eu referendum...3 in this issue we’re taking a look at the upcoming british referendum on eu...
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ISSUE THREE 2016
The latest news & reviews from the industry The latest news & reviews from the industry The latest news & reviews from the industry M A G A Z I N E
EU Referendum:Britain, the EU and the Rail Industry
The B.A.R.R.I.E.R.S. ReportBarriers to Innovation in the Rail Industry
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In this issue we’re taking a look at theupcoming British referendum on EUmembership. The Remain and Leavesupporters have been making theirrespective cases in the media, so wewanted to take a look at the voices inthe rail industry. How would a Brexitimpact business, workers andpassengers? We also take a look at theChannel Tunnel, its beginnings and itsfuture now that this rail link betweenBritain and mainland Europe has beenin operation for more than 20 years –in fact, it opened just six months afterthe Treaty on European Union, theMaastricht Treaty, became effective.
For this issue of the magazine we alsohave a couple of interviews for you.Our Contributing Editor NaomiThompson spoke with Adeline Ginn,General Counsel at Angel Trains andFounder of Women in Rail to learnmore about the Women in Railinitiative.
I interviewed the founders ofHackTrain, River Baig Tamoor andAlejandro Saucedo, about their newlyreleased B.A.R.R.I.E.R.S. report to findout more about what barriers toinnovation there are in the rail industryand what recommendations they aremaking to change this.
As part of our European focus in thisissue, the infrastructure project we’relooking at this time is High Speed 2and its role in connecting more of theUK with mainland Europe.
We take a look at ERTMS – theEuropean Rail Traffic ManagementSystem – how it works and what itsbenefits are.
Welcome to the third magazine issue of 2016 for Railway-News.
Letter from the Editor
Josephine Cordero Sapién, editor-in-chief
MTM Power write about the new EUfire protection certificate EN 45545.Harmonising the market brings costsdown in rail vehicle manufacturing.Parker write about the refurbishmentor replacement conundrum and whatdecision-making needs to be doneprior to choosing the best course ofaction. BT Cables, who already supplythe rail industry, explain why they arekeen to work in this sector.Goldschmidt Thermit write about theirRailstraight system aimed at intelligentmaintenance through precisionmeasurement. Multi-Contact presenttheir low-maintenance solutions forthe rail industry.
All of us here at Railway-News hopeyou enjoy this issue as much as thelast. Our next issue is due to bepublished in August in anticipation ofInnoTrans 2016. If you wish to featureyour company, please [email protected]. For editorialmatters, please email [email protected]. We look forward tohearing from you. Please enjoy the read!
ANDREW LUSHDirector
JOSEPHINE CORDERO SAPIÉNEditor-in-chief
NICOLA BROWNHead of Sales
NAOMI THOMPSONContributing Editor
AMBER GUY-KEMPHead of Client [email protected]
A2B Global Media LtdThird Floor
11–15 Dix’s FieldExeter EX1 1QAUnited Kingdom
Office: +44 (0)1392 580002Mobile: +44 (0)7432 725001
Email: [email protected]: www.railway-news.com
If you would like to submit editorialcontent, or you are interested in giving an interview for the magazine, pleasecontact Josephine Cordero Sapién.
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please contact Andrew Lush.
To subscribe to our newsletter, visitwww.railway-news.com.
COVER: Train: Courtesy Hitachi RailEurope; Flag: public domain
4
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Contents
5
EDITORIAL FEATURES
p.6 Britain, the EU and the Rail IndustryWith the referendum on EU membership looming for the citizens of the United Kingdom, we take a look at how the EU impacts the British rail industry and what a vote to leave could mean.
p.14 The B.A.R.R.I.E.R.S. Report: Barriers to Innovation in the Rail IndustryIf the rail industry doesn’t innovate and keep up with the times, it will be left behind and become obsolete. It cannot be complacent. HackTrain founders River Baig Tamoor and Alejandro Saucedo explain.
p.31 Protecting the Railways in the 21st CenturyNigel Davis, Head of Secured Navigation at QinetiQ, argues that, as we move towards satellite-guided train traffic management, trains could be vulnerable to a variety of threats.
p.44 The Channel Tunnel: Britain’s Fixed Link to Mainland EuropeWith the UK questioning its relationship with Europe, we take a look at the Fixed Link, its construction and the threats and opportunities it faces today.
REGULAR FEATURES
p.4 Cartoon
p.24 EuropeERTMSThe European Rail Traffic Management System: harmonising train control across the EU’s Member States.
p.37 Interview: Adeline GinnWomen in Rail Railway-News speaks to Adeline Ginn, Founder of Women in Rail to find out why she set up the initiative and what lies in store.
p.30 Upcoming EventsJune – August 2016
p.51 Major Infrastructure Projects in the Rail IndustryHS2 – En Route to EuropeHS2 definitely divides opinion as to whether it will benefit the North of England or merely London. We look at it as connecting to Europe’s high-speed rail network..
SUPPLIER FEATURES
p.11 BT Cables – Record Number of Rail JourneysBT Cables confirm their commitment to the rail industry, identifying it as a priority market.
p.21 MTM Power – Fire Protection Certificate acc. To EN 45545MTM Power discuss Europe’s harmonised fire protection certificate.
p.35 Parker – The Refurbishment Conundrum: Repair or Replace?Parker talk about the decision-making process leading up to whether a repair or a replacement is the right solution.
p.42 Multi-Contact – Low-maintenance Solutions for the Railway IndustryRolling stock contains several consumers of electricity, which must all be supplied with the correct electrical power supply.
p.48 Goldschmidt Thermit – Intelligent Maintenance with ForesightThe Railstraight Precision Measuring Devices made by Goldschmidt.
spoken out. Hitachi Ltd said:
“Hitachi, like other multinationals,invested in the UK in order toaccess the whole of the EUmarket, and unimpeded access tothe EU market is fundamental forour position in the UK.
We have made significantinvestments here across many ofour businesses, in part, because ofthe UK’s strong economicfundamentals, rich access totalent and position as aspringboard to other European orEU markets. A potential departurefrom the EU creates uncertainty interms of economics, trade, skillsand talent – particularly inmanufacturing, and would affectthe stability that we need forcontinued investment and long-term growth.
We believe that a strong and
In recent weeks, many, manypeople, politicians, businesses andunions have expressed their viewsabout Britain’s membership of theEuropean Union. We’ve heardarguments and wild claims abouta gamut of issues, from theeconomy, immigration and theNHS. However, what about the railindustry? How will the businesses,workers and passengers in thissector be affected?
Of course, the main problem is,there has been absolutely nooutline of what strategy thegovernment would pursue in caseof a British exit from the EuropeanUnion. We by and large knowwhat we’re getting as an EUMember State, we know whatpowers and vetoes we have – it’sa known entity. On the Leave side,however, things like immigrationcould go up or down, theeconomy according to countlessexperts is most probably going to
get worse, some say irreparably,some are more optimistic thanthat. And then there are thecountless little things the EU doesthat are far too numerous tomention here. One examplecomes from the MTM Powerarticle in this magazine:
“The fire safety requirements wereparticularly complicated for trainsused across international borders.Different national regulations hadto be taken into account forvarious European countries.”
In 2013 then, an EU wide set offire regulations was released toharmonise them across allMember States. National fireregulations become invalid inMarch this year.
Rail Industry PlayersSo what is the business opinion?Various industry players have
In recent weeks, many, many people,politicians, businesses and unionshave expressed their views about Britain’s membership of the European Union.
Britain, the EU andthe Rail Industry
By Josephine Cordero Sapién
6
Rail stated: “As passengernumbers grow and the number oftrains running on Britain’s railwaycontinues to increase each year,so too does the need for NetworkRail to replace worn out track –and it’s British steel which doesthe job. A five-year contract withScunthorpe-based Tata Steel UKensures that 96 per cent – or120,000 tonnes – of the steel railprocured by Network Rail is madein Britain.” Yet, Vote Leave’seconomist Patrick Minford, writingin the Sun, does not seemperturbed, admitting that a leavevote would “Over time, if we leftthe EU, it seems likely that wewould mostly eliminatemanufacturing, leaving mainlyindustries such as design,marketing and hi-tech. But thisshouldn’t scare us.”
