatically framework contract. It’s estimated that Tracsis will have an installed base of around
reduced cost compared to alternative approaches. 12,000 units on the UK Network by the end of 2014.
More frequent measurement and earlier identification of faults calls for automated www.tracsis.com
data management systems that provide a high level of positional repeatability. DataMap
is an asset condition visualisation system that includes techniques for accurate and
automated alignment of the track condition data. DataMap shows track geometry and
video synchronised to location, and the system allows a stop, start, forward and reverse
play-back to provide a high level of information about the area of the fault. It has proved
very effective at precisely targeting faults and underlying causes, saving time and cost
by allowing a more focused repair to be made in the limited access window available.
The system is now being implemented across all of London Underground.
www.bbrail.com

Instrumentel – smarter train diagnostics

Instrumentel Limited is a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic systems for
precision measurement. Instrumentel’s condition-based monitoring rail products are
being increasingly adopted by rail operators and maintainers to deliver efficiency and
maintenance savings.
The company supplies many of the UK train operators with diagnostic equipment to
fit to existing rolling stock. From train door diagnostics to energy metering and engine
performance monitoring, Instrumentel products provide rapidly retrofittable, cost-
effective solutions for improved asset monitoring in the rail industry. Instrumentel’s
Door Diagnostic Units offer early warning signs of door deviations and mechanical wear,
allowing the maintenance to be planned in advance, before a potential in-service failure
occurs. As the performance of every door operation is logged, a historical database
is built over time, allowing for environmental factors such as seasonal patterns to be
considered too.
www.instrumentel.com

Image: Network Rail

55 The UK Rail Sector 05 Safety and security 56

05 S
 afety and
security

Features

58 Network Rail Consulting

58 Lloyd’s Register
59 Atkins
59 Zonegreen
60 Arcadis EC Harris
60 Vysionics

Image: From Shutterstock (Roger Ashford)

57 The UK Rail Sector 05 Safety and security 58

Safety and security Network Rail Consulting, Sydney North West Rail Link –
independent safety assessor and safety advisory services
Transport for New South Wales commissioned Network Rail Consulting to oversee safety
during the construction and delivery of the NSW Government’s high-priority rail project
It is the UK’s experience that sustained Employing the latest technology, including – the A$ 8.3 billion North West Rail Link in Sydney. Network Rail Consulting has delivered
investment and a fresh-thinking approach CCTV and station control systems, along safety assurance and advisory services in accordance with the latest international railway
standards for this flagship project.
to safety have delivered tangible with better station design, can make a
The 36km rail link is one of Australia’s largest ever transport infrastructure projects.
improvements and real value to rail, considerable difference. Careful assessment
The North West Rail Link will be a fully automated rapid transit system – an Australian
ensuring it keeps its unrivalled position as of behaviour in crowded stations, along first, incorporating driverless trains and state-of-the-art customer safety and security
the safest method of surface transport. with modelling, can be used to design safer measures.
Today the UK stands as one of the safest environments for passengers as well as Network Rail Consulting’s safety assessor role focuses on delivering the preliminary
rail networks in Europe. ensuring the best use of space on station safety assessment of the project safety management plan, the safety assurance plan
and the reference design safety assurance report; the ongoing independent safety
concourses.
The UK is almost unique in having a assessment of the main construction contracts throughout their duration, culminating in
dedicated rail industry body in RSSB, which In 2012, a major CCTV hub opened in the preparation of independent safety assessment reports for each contract; and ongoing
safety advisory services in relation to the operations and systems contract.
supports the industry collectively with London, supported by British Transport
www.networkrailconsulting.com
authoritative data, analysis, standards, Police, train operating companies, Network
research and technical expertise in Rail and Transport for London. Train Lloyd’s Register Rail – KORAIL enhanced safety
enhancing safety as part of improving companies work closely with the police management System
business performance. to crack down on railway crime, and their
Lloyd’s Register Rail (LRR) works to improve the safety, quality and performance of
combined efforts have resulted in a decline
UK rail companies regard safety as a process railways across the world. Though renowned for its assurance and certification portfolio,
in recorded notifiable offences. LRR also supports operators, manufacturers and administrators with a range of technical
of continuous improvement. This is achieved
advisory services, from vehicle design to maintenance programmes, from signalling
through rigorous safety management, More than 1,000 UK train stations are now technologies to energy efficiency.
along with developing and applying new accredited under the Government’s Secure In South Korea, for example, LRR is currently working with the national operator, KORAIL,
technologies, solutions and products that Stations Scheme, and train companies have to enhance its safety management system.
minimise risk, injury and accidents. Prompt spent millions to make passengers feel safe, A documented safety management system provides assurance to a railway’s stakeholders
and thorough investigation of incidents has including appointing safer travel teams and that all necessary safety procedures are in place and fully understood by staff across the
operation. A professionally audited review of current processes, such as incident response
long been a cornerstone of railway operation, setting up security control centres. and contingency planning, provides an opportunity to benchmark against global best
making the UK’s engineers the world leaders practices and identify improvements that should be made in light of recent operational
As safety standards and security
in rolling stock fatigue, infrastructure and technological change.
requirements become ever more stringent
maintenance processes and the identification LRR’s work with KORAIL began with a series of on-site audits throughout autumn 2012
across the globe, rail operators around to understand existing safety management across the organisation and has since then
and analysis of risk factors.
the world are tapping into the UK’s wealth embarked on developing a five-year roadmap for improving safety and reducing risk
While safety has significantly improved in of expertise in improving safety without across an estate that ranges from rural and city centre stations, to vehicle maintenance
depots and freight operations.
those areas, there’s also motivation for incurring prohibitive costs.
www.lr.org/rail
rail, station and train operators to provide
a secure and crime-free environment for
passengers and staff.
59 The UK Rail Sector 05 Safety and security 60

