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PROFESSIONAL
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR RAILWAY MANAGERS
SPEEDY RESPONSE
WITH HS2’S REPORT DUE SOON, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM IT?
AWARDS FEVER
BOOK YOUR PLACE AT FEBRUARY’S RAIL BUSINESS AWARDS
SPARKS EFFECT
LIVERPOOL–MANCHESTER–PRESTON ELECTRIFICATION ANNOUNCED
SAFETY MEASURES
REPORT FROM IOSH’S RAIL SAFETY CONFERENCE
FREEDOM
FROM THE
FRANCHISE
YOKE
HEATHROW EXPRESS’
RICHARD ROBINSON ON
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
WITHOUT SUBSIDY
A YEAR ON THE RAILWAYS
REVIEW OF 2009’S HEADLINES
THE TRAIN IN SPAIN…
THE SPANISH HIGH-SPEED NETWORK
www.railpro.co.uk JANUARY 2010 ISSUE 154 : £3.95

CONTENTS
Contents
JANUARY 2010
ISSUE 154
Simon Weir
Published by
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18 32
EDITORIAL
4 Editorial comment
12-13 Train of thought Readers’ letters
NEWS
4-11 News Stagecoach’s profits plunge; Workington
gets emergency station; East Coast fares
challenge; Soham station hopes; Eurostar to face
several competitors; GARL decision challenged;
Crossrail tunnel shortlist; Southern hit by driver
dispute; RMT campaigns against driver-only
trains; ORR to look at safety of level crossings;
Tube overcrowding
35-36 People Martin Rowark; Charles Belcher;
John Meehan; Tony Payton; Irving Silverwood;
Christine Court; Christine Mazencieux-Pear;
Mike Noakes; Hassard Stacpoole; Keith Vingoe;
Chris Phillimore; Chris Thompson; Matt Kuzemko;
Estelle Clark
NEWS ANALYSIS
14-15 With High Speed Two’s recommendation for
a high-speed line to the Midlands due, Peter
Plisner looks at what we can expect it to contain
THE WRIGHT TRACK
16-17 Lord Adonis has been talking about integrating
transport in the UK. But the European cities that
have successfully rolled out multimodal ticketing
are a far cry from the UK in transport terms, says
Robert Wright
RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW
22-25 Katie Silvester takes a trip on Heathrow Express
with Richard Robinson, the Toc’s new manager
FEATURES
18-20 Rail Professional’s review of 2009
A look back at the headline news of the last year
– 12 months that saw considerable progress on
the railways
21 Conference report
Peter Brown reports from IOSH’s Rail Industry
Conference 09 on safety
26-27 Party planning
With a general election looming, Paul Clifton
looks at the real differences between the three
main parties’ manifestos on rail
28-29 Replacing Spain’s planes with 350kph trains
Spain ranks third in the world for the length of its
high-speed network. Ron Smith reports
34 Cutting corners
Companies cutting back on spending during the
recession should think carefully before slashing
the training budget, says William Bell
RAIL BUSINESS AWARDS
32-33 The Department for Transport is sponsoring the
Station Excellence category at the 2009 awards.
Plus: how to book your table for the big evening
INSTITUTION OF RAILWAY OPERATORS
30-31 The IRO’s first students graduate from the
certificate programme and John Glover looks at
Greengauge 21’s hopes for high-speed rail
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
37 A round-up of key services
RECRUITMENT
38 Tube Lines’ apprenticeship programme
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 3

NEWS
ELECTRIC EFFECT
OF BUDGET
As most people are still trying to figure out
how Alistair Darling’s tax changes will affect
them, one thing is clear: the railways are to
benefit from the Budget, thanks to Darling’s
announcement about further electrification.
The chancellor told the House of Commons, in his
Pre-Budget Report, that he had ‘given the go-ahead to
further plans for rail electrification between Liverpool,
Manchester and Preston’. He added that secretary of
state, Lord Adonis, would announce details soon and
that a government response to proposals for a highspeed
line would follow early in 2010.
Of course, many will point out that this close to a
general election, Darling can have no certainty that
he will be in a position to see this through, and that
such announcements are intended merely to increase
Labour’s appeal to voters. But if nothing else, it’s a step
in the right direction that improvements to the railway
are seen as vote winners.
What is needed is clear cross-party support for
electrification in the same way that high-speed rail
now has the backing of the three main parties. The
Conservatives have given their
broad support to electrification,
but they have not been specific
in their commitments.
Nevertheless, our review of
2009 (pages 18-20) shows that
there were some real high-points
for the railway industry in the
last 12 months. There has been considerable progress
on high-speed, the electrification programme has at
last been restarted, and we finally have a secretary of
state for transport who has real passion and a longterm
vision for our railways.
It might be an unfashionable point-of-view in these
democratic times, but having an unelected peer at the
head of our railways is proving to be something of an
asset. Unlike his colleagues in the House of Commons,
Adonis does not need to have the same preoccupation
with the next general election, which gives him more
freedom to consider the longer term. He has been
working more closely with the other parties than his
predecessors too, thanks to the cross-bench traditions
of the House of Lords.
He has acknowledged the Conservatives’ and Lib
Dems’ contribution to the high-speed debate several
times, and is said to be liaising with them on HS2.
Compare this to former transport secretary Ruth Kelly,
who turned down shadow transport secretary Theresa
Villiers’ suggestion for both parties to work
together on a high-speed rail strategy.
Let us hope that 2010 brings continued good
news for the railways.
www.railimages.co.uk
STAGECOACH RAIL
PROFITS DOWN MORE
THAN 50 PER CENT
Stagecoach has earmarked an
extra £20m in a ‘cost reduction
programme’ for its rail businesses
after half-year profits fell by more
than half.
The company, which operates
South West Trains, East
Midlands Trains and is a joint
owner of Virgin Trains, had
previously announced savings
of £50m. More than 400 staff
have lost their jobs already this
year, although the company said
it did not anticipate any further
job cuts.
Revenue from rail rose by
1.9 per cent to £512.9m in the
six months to 31 October. But
operating profits fell to £14.9m,
reflecting higher SWT franchise
payments to government and
lower revenue growth.
Madrid–Paris
line to be built
Spain’s Renfe and France’s SNCF
are to work together on a new
high-speed line from Paris to
Madrid. The line, expected to open
in 2012, would make a day trip
from Britain to Spain possible
by rail, with an expected journey
time of around six hours each way
from London to Madrid via Paris
by Eurostar.
South West Trains is still in dispute with the
government over subsidies.
Underlying pre-tax profits
across the group fell 28 per cent
to £75.5m.
The company had earlier said
its operating margin of 2.9 per
cent was smaller than the budget
supermarket chain Lidl.
Chief executive Brian Souter
said: ‘We have performed well
in the face of the continuing
challenging economic
environment and increased cost
pressures.’
He said the group was in a
strong financial position and
‘well-placed for recovery’.
Stagecoach remains in
dispute with the Department for
Transport over revenue support
payments to South West Trains
and has previously said that SWT
faces significant losses next year
if the dispute is not resolved in
its favour.
It is currently subject to
the Railway Industry Dispute
Resolution process and a
decision is expected by April.
Passenger volumes on Virgin
West Coast have risen by 20 per
cent over the last year.
Gerry Doherty, general
secretary of TSSA, said:
‘Taxpayers are subsidising Souter
and Branson by over £200m a
year to jointly run Virgin Trains,
which is the most expensive rail
line in Europe.’
4
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

NEWS
CUMBRIAN FLOODS
PROVOKE RAPID
RAIL RESPONSE
Network Rail
The temporary station at Workington.
by John Clarke
Work progressed at lightning
speed to build a temporary rail
station serving the communities
‘cut off’ on the north side of the
River Derwent in Workington,
after devastating floods closed 25
roads and 1 bridges.
etwork Rail used its own
standard design for temporary
stations. The southbound
platform, constructed from
scaffolding and wooden boards
with a non-slip surface, was
completed first, along with the
car park.
The northbound platform and
much of the footbridge were then
built overnight, and the entire
structure was finished in a matter
of days.
Meanwhile telecoms cables
from the flood-damaged Calva
Bridge in Cumbria were diverted
over the nearby unaffected
Workington rail bridge, the only
means of crossing the river for
17 miles.
Robin Gisby, etwork Rail’s
operations and customer
services director, said: ‘This is
just another example of how
everyone pulls together in times
of trouble.’
A new hourly rail service
now links the two halves of
Workington, Cumbria, thanks
to government funding for the
lease of an extra train.
And in a further boost for
residents, all train services
between Workington, the new
temporary Workington orth
station, limby and Maryport
were made free of charge until
the end of the year.
During December, orthern
Rail operated its normal
weekday timetable, with
additional carriages on some
trains, and a three-carriage
hourly shuttle service, operated
by Cumbrian rail operator
DRS on behalf of orthern
Rail, ran between Maryport,
limby, Workington orth and
Workington.
Heidi Mottram, managing
director of orthern Rail, said:
‘We initially ran many extra
services between Maryport and
Workington to carry a record
number of customers and then
the new shuttle service provided
even more capacity.
‘I would like to thank our
employees for the huge effort
they have made to help the
people of West Cumbria.’
ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
FALLS AT
SOUTHERN
Southern Railway claims it has cut
energy consumption by almost 11
per cent over the last year, on top of
a 17 per cent reduction the previous
year.
Introducing regenerative braking
on its entire fleet of Class 377
Electrostar trains has led to a saving
of 8,400 tonnes of carbon each
year, the equivalent of 14 tonnes of
carbon for each train. The company
says it buys 90 per cent of its
electricity from renewable power
sources.
The statistics are contained in
Southern’s corporate responsibility
report. Southern claims the saving is
about the same as the entire annual
emissions of 1,500 households.
The report also says that crime on
Southern has fallen.
NAT EX TO LOSE EAST
ANGLIA AND C2C
The East Anglia and C2C
franchises, both run by National
Express, will not be extended
when the current contracts end
in 2011.
National Express gave up its
East Coast franchise in December
2009. Transport secretary Lord
Adonis said it was unacceptable
for the operator to continue to
run other parts of the railway,
but stopped short of taking back
its other franchises early.
Council rejects barriers
RAILTEAM CLAIMS GREATER RAIL AWARENESS
Sheffield City Council has rejected East Midland Trains’ proposals to put
ticket barriers at entrances to the city’s railway station.
The automatic gates, which had been strongly opposed by nearby
residents and councillors, would have closed off pedestrian throughroutes
that link areas behind the station to the city centre via the station,
avoiding busy roads.
The barriers, rejected on the grounds they would spoil the character of
the buildings, were a franchise commitment required by the DfT.
An alliance of the seven main
high-speed rail operators in
Europe, Railteam, has reported
significantly improving
awareness of the pan-European
high-speed rail network since its
launch in uly 2007.
As well as simplifying
connections, Railteam has
delivered a number of key
improvements including a
‘hop on the next train’ facility,
which greatly improves service
continuity in disrupted
transfers.
Through fares are now offered
by a number of members
working in pairs.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 5

NEWS
EAST COAST LINE
FARES COULD DROP
by Arthur Allan
ares on the East Coast Main
Line could be cut as the
government-owned service sets
out to compete with cheap flights.
Transport minister Lord
Adonis has launched a review
of ticket prices on the London
Edinburgh route. He also wants
to see a simplified fare structure.
After taking over the service
from ational Express, the
Department of Transport
discovered that first class
carriages were running at less
than a third full on average, with
less than two-thirds occupancy in
standard class.
The service is suffering in
competition with budget airlines.
An EdinburghLondon weekday
Atkins
The new £800m Department for Transport funded ticket
booking hall at King’s Cross St Pancras underground station
– much awaited by its 300,000 daily users – opened for
business on Sunday 29 November, two days after the
official opening ceremony by London mayor Boris Johnson
and minister for London Tessa Jowell.
Users of this third ticket hall at the station are expected
to get through much faster as it doubles the capacity,
which should greatly reduce congestion and cut waiting
times with more ticket windows and machines.
Johnson explained: ‘This is more than just a new ticket
return trip last month would
have cost business travellers
around £132 for a standard fare,
compared with around £70 on
Easyet.
A DfT spokesman said: ‘The
secretary of state has asked the
East Coast company to look at
how fares can be made more
attractive, with a view to cutting
some fares and getting more
passengers on the service.
‘East Coast will be looking at
the prices and the complexity of
the existing fares.’
He was unable to confirm
whether this might mean a
u-turn on price rises of between
three per cent and five per cent
for some unregulated fares,
scheduled to take effect this
month. The government had
originally said it would be unable
to reverse the fare hikes already
planned by ational Express.
‘We want to reduce fares, but
without affecting the profitability
of the company,’ the spokesman
added.
Lord Adonis told The Guardian
he did not think it acceptable
to have trains running on the
line half-full: ‘I want to see rail
become more competitive with
both aviation and motoring. Our
stewardship of the East Coast
Main Line is an opportunity to
do that.’
He also raised the possibility of
running a faster peak-time service
on the route in the mornings and
evenings.’
KING’S CROSS TICKET HALL OPENS
hall. It is a bright spacious, futuristic addition to the
London transport network, which will benefit hundreds
of thousands of passengers each year and make their
journeys easier.’
Tessa Jowell said the station and its passengers
deserved the new booking hall as the station handles more
passengers than Heathrow Airport. She also stressed that
it will play a significant part in the 2012 London Olympics.
She insisted: ‘By the time the Olympics take place in 2012,
more than 100,000 people will be passing through the
station at peak times everyday.’
Soham station
plan under
consideration
A railway station in Soham,
Cambridgeshire could be
reopened, 44 years after it was
axed in the Beeching plan, and 65
years after a wartime munitions
explosion on the railway destroyed
station buildings.
The call for a new station
in the town, repeatedly put
forward by East Cambridgeshire
District Council as part of the
Soham Vision master plan
for future growth, was again
urged for inclusion in planned
improvements to the Felixstowe
to Nuneaton line.
Network Rail noted the
council’s request and is including
it in its considerations for the
£8m, EU-funded project. If
approved, it would give the town a
direct link to Ely and Cambridge.
Charles Warner, a local
businessman, said the
announcement was a longawaited
boost for Soham.
Councillor Gareth Wilson, East
Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat
leader, said: ‘We have campaigned
for a long time to get this station
reinstated and this decision is very
welcome.’
Councillor Peter Moakes,
chairman of the Strategic
Development Committee,
said: ‘We, along with the local
community, have campaigned for
years to bring a railway station
back to Soham.
‘The reintroduction of the
railway station in Soham is a key
part of the masterplan for the
market town and it is heartening
to hear our arguments have been
taken on board.
‘However there is still a long
way to go and there are many
issues to tackle as we move
forward.’
A Network Rail spokesman said
the plan was subject to ‘detailed
studies.’
6
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

