Rail engineer TruePDF march 2019

by rail engineers for rail engineers MARCH 2019 – ISSUE 172 BUYING ’s HS2 HIGH-SPEED TRAINS TRAIN DETECTION In this Signalling & Telecoms issue, Rail Engineer looks at the pros and cons of using axle counters or track circuits to monitor train position RELEARNING ELECTRIFICATION GSM-R MOBILE UPGRADE The Railway Industry Association has issued its report on why electrification is so expensive and how to keep costs down With GSM-R likely to be around for a few years, consideration needs to be given to upgrading on-board hardware to the latest version www.railengineer.co.uk DIGITAL RAILWAY, SIGNALLING & TELECOMS 14th International Exhibition of Railway Equipment, Systems & Services Register r Online fo Now! @railtex #Railtex2019 www.railtex.co.uk 14 - 16 MAY 2019 NEC, BIRMINGHAM, UK The show for everyone involved in shaping the future of UK rail RAIL ENGINEER MAGAZINE CONTENTS 28 Digital Railway, Signalling & Telecoms 06 10 16 54 16 18 24 28 34 38 42 Feature News Railtex, North West investment, Siemens/Alstom merger, Edinburgh Trams Buying HS2’s high-speed trains David Shirres looks at the bidding process in the first of two articles on HS2 train procurement Network Rail devolves still further New chief executive Andrew Haines has outlined his plans for CP6, including regional reorganisation Relearning electrification The Railway Industry Association reports on the costs and challenges oif electrification Head of Digital Railway to retire Clive Kessell sat down with David Waboso to look back over his career Nokia: The common bearer Paul Darlington investigates the telecoms ‘glue’ that binds the digital railway together Train detection Track circuits or axle counters? Both have their pros and cons, and their supporters Repoint: New thinking in point machines Malcolm Dobell visits the Great Central Railway where a new design of point machine goes on test The management of railway incidents Austrian Railways turned to Frequentis for assistance with incident management across its network Evolution of signalling David Bickell discusses the origins and development of signalling technology and practice 38 46 50 Thameslink Telecoms While all the talk is of new trains and new signalling, it is the telecoms system that makes it all work 50 A necessary GSM-R mobile upgrade When the time comes to move from GSM-R to 5G, how should the migration take place? Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 Reduce Costs The rail industry is changing, fast The need to improve efficiency and reliability, whilst minimising disruption and costs has never been greater SLEEPER SPACING INDEPENDENT Innovative solutions are needed Whether it’s a temporary, semi-permanent or permanent access point, whatever the sleeper spacing, our customers can install a 10.8m RRAP in less than 90 minutes, reducing possession times and costs Rosehill Rail – Setting New Standards Quick and easy to install For more information, or to enquire about training, please call the Rosehill Rail sales team on +44 (0)1422 317 473, or email info@rosehillrail.com 26 - 28 March 2019 - Stand 2/504 Lille Grand Palais Exhibition Centre, Lille, France Accommodates irregular sleeper spacing 26 - 28 March 2019 Stand 3.012 Jaarbeurs Utrecht, The Netherlands Certificate: PA05/04429 Locking plates link field and gauge panels Road Crossings // Road Rail Access // Pedestrian Crossings // Anti-Trespass RAIL ENGINEER MAGAZINE EDITORIAL © iStock Photo Signalling the future Andrew Haines knew that Network Rail was letting its passengers and freight users down before he became its new chief executive After a hundred days in the job, spent speaking to all concerned, he now knows what must be done This includes the devolution of control to five new regions to make the company more responsive to its customers This signals much more than an organisational change Haines believes that decision-making must be closer to the end user and so is devolving many HQ roles to the new regions These include Infrastructure Projects and elements of the engineering function Exactly how engineering will be devolved remains to be seen One example is the management of standards which, as Network Rail’s own standards challenge process acknowledges, can currently be overprescriptive Now, although standards management might be felt to be a headquarters function, perhaps it would be better to have standards commonly owned rather than centrally controlled This will require highly competent regional engineers, who will be accountable for the system risk on their routes, having ownership of the standards process as a group and, as they are closer to the issues, it may well result in more appropriate standards There are also significant implications for the Group Digital Railway programme, which Haines does not refer to in the transformational terms used by his predecessor Instead, the new organisation will give regions the authority to decide what is best for their customers However the digital railway develops, it owes a debt to David Waboso who, after joining the programme in 2016, prioritised it to deliver business benefits for passenger and freight customers Before then, it offered digital solutions for everything everywhere Some may be surprised to learn that David is a civil engineer, as Clive Kessell describes in a feature that marks his wide-ranging career Minimising delays on a congested network requires the ultra-high reliability that comes from redundancy to avoid single point failures, such as those that can occur in the control, actuation, detection and locking of points To address this problem, a new point system offering redundancy is now in trial operation As Malcolm Dobell describes, the novel Repoint mechanism does this by having a drive mechanism that is not secured to the rails, which enables them to move with only one actuator operational This month, we have two general signalling features which should be of interest to non-signalling engineers David Bickell explains how Network Rail’s 40,000 signals are part of a signalling system that has been developed to control train movements in the most efficient manner whilst optimising capacity In another feature, which should be good reading for permanent way engineers, Paul Darlington explains train detection technology On Thameslink, signalling is now in the train cab This required a significant GSM-R network upgrade to ensure resilience, provide sufficient data capacity for ETCS operation and eliminate interference in the congested London core GSM-R interference is also an increasing problem elsewhere, as public operators are allocating frequencies close to the GSM-R bandwidth The solution is a £55 million programme to replace 9,000 cab radios with ones that have improved filters Yet, in the not too-distant future, these radios will be obsolete GSM-R will then be replaced by the Future Railways Mobile Communication System In an in-depth feature, we consider the telecommunications technologies that might replace GSM-R These will need to provide reliable, efficient and high-capacity connectivity for both passengers and operational services, as well as allowing for bandwidth expansion for new applications that are unknown today HS2 will also have trains with yet-to-be developed technologies The company’s £2.75 billion procurement of its trains will see bidders submitting their tenders in April This process allows for collaborative design after next year’s contract award to ensure trains are state-of-the-art when they enter service in 2026 HS2 will then provide a huge increase in capacity from London to the North and, from 2033, free up space on the West Coast, Midland and East Coast main lines, a fact which recent television documentaries have ignored HS2’s trains must of course be electric No other form of traction can power high-speed trains or, indeed, those that require high acceleration to provide an acceptable service In its report to government, the industry’s decarbonisation taskforce recognises that it is also “the most carbon efficient power source” Unfortunately, the UK Government has fallen out of favour with electrification due to high cost overruns of the Great Western and other electrification schemes In its recentlyreleased Electrification Cost Challenge report, the Railway Industry Association explains why these schemes were so costly and demonstrates how electrification can be delivered at an affordable cost, with reference to schemes in Scotland and in Europe It remains to be seen whether the conclusions of RIA’s excellent report will be accepted so that, in future, passengers