Atkins – safety assurance for Taiwan High Speed Rail Arcadis EC Harris – development of the framework for
the new government railway regulator in Saudi Arabia
As one of the world’s foremost planning, consulting and design firms, Atkins universally
acknowledges its responsibility to health and safety, risk management and rail regulation. Arcadis EC Harris’ Safety and Risk Management (SRM) team based in the UK has been
It continues to work to improve safety standards, while ensuring the principles of responsible for developing, on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the framework for
behaviour-based safety are embedded throughout. a new railway regulatory body known as the Saudi Railways Commission (SRC). The SRC
The Taiwan High Speed Rail project represented one of the largest infrastructure will be responsible for implementation and oversight of the new railway laws, and for
schemes ever undertaken in Asia. Atkins was appointed by the Japanese Contracting regulating the greatly expanding railways within the Kingdom.
Consortium (Taiwan Shinkansen Corporation (TSC)) and its sub-system suppliers to The scope of the work was broad ranging, and included determining and defining the
various tasks relating to delivering complex railway systems and railway operations needs SRC’s organisational structure and key roles, preparing job descriptions for all roles in
for the project. SRC, and writing the SRC’s internal economic and safety regulation working procedures,
Atkins’ Systems Assurance solution addressed the reliability, availability, maintainability based on European economic and safety regulation best practice.
and safety (RAMS) of the core systems, including a specific focus on assurance and As well as having developed the railway regulatory framework, Arcadis EC Harris is also
certification against CENELEC standards and on fire safety. now leading the regulatory function of the SRC, with expert advisers who are responsible
Atkins worked in an integrated team with its TSC and sub-system clients to ensure crucial for determining the organisation’s budget and for its day-to-day operations. A key
management, engineering and assurance tasks were delivered as demanded by the client. element of this leadership is to recruit and mentor local personnel.
Thanks to Atkins’ professionalism and international reputation it was also able to provide Services delivered by Arcadis EC Harris include organisational design and task analysis,
standalone assessments and reports to support systems solutions. specification of regulatory functions for a railway regulator, determination of job roles,
www.atkinsglobal.com responsibilities and job descriptions, design of safety, technical and economic regulation
processes, preparation of procedures for licence and safety certificate applications,
Zonegreen – leading-edge safety technology for New Zealand controlling access to railways, dealing with disputes, and procedures for compliance and
rail network development enforcement by rail industry concessionaires.
www.echarris.com
Zonegreen is the world market leader in the application of depot safety, efficiency
and performance. Vysionics - Level crossing protection
The company has supplied its SMART depot personnel protection system (DPPS) to
three depots in the New Zealand capital, as well as its depot manager software to two Vysionics is a global leader in the development of ANPR (automatic number plate
of the depots. recognition) based enforcement systems, with a number of devices having achieved
the demanding UK Home Office Type Approval, which is needed to allow automatic
The contract with KiwiRail forms part of New Zealand’s extensive programme of
enforcement of traffic violations. Its most well-known solution is the SPECS average
railway development, as the industry moves increasingly towards passenger rail.
speed enforcement family, which has now been operated on more than 300
Against this background, Zonegreen’s expertise in intelligent rail safety technology
temporary and permanent sites.
is in growing demand in both New Zealand and Australia.
Having invented ANPR 30 years ago, Vysionics’ work on thousands of enforcement-
At the heart of Zonegreen’s contract with KiwiRail are two of Zonegreen’s flagship
related camera installations has enabled its products and services to evolve
products, the SMART DPPS and Depot Manager.
continually to provide the best achievable solutions.
The SMART DPPS is a highly advanced protection system incorporating intelligent
The latest addition to this enforcement range is VECTOR LX, a highly capable
distributed control and communication technology, as well as electronic personnel
standalone system detecting and capturing traffic violations at level crossings.
datakeys to identify staff working in different safety zones. It’s now installed in the
VECTOR LX obtains and analyses data at level crossing sites using a unique
vast majority of new UK depots and a growing number of depots worldwide.
combination of ANPR, video and scanning radar. This integrated approach means that
The Depot Manager software offers a complete overview of a depot. It provides key VECTOR LX not only identifies and produces evidence for enforcement when offences
information to make operations quicker and easier to implement, ensures the use of occur, but also gathers a wealth of “situational awareness” data to identify behaviours
safety systems at all times and offers comprehensive traceability. at different times of day. As a result, the system captures offences – for instance, a
www.zonegreen.co.uk car driving through red lights and/or around barriers – and provides the data that
allows better decisions to be made to prevent future problems. All of this is delivered
without the need for road loops or intrusive connections into the traffic signals,
providing a system that is powerful, effective and simple to maintain.
www.vysionics.com/vectorlx
61 The UK Rail Sector 06 Operations
Operations 62

06 Operations

Features

64 Arriva
64 National Express
65 Freightliner
66 Serco
Image: UKTI
63 The UK Rail Sector 06 Operations 64

Operations National Express

National Express operates the UK’s leading rail franchise, c2c. It holds both the UK
monthly and annual punctuality records, and has been the UK’s most punctual operator
for the last two years. It also has the highest customer satisfaction score – 92 percent –
of any UK rail franchise in the latest National Passenger Survey.
Train operations in the UK have improved The benefits include: c2c has also recently achieved a 5 star score, the highest level in the European
Foundation for Quality Management’s Recognised for Excellence assessment. This
significantly thanks to investment in
• less delay: better technology will help restore rigorous assessment of how the business is run is the benchmark for the industry.
infrastructure and asset management, together National Express’s reputation for excellence has also been recognised with the award of
normal service much more quickly following
with privatisation and franchising. two rail contracts in Germany, serving cities including Cologne and Bonn in Germany’s
disruption
most populous region, North Rhine-Westphalia. The contracts are for a regional express
Train operators and their suppliers have invested service between Rheine-Münster-Cologne-Krefeld and a Bonn-Cologne-Wuppertal
• more flexibility and capacity: more reliable
hundreds of millions of pounds in refurbished depots, stopping service.
performance and better train regulation
maintenance and service facilities to make sure trains Currently run by Deutsche Bahn, the services carry around 18 million passengers per
are more reliable than ever. Notable examples include • reduced operating costs: a more affordable year. National Express will start operating the 15-year contract in December 2015, after
railway with more passengers, helping to first procuring 36 new electric trains on behalf of the local authorities.
South West Trains’ 30 percent improvement in the
create a sustainable future for the rail network. National Express is also currently shortlisted for other German rail contracts, including
reliability of its commuter fleet, Southern’s the Berlin RingBahn services.
£115 million complete overhaul of its depot at Another important factor in the story of improved www.nationalexpress.com
Selhurst, and East Midlands Trains’ £22 million rail operations is the UK franchising model, which
expansion of facilities at Derby. gives private operators commercial incentives to Arriva
Smarter driver training has also made a difference, attract more passengers and contain costs. If they Arriva is one of the largest and most successful transport services organisations in
with train operating companies investing more than do this successfully, train operating companies can Europe with over 54,500 employees operating 19,500 buses and more than 750 trains
£20 million in 20 state-of-the-art driver simulators. reap profits, although many contracts ensure that (as well as metros, trams, funiculars, waterbuses and paramedic transport), carrying
revenues or operating margins that exceed pre- more than 2.2 billion passengers each year.
This work sits alongside the ongoing improvements Apart from the UK where the company has a country-wide presence in both bus and
agreed levels are shared with Government.
in signalling led by Network Rail. Every day, Network rail, Arriva has significant bus operations in 13 other countries across Europe and
Rail’s team operates more than 40,000 signals from In a franchise, bidders must identify ways of operates rail networks in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, The Czech
Republic and Portugal.
800 signalling locations. They make the day-to-day generating increased revenue, either to pay
Arriva actively engages with national, regional and local governments in each of its
signalling decisions and manage train recovery plans Government or reduce subsidy – through innovation
markets to tailor innovative high-quality transport solutions that provide good value
during disruption. Network Rail is set to consolidate in areas such as customer service and pricing, or for money, deliver on policy objectives and give passengers a safe, dependable and
signalling and control activity into 12 modern rail through better timetables and investment. In the UK, attractive alternative to the private car.
operating centres over the next 15-30 years as part this has seen passengers benefiting from an injection As a result, from Aberdeen to Aarhus and from Madrid to Mladá Boleslav, Arriva’s buses
of new ideas and competition, while train companies’ and trains provide essential services that can be relied on by passengers whether they
of its strategic modernisation plans. Six new rail
are travelling to work or school, on business, or for leisure.
operating centres will be built to supplement the operating margins have been modest.
Though UK-based, Arriva has, since 2010, been part of Deutsche Bahn and so it has
six locations already identified, all with the latest UK rail franchising has attracted a range of access to the extensive knowledge, experience and resources of one of the world’s
technology and tools to better manage and control companies and organisations eager to participate leading passenger and logistics service providers.
the railway. and improve the passenger experience. This includes www.arriva.co.uk

both international and domestic train operating

companies including Arriva, FirstGroup, Govia,
National Express, Stagecoach Group and Serco.
As other national railways now look to the franchise
model, international clients are increasingly seeking
UK expertise in structural reform and rail operations.
65 The UK Rail Sector 06 Operations 66