NEWS
Katie Silvester
EUROSTAR TO FACE SEVERAL COMPETITORS
by Alan Salter
The prime minister has promised
to use rail to put the United
ingdom at the ‘heart’ of Europe,
rather than the ‘fringes’ and from
now on it is technically openhouse
in the Channel Tunnel.
Eurostar’s monopoly comes to
an end on 31 December, when
A Eurostar unit
arrives at St Pancras.
new ‘open access’ laws came into
force. And although outgoing chief
executive Richard Brown told Rail
Professional in ovember ‘Don’t
hold your breath’ for competitors
to take to the tracks, there has
been no shortage of interest.
But anyone expecting to catch
a Eurostar rival on ew ear’s
Day would be disappointed.
Eurotunnel says that there has
been lots of interest but so far no
firm plans have been agreed.
Brown told the Confederation of
British Industry CBI conference
in London that he valued the
progress being made under Lord
Adonis’ leadership in transport.
‘Let me tell you what we could
ultimately achieve,’ he said. ‘A
European network of train services
that takes us uickly not just to
Paris and Brussels but uickly to
Cologne and to Amsterdam. And
one that starts not just in London
but in the north of our country.’
One of the leaders in the
race is Air ranceLM, which
announced plans to start a service
by October 2010 some time ago.
LM is already part of the High
Speed Alliance consortium with
Dutch Railways, which won the
15 year franchise to operate high
speed trains between Amsterdam,
Schipol Airport and Paris. That
project has a two-year start time
and the first trains are now
operating on between Amsterdam
and Rotterdam. The full route is
expected to open sometime in
2010 or 2011.
Virgin Atlantic and German
operator Deutsche Bahn are also
thought to be working on plans,
but a Eurotunnel spokesman
declined to list the interested
parties.
‘If somebody wants to run a
full commercial timetable, that
would take a long time to work
out,’ he said. ‘itting in one or two
trains a day might be easier, but
our timetables are prepared 12
months in advance.
‘We have had contacts
from various people since the
beginning of last year but that is
as far as I can go. One of the main
criteria is having the right rolling
stock.’
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 7

NEWS
‘GARL decision
must be
reversed’ say
business leaders
Business leaders are piling
pressure on the Scottish
government to reverse its
decision to cancel the Glasgow
Airport Rail Link (GARL) on cost
grounds.
Scotland’s six leading business
organisations joined forces
to tell finance secretary John
Swinney that the GARL project
was ‘not only desirable but
affordable’.
The business bodies, including
the CBI, the Institute of Directors
and the Federation of Small
Businesses, expressed their
views in an open letter.
‘It was with deep
disappointment that we learned
of the government’s decision,
without any forewarning or
consultation, to renege on its
commitment to GARL,’ they said.
‘We do not accept that there
are insurmountable financial
reasons for its cancellation.’
The business groups have
set up a website, Connect to
Compete, to campaign for the
scheme’s reinstatement.
Questioned on why he did
not seek alternative funding
for GARL through Network
Rail, Swinney said that would
have meant reopening agreed
investment on the Edinburgh–
Glasgow line improvements.
UFTON CRASH
SURVIVORS CREATE
CROSSING MEMORIAL
By Paula Bedminster
Survivors of the Ufton ervet
train crash in Berkshire
have created a uiet place of
reflection alongside the level
crossing for people to remember
the events of autumn 2004.
It was opened on the fifth
anniversary of the crash.
Brian Drysdale committed
suicide by parking his car on
the level crossing in the path of
a irst Great Western service,
which struck his vehicle at
around 100 miles an hour. In
the catastrophic derailment that
followed the train driver and five
passengers lost their lives, and
more than 120 others were hurt.
It remains the only level
crossing incident in more
than 20 years in which train
passengers have been killed.
The gravel-covered space
has benches, a tree and a small
plaue. It was created because
visitors to the site previously
had nowhere safe to stand away
from the traffic on Ufton Lane.
‘I was in the carriage that
got separated from the rest of
the train,’ recalled ulie Lloyds.
‘Close to Emily Webster, who
died.
‘And I stayed with her friend,
who was trapped, until they got
her out a couple of hours later.’
She admitted she did not like
revisiting the site of the crash,
yet she has returned many
times.
‘I hope this space is going to
do for other people what it has
done for me. It has reclaimed
this area. It has made me
appreciate that it is a nice area,
with the railway on one side
and a canal on the other. Maybe
I can enjoy it now without
dislike.’
‘I was on the train,’ added
ane Hawker. ‘I had the
experience of feeling I was
in a tumble drier. I was very
surprised to find myself alive
when it ended. And it’s been
uite a long, rocky road back to
some sort of recovery.
Julie Lloyds
‘Obviously you do put it
into the past. But if you try to
ignore it, it will come back to
bite you when you are least
expecting it. I think it is much
more healthy to try to come to
terms with it.
‘ou can never forget about it
but you can learn to live with it,
and that is why we have created
this space.’
Today the automatic half
barrier crossing remains
unchanged. There are 450 like it
around the country.
But since the crash, most of
the trains which pass through
Ufton ervet have been fitted
with stronger, laminated glass
to improve the way they contain
passengers in the event of a
crash.
Jane Hawker
UNION CAMPAIGN TO SWING PUBLIC OPINION
A rail union has promised
a ‘huge’ political and public
campaign to swing opinion
against the use of driver-only
trains.
The RMT has picked on
the new Glasgow–Edinburgh
service via Airdrie and Bathgate,
due to launch next year, as the
focus for its ‘Keep the guard on
my train’ drive. But ScotRail,
which will run the service,
said it was ‘astonished that the
RMT in London appears to be
campaigning against the growth
of Scotland’s railways’.
The union cites safety issues
around removing guards,
as highlighted in the Cullen
inquiry on the Ladbroke Grove
crash. It is urging passengers to
lobby their MPs and MSPs on
the issue.
An RMT spokesman said
it chose to focus on the new
service because of its links to
the Scottish parliament. ‘This
is a real opportunity for us to
turn the tide against driver-only
operation, to what we believe
should be the norm,’ he added.
ScotRail pointed out that
most of its services already run
with driver-operated doors and
ticket examiners. ‘The union’s
campaign boils down to who
opens and shuts doors on trains
which are no different from
those which have operated in
Strathclyde.’
8
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

NEWS
XMAS STOPPAGE HITS SOUTHERN
by Paula Bedminster
Train drivers at Southern are planning a 24-hour strike
in a dispute over Bank Holiday pay. The union Aslef
said that its members at Southern will refuse to work
on 28 December because they are not getting extra
pay for working on that day.
Drivers are claiming the day should be treated as
a Bank Holiday because it is in lieu of Boxing Day,
which falls on a Saturday in 2009. The Toc responded
with a statement saying: ‘Southern continues to work
hard to avoid what would be an extremely disruptive
strike for our passengers.’
Meanwhile, the threat of a strike by 550 train
drivers on First Capital Connect ended on 8
December when union leaders recommended
acceptance of an improved pay offer. Aslef members
had been voting on whether to launch industrial
action on services through London between Brighton
and Bedford and to Peterborough, Cambridge and
King’s Lynn. The union said it was recommending
that drivers accepted the pay offer, which it said was
worth five per cent over two years.
The improved pay offer followed three weeks of
cancelling more than a third of its services each day.
The union said drivers were not taking industrial
action but merely exercising their contractual right
not to work overtime or on rest days.
From the middle of November, the operator was
only able to run 62 per cent of trains using drivers on
a normal roster. Passengers complained that adoption
of an ‘emergency’ timetable meant the train operator
could declare that the missing trains were not
officially cancelled. The previous pay offer, rejected by
Aslef, would have given drivers no pay rise this year
and either one per cent above inflation or three per
cent in total next year.
During the dispute, acting managing director Jim
Morgan left the company, with FirstGroup’s head
of rail, Mary Grant, taking personal charge. She was
said to be at the London commuter operator for two
Jim Morgan has now left
first Capital Connect.
to three days a week. Lord Adonis, told the House
of Lords: ‘It is totally unacceptable that passengers
are being held to ransom in this way. There is no
justification whatsoever for the concerted action on
the part of the train drivers.’
An FCC spokesman said: ‘We are working jointly
with Aslef to encourage our drivers to resume rest
day and overtime working.’
www.railimages.co.uk
CROSSRAIL ANNOUNCES SHORTLIST
FOR RUNNING TUNNELS CONTRACTS
Crossrail has confirmed the shortlist of bidders for
two principal tunnelling contracts totalling 18km
of twin-bore tunnel Package C300 for Western
Running Tunnels and Package C305 for Eastern
Running Tunnels.
Organisations included in the shortlisted joint
ventures are Balfour Beatty and Morgan Est BAM
uttall and eir Costain and Skanska Dragados
and ohn Sisk and Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues.
Boris Johnson and Lord
Adonis launch the start of
Crossrail’s drilling.
Publication marks the beginning of tendering for
two of the three central London, Crossrail-managed,
bored tunnel contracts, which are expected to be
awarded by mid-2010.
l Arrow Connect and Tramlink ottingham, two
consortia comprising some of Europe’s leading
transport providers, have preualified to tender
to build et Phase Two and operate an extended
ottingham tram network.
EU PASSENGER REFUND
RULES DELAYED
Millions of rail passengers are
being denied the right to claim
a cash refund if their train is late,
because the government has
delayed implementation of new EU
consumer protection legislation.
The rights came into force across
most of Europe on 1 December.
The rules would have increased
the compensation due to passengers
if their train runs more than an hour
late. It would have risen from 20
to 25 per cent of the ticket price.
Passengers whose train was more
than two hours late would have
received a 50 per cent refund, with
a 100 per cent refund if the journey
was cancelled.
Train operators would have had to
pay cash instead of vouchers. They
would also have been required to
provide refreshments for passengers
stranded or badly delayed.
The legislation is an attempt
by the EU to give rail passengers
comparable rights to airline
passengers. One per cent of trains in
Britain – 62,640 – were cancelled last
year. A further 21,000 were between
30 minutes and two hours late.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 9

NEWS
DFT CONSULTS ON
STATION IMPROVEMENTS
Katie Silvester
Station champions Chris Green
and Peter Hall want to see the
creation of an additional 5,000
cycle spaces a year.
by Alan Salter
A two-month consultation on how
to deal with English and Welsh
failing stations will run until the
end of anuary.
The DfT is asking 10 uestions
of a range of industry and
community leaders on the
report by Lord Adonis’s ‘station
champions’ Chris Green and
Sir Peter Hall, which resulted in
a £50m Challenge und for the
country’s 10 worst stations.
After the consultation closes,
Lord Adonis will meet the
consultees to discuss the report
which concluded: ‘There is no do
nothing plan, as many stations
are already over 100 years old
and the nation cannot afford
to maintain them all as historic
buildings.’
The report developed detailed
minimum station standards
for each station category
and recommended that they
should be made a mandatory
reuirement in all future franchise
specifications to help raise station
satisfaction from the current
per cent to 80 per cent.
It also recommends that the
current spending rate on station
upkeep and improvement should
be stepped up by 25 per cent for
the 10 years after 2014 to around
£800m a year to catch up on the
backlog of 19th century buildings
waiting for upgrades.
The champions also want the
creation of 10,000 extra car park
spaces and 5,000 cycle spaces
a year with the car parking selffunding
over the life of the assets.
Rail stations cannot be planned
in isolation, they say, and should
be developed as transport hubs
in close co-operation with local
authorities, PTEs, transport
authorities and local planning
authorities.
The report says: ‘Stations are
deeply entwined with their local
community and effectively act
as the gateway to both town and
railway. They leave passengers
with their lasting impressions of
both a dilapidated station is
bad business for both town and
railway.’
In its response to the report,
the DfT says: ‘The government
has agreed with etwork Rail
that they will make up to £50m
available in the near future.
‘This funding, together with
developer and local contributions
and refranchising obligations, will
enable an early start to be made
on the 10 key stations highlighted
in the report. Others will follow
as part of future investment and
refranchising decisions.
The response continues: ‘The
investment will be subject to a
satisfactory business case and the
prospect of an adeuate financial
return. We are challenging the
industry and local government
to raise part of the money
reuired for each of these stations
themselves.
‘It is very important that the
additional programme funding
which we are announcing should
be supplemented in this way
so that as many stations as
possible can be tackled and we
can maximise the impact on
individual stations.’
While the rescue plan is under
way, however, the champions
want the industry to think
of the future and envisage ‘a
new generation of Super Hub
stations, catering for the 0 per
cent growth predicted in the
2007 white paper elierin a
usainale Raila which once
the current recession is over
will take rail demand to a level
never seen before in Britain’.
10
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