on busy non-electrified lines can experience the benefits provided by the electric trains that operate 72 per cent of the UK’s train services As many of our features show this month, UK rail has an encouraging future, but only if it can deliver for its customers at an affordable cost RAIL ENGINEER EDITOR DAVID SHIRRES Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 THE TEAM NEWS Editor David Shirres david.shirres@railengineer.co.uk Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel.wordsworth@railengineer.co.uk Production and design Adam O’Connor adam@rail-media.com Matthew Stokes matt@rail-media.com Engineering writers bob.wright@railengineer.co.uk chris.parker@railengineer.co.uk clive.kessell@railengineer.co.uk All sectors covered at Railtex 2019 collin.carr@railengineer.co.uk david.bickell@railengineer.co.uk graeme.bickerdike@railengineer.co.uk grahame.taylor@railengineer.co.uk lesley.brown@railengineer.co.uk malcolm.dobell@railengineer.co.uk mark.phillips@railengineer.co.uk paul.darlington@railengineer.co.uk peter.stanton@railengineer.co.uk stuart.marsh@railengineer.co.uk Advertising Asif Ahmed asif@rail-media.com Chris Davies chris@rail-media.com Jolene Price jolene@rail-media.com Rail Engineer Rail Media House, Samson Road, Coalville Leicestershire, LE67 3FP, UK Switchboard: 01530 816 444 Website: www.railengineer.co.uk Rail Engineer Videos http://rail.media/REYouTube Editorial copy to Email: news@rail-media.com Free controlled circulation Email: subscribe@rail-media.com The small print Rail Engineer is published by RailStaff Publications Limited and printed by PCP Ltd © All rights reserved No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright owners Part of: ® www.rail-media.com Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 With the exhibition now less than three months away, Railtex 2019 is taking reservations from a huge variety of new exhibitors, covering every aspect of rolling stock and infrastructure services across three days of industry showcasing The 14th international exhibition of railway equipment, systems and services is UK rail’s premier event, where organisations meet, network and demonstrate products, innovations and expertise to the wider rail industry Over 360 exhibitors from 22 countries have now booked a stand at Railtex The big names include Alstom, British Steel, HS2, Hitachi, PULSAR, Siemens, Stadler and many more Rolling stock suppliers including train carpet manufacturer Axminster Carpets, commercial toilet supplier Dan Dryer, lighting solutions firm KST Lighting & Components, component manufacturing and refurbishment firm Sabre Rail Services, and adhesives, sealant and coating provider Sika have all confirmed their appearance at Railtex 2019, taking place 14 to 16 May at Birmingham’s NEC Covering the design, infrastructure, asset management and operations sectors, exhibitors including infrastructure specialists Adey Steel, switchgear supplier Craig & Derricott, depot equipment provider Garrandale Rail, cable and pipe seal manufacturer Roxtec and asset lifecycle management firm Trimble Railway Solutions are all set to showcase their latest offerings to thousands of attending key buyers, managers and decision makers With visitor registration now officially open, keynote speakers and details of the exhibition’s supporting programme are set to be announced in the coming weeks Visitors are being encouraged to register in advance at www.railtex.co.uk to avoid paying a £20 on-the-door fee NEWS MPs call for increased rail investment in the North West A pledge to support rail investment in the North West has been signed by more than twenty cross-party MPs who represent constituencies across the Liverpool and Manchester city regions United by an interest in the vital role played by the rail industry in the North West, the various MPs pledged to support rail investment, more skilled jobs in the railway industry, work for local supply chains, and investment in skills, people and technology Coordinated by Alstom, which has a world-class centre for train modernisation in Widnes, Cheshire, the pledge has been supported by a number of local businesses, union and interest groups including the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Hayley Group, Liverpool City Region LEP, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Northern Rail Industry Leaders, Riverside College, the TUC, Wabtec, and the Institute of Railway Research at Huddersfield University Alstom UK customer director Mike Hulme, who is also vice-chair of Northern Rail Industry Leaders, said: “The idea behind the pledge was to build a coalition of support in Parliament for rail investment in the region There is such a great potential for the rail industry to be a force in the Liverpool and Manchester city regions, and encouraging local MPs to pledge to support that potential will open the door for investment and jobs.” The Pledge was signed by local MPs: Kate Green, Maria Eagle, Mike Amesbury, Luciana Berger, Lucy Powell and James Frith, Sir David Crausby, George Howarth, Andrew Gwynne, Afzal Khan, Conor McGinn, Dan Carden, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Mike Kane, Stephen Twigg, Bill Esterson, Frank Field, Faisal Rashid (pictured), Dame Louise Ellman, Tony Lloyd and Chris Green coming soon APRIL 2019 TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION & RAILTEX PREVIEW Trains, signalling, asset management, communications, and even station control systems, all have technology at their heart Developing this technology presents its own challenges In addition, Rail Engineer looks ahead to the UK’s major rail exhibition at the NEC, with details of companies to see and presentations to attend Academic Research, Advanced Thinking, Compliance, Innovation, Internet of Trains, Latest Technology, New Working Practices, Novel Techniques, Pilot Studies, Product Approvals, Research & Development, Testing RAILTEX: Displays, Exhibitor list, Floorplan, Innovations, Networking, Keynotes, Seminars MAY 2019 PLANT, EQUIPMENT & RAILWORX PREVIEW As work on the railway becomes increasingly mechanised due to the pressures of productivity and efficiency, Rail Engineer looks at the latest equipment and techniques that are coming to or have arrived on worksites around the network The first ever RailWorx outdoor exhibition will take place in June and this issue previews what visitors will be able to see at the show Attachments, Excavation, Hand tools, Handling, Hire, Innovation, Lifting, Maintenance, Piling, Power Tools, Product Launches, Road-Rail, Safety, Surveying, Welding, Welfare RAILWORX: Demonstrations, Displays, Exhibitor list, Innovations, Networking, Site Plan JUNE 2019 ROLLING STOCK & DEPOTS With trains and their systems becoming ever more complicated, Rail Engineer’s specialist writers cover everything that improves performance, increases efficiency, and keeps passengers happy New trains, refurbished older ones, improved technology and alternative fuels are all considered and evaluated Comfort, Components, Condition Monitoring, Depots, Driverless Technology, Equipment, Fuel, Inspection, Interiors, Lifting, Light-Rail Vehicles, Lighting, Maintenance, New designs, Onboard Entertainment, Operation, Passenger Information, Platform-Train Interface, Refurbishment, Safety Initiatives, Train Washing, Tram-Train, Underground Trains, Wheel-Rail Interface Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 NEWS Proposed rail merger hits the buffers The fate of the planned European rail giant Siemens Alstom was sealed on February when unresolved concerns surrounding its impact on competition and the price of signalling and very high-speed trains caused the European Commission to veto the move, despite concessions being made Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (pictured), in charge of competition policy, said: “Millions of passengers across Europe rely every day on modern and safe trains “Siemens and Alstom are both champions in the rail industry Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signalling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high-speed trains “The Commission prohibited the merger because the companies were not willing to address our serious competition concerns.” Alstom described the decision as “a clear set-back for industry in Europe” Both parties had stressed that the combined company would have created a European player with the ability to cope with growing competition from non-EU companies Globalisation of the rolling stock market has created opportunities for both but it has also led to increased competition from countries