How would workersbe affected?Companies in the rail sector thathave gone on record have spokenout in favour of Remain, avoidinguncertainty and giving themaccess to the single market. Inaddition, many businesses vital tothe rail industry could face ruin.
Obviously, if companies are losingrevenue or are even struggling toget by, this is bad news forworkers. Indeed, Leavecampaigner Michael Gove said: “Ican’t guarantee every personcurrently in work in their currentjob will keep their job.”
And despite the majority ofunions, including Unite, Unison,GMB and Usdaw, coming out infavour of Remain, RMT, thetransport union, said in April: “It’s amyth that the EU is in favour ofworkers.” On 8 April, the FinancialTimes reported: “The RMT, whichhas long been Eurosceptic, saidthat the EU was attacking
united Europe with the UK in asingle, open market will be betterfor Europe’s prosperity, andtherefore for Hitachi’s business.So, whilst we recognise that this isa decision for UK voters, Hitachihopes the referendum will resultin a positive decision to remain inthe EU.”
Siemens, who are involved inrailway electrification, railautomation, and all manner oftrains, from regional to high-speed an intercity, said:
“We see the main benefits of EUmembership as: tariff-free accessto the UK’s biggest export market;a common set of rules between28 countries that reduce businesscosts; and access for Britishbusinesses and universities to EU-wide innovation and researchinitiatives, which are helping toshape the industries of the future.These advantages help to makeBritain a better place to dobusiness, not just for Siemens, butfor companies across our supplychain and beyond.
[…] A new trade deal with the EUcould take many years toconclude and it is impossible topredict the terms that will beagreed and at what price. Thisuncertainty, and threat ofincreased costs, could make theUK a less attractive place to dobusiness and may become afactor when Siemens isconsidering future investmenthere.”
Airbus, who also make trainsimulators, have likewise issued astatement in favour of Remain.Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin,said: “Leaving would be verydamaging for Great Britain.” BT,whose subsidiary, BT Cables, isactive in the rail industry asindicated in their contribution to
this magazine, has also come outin favour of Remain.
Remaining neutral on Brexitmatters other than the economy,these companies are saying thatthey choose the UK as a locationbecause it gives them access tothe single market. They aremultinational corporations. In theEU, workers and goods can moveeasily between countries, allowingcompanies to draw on the skills ofa much larger EU-wide workforceand giving them the ability tomanufacture and sell their goodscompetitively.
Of course it would be possible forthe UK to negotiate access to thesingle market in the event of avote to leave. However, even theuncertainty surrounding this issueand the final terms the UK will endup with will cause economicwoes, as illustrated by poundsterling falling by nearly 2% to itslowest point since 2009 whenformer mayor of London, BorisJohnson, announced his supportfor the Leave campaign.
Uncertainty is, however, the best-possible outcome. Many on theLeave side have stated they do notwant the UK to be part of thesingle market. Arden Leavecampaigner and Justice SecretaryMichael Gove said quitting the EUwould mean quitting the singlemarket.
Economists for Brexit proposethat the UK would be better offoutside of the EU if it opted for thesolution of unilateral marketliberalisation. That would mean noimport tariffs and no protectionsfor jobs in the UK, as illustrated bythe recent events with Tata Steeland the problem of too muchsteel from China ruining UK steelproduction. This is obviously badnews. In January 2016, Network
7
8
paternity rights, equal treatmentfor full time, part-time and agencyworkers and the right to paidleave – continue to underpin andprotect working rights for Britishpeople.”
“If Britain leaves the EU we are inno doubt these protections wouldbe under great threat. Despitewords to the contrary fromfigures like Iain Duncan Smith andMichael Gove, the Tories wouldnegotiate our exit and, we believe,would negotiate away our rights.We simply do not trust thisgovernment if they are presentedwith an unrestricted, uncheckedopportunity to attack our currentworking rights.”
It seems to me that there is a
collective bargaining and otherworkers’ rights in countries suchas Greece that had been bailedout. It also said that EU railpolicies would makerenationalisation impossible.” (Asa side note, this last claim is odd,because other EU Member Stateshave nationalised rail companies,such as France with SNCF,Germany with Deutsche Bahn andItaly with Trenitalia, and NetworkRail in the UK is also in publichands.)
The TUC on the other handcommissioned a legal report byMichael Ford QC, in which hesaid: “It is easy to contemplate acomplete reversal of the gradualincrease in social regulationprotecting workers, which has
taken place since the 1960s.”The fear is that the EU is notsupportive of workers, asevidenced by the austeritymeasures put on countries suchas Greece and Portugal as a resultof the Eurozone crisis. However, itis important to remember that avote to leave the EU might notalleviate workers’ concerns abouttheir rights. The generalsecretaries of Unite, Unison, GMBand Usdaw wrote a letter to theGuardian in which they stated:“Throughout the 1980s and early1990s the British trade unionmovement worked in solidaritywith our European partners andfought hard to secure valuableworking rights legislation at EUlevel,” adding: “To this day theserights – including maternity and
The exterior of Hitachi Rail's North Pole Train Maintenance Centre, West London © Hitachi Rail Europe
9
In addition, there is nothingstopping Britain from investing inthe UK network as a member ofthe European Union. Indeed, RailMinister Claire Perry said at aspeech given to the Rail EngineersForum Technical Seminar 2015:“So, our plan is to invest recordamounts in infrastructure. Morethan £70 billion between now and2020. On the railways, we arebuilding HS2, Crossrail, andpressing ahead with plans forCrossrail 2. But we are alsofunding the biggest investment inour classic rail network sinceVictorian times.”
Further, it would seem that if weare currently suffering fromovercapacity, then that is good inthe sense that there is realdemand for rail travel andtherefore investment in this areawill pay off. Railway-technology
safety in not having one nationalgovernment have the ability toremove such rights.
Vote Leave and theGovernmentResponseRailway-News contacted VoteLeave for a statement regardingtheir position on the rail industry.A spokesperson for Vote Leavesaid: “The UK rail network issuffering from a crisis ofovercapacity and under-funding.And our membership of the EU isdoing nothing to help either ofthese.
‘Brussels bureaucrats are planningto create a new international railfreight corridor on the West CoastMainline, putting even greaterpressure on an already
overstretched service. The UKGovernment challenged thisdecision but was rejected by theEuropean Court, demonstratinghow much control we’ve handedover to the EU.
‘Every week we send £350 millionto the EU. After we Vote Leave wecan take back control of our railindustry and spend this money onour priorities like investing in ourtransport infrastructure.”
First of all, the £350 million perweek figure has been debunked.The Institute for Fiscal Studies putsthe figure at around £150 millionper week, when all aspects suchas the rebate have beenconsidered. Furthermore, the IFSsays that the economic impact ofa Brexit would more than offsetany money the UK sends to theEU.
© Hitachi Rail Europe
10
Rail PassengersAnd last but not least, whatabout passengers?
Membership to the European
Union currently means the
freedom to live, study and work
anywhere within the EU and to go
on holiday of course. With Britain
outside of the Schengen Area, rail
travel between Britain and
mainland Europe requires a
passport, but not more. The EU is
also pushing to open up the rail
market in the same way it opened
up the aviation market. With
increased competition come
better services and cheaper prices.
With a reduction in red tape
thanks to harmonised regulations
throughout the 28 Member States,
it is cheaper for Train Operating
Companies to register and
manufacture their trains, and
therefore rail travel overall is
cheaper.
That is not to say that a UK
government in the event of a vote
to leave would not continue its
efforts with the ERA, aiming to
install ERTMS and create a Single
European Railway Area. But
whenever the Leavers are asked
about a specific policy and
whether they would abandon that
one post-Brexit, they say no, we
can keep that. Well, if we can keep
it all and, more, we want to keep it
all, why would we want to leave?
The EU is built on four freedoms –
the freedom of movement of
people, goods, services and
capital and the rail industry
epitomises those freedoms. It is,
ultimately, a very European
industry.
reported in September 2015 that“Over the past ten years, Spain’srailways have been expanding at arapid pace, thanks to hugenational investments andEuropean grants. Currentlystruggling with feeble passengerdemand, the country is trying toreclaim dwindling profits bydedicating millions of euros toconstruction and improvementworks across key sectors of its railnetwork.”