Freightliner Serco
Freightliner Group is a leading rail freight operator based in the UK, with operations Serco is a UK-listed service and outsourcing company that’s been delivering essential
across Europe and in Australia and a clear strategy for further global growth. public services for more than 40 years. More than 100,000 employees deliver
Freightliner provides bulk haulage rail, intermodal rail and road services, and mission-critical services to clients in over 30 countries. The company has a wealth
maintenance solutions for rolling stock as well as offering contracted passenger of experience in new-build rail and metro systems and operating and maintaining
rail services. existing ones – with the common outcome of providing a transformed customer
As a service leader in rail freight operations globally, the group has extensive experience. Serco works in highly effective trusted partnerships with its clients to
experience of both establishing and operating high-quality, customer-focused rail ensure that its promises are delivered.
freight services. It has more than 15 years of best-in-class market leadership with a In the UK, Serco has been operating and maintaining the pioneering automated
strong track record of: Docklands Light Railway on behalf of Transport for London since 1997. Serco has played
• successfully starting up rail freight operations in different cultural and geographical an important part in making the DLR one of the most successful railways in the world –
locations and scaling up capacity to meet customer requirements delivering sustained high levels of punctuality, reliability, safety and security, winning an
unprecedented number of awards and contributing to the success of the London 2012
• engaging with individual customers to deliver services tailored to meet their
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
specific needs
Together with Abellio, its joint venture partner, Serco delivers two of Great Britain’s
• operating industry-leading health and safety and reliability standards
train operating companies. Merseyrail is a 25-year concession awarded in 2003,
• selecting and training local staff with the skills, aptitude and attitude to deliver high providing local train services to the Liverpool City Region. Since 2004 Serco has
standards of service operated Northern Rail – providing urban and rural train services across the north
• working with suppliers to design, procure, finance and maintain rolling stock to get of England.
the best network performance In the Middle East, Serco successfully implemented the initial stages of the Dubai
• increasing rail throughput by getting the best out of customers’ railhead design Metro on behalf of Dubai RTA, and is sustaining one of the top performing metros
and operations in the world. It also operates and maintains the Palm Jumeirah Monorail and an
• operating and owning port-based rail terminals and working with third-party Automated People Mover at Dubai Airport. In 2013 Serco was awarded the contract
port-based terminal operators to optimise container flow through the port to operate the Al Sufouh Tram system in Dubai.
• operating and establishing intermodal networks with owned, leased and third-party In Australia Serco owns Great Southern Rail, operating the iconic trans-continental
terminal facilities ranging from single track sites with mobile lifting equipment to tourist trains including The Ghan and the Indian Pacific, providing guests with the trip
multi-track facilities equipped with multiple gantry cranes of a lifetime.
• developing IT solutions to improve information flow and performance across www.serco.com/markets/transport/rail
the network
• planning and controlling rail services on a multi-operator mixed freight and
passenger network.
Freightliner’s objective, together with local partners, is to develop a local operating
company that can deliver world-class rail services.
www.freightliner.co.uk

Image: Serco
67 The UK Rail Sector 07 Ticketing 68

07 Ticketing

Features

70 ACT
70 Masabi
Image: From Shutterstock (Lilia Beck)
 69 The UK Rail Sector 07 Ticketing 70

Ticketing ACT – the key to smart ticketing

ACT is a proven leader in designing, building and managing smart transaction
systems, including solutions that speed commuters through public transport,
help shoppers earn rewards, provide access to public services and make it easy
The changing needs of the UK’s commuting The Government recognises the importance of using for visitors to explore new places.
workforce are driving a transformation in the way new technology to improve ticketing systems, as long In the transport sector, ACT provides leading UK commercial transport operators
fares and ticketing are managed across the network. as passengers continue to enjoy high levels of service and public transport bodies with interoperable smart ticketing platforms that join
up regional and national services.
and flexibility.
Different types of commuters have entered the The company also offers this vast experience in industry-compliant smart ticketing
picture, from those who work more flexible hours to In fact, the UK was one of the first markets systems as a supplier to major UK train operators including London Midland,
First ScotRail, Southern Rail and c2c.
the growing number of smartphone-using travellers worldwide to offer online ticketing, allowing any
London Midland, which runs more than 1,300 train services a day throughout the
who enjoy the convenience of buying rail tickets online. company to retail tickets, delivering them for
heart of England, connecting London, the Midlands and the North-West, supports
collection on departure. more than 50 million passenger journeys each year.
Rail Fares and Ticketing: Next Steps, published in
October 2013, sets out the Government’s vision for Now, anyone can purchase tickets on their Aiming to put passenger convenience at the heart of its service while keeping
ticketing overheads down, the train operator asked ACT to provide the technical
a modern and customer-focused fares and ticketing smartphone for anywhere in the UK, with a number platform for a smart ticketing scheme compliant with the UK Government-backed
system. It aims to make sure passengers benefit from of routes offering ‘end-to-end’ barcode ticketing ITSO specification. (ITSO specifies the secure technical, electronic platform on
the new ticketing options made possible thanks to for passengers who don’t want to have to queue to which UK smart ticketing schemes can be built.)
advances in technology, while ensuring the most is collect tickets and risk missing their train. The convenience of online ticketing services and a single interoperable smart
made of opportunities to reduce costs and increase card has made it easier for passengers to manage their travel and payment
These advances result from home-grown technology arrangements. In turn, London Midland benefits from having more passengers
the productivity and efficiency of the railway. prepaying and arriving ready to board with their valid ticket, which helps speed
companies working in partnership with some of
up boarding times, reduce retailing costs and lower ticket administration costs.
Smart ticketing is an opportunity to give passengers the largest transport-owning groups worldwide.
ACT provided all the central applications, including its HOPS transaction-processing
faster, simpler and more flexible ticketing systems. And these skills, relationships and innovations are engine, Customer Management System (CMS) and Retail Fulfilment Service (RFS).
The benefits have already been seen in London’s prime for being exported across the globe. It co-ordinated and integrated all the third-party systems, including gates, ticket
Oyster card system, and there are plans to roll out vending machines, platform validators and a web-based consumer portal to support
smart ticketing across the rail network. journey planning. On an ongoing basis, ACT back-office systems manage the card
lifecycle, including the issuance of the smart card, called “the key”.
www.weareact.com

Masabi – smartphone ticketing delights passengers and

saves millions
In 2012, to cut the cost and inconvenience of on-board cash purchases, Boston’s MBTA
was looking to extend its smartcard, CharlieCard, to its Commuter Rail network. With
more than 140 stations, the majority of which didn’t have ticket vending facilities, this
would allow customers to move away from paying on-board with cash, reducing the
costs of cash handling. However, the proposed smartcard project was expected to cost
more than $70 million in CAPEX alone.
By deploying Masabi’s JustRide mTicketing system, the MBTA, the USA’s fifth largest
transit agency, was able to achieve its aims while delivering an experience that
delighted riders and set the bar for agencies across the country – all with a CAPEX
that was a fraction of the expected smartcard cost.
Masabi was chosen to deliver its complete turnkey mobile ticketing solution, JustRide.
This comprised a consumer app – ready for riders to buy and display their tickets; a
validation application for conductors to verify tickets; and a management console for
the MBTA to get reports, administer ticket rules and run customer service operations.
Mobile ticketing for transit has been pioneered by Masabi, launching its first technology
pilot in 2007. Today it works with more than 17 operators worldwide. The company’s
Image: Max Klatt/The Team

mTicketing technology is deployment proven with millions of downloads of its

applications processing millions of dollars of tickets each month.
In August 2013, just nine months after launch, the MBTA sold its one millionth ticket
via the app, totalling over $10 million in sales. At this point, mTicket was retailing the
equivalent number of tickets to vending machines – and growing – thanks to strong
customer uptake and expansion to other parts of the system.
www.masabi.com
71 The UK Rail Sector 08 Training 72

08 Training

Features

74 Babcock
74 TUCA
75 Bridgeway Consulting
75 The National Skills Academy for Railway
Engineering (NSARE)
76 National Training Academy for Traction and
Rolling Stock (Siemens)
Image: Babcock
73 The UK Rail Sector 08 Training 74