such as South Korea, Japan and China - particularly the world’s dominant rail equipment supplier CRRC - which themselves are not open to competition As a result of the decision from Brussels, the merger - which was backed by both the French and German governments and would have seen the creation of a new entity with a turnover of €15.3 billion and 62,300 employees in over 60 countries - will no longer proceed During its lengthy investigation, the European Commission received negative comments from customers, competitors, industry associations and trade unions, including Britain’s Office of Rail and Road Responding to the news, it released the following statement: “We are pleased to have played an important role, alongside colleagues at the Competition and Markets Authority, in persuading the Commission to reach the same view and block this tie-up, protecting vital competition for the supply of signalling and high speed rolling stock.” INTEGRATED 19” CABINETS, RACKS & ENCLOSURES Cannon Technologies Ltd Queensway, Stem Lane New Milton, Hampshire BH25 5NU T: +44 (0)1425 632600 E: sales@cannontech.co.uk Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 NEWS Edinburgh trams could finally reach Newhaven Edinburgh's tram network could be extended to Newhaven, depending on the result of a Council meeting on 14 March Councillors will consider the Final Business Case (FBC) which sets out the strategic, economic, financial, commercial and management case for taking trams to Newhaven and outlines the project cost at £196 million This figure includes a significant additional risk allocation as well as funding to support local business through the construction process The project would be funded through future tram fare revenues, along with a special dividend from Lothian Buses The FBC predicts that “The project is forecast to generate an incremental demand of seven million passenger journeys in its opening year”, on top of the 7.4 million journeys that were made on the current network in 2018 
 Even when the recommended percentage of ‘optimism bias’ is added, which would take the project total to £207.3 million, the FBC states that the project remains affordable and self-financing, and would not divert funds from other Council services If the project is approved, passenger journeys to and from Newhaven could commence in early 2023, following a six-month period of testing and commissioning on the new 4.69km route between York Place and Newhaven Further, “it unlocks a large swathe of the city for housing development and employment opportunities that would not be possible without high capacity public transport” Construction is planned to use a ‘one-dig’ approach, with each work site closing only once and then reopening only when all works (archaeology, pre-infrastructure works and construction of the tram route itself) are complete This approach reflects lessons learned from the previous tram project, which incurred significant overruns As a result, in 2009, two years after construction started, the decision was taken to curtail the original Phase 1a route from Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven at the temporary York Place stop, just after St Andrew Square The new proposals will see the York Place stop removed and complete Phase 1a as it was originally envisaged This extension will benefit from the utility clearance work done by the original project before phase 1a was curtailed and will not require purchase of any further trams as the 2007 contract for 27 trams was sufficient for the full phase 1a route PROTECTING ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT Cannon Technologies Ltd Queensway, Stem Lane New Milton, Hampshire BH25 5NU T:+44 (0)1425 632600 E: sales@cannontech.co.uk Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 FEATURE ’s HS2 BUYING 10 DAVID SHIRRES HIGH-SPEED TRAINS T he projects and rolling stock that are featured in Rail Engineer must often deal with the constraints of Britain’s historic railway infrastructure For HS2, this is not a problem, as the company has a blank canvas for the design of Britain’s first domestic mainline railway for 120 years This leaves HS2 free to use best practice to ensure that its new highspeed railway will offer the required capacity, speed, reliability and value for money, as well as designing for energy efficiency and whole system maintainability In addition to such operational issues, there is also the requirement to satisfy increasing customer expectations and meet the needs of passengers who are getting older, taller and broader When HS2 services start in 2026, the requirement will be a stress-free, seamless end-to-end journey This may require smart technology that has yet to be invented At the heart of this vision is HS2’s fleet of new trains that, for phase of the project, are currently subject to a £2.75 billion procurement exercise to purchase at least 54 trains, each 200 metres long, complete with their supporting maintenance services The designers of these trains, however, not have quite the same blank canvas as is available to HS2’s infrastructure designers, as the trains are constrained by having to run on both HS2 and the conventional network Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 HS2 phase one will offer faster and much-improved journeys on intercity routes out of London Euston In effect, it is a by-pass for the West Coast main line (WCML) between London and Lichfield, with a spur to Birmingham, and so will also release a large amount of capacity on the bottom end of the WCML In 2026, this is expected to carry ten trains an hour each way, of which seven will use the WCML by-pass to serve Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow Hence the need for classiccompatible trains for HS2 phase one When the HS2 network is complete after phase two opens in 2033, its Y network will terminate at Manchester and Leeds and will also by-pass the WCML between London and Wigan and the East Coast Main Line between London and York It is anticipated that there will then be 24 trains per hour (18 from London and six northwards from Birmingham), of which 14 will run on dedicated routes This will require a further order of about 100 trains, some of which will be dedicated to the HS2 route to take advantage of its European GC loading gauge (Above) Early designs released by Hitachi Rail Europe of its AT400 veryhigh-speed train, which has been labelled "the British bullet train" And the ATR1000 Red Arrow that the Bombardier/Hitachi JV produced for Italy (below) 46 SIGNALLING & TELECOMS Thameslink Telecoms CLIVE KESSELL T he Thameslink north-south rail link across London is nearing fulfilment Despite the timetable problems back in May 2018, the enhanced capacity on the route is already easing the daily commutes for thousands of people When it reaches its full potential of 24 trains per hour (tph) in each direction through the central London core, an even bigger demand is to be expected whereby Network Rail could demonstrate just how complex and wide ranging have been the telecom elements Rail Engineer went along to learn more Upgrading GSM-R The overall programme, covering five route areas, will have cost £4.6 billion, including the provision of 55 new 12car and 60 eight-car trains, running through 10 signalling centre areas of control on track used by 11 train operating companies (TOCs) Much of the project’s glamour has focussed on the new stations (London Bridge and Blackfriars in particular), its civil engineering, especially the Bermondsey flyover, and the new ETCS with ATO (European Train Control system with Automatic Train Operation) train control system There has been very little mention of the telecommunications network, without which none of the above could have happened Yet all the telecoms requirements have Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 needed a massive design and implementation project that has equalled the other disciplines in the need for creative thinking and new ways of providing service To understand what has been involved, the London & SE section of the IRSE hosted an evening meeting in January Whilst the Thameslink routes both north and south of the Thames and through the central core had been equipped with GSM-R, this was primarily associated with driver to signaller voice communication As such, the capacity, coverage and resilience of the radio network was less than would be SIGNALLING & TELECOMS required if used as a bearer for ETCS An upgrade has therefore been necessary the responsibility of the telecoms function within Network Rail for the control and infrastructure