In addition, the EU is contributingfunding to rail projects in the UK.UK rail companies have beenawarded more than £80 million inEU funding from the ConnectingEurope Facility. Here’s a list:
• DB Schenker UK Ltd: €1 million
• DfT and HS2: €39.2 million
• Department for Regional Development (Northern Ireland): €24.1 million
• Network Rail: €6.5 million (partially a joint application)
• Transport for London: €4 million
• Siemens PLC UK (joint application): €5.7 million
• West Midlands ITA: €0.9 million
The Department for Transport toldRailway-News: “UK Rail projectsalso benefitted from the CEF’spredecessor, the Trans-EuropeanTransport Network (TEN-T)programme. From 1996–2013over 60 rail projects receivedaround €500 million in funding.HS1 was the largest beneficiarywith over €250 million.
The European Investment Bank(EIB) has also made over 30 loansto UK rail and light rail projectstotalling over €10 billion.”
Now, the Vote Leave campaignreference an instance where theUK government challenged an EUdecision in the European Court ofJustice and lost. This is correct.The case in question is case C –121/14. Essentially the UKgovernment was required by theEU to spend money developing arail freight corridor all the way toScotland. Instead, the UKgovernment wanted the extensionof the corridor to go only as far asLondon. It seems odd that VoteLeave say on the one hand theywant more investment in rail, andyet the one case they cite againstthe EU is one where an EUregulation requires the UKgovernment to spend money onrail. This reminds me of somethinga colleague once said to me:“Brexiteers prefer bad decisionsmade in Westminster over goodones made in Brussels.” Because itseems to come down only to whois making the decisions, notwhether they are good or not. A government spokespersonmeanwhile told Railway-News: “Our membership of theEuropean single market makes usstronger, safer and better off. Thisruling will have no impact onexisting passenger services.
“Damaging our economy byleaving the EU single market willmean less money for publicservices and importantinfrastructure like rail. Railconnections to Europe are vitaland the rail freight industry isworth around £1.6billion a year toour economy, reducing traffic andimproving safety on our roads anddelivering environmental benefits.We are also investing recordamounts to modernise our ownrail network to make it fit for the21st century.”
11
Network Railapproved
For the future BT Cables willcontinue to invest in thedevelopment of its product rangeand services with a specific focuson the rail market. BT Cablescurrently holds Network Railapprovals for:
• Axle Counter (NR/L2/SIG/30060)
• Trackside telecoms (NR/PS/TEL/00015)
• SSI datalink (BR1932)
• Internal low smoke telecoms (CW1600)
• Jumper wires (CW1423NR)
This is the highest recorded figuresince the series began in 2002–3and an increase of 4.2% (67.3million) on the previous year. Thisis also an increase of 69.5% since2002–3, when only 975.5 millionjourneys were made.
In order to keep this amount of railtraffic flowing smoothly it isessential that the rail network cancall upon a manufacturer like BTCables to provide its range ofsafety critical cables on very shortlead times. BT Cables hasemployed all the resources of itsContinuous Improvement teamand planning expertise to reducemanufacturing lead times to ahighly competitive 4–6 weeks.Coupled with this is a range ofitems available from stock anddelivered to site within 2–3working days.
Globally there are huge
investments being made in rail
infrastructure projects at present,
and many key people hold the
opinion that rail is experiencing
the same 'boom' the airline
industry did 20 years ago. New
investments will help the national
rail operators gain a stronger
presence within the transport
industry in general and optimise
efficiency within the rail sector
specifically.
BT Cables has selected railways as
a priority market segment and is
currently combining its
development, marketing and
production resources to meet the
changing demands of the railway
industry which now operates on
an increasingly global scale.
Statistics published by the Office of Rail andRoad (ORR) show that the number of passenger journeys on franchised rail services in Great Britain reached 1.654 billion in 2014–15.
Record numberof rail journeys
12
Kaizen and the disciplined SixSigma approach have becomefundamental to BT Cables’continued growth and success. Byputting these techniques at theheart of strategy, planning andoperations, all areas of thebusiness have seen improvementsin business efficiency, minimisingwaste, cost reduction, customerdelivery and health and safety. Thishas helped secure an impressiveplatform for growth.
For more information on BTCables and its products andservices please visitwww.btcables.com or call us on+44 (0) 161 741 2345.
Supply partnerships
Complementing BT Cables’ in-house manufacturing facility is aprogramme of supply partnershipswith high-quality manufacturingcompanies across Europe andAsia.
This extended supply chain addsstrength and diversity to BTCables’ manufacturing capability.The team based in Asia guaranteesthe highest levels of productquality are assured. A rigorousproduct inspection and releaseprogramme, regular audits and acommitment to work with itspartners to continually reducewaste and take cost out of theprocess, provide further evidenceof BT Cables’ investment in itsglobal supply chain. BT Cables’experienced technical team canfacilitate new product
introduction with its supplypartners, which increases thescope of the product portfolio BTCables offers. The corporate andsocial responsibility programme isa two-way partnership withsuppliers with a similar vision andwhich is enforced by regularassessments.
Growth
BT Cables is the fastest growingpart of BT. This has been achievedthrough a number of initiativesand none more significant thanthe company’s use of ContinuousImprovement techniques. BTCables introduced its continuousimprovement philosophy underthe Japanese Kaizen (change forthe better) umbrella in 1998, and itis now an established way of life. en cablr iedaeldrlowA cturingnufaa m
The Online RailwayBuyers GuideTo Advertise please contact:Office: +44 (0)1392 580002 Mobile: +44 (0)7432 725001Email: [email protected] www.railway-news.com
13
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14
Barriers to Innovation inthe Rail Industry
TheB.A.R.R.I.E.R.S.Report
By Josephine Cordero Sapién
River (left) and Alejandro (right) - founders of the HackTrain
15
should have a single place wherethey post their procurementopportunities. I could go on.These are just a few of theirconclusions. It is obviouslybeyond the scope of this article toaddress them all.
However, I want to highlight acouple of points mentioned in thereport – to whet your appetite togo read the whole thing. Theynote that competition is key todriving innovation and cite Italy asan example. It has introducedmore competition on its importantroutes. State operator Trenitaliahad held a monopoly. But in 2011Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori Italowas founded and has caused anincrease in competition, leading tobetter standards for bothcompanies, such as WiFi and Skytelevision. Ticket prices droppedby 35% between 2012 and 2014,increasing the market share railhas compared to other forms oftransport. In fact, this shift was sonoticeable, RyanAir ceased itsMilan to Rome flights as a result ofthe improved rail service.
Another is OptaSense, a Britishcompany set up in 2008 thatprovides real time data that canmonitor entire rail networks todeliver information about trackcondition and detect majorincidents such as landslides andmore. Despite having won awardsfor trade and innovation, less than1% of their business is in the UK.The company struggled not withits ideas but with finding out whoin the industry was responsible forproviding the approval. We wantthe benefits of this innovation inthis country too so we need tohave an open environment to testnew innovations.
The B.A.R.R.I.E.R.S. report has thusidentified concrete barriers,recommendations and case
After having run hackathons tobring innovation to the railindustry, HackTrain have nowtaken it one step further and haveproduced a report, theB.A.R.R.I.E.R.S. report, whichstands for Bringing ActionableRecommendations to RevitaliseInnovation and Entrepreneurshipin the Rail Sector. A key part tochange is identifying where theproblems lie.
A point about rail customers: in allother areas of our lives, we’vebecome used to innovation andprogress, so we expect that samelevel of service from trainoperating companies and it’s notthere. Rail needs to make sure itdoesn’t lose its customers. Itneeds to win over new customers.The report points to other caseswhere innovative ideas havesimply overtaken an area by beingmore innovative – such as Netflixand Uber. But why this lack ofinnovation? After conductingmore than 60 interviews, thisreport has identified 5 key barriers:
1. The franchising system is notdesigned to drive or reward
innovation:once a franchise is agreed, thereis no more competition andhence no pressure to innovate. Inaddition, investment takes placeearly on in the franchise to getmaximum value for money out of,meaning there is not muchchange during the final years of afranchise, and customers notice.