NEWS
ORR TO CARRY OUT SAFETY
CHECKS AT LEVEL CROSSINGS
All non-barrier open level
crossings are to be inspected by
the Office of Rail Regulation over
the next 12 months, as part of a
new safety campaign.
The initiative also included a
recommendation to increase the
penalties for vehicle drivers who
jump level crossings. The reuest
has gone to the Sentencing
Guidelines Council. The ORR also
said it would continue to support
the Law Commission’s work to
‘update level crossing legislation
so that it is fit for purpose for the
21st century’.
The ORR will publish revised
guidance on level crossings by
next spring.
There are 128 automatic open
level crossings. The crossings are
protected by road traffic signals
and audible warnings, but have no
barriers. They will all be inspected
to ensure that risks are managed
in compliance with safety
legislation.
The ORR has advised etwork
Rail to review line speeds at all
the open crossings in line with
industry guidelines and to develop
a programme for upgrading them
‘in view of the specific risks at this
type of crossing’.
Chief executive Bill Emery said:
‘We are committed to making our
regulation of the railways focused
and effective, supporting industry
with advice and guidance, and
enforcing where appropriate with
a view to achieving our vision
of ero workforce and industrycaused
passenger fatalities, with
an ever decreasing overall safety
risk.’
He commended etwork Rail’s
initiative to close 350 lightly used
level crossings and its recent Don’t
Run the Risk publicity campaign.
A etwork Rail spokesman
said: ‘We welcome this. Level
crossings are safe. The vast
majority of incidents at level
crossings in fact more than 95
per cent are caused by motorist
or pedestrian misuse or error.
We will work closely with
the ORR to implement any
deliverable and sensible changes
that would make further positive
improvements.’
etwork Rail added that it was
already reviewing line speeds at
automatic open crossings.
ORR also reported that delays
to passenger trains caused by
etwork Rail were down 7.7 per
cent over the last 12 months.
TUBE OVERCROWDING AT
‘SHOCKING LEVELS’
by Peter Brown
Passengers using London’s
underground system are suffering
‘shocking levels of overcrowding’
and are not being considered
when closures are put in place for
upgrades, a report has found.
The report, Too lose for ofor,
was published by the London
Assembly Transport Committee
on Tuesday 1 December. Many
passengers admitted their
personality changed for the worse
in crowded trains.
www.railimages.co.uk
Among committee proposals are
a traffic light system measuring
crowding in a train and alternative
routes being offered at barriers.
Caroline Pidgeon, chair of the
Transport Committee said: ‘Our
report highlights shocking levels
of overcrowding on the Tube and
the impact this has on people.
London Underground cannot be
complacent about finding ways to
make the situation more bearable.
‘We are also calling for new
thinking on how Tube upgrade
work is managed. We cannot have
a repeat of the way the ubilee Line
upgrade works have been handed
when it comes to upgrading other
lines.’
She went on: ‘There is an
assumption that seemingly endless
line closures are inevitable, but as
our report and the evidence from
Madrid shows, this is simply not
the case.’
The committee wants passenger
priority given for all future
upgrades and closures.
NEWS IN BRIEF
CLAPHAM UPGRADE BEGINS
Work has started to refurbish
Clapham South station on London
Underground’s Northern Line. Built
in 1926, it is one of only eight
stations on the network to have a
World War Two air shelter for 8,000
people beneath it.
MSP CHOSES RAIL OVER AIR
A Scottish delegate insisted on
taking the train to last month’s
climate change summit in
Copenhagen, while colleagues from
rival parties went by air. Green
MSP Patrick Harvie was obliged
to pay more than £400 towards
his 24-hour rail trip from Glasgow,
which went via London, Brussels and
Cologne.
‘OYSTERISATION’ SPREADS TO
NATIONAL RAIL
After years of wrangling between
TfL and train operating companies,
holders of the pre-paid Oyster
cards will be able to use them on
national rail services around the
Greater London area from January
2 2010. London Mayor Boris
Johnson has described the move as
‘Oysterisation’.
TRACK WORKER KILLED
A railway track worker, taken
to Leeds General Infirmary by
ambulance after being hit by an
empty train returning to a depot,
later died. British Transport Police
said police were investigating how
the 60-year-old man came to be
struck by a Northern Rail train at
Whitehall Junction, Wortley, near
Leeds. RAIB has been informed
EUROTUNNEL BUYS FRENCH
FREIGHT BUSINESS
Eurotunnel is to become one
of France’s biggest rail freight
operators, buying Veolia Transport’s
freight business. Veolia’s freight
business outside France is being sold
to SNCF. Competition regulations
prevented the state-owned train
operator from purchasing the work
within France.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 11

LETTERS
TRAIN OF THOUGHT
READERS HAVE THEIR SAY ABOUT THE RAIL INDUSTRY
Email your letters to: editor@railpro.co.uk fax them to: 01223 327356
Or post them to: The Editor, Rail Professional, 275 Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8JE. Letters may be edited for length.
With apologies to Matt Groening
Guided Busway: Funnier than the Simpsons?
In the October 2009 letters page I described the
disaster-prone Cambridgeshire Guided Busway as a local
embarrassment. It seems this was the understatement of
the decade.
Following the recent abandonment of the third promised
opening date (29 November 2009) owing to contractual
difficulties, snagging and untrained bus drivers, even the
LU portrayal was clichéd
Your correspondent’s attempt to
portray London Underground’s
industrial relations (Unrest on the
Underground, December 2009 issue)
bears no resemblance to the diligence
and professionalism with which this
company engages with its staff.
We have long invested time and
effort into strong relations with our
staff, who embody the customerfocused
ethos for which the Tube is
so well-known.
Furthermore, it is nothing but a
well-worn myth that the Tube and
its customers are frequent victims
of strikes.
Thanks to strong management,
less than a third of all threatened
industrial action in the last five years
has materialised, and of the small
number which have gone ahead all
but two have been restricted to a
small group of stations or a depot.
We recognise that engagement
with frontline staff is the way we
will unlock the potential of London
Underground as we deliver the
biggest investment programme since
the war.
The tired old clichés expressed in
this article have no bearing on the
way we do business.
Howard Collins
COO
London Underground
bland Cambridge News now describes it as a ‘standing joke’.
A letter writer perfectly summed up the situation by
asking ‘Does this remind anyone else of the Simpsons
episode where a conman sells Springfield a monorail?’
Jerry Alderson
Milton
Cambridgeshire
Strike threats show weak
management
Much more electrification, a highspeed
network, Crossrail, new trains
– the future looks bright for the
railways!
But what do we have? Hundreds of
trains cancelled because the drivers
will not work on their ‘days off’. This
sort of problem has now beset a
number of Tocs.
Month after month, in the
magazine of a rail trade union, I see
extensions of agreements for rest
day/Sunday/overtime working and
some have now been ongoing for
many months. And more strikes
threatened.
Surely this shows a great weakness
in British rail management in that
their relations with staff are as they
are?
It would seem that one aspect of
our rail industry that needs serious
attention is management – and staff
management in particular!
Eric Stuart
Isère, France
Green future
Thank you to Robert Wright for
opening up a fascinating debate on
whether rail’s green credentials are
always as good as its supporters
claim (Green smoke screen’,
November 2008 issue). It is one we
welcome the opportunity to join.
The big picture is that rail
contributes to meaningful
reductions in transport emissions.
The white paper data that Robert
cites provides a league table of
10 types of rolling stock, each
of which delivers a progressively
bigger carbon saving over cars and
aeroplanes.
The data also reflects broadbrush
assumptions about load
factors – these are all-important
when making comparisons on a per
passenger kilometre basis.
Whereas researchers mainly used
the relatively conservative load
factor of 30 per cent, busy intercity
routes often have an average of 40
per cent and Eurostar is currently at
70 per cent and rising, as customer
awareness of its high quality service
increases.
Were the league table to
be based on these figures, the
comparison would be even
more favourable towards trains.
Moreover, while some of the newer
trains are indeed more powerful,
as Robert points out, they also
12
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

LETTERS
deliver faster journey times – just
two hours, seven minutes for
London-Manchester, for example,
and a much improved passenger
experience.
The result is that rail is attracting
passengers from other, more carbon
intensive modes, which helps to
keep load factors high.
One area where we agree
wholeheartedly with Robert is on
the potential of electric trains to
reduce both rail and wider transport
emissions.
Electric trains already emit 20-30
per cent less carbon than diesels,
but this advantage will widen as
the electricity industry reduces its
emissions. Clean, reliable electric
trains could form a key plank in
the government’s attempts to
encourage people out of cars and
planes and instead onto trains,
which will in turn deliver net
reductions in transport emissions.
This is where the real debate over
rail’s green credentials needs to be
had.
Richard Davies
Atoc head of strategic policy
MML electrification would
bring wide benefits
How pleasing to read (December
2009 issue) that Atoc and Network
Rail are united in support of the
very sensible proposal to extend the
Midland Main Line electrification
beyond Bedford to Nottingham and
Sheffield.
If this scheme is carried through
to fruition, it will provide a wonderful
opportunity to extend the current
First Capital Connect services to
Leicester, covering the stops at
the intermediate stations north of
Bedford and scheduling the new
electric expresses fast from Leicester,
with set-down-only stops at Luton
and West Hampstead southbound,
pick up only northbound.
If the rolling stock used on the
expresses is correctly specified and
designed, the new timetable should
be able to provide two trains per
hour to and from Sheffield via Derby
and two trains per hour to and from
Nottingham, with portions joining
and splitting at Leicester, where crossplatform
connection is possible into
stopping services.
Together with a resourcing plan
based on a new train care depot at
Leicester, with all crews also based
in Leicester, this would create a true
21st century railway.
I would also commend to all
your readers the Clive Kessell article
entitled ‘Solving capacity issues’,
published in the December issue of
The Rail Engineer, which covers many
topics which should be of interest
across the full spectrum of railway
management activity.
David Smith
by email
TOCS NEED TO PROVE THEMSELVES BEFORE GETTING IMPROVED CONDITIONS
So Atoc’s members want longer franchises and less
oversight by the DfT, do they? It certainly sounds
most attractive from a Toc’s point of view.
Longer to operate a protected franchise, longer
to return a dividend to shareholders, and less
troublesome interference by the client. What a
nuisance it must be to have the taxpayer constantly
poking their nose in, wanting their subsidy spent
wisely.
Atoc’s report offers many warm words about the
future, if only Tocs had more control and for longer. I
prefer an evidence-based approach in looking at the
Tocs’ management record over the past 15 years.
Thameslink has
struggled with a
driver shortage.
How about starting with Prism Rail, the former
operators of the London Tilbury & Southend? They
were removed from bidding for a second franchise
term because of revenue allocation irregularities.
Next came Connex, which was ejected from South
Eastern due to poor financial management. GNER?
Bid too much, got into financial difficulty and the
parent group went into receivership.
National Express East Coast? A carbon copy, but
it bid even more! National Express East Anglia and
C2C? Won’t be renewed in 2011 because handing
back the unprofitable East Coast and keeping the
profitable ones looks to the taxpayer uncomfortably
First Capital Connect
like cherry-picking. Which is just what it is.
Want something a bit more up to date? Govia
won the London Midland franchise in November
2007 but chose not to carry a full establishment
of train crew and instead make extensive use of
voluntary overtime.
Almost all London Midland trains were cancelled
on Sunday 6 September. Two years into the franchise
and it has been formally warned by DfT that trains
need drivers and they might reasonably have been
expected to have done something about it by now.
First Capital Connect is identical in every respect to
London Midland, but has had three, not two, years in
which to discover that running a line of such strategic
importance as Thameslink is not amenable to the
goodwill of drivers and working of overtime midweek.
Result? Four hundred trains cancelled on Thursday
12 November alone. First says it will train more
drivers and be up to full establishment by ‘next
spring’. The cancellations continue. Is it likely that
the good things promised in Atoc’s report could
be quickly or efficiently delivered and managed by
organisations such as these?
Current large Tocs can’t even contrive a driver
at the front of each train to avoid extensive
cancellations. Instead of taking on more
responsibilities, Tocs would be well-advised to sit
down, shut up, and fulfil their existing franchise
obligations.
Perhaps in 10 years’ time, once Atoc’s collective
membership have placed enough clear blue water
between their recent performance and 2019, there
might be a case for greater Toc involvement and
looser oversight of subsidy.
Andrew Chilcott
by email
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 13

NEWS ANALYSIS
THE NEED
FOR SPEED
There’s been much speculation about what a future high-speed rail network might look like, but
soon the waiting will be over. At the end of December, High Speed 2, the company set up to plan
the first line, will submit its report to the government. Although no date has been set for the
report’s publication, Peter Plisner has been assessing what it might say
It’s not just the trains that move at great speed when it comes to highspeed
rail. Sir David Rowlands and his team at the HS2 company have
also been moving at a pretty brisk pace. When the company was set up,
earlier this year, Lord Adonis asked for a report to be on his desk by the
end of the year and that’s exactly what will happen. To complete the job
in time, it’s understood that some staff at HS2 will be working through the
Christmas holiday.
But the timetable just can’t be allowed to slip. With a general election
looming, the report must be considered by the DfT and then published.
It’s not clear when that will happen, but the clever money appears to point
to publication in ebruary or March. Wait until April and the election purdah
period will have kicked in and a possible change of government might mean
the report never sees the light of day. Interestingly, in an effort to prevent that
happening, it’s understood that, with the permission of Lord Adonis, there
have already been discussions between HS2 and the opposition parties.
When the report does arrive there will be plenty to look at. The main
report is expected to be around 150 pages long, but a series of 10 appendix
documents will push the final page count to more than 1,000. A nice bit
of new-year reading for the transport secretary What it will actually say,
and which route options it puts forward, remain a closely guarded secret
but much can be gleaned from public statements made at conferences and
comments in news articles. The odd confidential discussion also helps to
create a clearer picture of what we should be expect. To start with, instead of
getting a rough line on a map, which has been the case with previous highspeed
reports, the document from HS2 will have a defined route option. It
will be engineered to plus or minus 25 metres. The line will, it’s promised,
be even more defined in urban areas or environmentally sensitive places.
There will be a number of options for routing between London and the
West Midlands, although the authors are expected to express a preference
for a specific route.
It’s likely that most of the route options will follow existing transport
corridors like the M40, M1 or West Coast Main Line. Lessons have
obviously been learned from the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which, in
many places, hugs the line of existing motorways. Although there will be
a preferred option for routing to the Midlands, it’s understood that there
won’t be one for the option of going to Heathrow. Options will be put
forward to linking HS1 and HS2, although many feel that providing a link
could be a very costly exercise.
The report will present the business case and there will be a detailed
environmental impact assessment for the line to the West Midlands. There
will be further analysis of routing options to the north. Three possible
options for a network configuration are expected, with the most viable
14
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