Training Babcock – tailored training for Network Rail

Babcock is the UK’s leading vocational learning provider. Using its expertise in complex
programmes, critical assets and training, Babcock has developed tailored training
programmes that include the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme. This is
Recognising the need to address skills shortfalls in materials and signal panel simulators. Training one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship training programmes, accommodating up to
the rail sector, the UK has embarked on a number of programmes meet national demands and are fully 240 apprentices each year.
long-term and ongoing initiatives to fill this gap. accredited, from NVQ to Masters Degree level. Since the start of the contract, 1,900 apprentices have progressed through the
programme, which is designed to meet the specific requirements of Network Rail’s
The National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering The Tunnelling and Underground Construction operations. The initial course of study gives the apprentices a sound underpinning in
engineering, leading to NVQs and a BTEC National Award technical certificate. Babcock
(NSARE) has been established with wide railway Academy (TUCA) has been established to ensure
also manages the assessment and internal verification of the apprentices’ portfolios.
industry support to help tackle current and future Crossrail has the skills needed for its construction, and As well as technical training, the programme also instils Network Rail’s corporate
skills needs in the railway engineering industry. also meet future skills needs for the UK. TUCA will be values, vital to the company’s success in developing a world-class workforce.
The industry’s vision is that by 2015, its engineering retained post-Crossrail as a specialist training centre Training is residential, to provide a broad education over and above a standard
workforce will have the right skills to support the for other tunnelling projects – thus becoming a legacy apprenticeship, with extra-curricular activities and pastoral care. Babcock works in
partnership with Network Rail to make sure each delegate is given individual health
maintenance, development and expansion of a to the UK construction industry. and dietary plans and support to promote positive wellbeing.
first-class, cost-effective 21st-century railway.
Most recently, the UK Government announced that Extra value has been added to the partnership with Network Rail through facilities
Network Rail, London Underground, the train the UK’s HS2 rail project is to have a dedicated further management and management of additional programmes such as the Graduate
Leadership Programme, Sport and Leisure Institute and one-to-one coaching.
operating companies, rail contractors and rail supply education college to train engineers. This development
The quality of the training provided by Babcock has been recognised both by the
chain are investing significant resource in training. recognises that investment in the railway should also customer and externally. An inspection by the Adult Learning Inspectorate awarded
come with investment in the elite skills that will help a high score for the overall effectiveness of the engineering and manufacturing
Nearly 300 organisations across the UK rail sector are
build it. The college will open in 2017 and will have a technologies training. The Engineering Academy, which is operated and managed by
members of NSARE. These include employers who Babcock, is home to the Network Rail programmes. The academy is one of the largest
specific focus on rail construction and maintenance.
are training and developing their own staff, along with engineering training establishments in Europe and holds the Beacon Status award,
Again, this will provide students with skills that respond placing it in the top one percent of UK training providers.
training and skills bodies such as private providers,
not only to the needs of HS2, but also to the future of www.babcockinternational.com
in-company training providers, further education
rail engineering in the UK.
colleges and universities. TUCA – the future of tunnelling
The skills gap in the rail sector is not unique to the
Network Rail has set up its own state-of-the art
UK but is felt the world over. UK rail expertise is much The Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) was built and
training and development centres, with almost all established by Crossrail to develop and upskill a workforce for the UK’s largest
valued and many overseas rail operators now look
its training and development delivered by its own infrastructure project for many years.
to the UK for their training and development needs.
people. This includes 11 maintenance training centres With a need to train and upskill thousands to work on the project and then looking
Training is being delivered to overseas clients by a forward to future projects, TUCA was created as a centre of excellence for a sector that
across the UK, with 110 trainers who are all former
wide range of UK organisations, including universities required specialist skills and is proud to be the only training centre in Europe dedicated
maintenance workers. It also has two signalling to soft-ground tunnelling techniques.
and colleges, engineering consultants and contractors
training centres, where signallers can get the most TUCA is managed by CITB/National Construction College. Over the past two years more
and dedicated private training companies.
up-to-date training, including computer-based than 10,000 delegates have undertaken training in this purpose-built, state-of-the-art
facility in Ilford, Essex. It has also received much interest from overseas contractors and
international projects.
Working with industry, TUCA is continually developing new provision in line with the
needs of today and what’s expected over the coming years. With provision offered
across a wide spectrum, TUCA is ideally placed to develop the workforce through
upskilling programmes and bring in a new workforce through specialist apprenticeships
and a robust pre-employment training programme.
Set over two floors, TUCA houses a variety of specialist training facilities including a
simulated pit top, pit bottom and running tunnel environment, gantry crane training
area, sprayed concrete lining (SCL) equipment and simulators, concrete testing
laboratory, a dedicated plant training area, loco driver training facilities, full restaurant
facilities and a number of teaching rooms fitted out to a very high standard.
Having been central to the Crossrail project, TUCA will eventually become a long-term
provider of underground construction skills for other major infrastructure projects.
www.citb.co.uk/training-courses/tunnelling
www.citb.co.uk/tuca
75 The UK Rail Sector 08 Training 76

Bridgeway Consulting – railway technical training National Training Academy for Traction and Rolling Stock
for Iarnród Eireann (Irish Rail)
Some 13,500 people work in specialist traction and rolling stock roles across the UK.
Bridgeway Consulting Ltd is a leading consulting and contracting company offering a Skills are the foundation of a thriving, hi-tech rail industry as more people choose to
diverse range of services including railway engineering and safety training, mentoring travel by rail and trains become increasingly technologically advanced.
and assessments. Siemens, in collaboration with NSARE, is playing an integral part in ensuring rail
In 2013 Iarnród Éireann appointed Bridgeway Consulting to carry out railway technical industry employees have the skills and competencies needed to maintain the next
training for Irish Rail permanent way staff. generation of trains in which the UK Government is investing. As a result, a state-of-the-
art training academy, specialising in traction and rolling stock skills, will be opened at
The training course objective was to develop the technical proficiency and competency
the site of Siemens’ existing flagship train depot and UK service headquarters in Kings
of Irish Rail staff responsible for the maintenance, installation, renewal and repair of the
Heath, Northampton.
rail permanent way (track, points and crossings, level crossings, boundary fences and
lineside features and equipment). An agreement between NSARE and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,
with support from the Department for Transport, will provide half the funds needed,
The bespoke training courses were developed jointly by the Bridgeway Consulting
with Siemens contributing the other 50 percent.
learning and development team and Irish Rail engineers to suit the specific needs of
the Iarnród Éireann system. The academy is expected to open its doors in spring 2015, creating around 100 jobs in
during its construction and, subsequently, in operations.
The training is delivered at training facilities in Dublin and reinforced by hands-on practical
training on a 100m purpose-built training track. This contains a variety of railway track Offering 20,000 man days of training per year, the academy will act as a national “hub”
components including rails, sleepers, switches/crossings and even a platform. There are with regional “spokes” located around the country. The focus will be on addressing the
plans to replicate these facilities in Limerick and Athlone during 2014. future skills shortage in this part of the UK rail sector – forecast to be around 4,500
people over the next five years. This is thanks to a combination of factors such as an
The rail training is delivered by a number of Bridgeway Learning and Development
ageing workforce, the technological advancement of rolling stock, and investment and
specialists – all of who possess proven railway experience and professional training
growth in the industry.
qualifications. Bridgeway Consulting is currently officially graded as the UK’s number one
rail training provider by the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE). In addition to encouraging more entry-level talent, existing rail industry employees will
also benefit from an opportunity to “upskill” in response to industry advancements and
www.bridgeway-consulting.co.uk
new train developments such as “fly-by-wire” (a system that replaces the traditional
The National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) manual controls of a train with a precision electronic interface) and ERTMS – replacing
traditional signal controls with a computerised, in-cab display).
The National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) was established in November www.siemens.co.uk
2010 and is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, wholly owned by its members.
NSARE members include large and small rail industry employers, training providers
including further education colleges and universities, and other rail industry stakeholders.
NSARE doesn’t deliver training but works with employers to understand their skills needs,
with training providers to ensure they’re delivering what the industry needs, and with
other stakeholders to make sure the industry has people with the right skills.
NSARE’s services include:
• promoting the rail industry as a “career of choice” in schools, colleges and universities
• forecasting future railway skills needs at both industry-wide and individual employer
or specific skill level
• developing standards and qualifications to meet the industry’s needs, including
apprenticeships and university courses
• Quality Assurance of rail industry training provision, including establishing networks
of accredited providers, trainers and competence assessors
• developing competence management systems, including national databases of skilled
engineers
• providing and managing an integrated IT system capable of managing accredited
providers, individuals competencies, qualification and skills
• training needs analysis
• training and skills-related consultancy for individual clients.
Specific examples of consultancy work undertaken include:
• carrying out a feasibility study to predict the impact on the UK rail industry workforce
of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)
Image: Babcock