2. Procurement frameworks are
unfit for entrepreneurs:
The ability to access contracts isdifficult and to get non-safetycritical technology off theground is difficult and long-winded.
3. Data is fragmented, siloed
and unreliable:In the rail industry, open datafeeds are unreliable and there isno documentation fordevelopers. Technologycontracts inhibit innovation inpart because they haveunreasonable data ownershipconstraints.
4. The funding landscape isdifficult to navigate and is notoutput driven:Although there are severalfunding options in the railindustry, they can be hard toaccess and onerous in theirrestrictions, proving to be toolarge obstacles for SMEs.
5. The culture in rail is resistantand reluctant to graspinnovation:Mindsets have to change so thatrail is seen as a service that needsto keep up with the rates ofinnovation in other industries toremain viable. It is vital that trainoperating companies listen totheir customers, otherwise theyface being left behind.
However, HackTrain haven’t justidentified these barriers; they’vecome up with tangiblerecommendations on how toimprove the industry. They wantto know if the safety board shouldreally oversee innovation. Theywant every TOC to have aninnovation manager. They wantthe Department for Transport tocommission a ‘Data in Rail’ reportto get an understanding of thestate of data in this industry. Theysay there should be one industry-wide monitor of customersatisfaction levels. Grants shouldbe handed out differently.HackTrain believes there needs tobe an innovation centre for rail.They want franchises to beoutcome oriented. All TOCs
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HackTrain initiative Amber: Riverand Alejandroapproached meto see if I wouldbe interested inproject leadingthe report. I hadgathered a fairamount of
research experience during mydegree at Oxford University andhad been focusing on the impactof social innovation in publicservices. The UK rail industrycaught my imagination as anindustry integral to the economybut one that was rapidly fallingbehind the innovation imperative. Iwas really interested in figuringout whether it was a lack ofincentive or if there were largerissues at play. So when River andAlejandro approached me withthis project I was keen to jump onboard.
I have outlined the keyfindings above. Was therebroad consensus acrossthe board or were thereareas of disagreementamong industrymembers? River: On the whole there wasbroad consensus, the onlydifference in opinion thatemerged was over the weight thateach industry memberapportioned to each barrier.Because the railway is a sum of itsparts, there are certain barriersthat some members had a wealthof experience hitting but othershadn’t come across because thatarea didn’t cross their workstream.The difficulties in triallingtechnologies is a perfect exampleof this. For others, a barrier suchas the lack of competition within afranchise was more widely
studies highlighting systemicerrors and opportunities. You canread the whole report atreport.hacktrain.com. I spoke toHackTrain founders River TamoorBaig and Alejandro Saucedo aswell as the report’s project leadAmber Westerholm-Smyth to tellme a little more about thefindings.
What led to thecommissioning of thisreport?
River: After weran the firsthackathon inMarch 2015there was a lotof demand fromthe industry inusing thetechnologies
our participants created. However,not a single prototype made it tothe market.
We knew there were barrierspreventing innovation fromgetting to the hands of customersand station staff, but couldn’t pin -point what the exact problemswere.
We figured they were not alone infacing these challenges andwondered if anyone had startedcollecting these barriers so thatthe industry could work on solvingthem together. And so the idea toproduce a report was born! We shared the idea with RSSB whowere excited by the project andoffered to fund it. RSSB initiallyreleased half the funds; howeverwe soon found various barriersstemming from them.Unfortunately, RSSB declined torecognise these barriers so toensure the report was as objectiveas possible we decided toterminate the contract prior to the
release of the secondary funds.
How did you set aboutthis massive task ofinterviewing so manypeople? How did youchoose who to interview?Was there enthusiasm toparticipate in this report? River: Myself and Adam Stead [arail consultant] introduced thereport’s Project Lead, Amber, to aninitial set of 20 rail professionalsfrom which she was able toextend her network throughintroductions and referrals.Interviewees were based on theirexperience and role in theindustry. In particular, we tried tospeak to people who hadattempted to introduce innovationin the rail industry and struggledwith the barriers.
As Amber met and interviewedthem we quickly knew which oneswere supportive of the report andwould speak on/off the recordand which ones didn’t thinkanything was wrong in theindustry and thus weren’tsupportive. There were a handfulof times where we had industryprofessionals say to us “there areno barriers within the industry andwe do not struggle to innovate”.We actually met one such personat a conference a week before thereport was released who thenstated “the industry if rife withproblems”. All in all, most peoplewere very enthusiastic and wantedto share their story on how theytried to innovate and whatchallenges they faced when doingso.
Amber, can you tell me alittle bit about yourbackground and how yougot involved with the
17
shaking up the industry.
I like the comparison withNetflix and Uber toexplain how innovativecompanies have simplyovertaken traditionalcompetitors who didn’thave the vision or thecourage to adapt to thefuture needs of theircustomers. Is there somecomplacency in the railindustry that no one elsecan compete with itbecause they won’t haveaccess to the railnetwork? What threats doyou see out there? River: Most definitely. An infiniteamount. Just like the local taxioperators and blockbuster! Thecarpet will be swept out oftransport-owning groups’ feet ifthey don’t fully embraceinnovation and actively addresspassengers’ key issues.
That said, we have started to see aculture change. Some havedecided we need to start doingthings differently. By working withus on the accelerator andparticipating in the research forthe report, many have shown theyare able to, willing and areaddressing the needs ofcustomers. The real difference willbe made when the rail industrystarts recognising innovation as afull time job. Until they devote theresources and time needed – suchas having a full time innovationmanager in each TOC –innovation will consistently fall tothe bottom of the to do list.
There are two biggest threats thatwill hit the industry hard. First is
recognised. The lack of visibility ofthe barriers was one of the thingsthe report aimed to tackle. Bycollating all the barriers in onecentralised point it shone light onto issues that previously may onlyhave been discussed by those theydirectly affect.
I know you describe forthe purpose of this reportwhat can be done withinthe franchising system,but do you think the railindustry in this countrywould ultimately be moreinnovative if that systemwasn’t in place? River: The franchising system hasgood intentions. It’s designed toincrease competition in a heavilyregulated market by gettingtransport-owning groups to bidfor routes... The reason why thesystem hasn’t worked as well as itcould have is because we havebeen line for line specifying whatinnovation should beimplemented within franchises –it’s known as input specification.As a result, technology has beentoo prescriptive and has becomefast outdated. In reality, what wereally need, and what has workedwell in other industries, isoutcome-based specification. What’s the difference? Well, forexample instead of specifying “Wewant 5Mbps WiFi on all trains” weshould and be specifying “Wewant WiFi that is market standardof that year on all trains” or “Wewant WiFi that 90% of passengersare happy with”.
This approach is more responsiveto passengers’ needs and ensuresthat TOCs are continuouslyimproving their services.
There has been progress towards
making this the standard. The DfThas begun moving towards thistype of outcome-basedspecification and we shouldhopefully see the results of it overthe years across variousfranchises.
In your third barrierregarding data in rail, yousay that tenders withancient specifications arereleased that are hiddento external suppliers andimpossible for SMEs orexternal companies tofind. Are you saying that ifI wanted to bid for atender, I couldn’t becauseI wouldn’t be given accessto these specifications?
Alejandro: Yesand no. Tendersare accessibleonline, but theproblem reallylies with howeasy thatinformation isto access,digest and use.
As an industry we are very inwardlooking, we often assume thateveryone understands thestructure and endless acronyms.And so, we are also very bad atpublically advertising newopportunities to companiesoutside of rail. Rail is already a verytough environment to succeed inas an SME so why are we making iteven harder?
What we need to do is promotetenders outside of the industry, onplatforms where the techcompanies of Silicon Roundaboutand Valley reside. Only then willwe have new technology entrantscoming to the market and really
18
innovation but deliverstangiblerecommendations thatvarious players in theindustry can adopt. Towhat extent will HackTrainwork with these players topush for theserecommendations to beadopted? Alejandro: We’re very passionateabout each of theserecommendations and would like tosee all of them realised.