NEWS ANALYSIS
option likely to show lines diverging to the east and west of the country
from Birmingham. The report is also likely to suggest possible connections
with what’s now being termed the ‘classic’ railway. After the first line to the
West Midlands has been completed, trains coming from the north should
be able to access the new fast line and connections with routes like the
West Coast Main Line somewhere in the Midlands are vital.
Of course, running on both high-speed and classic railways will need a
special type of train. That’s in addition to rolling stock to run exclusively
on the high-speed route. It’s expected that HS2 will be engineered and
costed for speeds of up to 400kpm, faster than even the rench TGV
network. Although there had been talk of building the line with
four tracks to future-proof it, the route that will emerge from
the report is expected only to have two, which it’s thought
should deliver enough capacity.
It’s suggested that the trains will be 400 metres long,
making them longer than even Eurostars. That means that
the line will need all new stations and, in some places, sites
have already been assessed for a second completely new city centre station.
In Birmingham, where ew Street station is about to be refurbished, a
new station would most likely to be located in the city’s under-developed
‘Eastside’ area, giving the city two stations with what’s being termed as
an ‘interchange‘ station likely to be built close the airport and ational
Exhibition Centre.
One site that’s being seriously considered would also place the station
next to the M42 and M motorways. Although experience from SC
suggests that city-centre to city-centre journeys are preferable, in the case
of Birmingham there appears to be a strong business case for two highspeed
stations to be built in the city. Both the track and trains will be built
to European standards to provide interoperability, and each train should
be able to carry around 1,200 passengers, perhaps more if duplex ‘double
decker’ trains are used. It’s understood that the business case rules out use
of this type of train any further north than Birmingham.
The exact route the line could take remains confidential, mainly because
of worries over blight. However, it’s understood that a lot of time and effort
has been put in to minimise the impact of the route both environmentally
and where it touches major communities. There will obviously be some
property impacts, but those working on the scheme have, in the past,
indicated that most people living along the route will not be heavily affected.
Although in some areas property value will fall because of proximity to the
route, those living close to stations are expected to see house prices rise.
Second only to routing options is the secrecy surrounding the likely cost
of both the first line and indeed the whole network. Instead of suggesting
a specific figure, what’s likely to emerge from the report will be costs within
a broad range.
With some of the biggest civil engineering projects often ending up
well over budget, not actually specifying the exact cost of HS2 would seem
to be a clever move. Once the detail has been worked up over the next
few years, the range will shrink, giving a much better idea of the eventual
cost. And when it comes to finding the money, the report is expected to
give ministers advice on possible funding sources. However it’s likely that
money for the first line to the West Midlands will come mostly from public
sector sources.
On timescales, it’s more difficult to be definitive. The best estimate appears
to be construction starting around 2017 with the first trains running to the
West Midlands by 2025. The timetable depends on the planning process,
which will be kicked off by a consultation exercise that, regardless of a
change of government, is expected to take place sometime in 2010. The
consultation won’t be uick, though it’s likely to take several months and,
as with HS1, will no doubt be highly controversial. But this time round,
with lessons learned from the past, the planning process should run more
smoothly and government efforts to streamline the planning process for
projects of national significance, should also help. The HS2 report, when
it’s finally published, should make interesting reading
Peer Plisner is he s idlands ransor orresonden
eerlisnerrailroou
The best estimate appears to be construction
starting around 2017 with the first trains running
to the West Midlands by 2025
www.railimages.co.uk
HS2 may run
alongside the WCML.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 15

COMMENT
THE WRIGHT TRACK
TICKET
TO RIDE?
The government has stated its intention to further integrate the UK’s public
transport. But, asks Robert Wright, is integration all it’s cracked up to be?
n a wet, windy ovember morning last year in south London,
Lord Adonis turned up at Southern’s bustling Balham station
with Boris ohnson to announce some good news. rom 2
anuary, the transport secretary and London’s mayor said, passengers
on nearly all Overground rail services in greater London would be able
to pay for their journeys with the popular pay-as-you-go Oyster smart
card.
Lord Adonis also resurrected one of the
oldest aspirations of the current government’s
transport policy. He presented the step as not
merely a leap forward for convenience but for
integrated transport. The Labour government
set up the Commission for Integrated
Transport almost immediately after the 1997
election. The Labour councillors who control
England’s Passenger Transport Executives
inevitably now renamed Integrated Transport
Authorities complain bitterly about their
weak powers to integrate their areas’ privatelyrun
transport services.
However, listening to the transport secretary on the windswept
platform, it was impossible not to uestion the assumptions behind
the phrase ‘integrated transport’. How would an integrated transport
system differ from the present presumably disintegrated system
How would the integration be achieved and would it all be for the good
of passengers
‘rom anuary 2, we will for the first time in London have an
integrated system that embraces the Underground and Overground,’
Lord Adonis also resurrected one
of the oldest aspirations of the
current government’s
transport policy. He presented
the step as not merely a leap
forward for convenience but for
integrated transport
Adonis said triumphantly. ‘This is a key moment in the history of
London transport.’
Most advocates of integrated transport probably have in mind
the system of a city like Berlin or Copenhagen. There, holders of a
single, often fairly cheap, ticket can move seamlessly between S-Bahn
suburban rail services, metros, buses and, in some cases, trams. The
tickets are relatively cheap and rail stations are often the termini of bus
and tram routes.
Such integrated transport has been a goal of
British transport policy before. Metro stations
developed in the 1970s such as our Lane
Ends on the Tyne and Wear Metro or Govan
on the Glasgow Subway were envisaged as
interchanges between bus and rail services
then provided by the same PTE. Buses would
ferry passengers to the metro stations, from
where they would continue their journeys.
Much of the present government’s
rhetoric is a reaction to the destruction of
the assumptions behind the 1970s schemes,
first by 198’s deregulation of most buses outside London, then by
rail privatisation. Large numbers of people, especially local Labour
councillors, still resent those changes bitterly. They believe they
destroyed a rational, well-ordered, publicly-owned system with a greeddriven
free-for-all.
et an examination of the continental European reality suggests
continental models might be hard to apply in the U and may not
produce the desired effects.
16
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

COMMENT
A tram on Karl-Marx-Allee, Berlin.
Holders of a single ticket can move
seamlessly between modes of
public transport in German cities.
© Marco Richter iStock
Continental European systems usually depend very heavily on
subsidies for up to 70 per cent of operating costs in Turin and
Rotterdam. Many British transport services receive no subsidy at
all. While there is a strong case for extra subsidy in Britain, there
is little evidence British taxpayers are willing to fund anything like
the subsidies common elsewhere in Europe. or is it obvious that a
system where the beneficiaries of a transport system pay a minority
of its costs is socially just.
There are also uestions about choice and flexibility with
integrated, publicly-owned systems. Over the summer, Germany’s
Deutsche Bahn was forced to take nearly all the rolling stock of
Berlin’s S-Bahn system out of service because it had failed to follow
the proper procedures in maintaining failure-prone wheels. The
incident has, unsurprisingly, led to new calls for an alternative to DB,
which currently runs every major German city’s S-Bahn on mostly
long-term, high-cost contracts. Would the Berlin S-Bahn be running
as badly today if, say, its operation had been contracted out to two
separate, closely-monitored private franchisees
Monopoly provision of services also has real costs. When a Berlin
tram line is closed for repairs, for example, there is no private bus
company that will ensure a replacement service is run.
Publicly-managed systems need not be more sensitive to
passengers’ needs than privately-run ones. Roger rench, managing
director of Go-Ahead’s Brighton Hove bus company, recounts
how, before bus deregulation, the company used to serve the council
leader’s leafy ward excellently. The council estates, whose residents
needed bus services far more, were neglected. A centrally-planned
transport system particularly one that relies more on subsidy than
ticket revenue is always likely to be prey to such distortions. Once
passengers had the choice, for example, many deserted the PTEs’
bus-metro exchanges in favour of making their whole journey on the
same bus.
It is also still noteworthy that Britain’s rail system over the last 15
years has seen faster passenger growth than any other European railway.
The most compelling explanation remains that, as the continent’s only
fully-privatised railway, it has responded better to customer demands
than its state-run, more ‘integrated’ continental counterparts.
one of this is to say that Oyster ticketing and similar initiatives
should not be extended to as many transport modes as possible. It
has to be hugely beneficial to rail and other public transport modes
if travellers are sure they can pay easily and uickly for their whole
journey without stopping to buy different, mutually-incompatible
tickets. Train operators’ growing willingness to offer Plusbus tickets
for onward bus journeys needs to be encouraged.
There are powerful arguments for a wholesale revision of competition
law surrounding public transport. It must surely be possible to find
ways to let bus operators work with train operators and each other,
to co-ordinate services yet maintain competition in price and service.
Integrated Transport Authorities complain that it is hard to introduce
smartcards in their areas because not all bus operators will join in.
But a system that took in the main local rail franchises and big bus
operators would surely attract any initially reluctant operators to join.
et, while passengers should undoubtedly be able to use trains,
metros, trams and buses more easily and change easily between
different modes, integration is not always the most desirable goal for
its own sake. Systems that encourage operators to respond flexibly to
passengers’ choices may be better at meeting users’ needs.
Roer rih is he ransor orresonden for he inancial Times
roerrihfo
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 17

2009 REVIEW
RAIL PROFESSIONAL’S
REVIEW OF 2009
The stories that have shaped the rail industry
during the last 12 months
Paul Bigland
January
Transport secretary Geoff Hoon announces that a
new company, HS2, will be formed to investigate the
potential of a new high-speed line in the U. The
group is to be chaired by former civil servant Sir
David Rowlands.
Several Tocs begin talks with unions about
redundancies, including irst Scotrail, Southeastern,
South West Trains and Glasgow underground’s operator Strathclyde
Partnership.
February
orthern Ireland’s rail
operator Translink scoops two
awards at the Rail Business
Awards Rolling Stock
Excellence and Rail Business
of the ear. orthern’s
Heidi Mottram wins the Rail
Business Manager of the
ear award, while Eurostar is
awarded Train Operator of the
ear.
Press Eye
Mal McGreevy, head of Translink.
Enthusiasts wave off the final service
to run on the Moorgate branch.
A consortium, Agility Trains, led by Hitachi is named as the preferred
bidder for the £7.5bn Inter-City Express contract. The fact that the trains
will be constructed mainly in apan brings stinging criticism, because
loser Bombardier would have built its trains in Derby. Announcements of
further electrification of the network later in the year cast uncertainty over
the order.
March
The government launches its own Rosco rolling stock leasing
company, Diesel Trains, to fund the purchase of up to 202 new diesel
trains. The DfT says that existing Roscos are not keen to finance
the building of new diesel units because of the possibility of further
electrification of the rail network.
The arringdon to Moorgate branchline closes permanently to allow
work to go ahead on the Thameslink upgrade scheme. irst Capital
Connect runs a final commemorative service for enthusiasts to mark the
closure of the line, which opened in 188.
April
Managing director Elaine Holt leaves irst Capital Connect at short
notice to go on ‘gardening leave’. A few months later she is announced as
the chair of the government-run East Coast railway company.
Work begins on the refurbishment of ing’s Cross station. The £450m
project, which includes a new platform and major changes to the main
concourse and the front of the station, will be completed in 2013.
May
Preparatory work on Crossrail begins following a ceremony at Canary
Wharf attended by Gordon Brown and Boris ohnson.
An artist’s impression of the plaza to
be built at the front of King’s Cross.
18
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

2009 REVIEW
Boris Johnson at a ceremony to mark
the start of Crossrail’s construction.
Katie Silvester
The media at St Pancras for the inaugural
high-speed service to Ebbsfleet.
etwork Rail’s chief executive Iain Coucher says he will opt out of
the company’s annual bonus scheme, following criticism about directors
getting bonuses even when the infrastructure owner had been deemed to
have performed badly.
June
Taster services begin for Southeastern’s high-speed ‘bullet train’ services.
Go-Ahead retains the Southern franchise, turning the subsidised Toc
into a premium-paying one.
Lord Andrew Adonis is promoted from transport secretary to secretary
of state for transport a move which is welcomed by the railway industry.
The National Express Group announces that once
its loan to the beleaguered National Express East
Coast runs out, no more money will be forthcoming
July
Gordon Brown announces that the Great Western line will be
electrified at a cost of £1bn, with work to be carried out over the next
eight years.
The ational Express Group announces that once its loan to the
beleaguered ational Express East Coast runs out, no more money will
be forthcoming, with the
likely result that it will have
to back out of the franchise
later in the year. Lord Adonis
states that the government will
run the East Coast franchise
itself until a fresh franchise
competition can be run, if
ational Express defaults on
its premium payments.
www.railimages.co.uk
The short-lived National Express
East Coast livery.
MY 2009
Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus
Passengers tell us that punctuality is the key factor
determining whether or not they will be satisfied
with their journey. The year 2009 saw many train
companies break records on the number of services
reaching their destination on time.
And, as punctuality has improved, the number
of passengers reporting overall satisfaction with
their train journey has increased to 81 per cent. The
industry must keep focus on punctuality and we
challenge train companies to look at how they define
‘on-time’. Within five or 10 minutes of the scheduled
arrival isn’t on time!
While the National Passenger Survey shows
that 80 per cent of passengers are satisfied with
punctuality and reliability of their train, the industry
has made little headway in improving passenger
satisfaction with the likes of value for money, carparking
facilities or management of delays. In fact,
the economic pressures which have gripped Great
Britain have seen the rail industry resort to some job
losses and service cuts, increased car-parking charges
and unregulated fare rises.
Despite these economic difficulties, the rail
industry has had to manage and respond to
increasing passenger numbers. Short term, we need
more carriages to alleviate overcrowded services. In
the longer term new infrastructure will be required.
We welcomed the fact that government and
industry have started planning for the new lines and
longer trains but consideration must be given to
where the funding will come from. Passengers using
existing services will not be happy if investment is
diverted – ‘new money for new lines’ must be the
mantra.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 19

2009 REVIEW
MY 2009
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association
of Train Operating Companies
First and foremost, this has been
a year of improved delivery for
passengers. Punctuality continues
to break records, with more than
nine out of 10 trains reaching their
destination on time, whilst figures
from Passenger Focus show that four
out of five customers are satisfied
with the services that they receive.
Train companies continue to
innovate and bring improvements for
passengers – for example, the new
High Speed Javelin service will take
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It has also been a year of
commitment to and aspiration for a
better rail future, despite the tough
economic climate. Alongside the
announcement of HS2 in January,
other significant developments
have included the announced
electrification of the routes from
London to Swansea and Liverpool to
Manchester, as well as pledged extra
investment to improve stations.
Finally, the year has seen a
welcome focus on the future of
franchising. The East Coast line has
been the topic of many column
inches, but the recent announcement
that the franchise will be re-let to
the private sector in November 2011
is good news for passengers and
taxpayers.
August
The Rail Professional reader survey reveals that
managers in the rail industry want longer franchises
and believe that etwork Rail is doing a good job
overall. The late Gwyneth Dunwoody is rated as the
person outside the industry to have done most for
the railways in the last 10 years.
DB Schenker snatches Stobart’s rail business from
DRS, having won the contract Royal Mail from GBRf earlier in the year.
September
The Glasgow Airport Rail
Link is scrapped in a cost cutting
exercise.
The high-speed race gathers
pace as both Greengauge 21
and etwork Rail release their
recommendations for high-speed
routes to Scotland.
London Midland is forced to
cancel almost all of its services
one Sunday as drivers refuse
to work weekends during pay
negotiations. irst Capital
Connect will suffer from the
same problems later in the year.
October
Aslef drivers in Scotland begin a go slow at open level
crossings, following an accident at Halkirk, near Wick,
which saw three car occupants die.
Stagecoach begins talks with ational Express about
a ‘friendly merger’, following irstGroup’s interest in
ational Express earlier in the year. The talks fall through.
November
ational Express hands back the East Coast franchise, which is taken
over by the government-run East Coast trains, headed up by former
irstGroup mangers Elaine Holt and aren Boswell.
are rises for anuary 2010 are revealed, but underneath the drop in
fares brought about by negative inflation, steep rises are to be seen on a
few unregulated fares.
December
London Midland saw
its services grind to a
halt on Remembrance
Sunday.
Southeastern’s full timetable of high-speed services begins, running
between ent and St Pancras on HS2, following preview services earlier in
the year.
The winner of the contract to build the new Thameslink rolling stock
was due to be announced as Rail Professional went to press.
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Offices throughout the UK
Mark Hall-Digweed
Swindon
T: 01793 437200
E: mark.hall-digweed@carterjonas.co.uk
What will 2010 hold in store for the railways?
HS2: With Sir David Rowlands reporting back on recommendations for
a high-speed route to the Midlands, plans for a new high-speed line should
be more concrete by the end of the year.
The elections: Will rail policy change as a result
Electrification: ow that the government has started the ball rolling,
other lines may get the go-ahead to be wired up in 2010.
ew franchises: While no new franchises are scheduled to begin in
2010, competitions for 2011 franchises will begin, including West Coast,
Essex Thameside and Greater Anglia.
20
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