• establishing and managing a national training academy for traction and rolling stock,
in collaboration with Siemens and the UK Government.
www.nsare.org
77 The UK Rail Sector 09 Innovation in action 78

09 I nnovation
in action

Features

81 Railway Industry Association

81 Aerospace lift for train door design
82 FutureRailway Enabling Innovation Fund
82 The Technology Strategy Board
83 DIFCAM
83 Virtual Lineside Signalling
84 Collaboration on energy-efficient
powertrain systems
Image: Atkins
 79 The UK Rail Sector 09 Innovation in action 80

Innovation in action
Activity around innovation in the UK falls across the four areas of R&D push,
supplier response, client strategic pull, and innovation enablers:
R&D push
The UK has strong rail research capability.
From wide-reaching research and development to innovation at work, including many that involve RSSB runs a cross-industry R&D programme sponsored by the UK Department
new uses of technology in rail products, there’s a collaboration across the supply chain. for Transport.
diverse range of work supporting the transformation Network Rail runs its own research and innovation programme.
As well as the many organisations and private
of the UK rail industry through innovation. RSSB and Network Rail fund and manage the Rail Research UK Association (RRUKA),
sector initiatives supporting rail innovation, the UK’s which links up industry and universities to support research.
Here, we focus on just some of the initiatives that academic and dedicated research institutions are The Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG) directs the strategic element of the RSSB
have the development of the UK rail industry at contributing to this dynamic picture through the cross-industry research programme and published the Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) setting
heart. Along with the examples you’ll have already research and development (R&D) they conduct. out how technology can deliver a better performing, more cost-effective railway.
seen in this brochure, we feature instances of (You can read more about the work of the UK’s This is delivered by the FutureRailway team, which has a £250 million plan to enable
universities in the section that follows this one.) research and innovation in the rail sector including its supply chain.

Supplier response
Suppliers represented by the Railway Industry Association (RIA), the Rail Alliance and
the Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum (DDRF) have always innovated when it comes to
their products, and continue to do so.

Client strategic pull

There is a strong strategic pull from key clients and leadership groups who are
setting strategies.
Network Rail, Transport for London and Crossrail have innovation teams and have
publicly identified the challenges they seek to address. All three organisations also
have innovation portals where suppliers can submit ideas.

Innovation enablers
A number of organisations and initiatives are enabling innovation in the UK. This
includes supporting, and sometimes part-funding, the more challenging, unproven,
higher risk, earlier-stage innovations.
Image: Network Rai
81 The UK Rail Sector 09 Innovation in action 82

Aerospace lift for train door design The Technology Strategy Board
New lightweight Tube train doors being designed for London Underground should The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its role is to stimulate
weigh less on the budget as well as being impressively state-of-the-art. innovation, working with business and other partners, in order to accelerate economic
A consortium of Atkins, Wabtec Corporation, the National Composites Centre and growth.
University College London, led by London Underground, has been working on Its vision is for the UK to be a global leader in innovation and a magnet for technology-
the design and engineering of the new composite doors, funded by RSSB and the intensive companies, where new technology is applied rapidly and effectively to create wealth.
Technology Strategy Board. Established by the Government, the Board operates at arm’s length as a business-led
Lighter doors retrofitted to existing carriages would open and close faster, reducing executive non-departmental public body (NDPB), and is sponsored and funded by the
dwell times at stations. At the same time lightweight doors fitted to new carriages could Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
be larger, compounding that benefit. It’s responsible for a number of networking and partnership initiatives, including:
The consortium’s challenge was to reduce the weight of the existing Central line door by • Catapult
 Centres
almost 40 percent, using materials from the aerospace sector, yet meet the exacting Catapult Centres are designed to transform the UK’s innovation capability in key areas
standards on fire safety and resistance to damage. to help drive future economic growth. There is a dedicated Transport Systems Catapult,
The solution lay in a glass-fibre reinforced thermoplastic material for the door’s which spans the road, rail, marine and aviation sectors.
main structure. This material is tough, resistant to environmental damage and fire https://ts.catapult.org.uk
resistant. Supplied by Tencate, the material is also 100 percent recyclable and suitable •C
 onnect
for medium-to-high volume manufacturing. The glazing is also innovative, as it uses Connect is an open innovation and networking portal designed to accelerate business
a prototype glass/polycarbonate laminate. The toughened glass face sheets protect innovation. Connect hosts a number of Knowledge Transfer Networks, as well as the
the low-density polycarbonate inner part from fire, and the weight of the window is Unlocking Innovation Scheme’s online group.
expected to be half of the original.
•K
 nowledge Transfer Networks (KTN)
The projected weight saving of the prototype door is just under 30 percent, and KTNs are innovation communities that connect, collaborate and find out about new
although the materials and labour cost of the door would increase, maintenance and opportunities in key research and technology sectors. There is a KTN dedicated to
warranty costs would be expected to drop. The projected annual benefit to London, transport, who bring together the road, rail and marine sectors.
thanks to reductions in passenger journey time, is £4.7 million, with associated revenue
 nowledge Transfer Partnerships
•K
income of £1.3 million to London Underground. As well as that, the benefits of reducing
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships offer businesses the opportunity to work with
track wear and energy consumption amount to £0.5 million per annum.
academic institutions to access new knowledge.
This project is one of the winners of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board and Rail Safety
www.innovateuk.org
and Standards Board Accelerating Innovation in Rail competition.
www.atkinsglobal.co.uk FutureRailway
www.wabtecrail.co.uk
www.nccuk.com The FutureRailway Enabling Innovation Fund was set up to accelerate innovation in the rail
industry.
www.ucl.ac.uk
Its mission is to offer support to practical cross-industry demonstrator projects, building
www.tfl.gov.uk
on the work of the Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG) while seeking out original
ideas from across the industry.
Railway Industry Association – Unlocking Innovation Scheme The FutureRailway vision is to enable a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across
the whole rail industry, delivering growth for the British economy and a transformational
The Unlocking Innovation Scheme aims to improve the railway supply chain’s capability
change for the railway.
to innovate with new technology, processes and business models – to benefit Britain’s
railways and grow exports. The team’s approach is to understand the challenges that industry faces, connect
potential innovators with these challenges and, where necessary, with potential funding.
Through the scheme, more than 100 people who care about innovation in the rail sector
It has backing from across the industry at the highest levels. The Enabling Innovation
come together in regular workshops that aim to:
Fund invests in four main ways:
• nurture a dialogue between clients and suppliers
•e
 nabling projects – such as investing in facilities that will help to demonstrate innovative
• help suppliers find partners to help progress their innovations technologies or business concepts, or projects designed to help innovators target the
• improve access to a wide variety of funding mechanisms needs of the rail industry
• provide free access to resources to help suppliers commercialise their concepts • c alls and competitions – targeted at addressing specific industry challenges
• introduce techniques to improve creativity in the workplace. • ideas from industry – an open application route for innovative concepts that need
Anyone who wants to make innovation happen in the rail sector is welcome: clients, support for demonstration trials
rail (and non-rail) sector suppliers, academia and organisations that facilitate or fund • s pecial projects – those that have a clear business case, established route to market
innovation. The scheme is one of the initiatives under the Future Railway umbrella, and which could deliver a step change to the industry.
working with and on behalf of the cross-industry TSLG. www.futurerailway.org/eit
https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/unlocking-innovation-in-rail
83 The UK Rail Sector 09 Innovation in action 84