equipment but also involving the TOCs for the ETCS trainborne mobile equipment The ETCS/ATO area extends from Kentish Town and Canal Tunnel junction in the north to Elephant & Castle and beyond London Bridge in the south To improve the robustness of the system, most of the previous radio cells have been split with 15 new Kapsch 9000-series base stations being purchased to replace the existing nine Kapsch 8000-series units All base stations now have a double landline connection, the majority using diversely routed fibres plus a 12-hour standby power supply at each site Much of the central core section is equipped with radiating cable and 16 radio cable repeaters are needed to keep the signal strength at the required level GSM-R radio performance has to take account of the channel availability within the 4MHz uplink and downlink allocation This leads to two constraints Firstly, in congested areas like London where multiple rail routes are in close proximity, channel allocations, base Customer information screen at London Bridge station locations and aerial alignments have to be carefully planned to eliminate, as far as possible, the risk of co-channel interference Secondly, whilst having a circuit switched connection (an individual train seizes and holds an available timeslot for the duration of use) is just about ok for occasional voice traffic, the data requirements for ETCS operation mean that a continuous connection is required With circuit switching, there is simply not enough capacity within GSM-R Fortunately, development and proving work in the UK and Europe has determined that packet switching is an acceptable alternative for the future Even if the occasional packet is lost, the data transfer is sufficiently guaranteed for reliable ETCS information updates as well as enabling a considerable increase in capacity The upgraded GSM-R network has been extensively tested, both for coverage and resilience Additional hardware duplication has been provided to minimise the chance of equipment failure that would result in ETCS data being unavailable An additional feature with the new Kapsch base stations is a Voltage Standing Wave Ratio alarm, which monitors the radio signals such that any deviation from the Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 47 48 SIGNALLING & TELECOMS norm is detected before a fault actually occurs The overall monitoring of this, and indeed the nationwide GSM-R network, is undertaken by Network Rail Telecoms (NRT) from its Network Management Centres Emergency Services radio The King’s Cross fire in 1987 (right) brought home the need for the emergency services to communicate together effectively in all locations, including underground railways Since Thameslink in largely underground in the central core, provision has had to be made to enable radio systems covering police, fire and ambulance services to communicate in any emergency circumstances Using Tetra technology in the UHF band, all police forces (including British Transport Police - BTP) and the ambulance service have now converted to Airwave, which is the same technology that London Underground uses for its track-to-train communication Providing Airwave coverage on LU is therefore relatively straightforward Adjacent LU and Thameslink locations get coverage by default, but, elsewhere on Thameslink, it has been necessary to feed Airwave signals down the same GSM-R radiating cables, but with different types of repeaters The fire service has continued to use a different system - Fire Ground - which again has its signals injected into the same radiating cable The Fire Ground system had already been provided in the St Pancras area as part of the HS1 communication requirements, so this Antennas at Elephant & Castle Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 system was extended into Thameslink to prevent inter-channel interference The erstwhile York Way tunnel at King’s Cross has been retained as an access point for the emergency services and thus set train paths automatically The signallers are to be provided with webbased Train Graphs at their workstations so that they can see the overall train service performance at a glance Traffic Management The Signalling Bearer Network The crucial need for a traffic management system (TMS) to regulate the Thameslink train service through the central core when 24tph eventually happens was described in issue 160 (February 2018) Using the Hitachi Tranista system, this will look at real-time train movements from as far away as Luton and Hitchin in the north and Sevenoaks and Three Bridges in the south, and to then constantly calculate the optimum pathing of trains should any of them be running late and not arriving at the central core in the timetabled order Getting TMS to be effective is a complex challenge and demands crucial telecom and data links as part of the design Such is the foreseen dependence on TMS that two parallel systems have been procured (A and B) to provide the necessary resilience Capturing the constant stream of data from all the outlying locations has meant the provision of two independent Ethernet rings of 250Mbit capacity to deliver the train running information The FTNx fixed telecommunications network provided by NRT (Network Rail Telecoms) as a nationwide IP (Internet Protocol) data service has been employed for this task This means that all TMS data is IP-based, which was a logical way forward in any case As traffic management systems spread to other areas of the country, so the Thameslink TMS system will link into these and thus potentially provide train running information from even further afield Whilst the output from TMS is an advisory tool to the signallers, who will be able to change the routing plan if they think it advisable, eventually TMS will link into the ARS (Automatic Route Setting) facility within the rail operating centres (ROCs) Not only is a comprehensive telecom and data network required for TMS, but the very extent of the Three Bridges ROC operation means that similar connectivity would be required for controlling all the outlying signalling equipment Traditionally, this would have been done by low-speed data links provided as part of the signalling design, but the cost of such a provision would be considerable and questions were asked as to whether a more cost-effective solution could be devised The resulting specification called for a comprehensive fibre and data communications network (DCN) and, with the FTN network already in place, using this was an obvious choice However, just taking the available bandwidth without any provision for local control gave a measure of unease and thus a compromise was needed A joint development between Siemens, Network Rail and NRT came up with a solution that effectively delivers a virtual private network within the FTN backbone Three pre-assessments were identified: »» Diversity needed for all required service functions to each relay room; »» The level of availability and path length from the FTN to each relay room to be scored; »» A comparison of options to be made with identification of any diversity shortfalls The resultant network has moved the Network Terminating Point (NTP) from the FTN router to the signalling equipment rooms, with an independent network control centre established at Three Bridges working in conjunction with NRT The DCN has been renamed TSPN (Thameslink Signalling Private Network known colloquially as Teaspoon) and gives SIGNALLING & TELECOMS four independent paths from the main signalling equipment rooms back to Three Bridges ROC Every signalling trackside module has an IP address layered to SIL4 (safety integrity level 4) standards Close co-operation has been needed with the NRT control centre staff and this involved considerable training to ensure familiarity with the critical network requirements 140 routers are employed to start with, and more will be added once the Hither Green area is converted Since start-up four years ago, only two faults have been recorded, one a power supply problem, the other a router failure, neither being service affecting Station Information and Security (SISS) All stations in the central core need to give out comprehensive information to the passenger plus sophisticated monitoring of security Included within this are customer information screens (CIS), public address and CCTV During the early stage of the project, the displaced CCTV recording equipment from King’s Cross was relocated to London Bridge, so that output from the existing 400 analogue CCTV cameras could still be recorded These cameras were connected to the