CONFERENCE
PETER BROWN REPORTS FROM THE IOSH RAIL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 09
LOUISE CHRISTIAN: VICTIMS MUST BE LISTENED TO
Louise Christian
Improvements to rail safety and the complete
alleviation of train crashes will only happen when
the industry listens more to the victims, according
to campaigning human rights solicitor Louise
Christian. The senior partner and founder of law
firm Christian han, which has represented victims
of Potters Bar, Ladbroke Grove, Southall and
Grayrigg disasters was addressing the delegates at
Rail Industry Conference 09 in London.
Pop mogul r Pete aterman
BE has called on the railway
industry to adopt a standard
training scheme, rather than
run in-house schemes at
individual companies. e
wants the government to return
to full apprenticeships.
Giving an account of what
has happened at his London
and orth estern Railway
eritage Company, he told Rail
Industry Conference that after
approaching the government he
now has a scheme in place at his
premises in Crewe.
nemployed youngsters are
being recruited as apprentices to
learn skills to restore locomotives
and equipment for the heritage
movement – an idea that he
wants to see expanded into the
national rail industry.
It is, he claimed, cheaper for
the government to pay their
wages while the company pays
for training. And he warned
delegates ‘If we don’t look after
our skills, we won’t have an
industry.’
Explaining the importance
of getting people back to work
She stunned many by reading out poignant
letters from a Grayrigg survivor and the widow
of a victim of the Potters Bar crash before telling
those in the silenced hall: ‘The one thing they want
above all is that it doesn’t happen again and other
people won’t have to go through the same as them.
‘The Potters Bar rail crash was, I think, one of the
huge scandals. We are now seven-and-a-half years
after the Potters Bar rail crash and there still hasn’t
been an inuest or inuiry.’
She claimed that initially the families of the
victims of Ladbroke Grove and Southall had been
under the impression that it was driver error that
caused the crashes. But, she alleged that it was the
role of management to take a greater degree of
responsibility and blame.
She blasted: ‘In the beginning there had been
the finger pointing at the little man. All of the
clients I’ve had want to see that it doesn’t happen
again.’
The award-winning solicitor said the reason she
attended the conference was to make sure that ‘the
terrible things that have happened to them’ are not
repeated.
‘TRAINING MUST BE STANDARDISED’
and the young to pick up a
worth ethic he said ‘The biggest
problem is having to explain to
young people why they have to
get up at to be at work at
. They haven’t even heard of
an alarm clock.’
Pete Waterman
Chief inspector:
Safety can be
improved at every
level – even within
inspectorate
Safety experts have been
told that the fce of Rail
Regulation is doing a good
ob but could do better,
with the admission coming
from none other than the
organisation’s chief inspector
Ian Prosser.
Stunning some of the
delegates at the Rail Industry
Conference in London,
the RR director of rail safety
pointed out that there was
no room for complacency
from any individual or
organisation involved in
the railway. e spoke of the
‘continual renewal’ to strive
for excellence.
e told his audience
‘There is no room for
complacency. It’s about this
continual renewal theme – it
is having this bold vision.
Some organisations have
bolder visions about striving
for excellence. Through a
systematic report we can
improve this excellence.
‘e understand as a
regulator we have to do a
good ob. e are doing a
good ob, but we can do
better.’
Meanwhile, RR chair
Anna alker, delivered the
latest safety gures for the
industry to the conference,
stating ‘The number of rail
workers harmed or inured
in accidents in was
, down from in .
Between and there
has been an average of less
than one fatality per year.’
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 21

INTERVIEW
THE RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW
RICHARD
ROBINSON
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HEATHROW EXPRESS
It’s not unusual for senior managers of Tocs to
have cut their managerial teeth running other
types of transport, but Richard Robinson has
entered the transport sector for the first time
as an MD. Katie Silvester takes a trip on
Heathrow Express with him
eathrow Express is the only mainline railway
service in Britain that has never been franchised.
In the sunset days of British Rail, BAA, the owner
of Heathrow Airport, paid for a new rail link from the Great
Western Main Line to Heathrow Airport and in 1998 BAA
began running trains along the new route under the brand
name Heathrow Express. In fact, compared to the franchised
Tocs that span the rest of the country, Heathrow Express’s
set up is closer to the way that the Victorian railways were
originally built and run, with private companies spotting a
niche in the market, putting down some tracks and running
their own trains along it.
Managing director Richard Robinson is proud of all the
technological firsts that Heathrow Express can claim and
would be horrified at the Victorian analogy. Heathrow
Express’s Siemens Desiros bought, not leased were
the first post-privatisation trains to be used that were not
designed by BR, Robinson tells me. And it was the first
operator to offer on-board television screens.
PHOTOGRAPHS: SIMON WEIR
The youthful managing director he is just 3 joined
Heathrow Express in May from an internet-based ticket
retailer. A chemical engineer by background, he cut his teeth
at ICI, before doing an MBA and moving to mining company
Anglo American.
So, why did he fancy running Heathrow Express when it
was such a complete change from what he’d done before
‘Heathrow Express is a super strong brand: customer
focused, with a good web operation, and a very strong safety
and operations part of the business. If you look at my skill
set from my early career to the present, it ticked a lot of boxes
and it was really going to give me the opportunity to grow my
commercial experience.
‘Heathrow Express is unusual for a rail company in a lot
of ways. It’s had a lot of firsts technologically, lots of firsts
operationally and service wise. With the company landing
on the ground, as it were, 10 years ago, a lot of our frontline
staff weren’t from the rail industry, although lot of middle
and senior management are. Culturally, the company is open
and welcoming to new people.’
BAA originally paid £350m for its link to Heathrow
the section it built is all tunnelled. More recently, a spur to
Terminal 5 was added, with the Mott McDonald built-line
passing underneath the Piccadilly line twice. I met Robinson
at Paddington, so that I could interview him on the train and
see Terminal 5 at the other end. The state-of-the-art station at
Terminal 5 is just a short elevator ride away from the airport
proper. The blue lights shining up from the track onto the
22
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

INTERVIEW
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 23

INTERVIEW
platform help to give the station a futuristic feel you know
you haven’t arrived by Tube. As Heathrow Express’s MD
obligingly poses for Rail Professional’s photographer on the
way up to departures, the inevitable security guard comes
over to check that we aren’t terrorists. Heathrow Express
itself is not immune to the security measures that go handin-hand
with airport operations each time a train arrives
at the airport, staff sweep the train to check for suspect
devices.
Does Robinson know how long BAA’s infrastructure
investments will take to pay for themselves
‘I’d probably answer that in a slightly different way. It’s
now circa £1bn-worth of investment, including the T5
station. So, does that finance itself with our operations
es. But that’s uite a different thing to it paying for itself.
Have we paid back £1bn of the bank loans o. But all
of our revenues go into the single till for regulation, and
revenues are offset against costs.
‘That’s what sets the airline charges, so we’re part of uite
a different set up to the Tocs. We provide a five-year business
plan to the Civil Aviation Authority, which includes all the
revenues we think we’re going to make over five years, then
there’s how much needs to be invested in operations and
capital. There’s a difference between those two amounts of
money and that’s the bit that has to be funded by airline
charges. That’s essentially how they work out the airline
charge per passenger.’
Compared to its franchised neighbours, Heathrow
Express has a lot of freedoms no cap on ticket prices,
relative freedom to set its own timetables and a longer
Compared to its franchised neighbours,
Heathrow Express has a lot of freedoms –
no cap on ticket prices, relative freedom
to set its own timetables and a longer
time span in which to work than most
franchisees
time span in which to work than most franchisees. But it
does have some limitations. In 2023 its position will be
reviewed by the government and this may lead to some sort
of franchise competition. Other than that, its regulation is
closely linked to the airport and, as Heathrow Express
is paid for out of airline charges, it is accountable to the
airlines.
or the year ended 31 December, 2008, the Heathrow
Express Operating Company made a profit of £.2m on a
turnover of £5m. It is not subsidised by the government,
so the operator carries all the risk without having the safety
net of a cap and collar arrangement. ourneys cost £1.50 for
‘express’, or second class, singles and take just 15 minutes
each way, with an extra four minutes to the Terminal 5 stop.
Trains depart every 15 minutes.
‘We’re better than half the price of a taxi,’ says Robinson.
‘We’re three times faster than a taxi getting to the airport.’
Punctuality is currently running at 99.9 per cent, with
passenger satisfaction scoring consistently highly in the
ational Passenger Survey. The most recent score was 92
24
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

INTERVIEW
per cent, making Heathrow Express the top Toc. Passenger
numbers have grown by around 15 per cent over the last
seven years, but the recession has seen that increase level
off. Unlike most other Tocs, Heathrow Express has a vested
interest in the mooted third runway. Heathrow’s passenger
numbers are not going to see any significant growth without
an additional runway, so neither are Heathrow Express’s.
When it comes to attracting new passengers, ‘added
value’ is the strategy. One of Robinson’s first moves was to
make wi-fi free of charge, and electrical sockets to recharge
laptops or mobile phones are planned for the future.
Customer service is very important Heathrow Express
staff are trained to be able to answer passengers’ most
common ueries about their onward journeys.
Can the impact of wi-fi and free onboard newspapers be
measured in ticket sales
‘We haven’t measured it against ticket sales, but it
has rolled through against things like overall passenger
satisfaction for the ational Passenger Survey and the
uality Service Monitor, which is done by BAA throughout
the airport. I don’t think I should be ashamed to say that we
score very highly in just about every category.
‘One of the challenges that we’re meeting head on is how
to evolve the passenger experience to add more value. I
know that’s real marketing speak, but if you see Heathrow
Express as a 15 minute shuttle between Paddington and
Heathrow, you set your horions very differently to if you
see it as a passenger journey between London and getting
on the plane. That subtle change in definition is something
we’ve been working really hard on, to see how we can use
technology to increase convenience.’
Another first for the U is that passengers can now
check-in at self-service machines on the platform at
Paddington while they are waiting for the train. This has
only been operational since the beginning of December. In
time, these facilities will be available onboard the train too.
‘Watchwords for taking our brand on are convenience and
certainty that means being able to get flight information
and being able to check in if you’ve got a few minutes,
although generally you will only have a few minutes before
the next Heathrow Express. We’re really building the feeling
that as soon as you’re at Paddington, you’re certain to get
to Heathrow Airport. We have a very demanding type of
passenger because every single person on this train has got
an absolutely hard deadline in the next hour and a half.’
A typical Heathrow Express passenger is travelling for
business purposes the majority are male. ust 20 per
cent of passengers are travelling for leisure. This makes
passengers an attractive target for advertisers with its AB1
demographic. Digital advertising in the station at Terminal 5
has had good take up and rows of display panels inside the
tunnels also carry advertising. Despite advertising spend
being down 1 per cent nationally, Heathrow Express
has actually seen an increase in its advertising revenues.
Television screens inside the carriages show BBC news and
weather as well as commercials.
‘We have an absolutely prime London city centre highend
business audience that people are willing to pay to get
to,’ says Robinson. ‘Because of our audience and the uality
of our infrastructure, Brand Republic is saying it’s pretty
much the best place for digital advertising in Europe.’ One
aim is to grow the leisure market without diluting Heathrow
Express’s attractiveness to business.
Looking to the future, there are plans afoot for further
direct rail connections to Heathrow. There is already an
alternative called Heathrow Connect, a slower service run
from Paddington to Heathrow in conjunction with irst
Great Western. Crossrail will take over this service once it
is up and running, and the freuency will increase from two
to four trains an hour.
BAA wants to build a new line to Staines, alongside
the M25, which would be called Airtrack. It would link
Heathrow directly with Waterloo and destinations in the
south of England, such as Reading. The scheme is currently
in the applications stage, having undergone consultation
earlier this year. If all goes to plan, construction could start
next year, with services beginning in late 2014.
Running services to St Pancras is another aim.
‘We would love to run our service to St Pancras. It would
expand our market and it would delight an awful lot of
customers who at the moment have to transfer somehow
from ing’s Cross to get to Heathrow. Crossrail would be a
big enabler for that.’
And with that, we arrive back at Paddington and
Robinson heads back to Heathrow Express’s central
London headuarters.
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JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 25