For example, there is a criticalneed for a RailTech Hub. For thenew entrants the fragmentation inthe industry generates a sense ofuncertainty about how decisionsare made and where to go forfurther information. It also inhibitsthose already part of the industrywho wish to push throughinnovative ideas or have recentlybeen given innovation-based jobs.
Given the numerous otherbureaucratic barriers toinnovation, it is troublesome thatsomething as simple as supportand regular information for thosewishing to undertake innovationprojects is subject to its owndegrees of bureaucracy and is notconsistently available from a clearsource. We noticed what adifference having a RailTech Hubmade during the accelerator as acentralised point for people tomeet, talk and discuss the topic ofinnovation.
What was really the criticaldifference is that the focus was oninnovation happening that weekor the following month ratherthan on the long timescales railusually operates on. We can’tstress the importance ofsomething more permanent beingcreated. However, for such a hub
when a new bidder enters the UKmarket and takes a technologyservice approach towards runningthe railway rather than what wesee today, which is more of anoperational approach.
Secondly, driverless vehicles havethe potential to create a massexodus in rail. Being able to betransported straight from yourhome to any other location in theUK without having to put yourhand on the wheel willfundamentally change our idea oftravel. The convenience of it willsee an increase in car usage in theUK like never before. Rail shouldbe very, very worried about this.
If it doesn’t become part of thisconnected system, it will miss outon a being part of the end-to-endjourney experience.
The most surprising thingI learned at thepresentation of this reportwas that the safety board(RSSB) overseasinnovation in the railindustry. As you pointedout, innovation and safetyare diametrically opposed.What was the mostsurprising thing youlearned while creating thisreport? River: It was actually reallysurprising to learn how manyinnovation boards there are in theindustry. It showed that the railindustry knows it has aninnovation problem and that it istrying to do something about itbut just not with the collectiveeffort needed. The number ofboards just emphasised howfragmented and siloed theindustry can be in approaching
challenges. You can talk and talk,write several strategies, makegrand announcements, allocatefunds but at the end of the day, ifthe passengers are not seeing thebenefits of such efforts,something is going wrong.
What are some of themore positivedevelopments you alreadysee happening in the railindustry? River: One of the most importantthings we have seen is the work ofthe passenger services team at theDfT. They have really recognisedthe limitations of the franchisingsystem and have focused onworking around them by changingtheir strategy for franchiseagreements. Perhaps the mostsignificant change has been themovement from inputspecification to outputspecification and increasinglyoutcome specification. Suchefforts are already havingconsiderable impact. Thefranchise agreement for EssexThameside for example wasoutput specified and has seennumerous benefits for customersinputted such as automatic delay -repay and free WiFi at stations.
Equally, there seems to be a realdesire from the owning groups toconnect with entrepreneurs andSMEs trying to bring innovationinto the rail industry. This reallybecame clear when we saw 5 outof 6 of the owning groups committo sponsoring the accelerator. It is really critical that otherstakeholders follow their lead anddo their part.
The report doesn’t justidentify the barriers to
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in other countries? River: It’s a problem in all
countries. Even ones constructing
new railways are building them
using methods and technologies
from the 20th century! We as an
industry, globally, need to be a lot
more ambitious when it comes to
delivering services for our
customers. I think one of the main
problems is that we are too
focused on day-to-day
operations. As a result, the rail
industry globally is busy solving
today’s problems with yesterday’s
technology. We need to find a way
of devoting resources, time and
intelligence to sourcing smart
solutions that solve our
challenges, not only today but
also pre empt tomorrow’s
problems.
to be engaged with by the wholeindustry, we recommend that theDepartment for Transport andTrain Operating Companies jointlyfund a new national cross industryinnovation centre for rail.
Data has become a bit of an‘elephant in the room’ in the railindustry. Rail has neglected dataand in doing so it has neglected itscustomers.
There are multiple barriers thatneed to be addressed. Open data -feeds in rail are often unusabledue to low reliability,inconsistency, and do not have setstandards, documentation fordevelopers is poor or inexistentand current technology contractsare monopolistic and archaic,inhibiting the potential forinnovation. We would like to leada data review that assesses the
current data ecosystem in therailway industry. This reportshould be commissioned by theDfT to review the previous,current and future investments inthe core data systems in rail.
At the same time, we recognisethat we can’t make all of themhappen on our own, the industryneeds to step up to the challengeand lead some of them too. TheHackTrain are happy to helpadvise on how to implement someof the recommendations and inother areas we would like to leadthem.
To what extent do you seethis lack of innovation inrail being a UK problem,rather than a problemfaced by the rail industry
River at the HackTrain Conference
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21
Pan-EuropeanEvaluation acc. toEN�45545-2:2016-02As an established manufacturer ofpower supplies for use in railwayvehicles, MTM Power was facedwith the task of equipping all of itsproduct lines for railwaytechnology with the mostcomprehensive fire safetycertifications available in order tooffer their customers optimalsupport during certification of thefire safety of their entire systemsor vehicles. MTM Power realisedthat a certification at the Europeanlevel makes more sense forcomprehensive fire safetycertification of all railwayproducts.
That is why MTM Power used EN45545-2 as the basis for creatingfire safety designs for electronicpower supplies.
The extensive technology inmodern locomotives and railwaycarriages means that thesevehicles are faced with a variety offire hazards, from technicaldefects to negligence and evenarson. Due to the presence ofmany people in a confined space,often combined with a lack ofoptions for evacuation, e.�g. intunnels, and along stretches ofmain track where help is a longway away, a fire on a railwayvehicle can quickly lead to injuriesand death, as well as to extensivedamage to property.
For that reason, all the materials,systems and components used inmodern railway vehicles musthave proof of fire safety featuresso that the manufacturer can havethe fire safety of the entire vehiclecertified. The fire safetyrequirements were particularlycomplicated for trains used acrossinternational borders. Differentnational regulations had to be
taken into account for variousEuropean countries.
In August 2013, after two decadesof development time, a new firesafety standard for railwaytransportation has entered intoforce, the EU standard DIN EN45545. Two major Europeanresearch projects, Firestarr (1997–2001) and TransFeu (2009–2012)were involved in its development.The EN 45545 is harmonisingcountry-specific fire safetyregulations in Europe. Thiscombination results in an evencloser safety concept for stations,rolling stock and theinfrastructure. For new projects,the validity of different nationalregulations such as DIN 5510-2(Germany), NFF 16-101 (France),UNI CEI 11170 (Italy) and BS6853(UK) ended in March 2016 afterthe expiration of the transitionperiod.
Fire safety on railway vehicles used for railway transportation presents a particularchallenge for manufacturers and suppliersin this market segment.
MTM Power®
Fire Protection Certificateacc. to EN 45545
Augsburg Fire Department
22
section E. This electro-technical
equipment is defined as ‘listed
products’. They were added to the
request records of the standard
directly.
Other electronic parts or
components (not named in table
2) are defined as ‘non-listed
products’. The request records for
‘non-listed products’ are stated in
clause 4.3 and picture 1. These
request records depend on size,
weight and installation location of
the electronic part or component.
MTM Power products were
investigated, classified and tested
in accordance with DIN EN
45545-2:2016-02. Therefore the
classification for fire safety
regulations of the products is
based on the hazard level HL 1 to
HL 3 in relation to the table 1 of
DIN EN 45545-2:2016-02. MTM
Power DC/DC converters have
been designed as compact built-
in power supplies with DC-wide
input ranges for universal
applications. Therefore the
classification for fire and safety
regulations of the products is
based on:
A recent update of the standardwas issued in February 2016 andbecame effective immediately.MTM Power offers fire safetycertificates of all railway productsaccording to the current EN45545-2: 2016-02 to itscustomers.
The challenge for MTM Power wasto develop a universally applicabledocument as a fire safetycertificate for all projects in orderto provide its customers with thenecessary information for creatingtheir own fire safety certificatewhen using MTM Powercomponents in a complete systemor vehicle.
UnclassifiedComponentsClause 4.2h in EN�45545-2:2016-02 regarding the use of electricalcomponents specifies thatcomponents that are installed insuitable control cabinets are notsubject to evaluation and, as aresult, do not require fire safetycertification. Fire safetyrequirements are defined for thecontrol cabinets or installationcontainers, and have to berespected.