new information network by the use of analogue-to-digital converters, prior to them being replaced during the rebuilding At London Bridge, new equipment has been provided throughout, based upon an IP station data network consisting of two-core switches forming two VLANs in ring formation Connected to this are 700 new high-definition Bosch cameras, with recording equipment to match, plus a video wall in the control room The cameras are also viewable from Three Bridges ROC and the BTP control room at Victoria A total of 310 CIS train departure screens using Infotec LED displays are provided across all platforms New PA amplifiers link into the system but include a hard-wired voice alarm facility to ensure availability in any emergency situation Achieving the 24tph throughput in the central core requires critical control of station dwell times These are timetabled at 60 seconds, allowing 42 seconds for passengers to alight and board Automatic door opening is employed but CIS information is crucial to conditioning passenger behaviour Train summary displays are provided showing the time until the next train and the six subsequent trains These use TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, with past concerns over display life having largely been overcome Alternate units go into ‘sleep mode’ at night to prolong life Still to be commissioned is an overall integration and monitoring system for all the Thameslink central stations A contract is in place with Telent for the provision of its MICA (Management, Integration and Control of Assets) product, with the hardware already installed at Three Bridges Used previously at Clapham Junction and London Bridge, the system will give visibility of all telecom facilities at every station In addition to CCTV, PA and CIS, the system will monitor lighting, lift and escalator alarms, station radio, security and fire alarms, and will also monitor dwell times and passenger congestion, with an alarm being generated if limits are exceeded The benefit of MICA is that different manufacturers’ products can be monitored, regardless of type and age, thus avoiding the replacement of assets that still have useful life In this modern age it is a commonly held view that telecoms will just be there, akin to water in the pipe and electricity at the socket If nothing else, this account shows just how complex the provision of telecom facilities is on a route such as Thameslink Thanks to Tom Chaffin and Stephen Brown of Network Rail for delivering such an elucidating explanation Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 49 50 SIGNALLING & TELECOMS CLIVE KESSELL A Necessary GSM-R MOBILE UPGRADE I t is easy to forget that GSM-R, as the standardised track to train radio system across Europe, has been around for over 25 years The agreement to use GSM technology rather than Tetra was arrived at back in 1992, with development work to produce the railways special requirements taking about seven years So, from around 2000, GSM-R networks have slowly been rolled out across Europe, with most countries now having nationwide coverage Checking a radio in a Class 66 locomotive Key to all of this has been the negotiation and subsequent agreement with ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to allocate dedicated bandwidth consisting of a 4MHz (876-880MHz and 921-925MHz) uplink and downlink At the time of allocation, the licensing authorities were mindful to keep a reasonable separation between the GSM-R frequencies and other users However, such is the pressure on spectrum that, over the years, allocations have been given to the public mobile operators that encroach very close to GSM-R bandwidth – a situation which is now causing problems for radio reliability Even though GSM-R will eventually have to be replaced, this is still several years away and remedial action has to be taken now Rail Engineer went to meet with Network Rail to learn of the problem and the possible solution Interference Impact All across Europe, GSM-R radio interference shows itself in different ways, but, in Great Britain, three fault conditions have been noticed: Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 »» The cab radio goes into search mode, causing a lock up and requiring a reinitiation process that takes several minutes during which time the train cannot make or receive emergency calls; »» The radio re-boots itself, which is an eight-step start up process that often only gets to step three; »» The cab radio screen goes blank, which again necessitates a re-initiation If these occurrences were very infrequent, it might be a reasonable risk assessment to live with the problem However, incidents now number 240 a year, often necessitating stopping the train whilst the re-boot or re-initialisation takes place, causing two to three minutes delay In total, this results in around 8,000 delay minutes being attributed to GSM-R interference problems Perhaps more importantly, there are safety implications and, although no safety incidents have occurred to date, Network Rail is mindful that it is only a matter of time before one happens Something has to be done The Solution Although various companies have produced the in-cab mobile equipment, logistic considerations dictate that having a single supplier and type in any country is a great advantage if radios are to be held at depots to fit into new rolling stock and as spares for whenever a change out is needed The cab radio supplier for Great Britain is Siemens, which manufactures the units SIGNALLING & TELECOMS Class 43 (HST power car) roof antennas in Poole, Dorset Over the years, the product (currently model V3.6) has been refined to a very high level of reliability, now reaching 378,000 hours mean time between failure (MTBF) for each unit There are some 9,000 cabs (including yellow plant) that contain a radio and an additional 2,800 are held at the rolling stock depots To overcome the interference problem, these radios need to be fitted with a transceiver having much improved filters that give a sharp cut when frequencies are detected in adjacent parts of the spectrum Filter technology has improved in line with increased bandwidth utilisation, so designing the filters has been relatively straightforward The challenge is to provide this new filter within the same radio space envelope such that retro fitting work on the rolling stock is kept to the very minimum The V4 Radio Network Rail, working with Siemens, has re-developed the cab radio to incorporate the new transceivers plus an improved power supply and audio card to further improve reliability The opportunity has been taken both to build in a number of new filters mentioned above and also to incorporate a 4G LTE capability The specification required a radio product that has exactly the same space envelope, has the same connections to aerials and power supply, has the same display screen and indeed is capable of being produced by conversion of the existing radios In short, the new must be identical to the old in terms of operation by the train drivers and in fitment at the depots That radio at V4 now exists and such is the importance of the upgrade that there is now a £55 million programme of testing and deployment across the entire fleet Reliability remains key and, to this end, the initial production run of 100 V4 radios has been fitted to examples of rolling stock that operate over different types of railway These include: »» London North East Railway – Class 91 electric locos, Class 43 HST and Mk DVT, 25 cabs in total; »» Merseyrail – Class 507 and 508 EMUs, which, although shortly to be replaced, will test out operation in a tunnel environment; »» South Western Railway – Class 158 and 159 DMUs; »» London South Eastern Railway – Class 466 EMUs and Class 395 Javelin trains, the latter to check performance on a high-speed line; »» Govia Thameslink Railway – Class 377 EMUs and the new Siemens Class 717, which will replace the Class 313 on GN inner suburban services; »» Freightliner – Class 66 diesel locos, 24 in total, where the configuration is one radio wired out to a screen display unit in each cab The radio will be fitted in the ‘clean air’ compartment known to be one of the dirtiest environments! »» Transport for Wales Cambrian Route – Class 158 DMUs where the train data radio is essential for that route’s ETCS operation These have been part of the initial trial that successfully demonstrated reliability well in excess of the contracted minimum MTBF of 50,000 hours, proving that the interference problem has been resolved Indeed, once the number of units in service reaches a