GENERAL ELECTION
Paul Clifton
Eastleigh works as it looks today – a small part
of the engineering facility has re-opened to do
train refurbishments. It was first opened by the
London and South Western Railway in 1891 to
build carriages and wagons.
PARTY
PLANNING
Five months from now we can expect a new government to take
charge of transport. What difference will it make? As the parties
work on their manifestos, Paul Clifton looks at what they might offer
n rail policy, the differences
between the three main parties
are small. Of course they would all
disagree with that assertion. But look at the
facts.
They all support the concept of a new highspeed
line. They all support a programme of
electrification. Two of the three publicly favour
longer passenger franchises and the third is
coming round to the idea. And whatever the
colour of the next government, it will face
severe budget constraints.
Labour has the advantage of a transport
secretary who has, by common consent, the
firmest grasp of his brief of the many rail
ministers of the last decade. His plans for
electrification, his work on High Speed Two and
the steady drive to improve daily performance
have been set up to survive the election and a
possible change of administration.
Last time around, transport barely featured
in election campaigning. Both Tories and
Labour had more to lose than to gain from
it as an issue. The Tories were still seen as
the party that created Railtrack. Labour had
presided over an era in which performance
declined as spending increased.
The Conservative manifesto contained a
paltry six sentences on transport, the longest
of which was about speed cameras. It was not
an illuminating shop window.
ive years ago I looked at the Hampshire
town of Eastleigh as a barometer. It owed
its existence to a railway works that once
employed 5,000 people. The works were
then in the last throes of decline, ignored by
Siemens, which preferred an all-new facility to
maintain its South West Trains Desiro fleet.
Siemens’ new shed, a few miles down the
track at ortham, deliberately did not recruit
a single fitter from the old works. It was all
about culture change.
The last 500 workers closed the doors
behind them as they left. They had specialised
in heavy maintenance of slam door trains,
and the vehicles they tended were all going to
the scrapheap. Beside the railway sheds, the
once-tiny Southampton Airport was booming.
ive years on, it carries record numbers of
26
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

GENERAL ELECTION
passengers on budget airlines and employs
1,500 people. A new bridge connecting
platform and terminal was opened in early
December. At the end of the runway is the
M27 motorway. In the last year it has been
widened to four lanes to make more room for
lorries heading uphill out of Southampton
docks.
So today Eastleigh is a town best known for
its airport, with a four-lane motorway skirting
it. But the railway works is open once more. It
is on a small scale, with perhaps 100 people
on site, even though most are on short-term
contract. Siemens is renting some space
to overhaul its Class 444s, and other rail
companies are making use of the century-old
sheds.
The political focus for railways has shifted.
Electrification was barely even a distant goal
five years ago. ow it is core policy. The
uestions are about the pace of electrification
and not the principle. Soon Wales will no
longer be the only European nation besides
Albania without a single mile of electrified
railway.
All parties talk of rail reducing the need for
domestic short-haul flights. The Conservatives
and Liberal Democrats would both overturn
Labour’s advocacy of a third runway for
Heathrow. The airport owner, BAA, has said
that it will not be pressing the issue until after
the election, recognising the possibility that
years of planning and lobbying have led to
nothing. Labour, too, has gone uiet on one
of the few genuinely contentious transport
issues.
Labour’s bold claim is this: ‘or the first time
in over half a century, there is a fully funded
plan which will allow for double today’s level
of passengers and freight over the next 30
years.’
But funding can be taken away more easily
than it can be given. Any new government
will need to prune spending. And High
Speed Two could spend the whole of the next
Parliament and the following one in the
planning process. Of the £20bn-plus cost,
only a handful of millions will be needed in
the medium term: the line is unlikely to open
in less than 15 years.
In his speech to the 2009 party conference,
Lord Adonis said the challenge was ‘how to
reconcile personal mobility for all, one of the
foundations of social justice, with tackling
climate change in our generation’.
He said green transport ‘means a plan for
fundamental change, not incremental change,
in the way we travel. o lay cop-out that
society and government should be neutral
between different forms of transport, but
If you travelled up the East Coast
Main Line under National Express
you paid a tax of £4. If you go
up the West Coast on Virgin you
receive a subsidy of nearly £6
going for green as a matter of principle for
Britain, high-speed rail is a no-brainer’.
Listen to Theresa Villiers for the
Conservatives. She is not so very different,
though the Tories are a little more specific on
where High Speed Two should run.
‘We will build a high-speed rail line
connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester
and Leeds with the Continent through the
Channel Tunnel. We will also provide a highspeed
rail alternative to thousands of short
haul flights at Heathrow.’
She supports the Arup proposal for a
new Heathrow rail hub alongside the Great
Western. Villiers would seek to reduce
‘Whitehall meddling’. She says it is ‘absurd’ that
civil servants are setting detailed timetables
and taking day-to-day decisions throughout
the process of procuring rolling stock.
As an example, she says Department for
Transport control has prevented Virgin from
buying extra Pendolino carriages on the
West Coast Main Line. ‘Micromanagement is
delaying the extra carriages until 2012 when
the franchise ends.’
So from her we could expect the lighter
touch that Atoc advocated in the last issue of
Rail Professional. But unlike Labour, the old
policy of appeasing the powerful motoring
lobby is still there.
‘We will focus on tackling the worst
bottlenecks on Britain’s roads. In some
cases this will mean making better use of
the capacity we have in others, it will mean
building new roads.’
Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger
ocus, told Rail Professional, ‘One potential
area of difference between the parties is their
approach to franchising. The Conservative
party is on record as favouring longer
franchise terms and believes that the current
franchising model is too tightly specified.
Current DfT policy favours including targets
and reuirements within the contract.’
The Liberal Democrats’ published policy
on transport is shorter on detail. It promises a
‘future transport fund’ to ring-fence long term
spending. It will be used for ‘removing rail
bottlenecks, building road-rail freight transfer
depots, funding light-rail systems, reopening
closed lines, extending electrification and
building a high-speed north-south rail link’.
To pay for it, transport spokesman orman
Baker advocates charging road freight on
motorways on a pay-per-mile basis, varying
according to vehicle emissions. He says this
is similar to schemes already operating in
Germany, Austria and Switerland, and would
provide an incentive to shift freight from road
to rail.
Of the main parties, only the Liberal
Democrats continue to push actively for roaduser
charging on motorways and trunk roads.
They say it would be revenue-neutral because
vehicle excise duty would be scrapped and
fuel duty reduced.
Half the population either never go by train,
or use the railways once or twice a year. But
that headline figure masks enormous regional
variations. So expect local campaigning to
reflect that.
early three uarters of people working
in central London travel by train or tube. It
is the only place in Britain where rail is the
dominant mode of transport. Beyond the
Home Counties only three per cent of people
travel by train to get to work.
So what about a healthy regional debate on
the price of a ticket Is it appropriate that the
average Thameslink commuter effectively pays
a tax of £1 on each journey, whilst those using
Chiltern Railways receive a subsidy of £1
If you travelled up the East Coast Main
Line under ational Express you paid a tax
of £4. If you go up the West Coast on Virgin
you receive a subsidy of nearly £, according
to ohn Siraut of the consultants Colin
Buchanan and Partners.
But with passenger franchises locked down
for several years to come, whoever is in charge
would find it almost impossible to make shortterm
changes. The Conservatives have said
they do not intend wholesale upheaval of the
franchising system.
et this is important to voters. If you shake
your head in disbelief at the £1.12p a litre
price of a litre of unleaded petrol, it’s worth
remembering that over the last 20 years, the
overall cost of motoring has remained at or
below 1980 levels in real terms. Over the
same period rail fares have shot up by 37 per
cent.
Value for money from public transport is,
for most passengers, a really good area for
debate. Will it feature in the campaigning
Unlikely. o politician would wish to be seen
handing more money to transport groups that
have continued to make respectable profits
through the recession.
Paul lifon is he ransor orresonden for
ouh aullifonrailroou
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 27

HIGH-SPEED RAIL
REPLACING SPAIN’S
PLANES WITH
350KPH TRAINS
Spain has the third largest high-speed rail network in the world, behind Japan and
France – and it’s about to undergo yet another growth spurt, as Ron Smith explains
A Renfe Avant.
ver the past 10 years, Spain has
modernised its railway network, with
a view to bringing fast reliable rail
services within reach of most of the population.
The aim is that by 2020, 90 per cent of the
population will be within 50km of a 10,000km
high-speed network. This should take away the
traffic from the internal airlines.
The formula is simple provide high uality
services, freuently, at a good price, at a speed
that is unbeatable. The success of this is proved
by the results achieved. Spain is now number
three in the world league of countries with highspeed
300kph or more lines. The time savings
are impressive. or example, a recent trip from
Madrid to Segovia by the conventional route,
on a Cercanias commuter train, took two
hours. The return on the high-speed line took
2 minutes.
In ebruary 2008, Barcelona was brought
into the network with the opening of the 350
kph line via Tarragona, Lleida and aragoa
to Madrid. ifty-two trains per day 2 pairs
cover the 28km route in two hours, 38
minutes. This service has attracted 48 per cent
of the market between the two cities already,
and it is still growing it’s just not worth the
hassle of taking the plane. Punctuality on
Renfe high-speed lines is 98.54 per cent ontime
arrival, second only in the world to apan
with 99 per cent.
By comparison, the Iberia airline achieves
77.8 per cent and British Airways 4.7 per cent.
Renfe is so confident of its timekeeping that on
the Madrid to Seville route, if the train is five
minutes late passengers receive a 100 per cent
cash refund On other high-speed lines, a 50
per cent refund is given for a 15 minute delay,
and 100 per cent refund for a train arriving 30
28
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

HIGH-SPEED RAIL
or more minutes late. The uality of on-board
services is also very much higher than any other
mode of transport. There are three levels:
l Tourist second class, but with reclining
seats, power sockets, headphones, and
generous leg room
l Preferente first class, with complimentary
newspapers, meals at your seat, hostess service
and car parking and
l Club premium first class, which includes
a-la-carte and bar at seat service.
Renfe has invested 3,150m in its fleet of
high-speed trains, the most modern in Europe.
The AVE bird S100, S102 and S103 sets
operate at 300kph-plus, while the Alvia and
Avant S104, S120 and S130 sets run at 200
kph-plus.
Also part of the high-speed network are
the international services operated with
gauge changing wheel sets. These include
the Trenhotel Talgo sets in conjunction with
the SC, the Salvador Dali from Milan to
Barcelona, rancisco de Goya from Madrid to
Paris, oan Miro from Barcelona to Paris and
Pablo Casals from urich to Barcelona.
These trains use the Talgo short coaches
that are articulated, with independent wheels
at one end of the coach only, and passive tilt.
This means that the train is very low, and has
a remarkable stability, giving the best possible
comfort levels. Gauge changing is done ‘on the
move’ at frontiers. Trains feature cabins with
roomy showers and toilets en-suite, wide berths,
and bar and dining facilities. Cabins have key
card operated doors for security. A similar
service run in conjunction with CP Portugese
Railways operates from Madrid to Lisbon.
Two other overnight train services are Catalan
Talgo from Barcelona to Montpellier, and Mare
ostrum from Lorca
to Montpellier. These
trains have their own
generator car in the
set to provide all the
hotel power.
The ‘normal’
gauge in Spain is
1,8mm. All new
lines are being built
to 1,435mm 4-feet
8.5 inches, which is
the standard gauge
in most countries,
including rance,
Germany and the U.
As lines are extended,
the gauge changing sheds move with them.
Currently, work is well on the way to connect
Barcelona to the SC as Port Bou. This will
provide a whole range of opportunities, but for
the moment, the overnight trains are expected
to continue as they service a particular niche
market.
Tickets for the high-speed trains are
available in a range of prices, but pricing is
not based on as obscure factors as it is in the
U. There is the price, and then reductions are
available. Once purchased, the ticket includes
a compulsory seat reservation. Passengers
accumulate in a large lounge, after passing
their luggage through x-ray machines. Then,
the gate is announced, and tickets are crosschecked
as passengers pass through onto the
platform where the train is waiting, usually 10
minutes prior to departure.
In the central control building in Madrid,
the controllers can see in real-time where
each train in the whole of Spain is, along
with considerable detail about network
performance. It is unusual to see a railway with
such a clear vision and the drive to make it
happen, plus a government that looks beyond
the next election.
Renfe is still a nationalised railway
undertaking, although infrastructure, freight,
maintenance, and suburban railways have
been separated as per the EU regulation, but
the railway has not been fragmented as in the
U, so that clear national vision and decisions
can be taken.
The Spanish railway high-speed network is
impressive now, and by 2020 could well be the
best in the world. Spain is a big country highspeed
links bring the capital in the centre of
the country within easy reach of all areas of
the population. The network will shrink the
country, as well as tie it together cohesively.
High-speed rail is the answer to the transport
needs of the future, on high capacity electrified
lines, with Spain leading the way.
A Renfe AVE.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 29

NEWS FROM THE IRO
Supplied by the IRO, PO Box 128, Burgess Hill RH15 OUZ
Tel: 01444 248931 Fax: 01444 246392
Email: info@railwayoperators.org Website: www.railwayoperators.org
PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN RAILWAY OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
CERTIFICATED! IRO’S FIRST EVER
CERTIFICATE STUDENTS GRADUATE
Class of 2009.
Students successfully completing
the rail industry’s first ever
certificate in operational
management saw their hard work
rewarded at a special graduation
ceremony in Glasgow.
Run by the Institution of
Railway Operators in partnership
with Glasgow Caledonian
University, the Certificate of
Higher Education in Railway
Operational Management was
first launched in October 2008,
with 20 students studying
six modules designed to act
as an introduction to railway
operations and help to
prepare them for the academic
approaches to learning.
The course programme
included two modules specific to
the rail industry Basic Railway
Operations and Background
to Railway Operations, both
taught by seasoned industry
professionals. Among those
receiving their graduation
certificates in Glasgow on 2
ovember was irst ScotRail’s
Sharon Motherwell, who hopes
to use her new-found skills to
move up the promotional ladder.
Motherwell, a ticket examiner
at Glasgow Central Station
said: ‘I first heard about the
IRO Certificate on the ScotRail
intranet, applied and was lucky
enough to be accepted on the
course, with my place funded
by ScotRail.
‘The course itself provided
an excellent grounding in the
rail industry and helped to both
broaden my knowledge and my
outlook, with my focus now set
on progressing my career.’
Also successfully completing
the certificate was Stewart
Prentice, who enrolled on the
course as a stepping-stone
towards fulfilling the lifelong
ambition of gaining a degree
ualification. As such, Prentice
has now moved on to the next
stage of the IRO’s Professional
Development Programme,
studying for the Diploma of
Higher Education in Railway
Operational Management with a
view to eventually completing the
IRO Degree course.
‘I actually found the certificate
to be an excellent route back into
higher education, particularly
the Personal Professional
Development module, which
is the perfect reintroduction to
the discipline of self-study,’ said
Prentice.
or the father of six, it has
certainly been a case of ‘planes,
trains and automobiles,’ having
started his career as a car
mechanic, followed by 13 years
in the RA and then a move into
the rail sector as freight driver
for arvis astline. ‘I’ve had a
very interesting career, but as I
went straight into employment
at 1, there has always been a
desire to return to education
and eventually achieve a degree
ualification, which thanks to the
IRO’s Professional Development
Programme, I am looking to
fulfil.’
The IRO’s Professional
Development Programme
comprises the Certificate of
Higher Education in Railway
Operational Management, the
Diploma of Higher Education
in Railway Operational
Management and the IRO BSc
Degree in Railway Operational
Management.
All courses start in October
2010, with enrolment open
from ebruary 2010. For
further details, please contact
the IRO at education@
railwayoperators.org or visit
the IRO website at
www.railwayoperators.org
Sharon Motherwell
30
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