VLS – signalling a low-cost solution Cross-sector collaboration that makes innovation fly
Virtual Lineside Signalling (VLS) is a cab signalling system developed by Park Global rail vehicle manufacturers are working with UK technology companies to
Signalling that could revolutionise low-cost signalling on secondary lines. develop energy-efficient powertrain systems that exploit pioneering developments
VLS makes use of wireless mobile data and location sensor systems to securely send in other sectors.
in-cab signalling displays to train drivers, and convey train location and status reports Two current initiatives that involve applying flywheel energy storage technology to rail
back to signalling control centres. By taking away the need for most conventional propulsion perfectly illustrate this cross-sectoral collaboration.
trackside signalling equipment, cabling and power supplies, it can significantly cut the •B
 ombardier Transportation is collaborating with Artemis Intelligent Power and Ricardo
cost of primary signalling on rural or lightly used lines and provide fallback signalling in a diesel multiple unit regenerative braking project using a hydraulic system to
on other lines. charge and discharge a flywheel.
In March 2012 a joint, collaborative bid by Park Signalling Ltd (PSL) and Frazer-Nash •A
 lstom is collaborating with Williams Hybrid Power to develop flywheel energy storage
Consultancy (FNC) won the inaugural RIA/RSSB Innovation Competition. The resulting technology for Citadis trams.
RSSB funding award allowed PSL to commission FNC to perform an independent
The flywheel technologies underpinning these developments have their origins in the
safety analysis of VLS, and for PSL to develop a novel central interlocking interface.
energy supply sector. The high speed flywheels involve carbon fibre filament winding
The safety analysis work, which was split into three stages: Proof of Safety, Train Cab technology developed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority/Urenco for ultracentrifuge
Unit Safety and Interlocking Interface Design Safety, concluded that VLS could form uranium enrichment systems needed by the nuclear power industry. Meanwhile, the
a demonstrably safe signalling system. Artemis hydraulics technology originated from work in Edinburgh University’s Fluids
Since early trials of a prototype VLS system on a heritage railway line in the UK, Group aimed at power take-off for renewable energy devices. Both Williams HP and
VLS has been demonstrated on Network Rail infrastructure. What’s more, the Radio Ricardo have used their motorsport involvement to develop their capability in flywheel
Frequency Identification (RFID) train location and wireless mobile communications drivetrain technology – such as in Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) systems
systems, both of which are based on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) equipment, for F1 cars. This illustrates the role that thriving UK design engineering and motorsport
have been successfully demonstrated at Network Rail’s RIDC test track and on board sectors play as agents for cross-sector technology transfer and innovation.
in-service trains on the Yorkshire Wolds Coast Line. These developments have paved a route for mainstream rail uptake of flywheel energy
www.park-signalling.co.uk storage, seeing niche application in the Parry People Mover Class 139 railcar service on
www.fnc.co.uk the Stourbridge Town–Stourbridge Junction branch line.
Neither is the value of these technology companies lost on overseas investors.
DIFCAM – automating visual inspection Artemis Intelligent Power was acquired by Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe in 2010.
Crompton Technology Group, which produces the filament wound flywheels – and was
Digital Imaging for Condition Asset Management (DIFCAM) is a fast, efficient, automated itself spun from the group at the Harwell Laboratories involved in the ultracentrifuge
method for basic visual inspection of structures. It cuts down the need for costly, dangerous development – was acquired by Goodrich (now UTC) also in 2010.
trackside access and subjective factors associated with human visual inspections.
The evolution of these technologies for transportation use has been helped
Supported by RSSB and the Technology Strategy Board, DIFCAM assesses asset by co-funding from national funding programmes for innovation, in the field of
condition by comparing digital images taken at different times to automatically detect environmentally friendly transport.
changes that would be difficult for a human inspector to achieve. It does this by
For instance:
comparing pixel blocks at very high resolution.
• t he Bombardier Transportation project is supported by the Technology Strategy
Developed by a consortium of Omnicom, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and
Board’s Accelerating Innovation in Rail programme
Atkins, the initial DIFCAM demonstrator will be used to inspect rail tunnels, of which
there are 20,000km worldwide. • the application of Artemis’ Digital Displacement technology to hydraulic hybrid
transmissions for automotive applications was demonstrated with support from the
However, DIFCAM can also be put to use for asset inspection in other industries,
Department for Transport via its R&D programme, managed by the Energy Saving Trust
including in hazardous and confined areas. In this consortium, Omnicom provide the
position platform and profiling system, NPL offers high-resolution imaging and analysis • t he Ricardo Kinergy flywheel energy recovery system, together with the Torotrak
and Atkins offers asset management and domain expertise. CVT system for energy transfer, has featured in collaborative projects for car, bus
and commercial vehicles supported by the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Carbon
DIFCAM is one of the winners of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board and Rail Safety
Vehicles Innovation Platform.
and Standards Board Accelerating Innovation in Rail competition.
www.bombardier.com/en/transportation
www.atkinsglobal.co.uk
www.artemisip.com
www.omnicomengineering.co.uk
www.alstom.com/uk
www.npl.co.uk
www.williamshybridpower.com
www.ricardo.com
85 The UK Rail Sector 10 Research and education 86

10 R
 esearch and
education

Features

88 RRUKA
88 University of Southampton
89 University of Birmingham Centre for Railway
Research and Education
89 Imperial College London – The Future Rail
Research Centre (FRRC)
90 NewRail – The Centre for Research at
Newcastle University
90 University of Sheffield
91 University of Huddersfield Institute of
Railway Research
92 University of Nottingham

Image: University of Huddersfield

87 The UK Rail Sector 10 Research and education 88

Research and education RRUKA

The Rail Research UK Association (RRUKA) is a partnership between the British rail
industry and UK universities. Its aims are:
• t he support and facilitation of railway research in academia
UK Universities play an important role in railway • t he common understanding of research needs to support the rail industry and its
research and education, not just to the benefit of future development
the UK rail sector but rail organisations around • t he identification of research, development and application opportunities in railway
the world. science and engineering
• t he provision of solutions to the rail industry.
Around 40 UK institutions are involved in rail-related
Co-funded by the Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB) and Network Rail, RRUKA
research activities, from short-term consultancy provides a focus for research institutions undertaking R&D that might benefit the
projects to longer-term masters and PhD projects. railways, and allows the railway industry to access academic research capabilities.
Much of this research is directly funded and in It brings together those who can use and fund research with those who do it.
partnership with industry. To do this RRUKA provides a forum for targeted knowledge exchange between
universities and the industry, and organises focused workshops and seminars,
On these pages we highlight the work of the leading as well as wider networking opportunities.
universities involved in railway research. RRUKA also maintains a “map” of expertise to help identify experts in particular areas.
It collates knowledge of what is being researched or has been researched, so that it is
not duplicated when further research is being considered and undertaken.
www.rruka.org.uk