• Either the technical cabinet is made from E10 fire barrier and the enclosed volume is equal or less than 2 m3
• Or the technical cabinet is made of a E15 and I15 fire-barrier
• Or the technical cabinet is protected by an automatic fire detection and fire extinguishing system
Because MTM Power products forthe railway market are almostexclusively components forinstallation in a control cabinet, itwould usually be sufficient just to
call these components built-inunits for use in suitable controlcabinets.
Listed and non-listed componentsacc. to EN�45545-2:2016-02However, the trend in designingrailway vehicles is shifting towardusing any available installationspace, e.g. in the roof orunderneath the floor, to installtechnology. Electricalcomponents are also beinginstalled more frequently in placesin the vehicles that do not meetthe requirements of a controlcabinet with fire safety features. Asa result, the fire safety features ofthe components themselves haveto be evaluated.
The DC/DC converters of MTMPower have been designed ascompact built-in power supplies.Both, the installation location andthe mounting conditions, have toensure the protection againsthazards such as unauthorizedaccess, unintended touching,environmental effects and firehazards. Electro-technicalequipment in accordance withstandard DIN EN 45545-2:2016-02 is named in clause 4.4, table 2,
MTM Power Railway Power Supplies
23
user with a detailed list of all thematerials and compounds used ineach product. A test report from acertified testing institution isincluded for all materials that canbe tested. MTM Power has createda fire safety certificatemanagement system to maintainthese test reports and ensure thatthey are renewed every 5 years tomeet requirements and remainup-to-date.
MTM Power’s certificates evaluatethe test results with regard tosuitability for hazard levels HL01 toHL03 when used as individualcomponents. Only the user canensure compliance with theconfiguration rules defined in EN45�545-2 for the use of multiplecomponents in the sameinstallation space. MTM Power’sfire safety certificates also provideall the necessary data forcompliance to these rules.
MTM Power®
MesstechnikMellenbach GmbHGermanyTel.: +49 (0) 69 / 1 54 26-0Fax: +49 (0) 69 / 1 54 26-10Email: [email protected]: www.mtm-power.com
Listed products:The DC/DC converter can beassigned as a ‘listed product’according to table 2
Non-listedproducts:The DC/DC converter can beassigned as a ‘non-listed product’according to clause 4.3 togrouping rules:
• Due to the size and weight of the converters and with indoor and outdoor application they have to fulfil rules 1–3 of clause 4.3
• List of weights for metallic and non-metallic parts of a typical representative of theproduct family
• Testing of all plastic materials with combustible weight of > 0 g (test condition: specimens are realizable)
• Remaining components are evaluated again starting with rule 1
• Evidence in the form of a certificate from the manufacturer or through testing
Evaluation of MTMProducts acc. EN45545-2:2016-02The DC/DC converters of MTMPower are classified as listedcomponents acc. to EL9 and EL10and fulfil the above mentionedclassification of DIN EN 45545-2:2016-02, hazard level HL1, HL2 orHL3.
They furthermore are classified asnon-listed components acc. to thegrouping rules and fulfil the above-mentioned classification of DIN EN45545-2:2016-02, hazard level HL1,HL2 or HL3. If there is therequirement of hazard level HL3,caused by the operating categoryor design category of the railwayvehicles, an additional measure ismandatory: use of a technicalcabinet. The technical cabinet mustfulfil the requirements of DIN EN45545-2:2016-02, clause 4.2h.
Certified byaccredited testinginstitutionsWith its fire safety certificationaccording to EN �45545-2:2016-02, MTM Power makes aManufacturer’s Declaration to the
Component Name Request Test Methods
EL 9 PCB R24 T01 Oxygen Index (for electronic or orcomponents mounted R25 T16 HWI teston PCB; clause
4.7 applied)
EL 10 small electro-technical R26 T17 vertical small components burner test
24
Schengen Agreement (1985)provided for free movementbetween Member States byeliminating border controls,crossing borders by train hasremained time-consuming,expensive, cumbersome andimpractical.
The Development ofa Solution
On this basis, the EuropeanCommissioner for Transport in1989, Karel Van Miert, set aboutaddressing this situation bylaunching a study to analysesignalling and train control issues.In 1990, research group ERRI puttogether a group of experts fromthe railway sector to develop therequirements of a European TrainControl System (ETCS).
By the middle of 1991, anagreement was reached betweenindustry and railway groups to co-operate closely in developing thespecifications of ETCS that wouldserve as a basis on which todevelop a system suitable forindustry use. In 1996 the Councilof the European Union issuedCouncil Directive 96/48/EC on theinteroperability of the trans-
On 9 May 1950, Robert Schumansaid:
"Europe will not be made all atonce, or according to a singleplan. It will be built throughconcrete achievements whichcreate solidarity."
There are many projects in Europewhich illustrate this ethos, but fewso effectively as ERTMS – theEuropean Railway TrafficManagement System, a standardwhich ensures that cross-borderrailways operate on a unifiedcontrol, command and signallingsystem.
ERTMS is the product ofnumerous studies, Directives,Regulations, initiatives, and the
ambitions of countless industryprofessionals, academics,engineers and politicians. From itsconception in 1989 to its on-going implementation in 2016, theproject is European through andthrough – it has been developedin parallel with other initiativeswhich are designed to bringEurope closer together and raisestandards for all.
The Problem
There are as many as 20 TrainControl Systems (TCS) in placeacross 28 Member States inEurope. They operate differentcommunication systems, usedifferent technology, and havedifferent safety procedures andsafety regulations. This means thatin order to travel on a train from,say, Portugal to Latvia, passengersoften have to change trains anddrivers at national borders in orderto ensure that the train has thecorrect receiving/transmissionequipment as well as someone on board who is qualified tooperate it.
The Paris-Brussels-Cologne andAmsterdam train is fitted withseven different TCSs, so while the
The European Rail TrafficManagement System
ERTMS:
By Naomi Thompson
25
term future; an ERTMSBreakthrough Programme wasrecommended to speed up thedeployment; it specifies thevarious challenges faced andrecommends how they can bestbe overcome.
The ModernPolitical Landscape
The European Union is quitepossibly a more successfulexperiment in international co-operation than any of its founderscould have anticipated in 1950. Inrecent years and with the adventof intuitive technology, rapidinnovation and social media, theworld is smaller, and Europesmaller still. The barriers between
European high-speed rail system.By 1998/99 UNISIG, a consortiumof European signalling companies,was formed at the specific requestof the European Commission todevelop the specifications.
The final specification of ERTMS,the Class 1 SRS, was delivered in2000, more than ten years after itsconception. Further review wouldfollow, with the addition offunctionalities as technologydeveloped and the adaptation ofexisting features as further needswere identified. The technicalspecifications of ERTMS continueto be maintained by the EuropeanRailway Agency (established in2004), working with the signallingindustry and railway industrystakeholders in order to
continuously meet the railway’sneeds.
Alongside the specification work,the ERTMS/ETCS projects had tobe financed. Memorandums ofUnderstanding were signed by theEuropean Commission in 2005,2008 and 2012 to deploy ERTMSacross Europe. Priority corridorswere identified and financialincentives devised to encouragetake-up by Member States.
A milestone for ERTMS cameabout in 2009 with the adoptionof the European ERTMSDeployment Plan, which makesretrofitting ERTMS on to a numberof lines (the initial six ERTMScorridors plus additional freightlines) mandatory by 2020, and in2015 with a report on its longer-
Driver console with ERTMS screen. © Network Rail
26
How Does ERTMSWork?
ERTMS is comprised of twocomponents, ETCS – a EuropeanTrain Control System, which is anautomatic train protection system(ATP) that will replace national ATPsystems. The second part is GSM-R (Global System for Mobilecommunications – Radio) – aradio system which enables voiceand data communication betweenthe track and train and controlcentre. The system is based onstandard GSM, on frequenciesreserved for rail applications withspecific functions.