critical mass, with the improvements (audio circuitry, input voltage circuitry) introduced in V4.0, the reliability of the new unit should be at least on a par with its predecessor One important feature is the onward connectivity to the OTMR (the on-train data recorder) and to the train’s PA system to allow direct communication to passengers from the control room should any emergency occur The Deployment Programme Siemens will supply a float of radios direct to Network Rail, which, in turn, will supply the radios to the train and freight operating companies (TOCs and FOCs) that will undertake the actual replacement at their maintenance depots Mainstream deployment is expected to begin in October 2019 at the rate of 100 per week, taking until the end of 2021 to complete After briefing the fitters, the change out time is around 60 minutes per cab Programming the radio with the fleet number of the locomotive/multiple unit will be the responsibility of the depot, as of now The yellow fleet of on-track machines must not be forgotten as they also carry GSM-R radios and change out is likely to happen at the plant machine depots Replaced radios will be returned to Siemens which will then modify them to the V4 specification ready for re-supply to Network Rail The areas where the worst interference is known to occur will be prioritised, primarily London and the South East, then Manchester The TOCs are supportive as the project will overcome the nuisance of the interference and will come at no expense to them One or two TOCs have other more pressing matters on their mind and cross industry collaboration will be required Whilst this article concentrates on the cab mobile equipment, minimising the risk of interference may also require changes to the radio infrastructure Smaller cells and altered power levels are likely to be pursued in the most vulnerable areas, but these could well be carried out as part of the GSM-R network enhancement for ETCS provision (see the article on Thameslink telecommunications elsewhere in this issue) GSM-R interface in a Class 43 cab Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 51 52 SIGNALLING & TELECOMS Other Opportunities The Siemens cab radio has considerable processing capacity, far more than is needed for voice communication or transmission of ETCS data So why not use this intelligence for other purposes? Equipping the radio to receive GPS signals or, more succinctly, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) that includes gyros and accelerometers to measure train movement and distance travelled, is one such addition One additional new processor card is incorporated into the radio plus additional aerial sockets for GPS and LTE antennae on the cab roof This latter will be a combined unit with the GSM-R aerial, thus achieving a like-for-like footprint to facilitate ready fitment Although all the V4 radios will be so equipped, funding for the GPS connection is only currently authorised for 200 units, which, at £6,000 per cab, will need a sizeable investment package if all fleets are to be equipped The ongoing projects that could benefit from such fitment are: »» Degraded Mode Working System (DMWS) aka COMPASS The system to get trains moving much more quickly if a signalling failure occurs was described in issue 162 (April 2018) but, for it to be successful, a train’s position must be verified independent of the signalling system GNSS information on the train radio can achieve this Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 »» Track Remote Condition Monitoring Whilst the Network Rail fleet of measurement trains (the New Measurement Train ‘Flying Banana’ and others) an excellent job of monitoring the state of the infrastructure, track and overhead wires, logistics dictate that every track in a route can only be measured every few weeks If a number of service trains can be equipped with basic monitoring equipment, then any emerging problem can be noticed more quickly It is intended to equip the first 200 trains mentioned above with this facility, using the gyros and accelerometers of the GNSS to record the train position, as well as any unusual ride characteristics, that can then be reported in real time Looking for track defects and rolling stock suspension problems is the basic objective »» Phone Books Train drivers invariably need help if a problem arises during a journey Problems with the signalling system may need reporting to a Network Rail control centre and problems with the train could need the help of a fleet engineer Knowing which number to call can be a challenge but having a phone directory immediately available and kept up to date by software downloads would be a real asset It is the intention that the V4 radio holds such information »» DAS (Driver Advisory System) These systems are slowly being adopted by both passenger and freight train companies, although the need to accommodate a separate unit in the driver’s cab and the cost of retrofitting is a disincentive Siemens has demonstrated that the advice to drivers can be accommodated on the cab radio screen and a limited trial took place between London and Norwich back in 2016 with good results and, apparently, judged favourably by the drivers (issue 137, March 2016) DAS, both in standalone and connected (C-DAS) form, can yield impressive fuel savings as well as optimising time keeping, so having it available almost for free must surely be of interest to the TOCs This cab radio upgrade project has come about through necessity and will proceed in the quickest possible timescale The opportunities for using the GSM-R network for much more than a voice communication facility and a bearer for ETCS are there to be seized Will the industry, both Network Rail and operators, recognise these opportunities and come up with the finance to make them happen? Watch this space Thanks to Steve Leigh, the Network Rail programme manager for cab radio, for explaining the technicalities and logistics of the project “Excellence in Engineering” Lundy Projects Limited 195 Chestergate Stockport SK3 0BQ Tel: 0161 476 2996 Email: mail@lundy-projects.co.uk Website: www.lundy-projects.co.uk 54 FEATURE DAVID SHIRRES Relearning T Electrification he project to reopen the Airdrie to Bathgate (A2B) line in 2010 included electrification to extend the Glasgow suburban electrification network to Edinburgh via this new line This electrification work was part of a £60 million contract to electrify 106 single track kilometres (stk) and lay 44 kilometres of track on the new line This project, which was delivered to time and budget, was Britain’s first significant electrification since the 1994 Heathrow and Leeds North West electrification schemes After this long gap, A2B was to be the first of many new electrification schemes as the UK government had accepted the benefits of electrification Between 2009 and 2012, it announced electrification of Great Western main line, North Western lines, South Wales main line, Midland main line, Electric Spine, Crossrail, Gospel Oak to Barking line and West Midlands suburban lines In addition, the Scottish government was funding various electrification schemes These electrification programmes totalled over 2,000stk The Great Western electrification programme (GWEP) started in 2010 and was to cost £1 billion By 2016, its cost had risen to £2.8 billion and its scope was reduced By 2017, the government had lost faith and cancelled the Midland main line, Swansea and Windermere electrification schemes This was justified by the claim that electrification was not necessary as new bi-mode trains offer the same passenger benefits despite their diesel mode having about two thirds the power of their electric mode (issue 157, November 2017) RIA’s cost challenge Although electrification offers significant passenger, cost, reliability and environmental benefits, these benefits will not be realised unless the UK Government is convinced that any future electrification will cost far less than GWEP has The Railway Industry Association (RIA) considers that electrification remains the optimum technical solution for intensively used railways - if it can be delivered at an acceptable cost Its technical Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 director, David Clarke, who considers that the industry can and must deliver electrification at a lower cost, is leading RIA’s Electrification Cost Challenge, which recently produced its report This highlights lessons from schemes in the UK, notably Scotland, and elsewhere to show that electrification can be delivered at a lower cost than GWEP David acknowledges