University of Southampton – Track 21 Project

The University of Southampton carries out interdisciplinary research and consultancy
on railway systems that draws on engineering, physical and social sciences; integrates
scientific theory with practical applications; and is international in scope, covering the
UK, Europe and beyond. Its key areas of expertise include infrastructure, track systems,
noise and vibration, timetabling, planning and operations, tribology, signalling and
on-board systems.
The university is a Network Rail strategic university partner and has completed work
for a range of clients, including the European Commission, the UK’s Department for
Transport, the Association of Train Operating Companies, Arup, Bombardier, Hitachi,
HS1, ORR, RSSB, SNCF and Thales.
The £3.1 million Research Council-funded Track 21 project is developing a better
understanding of the engineering, economic and environmental performance of
railway track. This will provide the science needed to underpin a radical overhaul
of techniques for railway track design, construction and maintenance. The project
combines laboratory and field-based research to generate insights which can support
a step change in infrastructure asset performance. Examples of this research include
the use of discrete element modelling to improve our understanding of ballast micro-
mechanics; laboratory testing of a range of sleeper-ballast combinations using a large
scale rig; and measuring wheel-rail roughness and track vibration decay rates in the
laboratory and in the field. A wide range of industry and governmental stakeholders
support the project, and this allows research to be targeted to relate directly to rail
industry needs. This also means results can be quickly disseminated to those who can
make best use of them in practice.
www.southampton.ac.uk
Image: University of Huddersfield
89 The UK Rail Sector 10 Research and education 90

University of Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and University of Sheffield – Railway Innovation and Technology
Education – assisting the international rail industry Research Centre
By staff and student numbers, as well as by its activity, the Birmingham Centre for The University of Sheffield has a wealth of railway research expertise in its Faculty
Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) is the UK’s largest railway-focused research of Engineering, and hosts the Railway Innovation and Technology Research Centre,
centre and one of Europe’s biggest university-based centres. Part of the University of funded by Network Rail. The faculty has an annual research income of around
Birmingham, the centre has a long-standing and well-recognised profile in the industry, £46 million, producing more than 700 high-quality graduates each year. Key areas
having expanded its research and teaching, both at home and overseas in recent of research at Sheffield are in:
years. BCRRE’s international activities have been boosted by involvement in research • rail-wheel interface, adhesion, wear and materials performance
programmes funded by the European Commission, industry-funded projects, and
• rail system design for safety and security
overseas strategic partnerships.
• performance of masonry arch bridges
Since 2004, the centre has taken part in nine projects under the EU’s Sixth and
Seventh Framework Programmes, which fund and support cross-border research and • composite materials.
development. It has also prepared a number of successful project proposals on behalf of Research on the rail-wheel interface includes mechanical testing, contact mechanics,
consortia and was recently awarded a grant from the European Regional Development wear, fatigue, metallurgy, materials performance, and modelling how rail damage
Fund to work with small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the West Midlands. “adds-up” under specific traffic patterns.
Preparations are now underway to approach the new Horizon 2020 programme, the Sheffield is expert in designing resilience into stations and vehicles, aiming to lower the
EU’s biggest research and innovation programme ever, which has nearly €80 billion risk and impact of attack, and make recovery faster. An essential aspect of this work
of funding available. It is also preparing proposals to the Shift2Rail Joint Technology is how travellers and operators accept change in the design of stations or rail vehicles,
Initiative, a public-private partnership investing just under €1 billion in targeted research and linking design decisions to risk assessment. The modelling work done by the centre
and innovation to encourage more passengers and freight to use Europe’s railways. includes predicting the effects of a blast on station and vehicle structures, predicting
Industry-funded projects include collaboration with the Singapore Land Transit fluid flow within stations, and anticipating crowd behaviour in emergency situations.
Authority to develop an energy simulation tool to help with the selection of new rolling Design and manufacture of composite components is a major research area at the
stock. Major international manufacturers are using the centre’s research to verify their university, and that’s being applied in the development of a railway sleeper from
rolling stock’s energy consumption and, for a number of years, centre staff have been recycled polymer materials. What’s more, a bespoke full-size sleeper testing equipment
conducting research together with staff from Central Japan Railways (CJR) seconded built and hosted at Sheffield is supporting that work. These facilities have been used to
to Birmingham. Current projects centre on enhanced service management and conduct fatigue tests of more than five million cycles on prototype sleepers.
timetabling for high speed lines and points condition monitoring.
www.sheffield.ac.uk
In 2013 the centre developed a strategic partnership with China’s Anhui Provincial
Government, resulting in the formation of the Anhui/Birmingham International NewRail – the Centre for Research at Newcastle University
Research Institute in Railway Transportation (ABIRIRT). ABIRIRT will act as a platform
both to trial and test new technologies and as a mechanism to introduce UK railway NewRail is the Centre for Railway Research at Newcastle University. Its aim is to deliver
technical businesses to the Chinese market. ABIRIRT projects are already underway in research, information and consultancy to meet the complex technological and managerial
the fields of signalling system simulation, asset condition monitoring, driving advisory challenges of the rail industry. It has established strong research and consultancy links
systems and energy consumption reduction. with railway operators and manufacturers in the UK and internationally.
www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/railway/ NewRail is the preferred university research supplier to Bombardier Transportation,
particularly when it comes to materials and structures, and one of the Alstom Transport
Imperial College London – the Future Rail Research Centre top 10 rail engineering universities in the world. Not only that, NewRail is the preferred
(FRRC) university consultancy supplier to Siemens Maintenance (UK) and the only university on
the UITP (International Association of Public Transport) advisory board.
The Future Rail Research Centre (FRRC) at Imperial College London is engaged on NewRail is a member of the European Rail Research Advisory Board (ERRAC) and a
projects that include energy use on railways, including lifecycle costing of vehicles and member of the International Rail Research Board (IRRB). In the past five years alone,
infrastructure; condition monitoring of infrastructure, including switches and crossings it has been involved in rail projects that have a total project value of over €100 million,
in a major project for Network Rail; and the development of high speed rail in the UK. and these have involved more than 200 different international partners.
The centre is led by Professor Roderick A Smith, who has more than 30 years’ The centre co-ordinates its activities under the following themes: Strategy, Research,
experience of railways in Japan. He was instrumental in persuading Lord Adonis that Education and Consultancy – its research activities cover rail vehicles, systems,
the UK needed a high speed railway system and has worked closely with High Speed 2 infrastructure, freight and logistics.
since the inception of the project.
Research conducted by NewRail on rail vehicles and systems, for instance, includes:
The centre has in the past trained, and continues to train, PhD students who will
play major roles in the technical development of high speed railways, in the UK •d
 esigning and manufacturing a lightweight driver’s cab in partnership with
and elsewhere. Several have spent periods being trained alongside the world-class Bombardier Transportation and cab manufacturer AP&M
engineering staff at the Railway Technical Research Institute in Tokyo. • increasing the safety and security of metro vehicles with respect to terrorist attacks
Topics being investigated for High Speed 2 include the aerodynamics of high speed by explosives and firebombs
trains in tunnels, leading to increased drag and energy use, optimisation of energy use • investigating and demonstrating the viability of an integrated train management
with journey time and operational parameters. system to achieve more sustainable and optimised energy use.
Professor Smith is chief scientific adviser at the Department for Transport and a www.ncl.ac.uk/newrail
member of the Singapore Metro’s Technical Advisory committee.
www3.imperial.ac.uk/merailways
91 The UK Rail Sector 10 Research and education 92