ERTMS replaces line-side signalswith a computer in the driver’s cabthat controls speed andmovement, whilst constantlycommunicating with other trainson the network. Trains thereforeoperate, without being exposed tothe risk of human error, at anappropriate speed, taking intoaccount the movement of othertrains. The train alsocommunicates with the track atsignals and interlocking systems inorder to avoid collisions atjunctions. This, in turn, increasesnot only safety, but efficiency ofservice as well as energyefficiency, capacity and frequencyof service.
It is intended that ERTMS is anadaptive and intelligent trainmanagement system, with real-time traffic management anddecision support systems. Itutilises GPS, high-speed, high-capacity data transfer and voicecommunication systems,increasingly it relies onautomation technology and real-time data collection, processingand communication systems.
nations are ever more arbitrary. Assuch, the determination to createever closer co-operation betweenMember States has beenredoubled.
The Connecting Europe Facility(CEF, established in 2013) is multi-billion euro fund to bring downthe barriers which hamper energy,transport and telecommunicationsat the European level. The railnetwork has benefitted greatlyfrom this fund, as well as theHorizon 2020 fund, whichsupports the development ofinformation and communicationtechnological innovations that willenhance the cohesiveness of theEuropean Union.
As part of this, a project in 2013was launched relating to theinteroperability of the Europeanrailway network. This was theSingle European Railway Area; astandardised rail network thatoperates on uniform lines,signalling and control systems tocreate a railway network to spanthe continent, and in turn enhanceEuropean cohesion.
The Fourth Railway Package, as
project is dubbed, is intended to
foster competitiveness and
growth. Increasing competition
from China and Japan puts the
success of the European railway
industry in jeopardy. It is essential
that European players continue to
innovate and evolve in order to
remain competitive.
European initiatives such as
Shift2Rail have taken the dramatic
step of pooling the collective
talent of top industry players,
including Thales, Bombardier,
Ansaldo, Siemens, Alstom,
Network Rail, Trafikverket and CAF
in order to remain at the cutting
edge of technology and
innovation. Protocols relating to
intellectual property, individual
investment and risk-taking have
been discarded. There is a very
clear sense that for the European
rail industry, we progress united or
we fall away divided. ERTMS is the
cornerstone of that philosophy.
ERTMS ready Thalys trains
© Victor Brito (http://ow.ly/i0Mi300VGDT,Creative Commons Licence)
27
Europe and Beyond
The original EuropeanDeployment Plans have beenrevised in accordance withMember States’ intended level ofinvestment. The centralised roleERTMS will play in the creation ofa single European railway area wasreaffirmed as a key part of theCommission’s Transport in Europestrategy, and since ERTMS hascome of age in terms of itsusability in commercialoperations, the rollout has begun.
The six rail corridors identifiedin the ERTMS Deployment planare:• Rotterdam – Genoa• Stockholm – Naples• Antwerp – Basel – Lyon• Valencia – Budapest• Dresden – Prague – Budapest
– Constanza• Aachen – Berlin – Warsaw –
Terespol
However, deployment on thesecorridors is not on schedule. Theproject was too ambitious, andbecause it was new technology,there was no one experiencedenough to set out a realistictimetable. In addition, the 2008financial crisis stalled manyinfrastructure projects. Despitefunding from the EU, deploymenthas thus far been haphazard andunco-ordinated.
In the ERTMS Coordinator's view,Work Plan of May 2015, it wasstated that:
‘The EDP needs to be adapted tothe reality and create an ambitiousand pragmatic plan with clearlydefined priorities within theCorridors with a definite time limitof 2030.’
Therefore, although new high-speed routes in Europe are fitted
with ETCS Level 2 as standard, asare new metros and tram systems,retrofitting existing infrastructureand rolling stock is more costlyand complex than anticipated. TheNetherlands recently announcedthat it was redirecting fundingwhich had been set aside forERTMS to other projects, andFrance and Germany had hitroadblocks (so to speak) inadapting their rail corridors.
However, ERTMS has become aglobal standard – more than29,000km of track, and around2,900 vehicles are equipped withERTMS globally. ERTMS is thesignalling system being invested inby China, India, Libya, SaudiArabia, Mexico, New Zealand andAustralia.
ERTMS, then, is not perfect. But itis ambitious, both in principle andin practice. It will become a reality,though later than originallyanticipated, and when it does itwill make railways not just inEurope, but the world over, safer,more efficient and more frequent.This in turn will increase energyefficiency and a modal shift fromcars to rail and enable countries tomeet their COP21 carbonemission targets.
ERTMS has been more thantwenty years in the making, pieceby piece, it has been developed,one concrete achievement afteranother. When the rollout iscomplete, it will enable travellersto board a train in Lisbon anddisembark in Riga; it puts intopractice the principles of theSchengen Agreement. There havebeen setbacks, but they will beovercome in a uniquely Europeanway – by innovation and co-operation.
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development and trends in bench marking for the Malaysianrailways in operational parameters. The conference willprovide participants with an update on technology up-gradation and joint ventures with equipment manufacturers. More info: http://infraoutlook.com/events/kuala_lumpur/index.html
27–28 July 2016Rail Depots and MaintenanceFacilities 2016Washington DC, USARail authorities exchange case studies for runningmaintenance facilities in the most cost-effective mannerand will be given a unique glimpse into how other railauthorities optimally run and maintain their rail depot andmaintenance facilities. From safety performance tomaintenance scheduling and from throughput toconfiguration and equipment layout, rail authorities will findout all they need to know about how to improve operations. More info: http://www.rail-depots-maintenance-facilities.com
28–31 August 2016AREMA 2016Orlando FL, USAThe American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-way Association is a four-day Annual Conference andExposition in Orlando, Florida, that exhibits products andsolutions within the railway engineering industry. Theexposition features railway engineering professionals from avariety of sectors including track, structures, maintenance,engineering services, communications and signals andmore. The event opens doors to networking providingpotential business development. More info: https://www.arema.org/meetings/2016/expo.html
28–29 JuneAfrica Rail 2016Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, SouthAfricaAfrica’s biggest Rail Conference and Exhibition with 200exhibitors and 6500+ attendees across 2 shows in 2 days.The event in Johannesburg attracts the biggest names inthe global rail industry and provides access to Africanrailway markets as well as opportunities to network and dobusiness with the continent’s leading railway industrysolution providers and global innovators. More info: http://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/africa-rail/index.stm
28–30 JuneRSSI C&S Expo 2016 Texas, USAThe 57th Annual Railway System Suppliers C&S Expo 2016,in conjunction with Railway Interchange, exhibits productsand services in transport and rail, and all things railway andrailroad, along with the latest advances in logistics. RailwaySystem and Suppliers Inc. specialises in trade for thecommunication and signal sector of the rail transportationindustry with over 260 member companies. More info: http://www.rssi.org/2016-portal/index.html
25–26 July 20164th Annual Malaysia Rail 2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Supported by SPAD, the 4th Annual Malaysia Rail to be held25–26 July 2016, will focus on some of the major on-goingand upcoming railway projects in Southeast Asia. Theconference will ideate on next generation policy, proceduraland regulatory initiatives needed to attract investments inthe railway sector. Associates will delve into the state of
June, July & August 2016
UpcomingRailway Events
The railways are set to undergo aradical transformation that will seesatellite navigation systems suchas GPS and Europe’s upcomingGalileo becoming fundamental tomany aspects of train trafficmanagement, from capacityplanning and locating track repairsto creating ‘right time timetables’.A Royal Academy of Engineeringreport into the use of GNSS(Global Navigation SatelliteSystems) by CNI (Critical NationalInfrastructure) notes that railwayapplications already include “themanagement of rolling stock,passenger information, preventingdoors opening unless they arealongside the platform, cargotracking signalling, train integrityand level crossing approach.”The Rail Safety and StandardsBoard forecasts that GNSS will bein use this decade for railwaysignalling and train movementcontrol and monitoring.
Nigel Davies, Head of Secured Navigationat QinetiQ, argues that, as we move to-wards satellite-guided train traffic man-agement, trains could be vulnerable to avariety of threats.
Protecting the Railwaysin the 21st Century
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Electronic jammers are used bylorry and taxi drivers to go ‘off-route’ or by people-smugglersand car thieves to evadedetection.