that much went wrong with GWEP, but he feels that it is not helpful to assign blame as “the whole industry got it wrong” and the important thing is to recognise the problems and learn lessons In this respect his report identified the following reasons for GWEP’s cost escalation: »» Unrealistic programme as completion date was set by delivery date for new trains determined by the Department for Transport; »» Immature estimates with little survey information or cost data from recent schemes; »» Unclear specification as Network Rail didn’t know whether the Department for Transport wanted trains to run at 125 or 140mph; »» The development of high-output electrification construction trains that had not been used before; »» Unnecessarily conservative pile design requiring piles up to 15 metres long which resulted in poor productivity with many repeat visits to individual sites; »» Competition for delivery resources, for example with North Western, Scottish and Midland main line electrification schemes all taking place at the same time; »» Introduction of new UK requirements for multiple pantograph operation at up to 140 mph (later reduced to 125mph) resulted in a new OLE design specification that was more onerous than the European Energy Technical Standard for Interoperability (ENE TSI) which was itself under revision when the project was being designed; »» In addition, the UK introduced more Installing an electrification gantry on the Edinburgh to Glasgow main line in 2009, 12km of which were electrified as part of the Airdrie to Bathgate project Clearances and contact wire height /stagger From 2015, railway projects had to comply with European standard ENE TSI Platform side stagger Contact Wire Height For protection against electric shock, this refers to British Standard BS EN 50122, which had a special UK case (Annex G) allowing 25kV equipment to be outside a 2.75metre radius from the platform edge, as shown in blue Elsewhere in Europe, it has to be outside the 3.5-metre radius shown in green In 2013, a British Standards committee ruled that Annex G should not be used Hence, unless justified by risk assessment, 25kV equipment has to be outside the normal European 3.5-metre radius At many stations where bridges reduce contact wire height, pantographs will encroach on this 3.5-metre radius unless bridges are raised or platforms and track lowered OLE equipment rarely encroaches on the 3.5-metre radius This would require a particular combination of contact wire height, platform side stagger and platform height onerous clearance requirements than ENE TSI and it was initially perceived that the ORR expected absolute compliance rather than allowing deviation following robust risk assessment and appropriate safety measures; »» The unproven Series overhead line system was developed during project delivery and was designed for 125mph multiple-pantograph operation, TSI compliance and ease of installation; »» The volume of planning permissions and consents was under estimated; »» The lack of a collaborative contracting strategy with clear objectives, shared incentives and fewer interfaces RIA’s electrification cost challenge report explains how lessons from the above have been learnt and implemented Furthermore, it shows that the underlying cause of most of the above issues is the British ‘feast and famine’ approach to electrification, which meant that there was initially insufficient expertise to design, plan and deliver electrification projects on the scale of the GWEP This was not a problem for the much smaller Airdrie to Bathgate electrification as, in 2010, it did not have to compete for resources In addition, it did not have the problems of unclear specification or standards changes This perhaps explains why this electrification work was delivered to time and budget The Scottish electrification experience provides useful information for RIA’s electrification study, which notes that two schemes completed in 2014, Cumbernauld and Rutherglen, delivered electrification for less than £0.75 million per stk However, the RIA report notes that £/stk is actually quite a crude measure of performance in view of the varying amount of electrification clearance and power supply work between different schemes Although the Edinburgh to Glasgow main line electrification was over budget at £2 million per stk, the later Alloa and Shotts schemes, which both required significant clearance works, each cost £1.5 million per stk The RIA report concluded: “Having a rolling programme of electrification in Scotland is benefiting from learning and experience being passed from one project to the next.” It included the following examples of good practice from the Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa electrification project: FEATURE »» The separation of independent activities, even though this extends the programme, into 1) bridgeworks and other route clearance; 2) site investigation; 3) grid supplies, master feed diagram, isolation and switching design; 4) foundations and 5) OLE installation; »» Extensive ground investigation undertaken at 200-metre centres throughout the route; »» Site-specific GRIP OLE design to consider site information, including clearances, to ensure accurate development of GRIP detailed OLE design; »» Foundation options derived from ground investigation CAD model developed from all possible sources with 1.2-metre-cube trial holes dug at each planned location to confirm foundation setting out and design; »» Staged approach to OLE design using finalised isolation and switching design and as-built foundation positions; »» Foundations installed using MOVAX vibrating units mounted on road-rail vehicles; »» A common data model that included steelwork foundation, masts and small parts schedules, material allocation and the wiring CAD model; »» Masts installed using a road-rail vehiclemounted manipulator, rather than a crane, with small parts steelwork prefixed to avoid working at height; »» To maximise wiring train productivity, particular attention was paid to special foundations to ensure that all masts would be in place for each wire-run with Team Scotland Unlike Westminster, the Scottish Government is committed to a substantial rolling programme of electrification that, it believes, will bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits Including A2B, it has funded a rolling programme of seven separate schemes over a ten-year period that will have electrified over 500stk once the Shotts scheme is completed in May Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 55 56 FEATURE cantilevers and registration arms preregistered to +/- 50mm prior to wiring; »» Extended midweek ‘rules of the route’ access negotiated so that night-time engineering access could start after the evening peak service; »» A station electrical clearance risk assessment process was developed to assess acceptable clearances for use in OLE design Foundations and arrestors Amongst the various cost-saving measures included in RIA’s report, two particularly noteworthy initiatives are Network Rail’s new standard for foundation design and the use of surge arrestors to reduce clearance costs A major factor in GWEP’s cost escalation were obviously over-engineered foundations, up to 15 metres deep, which were the result of an analytical riskaverse design approach The RIA report considered this to be a major factor in the programme’s poor productivity and resultant cost escalation Previously foundations had been designed using empirical methods derived from field tests carried out by the UIC’s Office for Research and Experiments (ORE) in the 1950s To validate a return to this previous approach, Network Rail engaged the University of Southampton to carry out full-scale field tests to extend the ORE design methodology to 610mmdiameter circular hollow section piles over in-service loading conditions that are at the upper end of current operational experience Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 The results of this research are now incorporated in Network Rail standard NR/L2/CIV/074 ‘Design and installation of overhead line foundations’ RIA’s report notes that it is encouraging that the Bedford to Corby electrification project is now installing 95 per cent of its piles using ORE design methods to achieve productivity of six piles in the available working time of hours 30 minutes As described in issue 158 (December 2017), surge arrestors have been successfully introduced on Danish Railways to reduce bridge electrification clearances These work by limiting any over-voltages, for example from lightning strikes