NEWS FROM THE IRO
PROMOTING HIGH
SPEED RAIL FOR BRITAIN
By John Glover
The EU definition of high
speed is 250kph, which is a
standard of sorts, but 300kph
and more is now being exploited
around the world. Stephenson’s
Rocket was considered to be a
minor miracle when it reached
50kph, nevertheless many lines
constructed in Britain during
the 19th century were later
successfully adapted for speeds of
10-200kph.
Why do we need high-speed
lines According to Greengauge
21, there are five guiding aims:
l Increasing system capacity
l Stimulating economic
regeneration
l Providing a truly green
alternative to the car
l Encouraging a switch from
aviation and
l Providing an appealing high
uality service for everyone.
ou have to start somewhere
and the southern end of the West
Coast Main Line is most in need
of relief. A line from London
to Birmingham with a journey
time of 45 minutes, possibly via
Heathrow, would also be a good
start, but on its own that isn’t
enough to justify a new railway.
On Greengauge 21’s proposed
network, London to Manchester
in an hour and 15 minutes and
Glasgow in two hours 40 minutes
are among the carrots dangled.
Running times like these would
reuire speeds of 320kph and
possibly no more than one
intermediate stop.
Greenguage 21’s proposition
comprises two north-south
routes, one each side of the
Pennines, with cross east-west
links, from EdinburghGlasgow
and ManchesterSheffield, plus
a route to South Wales. The
proposal contains a mixture
of new and existing lines, with
speeds of 200kph and physical
connections enabling high-speed
services to reach other key
centres.
The lines would be built to
accommodate double-deck trains,
which, like Eurostars, could be
400m long. Up to 15 trains per
hour could be operated. There are
huge implications for handling
passengers at stations.
At an estimated £9bn, a large
scale scheme of around 1,500
route kilometres does not come
cheap, but construction would
be spread over many years. The
first stage as far as Manchester,
including connections to
Heathrow, the West Coast and
Midland Main Lines, as well as
the Channel Tunnel, is expected
to cost £19bn at 2008 prices. The
benefit:cost ratio for the entire
network is put at an encouraging
3.48:1.
What happens to the
conventional network There
will be considerable benefits
in freeing up capacity for other
passenger services, but also
freight. Or could some freight be
accommodated on the high-speed
network, to take advantage of the
generous loading gauge
ot at 320kph it couldn’t, but
200kph might be possible.
Greengauge 21 has made an
encouraging start and further
developments will be awaited with
interest.
DIARY OF EVENTS
IRISH AREA
All North East Area meetings take
11 January: Visit to Rugby Station
22 January: First IRO Golden Whistles
For information on all Irish Area
place at 17:30 for 18:00 in York.
and SCC.
awards sponsored by Modern Railways.
events please contact Kay Doyle,
chairman, by email at: kay.doyle@
NORTH WEST AREA
8 February: Network Rail National
Operations Delivery Function at Derby
Hosted by The Fourth Friday Club,
Grand Connaught Rooms at 12:15
railwayoperators.org or Hilton Parr,
19 January: Talk by Chris Gibb, COO
ICC.
for 12:45. Tables of 10, at £900 each,
secretary, by email at: hilton.parr@
of Virgin Trains – The West Coast
For information on all Midlands
available through Chris Shilling on
railwayoperators.org
VHF Timetable. Start: 18:00. Venue:
Area events, please contact Julia
077 36635916 or by emailing: chris@
SCOTTISH AREA
Manchester Square One.
16 February: Visit to Newton Heath
Stanyard on 0121 345 3833 or email:
midlands@railwayoperators.org
shillingmedia.co.uk
4 February: Young Railway
28 January: Visit to Network Rail’s
Training Centre at Larbert. Meet at
Depot – A look at the operation of a
Northern Rail unit depot. Start 17:30
SOUTH WEST AREA
Professionals Launch – The launch of
the new Young Railway Professionals
17:15 on the down platform at Larbert.
at Manchester Victoria for transport to
For information on all South West Area
at IMechE on Birdcage walk. Meet at
For further information on the
Newton Heath Depot.
events, please contact Nick Edwards on
18:30, nearest tube Westminster.
IRO Scottish Area, please contact
All events enquiries should be via
07801 905409 or email:
8 February: Good Practice Workshop
Ross Campbell on 0141 242 8620
Carl Phillips at: ironw.booking@
nicolas.edwards@dbschenker.com
– Performance. Time: 16.30. Venue:
or email Jim Gillies at: scottish@
railwayoperators.org
railwayoperators.org General
membership enquires to Clive Evans at:
SOUTH EAST AREA
London Fenchurch Street Station.
For further information on the
NORTH EAST AREA
For information on all North East
northwest@railwayoperators.org
MIDLANDS AREA
All South East events will now take
place at London Underground’s HQ, 55
Broadway, St James Park, SW1, unless
IRO South East Area please
contact Alex Hellier at southeast@
railwayoperators.org
Area events, please contact David
Dates are confirmed, if events change
otherwise indicated, with a 17:30 for
More details of area events listed in
Monk-Steel by email at: northeast@
members will be notified via letter
18:00 start.
2010 are listed on the IRO website
railwayoperators.org or by telephone
or email. Unless otherwise indicated,
18 January: DfT Stations Review: Talk
at www.railwayoperators.org/
on 01751 473799.
events start at 17.30.
by Chris Green at LU HQ.
Events.aspx
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 31

RAIL BUSINESS AWARDS
DFT REWARDING
STATION ACCESSI
The Department for Transport is sponsoring the Station
Excellence Award at the HSBC Rail Business Awards 2009.
In recognising the best overall station improvements, the judges
will be looking for improved access,
particularly for the disabled
The Government is committed to
providing transport that works for
everyone, while balancing the needs
of the economy, the environment and society.
The DfT works in partnership with the rail
industry to secure the railway that passengers
want, at a price they can afford. In the last
decade it has been successful in making
railway stations accessible for passengers with
mobility restrictions, and work continues.
Stations are gateways to local communities
and the destinations they serve, and play a
central role in passengers’ overall experience
of the railways. The government is especially
keen to make travel on the railways easier
for passengers with registered disabilities.
Around 10 million people in the U have a
registered disability and it’s estimated that
around one in three people will be disabled,
elderly or both by 2030. Several government
initiatives aim to improve stations.
The two main schemes are the £370m
Access for All scheme providing
accessibility improvements that benefit
disabled people specifically, scheduled to
run until 2015 and the ational Stations
Improvement Programme SIP, which has
been running for two years with the aim of
improving facilities at 150 stations across the
country.
Lord Adonis.
32
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

RAIL BUSINESS AWARDS
IMPROVED
BILITY
The government also provides annual
funding of around £m for small accessrelated
schemes over three years, more than
1,000 different projects have been awarded
grants thanks to this initiative. It also supports
the Secure Stations Scheme, which aims to
improve station facilities to provide a safer
environment for passengers. The scheme is
operated by most train operators across the
country and independently assessed by the
British Transport Police.
Meanwhile, in partnership with etwork
Rail, train operators and Cycling England, the
DfT is also working hard to improve cycling
facilities at stations.
The 2010 Station Excellence award
aims to recognise those people who have
contributed innovative ideas that have made
real differences to the lives of passengers and
the DfT says it’s ‘delighted’ to sponsor it.
BOOK NOW!
Rail Business Awards
Annual dinner
Park Lane Hilton, London
Thursday 11 February 2010
Celebrating business success throughout
the rail industry – a fantastic evening and
a great networking event
The comedian writer, broadcaster and
practising GP Phil Hammond will be host
for the evening.
Email simon@woodhousecommunications.co.uk
or call 01444 221000 for more information and
to make a booking.
INFORMALITY KEY TO RBA EVENT’S POPULARITY
The rail industry will gather in the
plush surroundings of the London
Hilton, Park Lane, on Thursday
ebruary 11, 2010 to applaud the winners in
the 1 categories of the HSBC Rail Business
Awards 2009.
Every year since the very first RBA event
back in 1998 the occasion has grown in
popularity to become a favourite date in the
rail industry calendar.
Organised by Woodhouse Communications
in conjunction with Rail Professional, the RBA
dinner and the accompanying presentation
ceremony are keenly anticipated across the
industry. Guests include government ministers
and chairmen of leading industry bodies, as
well as directors and senior staff from top train
operating companies and industry suppliers.
Graham Coombs, the Railway Industry
Association’s communications director, is
a loyal fan of the RBA. Looking forward to
this year’s event he said: ‘The informality of
the occasion, with lounge suits rather than
black tie, has to be one of the reasons for the
enduring popularity of the RBA event. The
relaxed atmosphere makes it easy to circulate
and talk to people. ust about anybody who
is anybody, from across the spectrum of the
industry, seems to be there, which makes it
the perfect place to network, meet up with old
friends, make new friends and establish new
contacts.
‘It’s also a very useful occasion for the
RIA as a membership association. We get
to meet our members, as well as others who
may be prospective members. Additionally it
is a useful opportunity to make contact with
people from other parts of the industry.’
Another reason the event remains the firm
favourite it is, he said, is that over the years
the format has been updated and renewed to
Graham Coombs.
maintain its air of relaxed informality as well as
to keep pace with the ever-changing priorities
of the industry. ‘The pace of the event keeps
it interesting to the assembled company,’ he
said. ‘ou won’t hear long-winded speeches at
the RBA’
This year the occasion switches to the
London Hilton from the neighbouring
Grosvenor House Hotel, its previous
home. A limited number of tickets for
the RBA event are still available from
Woodhouse Communications on 01444
221000, fax: 01444 473599, or email:
rbawoodhousecommunications.co.uk.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 33

COMMENT
CUTTING CORNERS
Shutterstock
When companies are looking to save money, the training budget is
often one of the first hit, especially for non-core activities such as
health and safety. But this can be disasterous, says William Bell
Times have been tough for companies in
the rail industry. Even though the worst
of the recession seems to be behind us,
most companies will continue to be very cost
conscious for the next 12 months.
But what is not so clear is in what areas
businesses should make cutbacks. Ironically, the
areas that companies are most likely to freee
are the ones that will have the most severe longterm
impact on business performance. The first
is marketing. It’s the first thing cut and the last
thing you should cut. Businesses that continue
to run smart cost-efficient marketing through a
recession have a better chance of emerging the
other side with a solid customer base.
And the second thing to be cut is training,
especially that which is seen as ‘want to do’
rather than ‘have to do’. The prime example of
Health and safety
training is the last
thing cash-strapped
companies should cut
back on.
this is health and safety training.
There can be few people who circle the date
of their next safety training session in their
diary and jump for joy, unable to contain their
excitement well, O, I do know a few health
and safety professionals who act like this. or
the majority of people who do health and safety
training , though, it’s because they have to as
part of their role. But it is vital. Modern health
and safety law is complex and while it is based
round common sense principles, there are
many formal policies and practices companies
should adopt. Recent evidence suggests a trend
of companies ignoring health and safety in an
attempt to cut costs. In my opinion, this is a
dangerous course of action that could lead to
company directors ending up in court. Let me
explain why.
A recent survey by the legal firm ational
Accident Helpline found that 2 per cent of
employees thought their boss was placing less
emphasis on health and safety. Only 38 per
cent believed that their employer remained as
committed to workplace safety as ever.
This comes less than a year after the
introduction of a new law which could see
managers and directors jailed if one of their
employees is hurt at work. The Health and Safety
Offences Act 2008 started on 1 anuary, 2009
and makes employers personally accountable
for the safety of their employees. Breaches
could see managers or directors jailed, or face
lower court Sheriffs or Magistrates fines of up
to £20,000.
If this survey is to be believed, then companies
are putting their managers and directors at risk
of jail for the sake of cost savings. That’s not a
clever thing to do, even after a recession. The
safety of staff must be the number one priority
for all companies, no matter how badly they are
doing. One accident is all it can take to wipe a
business out.
And the odds are sadly high that an accident
can easily happen to an unprepared business.
Thirty-four million days are lost each year due to
a work related injury or accident. The reality is
that even in a recession, reducing the focus on
health and safety is not a risk that any company
in the rail industry can afford to take.
This is the right time for business owners
and directors to look at where else they can
save money to ride out the recession, without
placing employees in any danger through lack of
investment in health and safety knowledge.
illia ell is he reional anaer of oland for
he healh and safe rainer Pioal Perforane
e has ored in he rainin indusr sine
There can be few people who
circle the date of their next
safety training session in their
diary and jump for joy, unable
to contain their excitement –
well, OK, I do know a few health
and safety professionals who
act like this
34
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