University of Huddersfield Institute of Railway Research – University of Nottingham – Advanced Composite Integrated
developing solutions for tram-train vehicles Structure project
Under contract by Network Rail, a team of engineers at the University of Huddersfield’s The University of Nottingham has a strong track record in transport research and
Institute of Railway Research (IRR) has been developing solutions for the challenging technologies, spanning aerospace, automotive and rail applications.
interface between a tram-train vehicle and two very different railway infrastructures. As one of the UK’s top six universities for collaboration with industry, it has an
The tram-train concept allows a railway vehicle to run in two operational modes: as an impressive record of working with blue-chip, global businesses as well as with small-
on-street tram serving city centres but also as a commuter train running on existing and medium-sized enterprises. The university’s ethos is to gain a deep understanding
local rail network. This dual operation concept provides great flexibility and efficient of businesses, allowing it to respond to individual needs – engaging with clients for the
use of railway infrastructure and connections. long term to develop a partnership of mutual benefit.
The Sheffield-Rotherham Tram-Train scheme represents the UK’s first trial of the The university has a portfolio of key industry partnerships across the rail sector, including
concept and has provided the project partners, the Department for Transport, Network Network Rail, for whom it is a strategic university partner. Its expertise and capabilities in rail
Rail, Northern Rail, Stagecoach Supertram (SST) and South Yorkshire Passenger are diverse and include power electronics; conversion and energy storage; infrastructure
Transport Executive with many challenges. One of these is the wheel-rail interface, asset management; track bed structures; composites for vehicle light-weighting; human
key to the vehicles’ safe operation and a major driver for the ongoing lifecycle factors for safety and improving the customer experience; and train positioning using
maintenance costs of the system. satellite navigation. The university is also actively seeking new partners in the rail sector
By applying advanced computer modelling techniques, the team at the IRR has who wish to collaborate to tackle shared research and technology challenges.
been able to predict vehicle dynamic behaviour on both the tight radius curves of Part-funded by the UK’s FutureRailway Enabling Innovation Fund via the Radical Train
embedded city centre track and also the higher speed but less curvaceous sections scheme, the Advanced Composite Integrated Structure project is led by Bombardier
on Network Rail mainline. These differing conditions require an interface design which Transportation in partnership with the University of Nottingham, The National
maintains vehicle dynamic stability on straight track, while allowing adequate curving Composites Centre and EPL Composite Solutions Limited.
performance and derailment resistance in the city centre – a classic engineering The potential for weight saving with structural carbon fibre composites is well
compromise in railway vehicle dynamics. understood, but high costs and perceived risks in approvals have previously limited their
The wheel design work was complicated by the very different rail head shapes of the two use in rail. Recent developments in reduced-cost manufacturing processes and a desire
systems; the SST network having a very flat rail head profile, while the worn Network to reduce the weight of trains has created the opportunity for rail vehicles to benefit from
Rail sections typically have a much smaller effective rail head shape. This called for a this technology. This project assesses those opportunities, will gain industry agreement
compromise in the wheel and tread design, with significant simulation work to optimise on compliance with approval processes and develop a novel demonstrator to showcase
the new wheel profile shape. This allowed wheel-rail contact stress and wear rates to be how the technology can be applied in railway rolling stock. The project will also help
minimised on both systems, while also maintaining safety against derailment. develop unique expertise in the UK rail sector that can be exploited around the world.
The wheel profile also needed to operate under differing wheelset geometry conditions. www.nottingham.ac.uk/servicesforbusiness
This required a special stepped wheel flangeback to maintain safe passage through
both Network Rail and SST switches and crossings and checked curves.
www.hud.ac.uk/research/researchcentres/irr/

Image: University of Huddersfield

93 The UK Rail Sector More information 94

More information

The Office of Rail Regulation The Railway Industry RSSB

UKTI – here to help Association of Train
Operating Companies (ATOC) Association
www.rail-reg.gov.uk www.rssb.co.uk
Sourcing from the UK
www.atoc.org The Office of Rail Regulation is the www.riagb.org RSSB supports the rail industry in
This brochure illustrates just some of the expertise held by UK companies combined safety and economic regulator The Railway Industry Association (RIA) understanding risk, guiding standards,
ATOC is the official voice of the
that support rail solutions globally. for Britain’s national rail network. is the representative body for UK-based driving research and innovation, and
passenger rail industry and represents
suppliers of equipment and services to improving performance, all in a range of
If you need more information on UK rail products and services please refer to train operating companies to the
the associations and the individual companies featured or contact the Mass Government, regulatory bodies, the The Rail Alliance the worldwide industry. It has around 180 services by the whole industry, for the
member companies, active across the whole industry, to deliver a better railway.
Transport team at UKTI. media and other opinion formers on
transport policy issues. Its remit includes www.railalliance.co.uk whole range of railway supply.
co-ordinating joint activities for train The Rail Alliance spans all aspects of the RIA provides its members with extensive
Transport Scotland
Helping investors operators and facilitating common train Rail Sector to enable you to network, services, including:
operator positions on many engineering collaborate and innovate with suppliers www.transportscotland.gov.uk
With unrivalled local access and knowledge, UK Trade & Investment can and operational issues. • provision of technical, commercial and
and customers to enable you to thrive as
offer overseas investors unique assistance with regulatory issues, access to political information Transport Scotland is the national
a business.
industry networks around UK centres of excellence, as well as introductions transport agency for Scotland.
to sector leaders and business contacts. It can also act as a voice of
The Department for Its aim is to provide advice, tailored • representation of the supply industry’s
Government for business interests and offer continued support through Transport assistance and, most importantly, interests to Government, Network Rail
Rail Supply Group
the in-house investor development network, which provides assistance to to identify and pass on business and others
companies once they have established a presence in the UK. www.dft.gov.uk development opportunities at home • providing opportunities for dialogue In November 2013, the UK Government
UK Trade & Investment supports overseas businesses seeking to The Department for Transport formulates and abroad to those in the rail sector. and networking announced that a new body – the
establish a presence or expand in the UK by providing the necessary UK transport policy.
The Rail Alliance does this through its • supply chain improvement initiatives Rail Supply Group – would be created
support and contacts. extensive range of contacts and its well- to strengthen the capability and
Contact us: To discuss how the UK can help with your rail development
The Derby & Derbyshire Rail respected programme of networking • export promotion activity, through competitiveness of the UK rail
contact the British Embassy or Consulate General in your country and speak Forum (DDRF) events, rail-focused seminars, its briefings, visits overseas, hosting supply chain to win business at home
knowledge transfer partnerships with inwards visits and organising UK and abroad.
with a UKTI representative. Or you can visit the UKTI website at
www.derbyrailforum.org.uk academe and its knowledge of what presence at exhibitions overseas.
www.ukti.gov.uk The group’s aim is to co-ordinate industry
DDRF represents the largest cluster business support is available from the In doing so, RIA works very closely with and government action to create a
of rail companies in the world, with public and private sectors. UKTI. RIA’s website provides links to all stronger rail sector, which can make a
dedicated local support from city and its member companies, combined with greater contribution to the Government’s
county councils, the Local Enterprise Rail Delivery Group a search facility to allow clients to find key priorities of promoting economic
Partnership (D2N2), UK Trade & potential suppliers of particular products growth, sustainable development and
Investment and other industry groups. www.raildeliverygroup.com or services quickly and efficiently. regional cohesion.
This support helps DDRF members find The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) brings
and access new markets and promote Rail Freight Group (RFG)
together the owners of Britain’s train
international expansion. It also helps operating companies, freight operating
bring new organisations to the region, www.rfg.org.uk
companies and Network Rail to provide
to continue the growth of – and boost the leadership to Britain’s rail industry. RFG promotes cost-effective rail
reputation of – the region’s rail industry. solutions for freight. It has more than
The RDG focuses on industry-wide issues. 150 member companies, including rail
DDRF membership isn’t restricted Its work is in the context of the need for freight customers, logistics providers,
to technology and manufacturing improved services to rail users and value suppliers, terminal operators, ports,
companies. Finance, legal and other for money for taxpayers. transport consultants, retailers,
support organisations also belong.
legal firms and all freight train
Before joining DDRF, a minimum of
operating companies.
10 percent of a company’s turnover
should be rail related.
 The UK Rail Sector
A showcase of world-class expertise

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Cover image: Network Rail
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Published May 2014

by UK Trade & Investment
URN 14/667