When combined with contact wire covers and an electrical insulating coating (onto an earthing plate) electrical clearances required in both wet and dry conditions are significantly reduced The University of Southampton was also involved in this initiative as it carried out 193kV tests under controlled conditions under Network Rail’s supervision to determine that, with this mitigation, minimum electrical clearance requirements could be reduced from 270mm to 150mm Just outside Cardiff Central Station, there is a low and highly skewed bridge over the railway which itself crosses a substantial culvert To obtain the required electrical clearance, the reconstruction of this bridge had been costed at £40-£50 million and the estimate of an alternative option of track lowering and a culvert diversion was £10-15 million Both these options would have been highly disruptive Instead, for a cost below £1 million, Andromeda Engineering worked with Network Rail, Siemens (surge arrestors) and GLS Coatings (insulated coating on the underside of the bridge) to provide a solution that avoided the need for these expensive and disruptive options Affordable electrification GWEP has been the subject of reports by both the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee that draw conclusions about programme management issues Neither of these reports acknowledges the difficulty of ramping-up supply-chain capability for full route electrification after there having been no such scheme for twenty years Award-winning multi-disciplined design and build engineering company Specialising in railway electrification, LV and signalling design, delivering major and bespoke rail infrastructure projects across the UK and internationally SPECIALIST SERVICES INCLUDE: DESIGN SERVICES, FROM FEASIBILITY TO DETAILED DESIGN AND BUILD • ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY • PROJECT MANAGEMENT Railway Industry Innovation Award Winners • TECHNICAL AUTHORING • BESPOKE TRAINING New Appointment Jeff Davies is the new Operations Director at Andromeda A former Network Rail Director of Route Asset Management & Safety for Wales & Borders route, Jeff has over 17 years of experience in the rail industry www.andromedauk.com info@andromedauk.com T:0151 4273802 @AndromedaUK Delivering high quality engineering solutions through innovation, collaboration & efficiency New Appointment Michael Ewart is the new Managing Director of Amaro Multi-disciplined rail company, specialising in signalling installation & testing, LV and OLE to complement the design capability www.amarogroup.co.uk enquiries@amarogroup.co.uk A former Network Rail Route Programme Director for LNE & EM, Michael has over 25 years of experience in the rail industry T:0845 2071190 In 2018 Andromeda, along with Amaro, a signalling, power and communications company, were acquired by Affinity Rail Group, providing a multi-disciplined signalling and E&P business solution @AmaroSignalling 58 FEATURE In contrast, RIA’s electrification cost challenge report focuses on practical and technical lessons from GWEP and other projects It shows how solutions have been implemented and gives examples of actual electrification costs throughout the UK and in mainland Europe As a result, the report concludes that, in comparison with GWEP’s £2.8 million per stk, “all-in” electrification (excluding route enhancement and major grid connections) should normally cost between £1 and £1.5 million per stk The report recommends that there should be a rolling electrification programme that would maintain a core design and delivery capability and support a culture of continuous improvement It notes that the German rolling programme of electrification, which retains learning and skills, delivers electrification at significantly lower cost than the best that is currently achieved in the UK Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 Although the RIA report demonstrates that electrification can be delivered at an affordable cost, the case for electrification requires that its benefits must also be accepted Amongst the many documents that show electrification’s benefits are Network Rail’s 2009 electrification route utilisation strategy and the Department for Transport’s 2009 Rail Electrification paper The DfT paper notes that electric trains are 35 per cent cheaper to operate than diesels It also offers the small, but significant, benefit of more powerful electric trains giving a four-minute journey time saving between Cardiff and Swansea, where they must accelerate from station stop to line speed on four occasions Yet, when this electrification scheme was cancelled, the government view was that electrification offered no time savings because this was not a highspeed route It is to be hoped that the UK Government accepts the strategic case for a rolling electrification programme in the same way that it has allocated £450 million to accelerate digital signalling technology deployment as a strategic policy not subject to a business case If not, the danger is that hard won lessons will be forgotten as the historic cycle of electrification feast and famine repeats itself CAREERS Problem solvers wanted At Frazer-Nash, our clients come to us because our experts provide the very best in teamwork, technical expertise and customer service So, if you’ve always sought challenging, complex projects and prefer to focus on solutions, not obstacles, we want to hear from you At Frazer-Nash, our experts are renowned for their work in the transport, aerospace, nuclear, marine, defence, power and energy sectors and their security, resilience, cyber and information technology expertise Our offices UK: Basingstoke • Bristol • Burton • Dorchester • Dorking • Glasgow • Gloucester • Middlesbrough • Plymouth • Warrington Australia: Adelaide • Canberra • Melbourne SYSTEMS AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY www.fnc.co.uk Severn Valley Railway Job Opportunities INFRASTRUCTURE / PWAY TEAM LEADER EXPERIENCED BOILERSMITHS The Team Leader will manage, lead and motivate the team of Permanent Way Engineers (paid employees and volunteers) to enable the achievement of goals and meeting deadlines whilst communicating safe practices Experienced Boilersmiths required at our Bridgnorth Engineering Services boilershop, for the maintenance, repair, overhaul and reassembly of steam locomotive boilers for the SVR Specific responsibilities will be supporting our current team and developing a five-year plan for track improvements, taking responsibility for a management plan for lineside vegetation and the transition of reported track defects into a job bank for timely attention and completion, making sure that all team members perform to the SVR safety standards There will be occasions when the Team Leader will deputise / provide cover for the Infrastructure Manager when he is on annual leave or where volume or timing of meetings / project management necessitates delegation The team have a large workload, managing large civils projects through to responding to water leaks and this position will help share that burden of work We would expect the successful candidate to have a thorough technical knowledge of bullhead and flat bottom rail systems including switch and crossings and hold (or be competent to achieve) SVR Personal Track Safety Certification) It is a full time, 40 hours, paid post working days out of including occasional weekend work and a reasonable share of weekend, bank holiday, and other out of hours availability on call when the Railway is operating fleet as well as contract work Apprentice trained or qualified by experience of machine tooling, principally drilling, reaming and tapping, welding and fitting APPRENTICESHIP CAREER OPPORTUNITIES We will be recruiting via Dudley College for our Heritage Skills Training Academy Apprenticeship Programme starting in August 2019 TO APPLY To find out more or to send written applications with full detail of previous experience and qualifications to: recruitment@svrlive.com Please visit our website for full job descriptions www.svr.co.uk Rail Engineer | Issue 172 | March 2019 59 Velaro Novo It’s time to rethink velocity Discover a train that offers a whole new perspective on high-speed and intercity transportation 30% lower energy consumption,10% more available space and lower maintenance costs: these and many other benefits make the Velaro Novo unique when it comes to increasing value sustainably over the entire lifecycle and enhanced passenger experience siemens.com/velaro-novo ... bob.wright@railengineer.co.uk 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