PEOPLE
CROSSRAIL RECRUITS
HEAD OF PROCUREMENT
Crossrail Ltd has appointed artin Rowar
as its head of procurement.
He will lead the Procurement Division in
its aims of keeping the Crossrail project to
programme and budget, ensuring that the
acuisition of works, services and supplies
is efficiently managed in line with relevant
policies and best industry practice.
A Member of the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors, Rowark, 40, has a
background in construction as a management
contractor.
He worked for Railtrack in the Great
Western one and later the Southern one,
leading on contract and supply.
Since then he has worked for Davis
Langdon LLP as head of civil engineering
and railways on projects such as the
Channel Tunnel Rail Link, West Coast route
modernisation and ERTMS.
Rowark will report to commercial director
Martin Buck.
Buck said: ‘I am delighted that Martin
Rowark will be joining us as head of
procurement. He brings a wealth of
experience to the project, as he has
contributed to key railway projects in the
past.
‘We look forward to having him on board
and strengthening the team to help deliver
Europe’s largest construction project on
time and to budget.’
Rowark added: ‘It is an exciting time
to be a part of a project of such national
significance as Crossrail. I look forward to
contributing to its success.’
CHAIR OF
WABTEC
RETIRES
Wabtec Rail’s chairman John Meehan
will be retiring from the company
with effect from 31 March 2010.
Meehan has worked in the railway
industry for more than 42 years,
having started as an apprentice
at BREL in Derby and going on to
become an engineering graduate.
In 1989 he joined the then RFS
Engineering at Doncaster Works
as commercial manager, leading a
management buyout four years later.
In planning for his retirement,
Meehan moved sideways to the role
of chairman of Wabtec Rail in March
2009 and was succeeded as managing
director by Chris Weatherall.
John Meehan
Mazencieux-Pear breaks
the ice at Kilfrost
ilfrost, the provider of de-icing
solutions for the railway, has
announced the appointment of
hristine aencieuear,
43, as the new dedicated sales
manager for its rail portfolio.
She is a double graduate in
modern languages from Lyon
University and international
business and management from
Groupe Essec in Paris.
She said: ‘I was drawn to
ilfrost because of their ongoing
research and development of
groundbreaking and, in some
BELCHER JOINS GRAND CENTRAL BOARD
Grand Central has appointed Charles Belcher to the
company’s board.
Belcher has been managing director of a number of
train operating companies, including Virgin West Coast
where he introduced the new Pendolino timetable. He is
also on the board of Transport for London.
Giles Fearnley, chairman of Grand Central said: ‘We
are delighted that Charles has agreed to join the board
of Grand Central Railway. These are exciting times for
our business as we prepare to launch a brand new West
Riding service in May 2010.’
Belcher added: ‘I am very pleased to join Grand Central
at this key point in the company’s development.’
cases, world-first, green products.
The RD team here are delivering
truly innovative products which
more than meet the brief, and it’s
exciting to be a part of that.’
Christine Mazencieux-Pear with chief
executive Gary Lydiate.
COURT JOINS
DISABILITY COMMITTEE
Occupational therapy manager
Christine Court MBE has been
appointed to represent Welsh
interests on the Disabled Persons’
Transport Advisory Committee.
Deputy first minister and
minister for the economy and
transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones, has
welcomed the appointment.
He said: ‘I’m sure that
Christine Court’s experience
and expertise in this field will
provide a valuable addition to
the work of DPTAC, and that she
will effectively represent the
interests of Wales.’
Charles Belcher by the
iconic picture of Marilyn
Monroe at New York’s
Central Terminal.
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 35

PEOPLE
TWO NEEA STAFF RETIRE
AFTER 50 YEARS OF SERVICE
Conductor Irving ilverwood
has retired in his 50th year of
service.
Silverwood’s career began
in anuary 190 at Lime iln
uay crossing, in Woodbridge,
PEOPLE ROUND-UP
NOAKES JOINS OPTIMUM
Optimum Consultancy, a project and
business management specialist, has
appointed Mike Noakes, 56, as a senior
consultant.
The chartered civil engineer has
worked in a number
of senior positions
in BAA over the
last 20 years,
including taking
Irving Silverwood with his wife and
colleagues at Ipswich station.
Suffolk, where he was a
crossing’s boy. He later became
a messenger boy in the Ipswich
Top ard freight depot, going
on to be station supervisor at
Ipswich station, before deciding
STACPOOLE MOVES ON
Media relations manager Hassard
Stacpoole is to leave Atoc at the end
of the year. Stacpoole, who was in
the post for four and a half years, was
previously a transport journalist. His
departure comes just months after that
of his colleague, Edward Funnell.
THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS
JOIN CO-OPERATIVE
‘Irving’s dedication
to the railway is
remarkable. He has had
a career of incredible
longevity and diversity’
that his heart lay in being a
passenger conductor the
position he remained in until
his retirement.
During his impressive career,
he worked on both the lying
Scotsman and Deltic.
Conductor manager ohn
Bellchamer said: ‘Irving’s
dedication to the railway is
remarkable. He has had a career
of incredible longevity and
diversity. He is a real character,
with incredible enthusiasm
for his work, who genuinely
director of its rail and project services.
The civil engineer joins the company
from The Erith Group, where he was
associate director and head of business
development. Kuzemko, 43, said: ‘I look
forward to leading the team.’
CLARK WINS LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Estelle Clark,
Lloyd’s Register’s
loves the railway and is very
supportive of his colleagues.
Customers and colleagues alike
will miss him when he retires. I
would like to thank him for his
commitment to his job.’
Silverwood will be retiring to a
bungalow, close to the orwich
mainline, so he will be able to
keep an eye on which trains are
running to time.
Meanwhile, ony ayton, a
member of the ticket office staff
at Ely station run by ational
Express East Anglia, is retiring
after over 50 years of service to
the railway.
His rail career began in
August 1959 at Littleport,
uickly followed by a move to
the Parcels Office at Ely. In 192
he started in the ticket office at
Ely station where he remained
for the rest of his career.
EEA Ely area manager Alan
eville said: ‘Tony’s loyalty to
the railway is inspiring. He is a
real character and a much-loved
member of the Ely station team,
who will be sorely missed.’
In a special presentation at
Ely station, Payton was given
a vintage photograph of Ely
station, signed by the station
team and a vintage ticket
machine. A plaue celebrating
his service to the railway is also
to be put up at Ely station.
responsibility for
Go! Co-operative, which aims to
group business
policy and delivery
become the UK’s first co-operatively-
assurance director,
of major
owned Toc, has appointed three
was awarded the
rail access
new board members to take the
Coutts Lifetime
schemes
organisation forward to operational
Achievement Award at the Women in
to all the
stage. Chief executive Keith Vingoe,
the City Awards, held in London at the
group’s
director of operations Chris Phillimore
end of November.
airports.
and director of safety Chris Thompson
Clark, 57, has worked in four
are the three new arrivals.
different industries: IT, heavy
mechanical engineering, financial
KUZEMKO JOINS MAY GURNEY
services, safety and risk management.
May Gurney has appointed Matt
She said: ‘I am very honoured to have
Mike Noakes
Kuzemko as business development
received this award.’
Tony Payton on his last day at Ely
station in Cambridgeshire.
36
RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR PRODUCT FEATURED HERE CALL JOHN BODILL ON 01223 273527
WORKWEAR AND CORPORATE
CLOTHING SHOW 2010
The Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show on 13-14 April
at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, is an essential date for your
diary if you’re involved in buying or specifying occupational
clothing for the rail sector.
From the latest in high-visibility products – jackets,
coveralls and footwear for track workers – to corporate
clothing for customer-facing staff and uniforms for
drivers, guards and on-board staff, it’s an express route to
everything you need to kit out your staff to work safely and
efficiently.
With around 80 exhibitors keen to do business, the
show also offers unrivalled access to the whole job-related
clothing sector under one roof.
The WorkIt! 2010 conference runs in parallel with the
show and offers an in-depth introduction to regulations,
trends, and successful branding.
l For more information visit:
www.workwearshow.co.uk, call Alison Daniels on
01569 731412 or email:
Alison_daniels1@hotmail.com
ADAPTAFLEX
A definitive guide to
specifying flexible
conduit systems for the
rail industry has been
launched by Adaptaflex,
a world-leading
manufacturer of flexible
conduit systems.
This extremely
detailed and informative
guide, full of technical
data from hazardous
categories through
to electromagnetic
screening and fire standards, is available for download in a
24-page document direct from the company’s website.
The guide specifically covers the protection of critical
power and data cabling setting out the implications for
high-speed and express trains, commuter and regional
intercity, light rail and tram as well as metro, including
the very individual and complex area of underground
applications.
It attempts an accessible summary of rail’s demanding
application requirements, highlighting the use of nonmetallic
and metallic systems on all train and light rail
applications, and detailing infrastructure usage within
stations, trackside, control centres, tunnels and car parks, as
well as specific train applications on bogies and carriages,
and gives a detailed overview of Adaptaflex’s 30+ year
experience in the rail industry.
l To download the guide, visit: www.adaptaflex.com
or for more information call 01675 468222
AGGREKO
Points heating is
incorporated into
project plans when
modernising existing
lines or installing new
ones. Even in areas
without a Distribution
Network Operator
(DNO) electricity
supply or if the
existing supply is not
adequate to meet
the extra demand,
temporary power
and temperature control solutions specialist Aggreko offers
solutions.
Despite more than £1bn being spent on the UK’s
rail network each year, and recent major upgrades, cold
weather can still cause chaos. To ensure trains can run
without delay in cold weather, points heaters are an
integral part of the railway infrastructure. When there is
not sufficient DNO electricity supply, electrical engineers
can rely on temporary generators to provide power to the
points heaters.
John Anderson of Aggreko said: ‘To prevent points from
freezing, electrically heated metal elements are attached
to the track, with electricity supplied at the trackside from
a DNO mains power line or a temporary generator can be
located next to the track.’
l For more information, visit: www.aggreko.com
call the National Rental Centre on 08458 24 7 365
or email: hire@aggreko.co.uk
TRANSPORT TICKETING 2010
SAFE TECHNOLOGY
LEGRAND
Attend Transport Ticketing 2010 – Europe’s only
dedicated smart ticketing event – and find out how
implementing an innovative fare collection system
can optimise your revenue, capacity and customer
satisfaction.
Transport ticketing methods have evolved, and
migration away from traditional magnetic stripe
and paper tickets is an acknowledged trend. Smart
cards, direct payment using contactless bank cards,
e-tickets and NFC-enabled phones are emerging as the
replacement methods of ticketing for transport systems,
and have been favoured by operators around the world.
Transport Ticketing 2010 will showcase the leading
examples of smart ticketing from Europe, Asia and
the US, and will unite the entire transport ticketing
value chain. You will benefit from practical advice from
Stagecoach, Virgin Trains, Transport for London, EZ Link,
RATP, JR East, the Department for Transport, ITSO,
the Association of Train Operating Companies, Visa,
MasterCard and many more.
l For further information or to register, visit www.
transport-ticketing.com or call 020 7067 1831
and quote the reference TTARPM
Professor John Draper is
presenting a free oneday
seminar: Durability
by Design, and a
three-day fatigue theory
class: Modern Metal
Fatigue Analysis, at Safe
Technology's training
centre in Sheffield on 2-5
February.
Major advances in
fatigue life estimation
methods mean allowable
stresses can now be estimated to within a few per cent,
but this research information is not readily available to
designers. These classes, aimed at industrial design and
test engineers, academics and mechanical engineering
undergraduates interested in – but not necessarily
knowledgeable about – metal fatigue, help bridge the
gap between research and real industrial design.
The Durability by Design seminar covers problems
that are solvable using durability analysis software for
FEA models. A technology update in key areas of fatigue
analysis is provided, including multiaxial fatigue, the
effects of temperature, notch sensitivity and residual
stresses.
The three-day Modern Metal Fatigue Analysis
theory class provides a concise introduction to
modern methods of fatigue analysis and their practical
application through worked examples, interaction and
discussion.
l For class booking and more events, visit
www.safetechnology.com/training.html
Legrand has focused
attention on the
widespread use of its
cable management
products and systems in
transport infrastructure
projects by launching
a transport solutions
brochure.
The new publication
highlights the company’s
wealth of experience in
delivering both standard
and bespoke cable management solutions for projects
that range from mainline train routes, underground
stations and tunnels, to airport terminals, ferry ports
and bus stations, plus road and rail bridges.
The company’s experience in this sector is illustrated
in the publication by a selection of project case studies,
which include Dublin Airport, The Millau Viaduct and
King’s Cross northern ticket hall. King’s Cross was a
project that saw Legrand develop a modular cable
management system comprising two-dimensional
frames that were constructed using Swiftrack channel
support, S1095 London Underground Salamandre cable
trunking with chain retained lids and Swifts cable tray.
In addition to these project examples, the brochure
provides detailed information on Legrand’s key cable
management solutions for transport infrastructure,
including Swifts ladder, perforated tray and wire tray,
and Salamandre trunking.
l To order a copy of the transport solutions
brochure call 0845 605 4333 or visit
www.legrand.co.uk
JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 37

RECRUITMENT
TRAINING THE ENGINEERS
OF THE FUTURE
Tube Lines
When Tube Lines found itself facing a shortage
of engineers, it introduced an apprenticeship
programme and built its own training centre
Apprentices
at Tube Lines’
Skills Training
Centre in
Stratford, east
London.
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The rail industry is facing a serious skills shortage in engineering.
etwork Rail had to resort to flying in 12 mechanical engineers
from India to help with the West Coast Main Line upgrade during
one of its possessions in 2004. More recently, managers of Crossrail have
said that the shortage of engineers is one of the most serious challenges
the project faces.
The main problem is the age profile of the engineering profession
working on the railways. A significant number are due to retire in the
next few years, but there simply are not sufficient numbers of engineering
graduates coming out of university to replace them.
When Tube Lines started seven years ago, it faced a serious shortage of
skills. So in 2005, the engineering company invested £10m in a specialist
Skills Training Centre in Stratford. The centre introduced state-of-theart
facilities, including five full-sie lengths of track to enable practical
training on infrastructure, points and signalling. our of these tracks are
exact replicas of those currently used on the London Underground, with
a fifth track allowing for training on the new systems being introduced by
line upgrades. An interlocking machine room contains all the euipment
needed to control each of the tracks.
As a result of its highly-regarded apprenticeship training and
development scheme, the PPP contractor has become the second largest
employer of apprentices in London, with the intake for 2009 growing
by 19 per cent. Tube Lines now boasts a full complement of workers
and its innovative approach to recruitment has not gone unnoticed. In
2009, the company, which carries out upgrades and maintenance on the
underground, was awarded Large Employer of the ear in the ational
Apprentice Awards.
Lia Okafor, Tube Lines’ apprentice co-ordinator said: ‘Apprentices have
become a highly valued part of our company and help us keep competitive
in a tough recruitment market. We currently have 81 apprentices on the
programme. Past and present apprentices account for 10 per cent of the
company’s operational headcount. We have a retention rate of 97 per
cent, which is well above the national average for railway operations.’
Tube Lines runs a four-year apprenticeship scheme and proactively
recruits under-represented groups within engineering, such as women
and ethnic minority groups. The Tube Lines model has been so successful
that it is now helping one of its contractors implement an apprentice
programme by assisting with the recruitment and managing of the
apprentices.
When Tube Lines started seven years ago, it
faced a serious shortage of skills. Since then, the
PPP contractor has become the second largest
employer of apprentices in London
38 RAIL PROFESSIONAL : JANUARY 2010
RailProfessional Subscription AD Quarter.indd 1 26/6/09 14:26:55

RECRUITMENT
Rail Professional
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JANUARY 2010 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 39

11 February 2010
London Hilton
Park Lane
London
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