The SENTINEL Project – anationwide government-backedUK investigation of GPS/GNSSsignal jamming – has tracked thegrowing power of jammers andhas already noted incidents of GPSjammers used aboard trains in theUK. Powerful wide-band jammerscan disrupt multiple GNSS signals,including GPS and Galileo, over awide area, causing position,navigation and timing data tobecome temporarily unavailable.Large-scale ‘electronic jamming’incidents can even ‘knock out’signals over a protracted period.The investigation has found thatGNSS jamming incidents acrossBritain are dramatically increasingin frequency, scope and power.North Korea’s recent use ofpowerful electronic jammersagainst the South has affectedover 1,000 aircraft and 700 ships,demonstrating the potentialimpact of large-scale GPSjamming on civil transportationsystems that are reliant on GNSS. This could have seriousimplications. Once traditionaltrackside signals are obsolete, ajamming incident affecting theGPS data fed to the traincomputer could leave it unable tocalculate position and timing datafrom other trains or transmit itsown position accurately. Astrackside signalling begins to bereplaced by computerised positionand timing data fed by satellitesignals, an electronic jammingattack could hamper efforts toimprove the performance of railnetworks via such data.
Even worse, because thespecification for the commonly
By 2019, Network Rail will be closeto its target of implementing ‘righttime’ timetabling which uses on-board GPS equipment to monitorand control every train in real-time, creating a hyper-efficientand centralised rail network wheretrains move in harmony and on-schedule. It is already pioneeringPlain Line Pattern Recognition(PLPR) where GPS co-ordinatesare used to automatically directengineers to the site of faults thatmay need repair identified bythermal imaging cameras.
First Group is harvesting detailedGPS train movement data from itsDriver Advisory Systems to analysetrain headways at key junctionsand build a central pool of bigdata which can help analyse andoptimise its rail services.
Meanwhile, the United States isgoing even further, with Metrolinkintroducing GPS-aided positivetrain control (PTC) which usessatellite signals to monitor theproximity of the train toapproaching switches, speed-restricted areas or maintenancework and automatically activatethe brakes if the driver fails torespond.
The European Rail TrafficManagement System (ERTMS) andEuropean Train Control System(ECTS) will replace traditionaltrackside signalling with on-boardcomputers on every individualtrain. The EU notes that “theintroduction of satellite navigationwithin the ECTS/ERTMS will…contribute to increasing theperformance on high-densityline[s] and lowering the cost oflow density and regional lines”.Such a fully interoperable systemwill mean a move towardsautonomous driving andautomatic train traffic regulationmade possible by satellite
positioning across Europe’srailways.
This mirrors similar moves in othertransport sectors, such as ‘e-navigation’ at sea which integratemaritime data, such as weatherupdates, with location and timinginformation, to increase the speedand efficiency and improve safetyacross our sea lanes.
The business case is clear;increased automation based onaccurate position and timing datacould improve the passengerexperience, while dramaticallyboosting the speed and efficiencyof global trade flows.
The Hidden Threat: These future technologicaladvances could create efficient,harmonised and responsive digitalrail networks across Europe,where everything from trackrepairs to train journeys is assistedby satellite signals.
Yet increasing over-reliance onremote signals from individualconstellations of satellites carriesinherent risks; GNSS signals arebeamed from satellites orbiting20,000 kilometres above and thesignals are consequently veryweak and virtuallyindistinguishable from acacophony of background noiseby the time they reach Earth, sothat they require complexalgorithms to identify and trackthem. This renders GNSS highlyvulnerable to electronicinterference, attempts to ‘echo’the signal with counterfeit signalsand manipulation of the computeralgorithms by cyber-attackers.Thanks to the widespreadavailability of cheap andincreasingly powerful wide-bandelectronic jammers, it is now easyfor even ordinary consumers tojam these satellite signals.
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attack services or applicationssupporting the rest of the train.
A SolutionA major collaboration betweenQinetiQ, the European SpaceAgency (ESA), the European GNSSAgency (GSA) and UK governmenthas begun to develop a newgeneration of multi-frequency,multi-constellation satellitereceivers to counter these threats.When installed on trains, thesereceivers will be able to processdata from a range of differentsources, including a wide range ofregional and global satellitenavigation signals, addingredundancy and error detection inthe event of a jamming orspoofing attack.
Thanks to radical recent advancesin anti-interference processing,anti-tamper technology andintrusion protection, includingthese receivers in future GNSS-guidance systems will also makethem highly secure againstinterference, spoofing and cyber-attacks.
The receivers – currently inprototype form – are compliantwith the highest levels ofgovernment security accreditationand are immensely resilient tocyber-attack.
As such technology comes onlineover the next few years and theGalileo project progresses,Europe’s rail infrastructure couldbe protected from the growingvulnerabilities in GNSS, helping tomove towards a hyper-efficient,fast and secure transport networkfor the 21st century.
used GNSS services is openlypublished, it is quite easy for anattacker to emulate or “spoof” thesignals sent by GNSS satellites. AGPS spoofing attack – wherecounterfeit signals are sent todeceive a receiver – could causetrains to unwittingly transmit afalse location, otherwise known asHazardously MisleadingInformation. This could have along-term reputational impact ontrain operators that use GNSS-guided PTC to adjust the speed ofthe train as the transmission ofHazardously MisleadingInformation could cause delays,disruption or incorrect timetablinginformation, impacting on theservice operators provide. Alternatively, a GPS spoofingattack on ‘smart’ track-maintenance systems such asPLPR (that rely on GNSS-providedco-ordinates to locate and recordtrack faults) could see companieslog track defects in the wrongplace or send repair workers tothe wrong location.
Recent UK maritime trials haveshown that ships on autopilot canbe unwittingly led off-course byspoofing signals that cause theships to transmit a false location. These tests also demonstrated theextent to which seeminglyindependent maritime systems,such as radar andcommunications, are in factheavily interdependent.Interference with the GNSS datacan have a domino effect acrossthe whole ship. As GNSS inputsbecome a key part of theoperation of our rail networks, afault across one aspect of thesystem could have a ripple effectacross other parts of the railecosystem.
The Hacking Threat:An even more severe threatcomes from the increasingconnectivity of trains. The movetowards digitised and ‘connected’rail networks means that thesystems that run them, includingthose involved in position andtiming, are more vulnerable tohacking.
For example, the pool of GPSinformation harvested bycompanies like First Group tooptimise the performance of itsfleet could potentially fall intocriminal hands and bemanipulated or used for maliciouspurposes. Location data could beused to enable robbers to trackfreight trains and pull off a cyber‘train robbery.’
Similarly, as GNSS receivers arecomponents interlinked with othersystems and devices such as on-board computers or wifi, they arealso vulnerable to such hacks. Anattacker could hack into a GNSSreceiver system and cause it totransmit a false time or position.This would mislead the on-boardcomputer so that the automatictrain control system might ‘think’ itcan speed up, for example, whenit is in fact approaching anothertrain.
With the ERTMS rendering driversdependent on ‘connected’ on-board computers to instruct themon the appropriate speed at anygiven time, any manipulation ofthe location data that feeds thesesystems could confuse theonboard computers and disruptthe service.
Worryingly, recent research hasshown that most components of amodern train are vulnerable tohackers because bugs in on-boardapplications could be used toaccess the modem and then
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Parker has been supplying the rail market for many years. It is with this experience that
an expertise in refurbishment and enhancement has developed to support ongoing rail
vehicle operation and life extension projects.
Could you benefit from working with Parker’s dedicated transportation team;
ready to respond to your performance, application, cost, weight and space [email protected]/rail
Solutions engineered for vehicle enhancement through refurbishment and upgrade
On track for reliability and performance
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are three elements of paramountconcern when planning such anundertaking.
There are a number of issues thatneed careful consideration wheninvestigating and planning such arefurbishment, however, to ensurethe best cost solution is achievedboth for commercial and technicalpurposes.
BaseliningBaselining has proven to be a toolalways recommended as the firststage of a refurbishment project.Establishing the accurate currentoperating condition of theequipment ensures anunderstanding of the trueoperating environment and canalso give an indication of otherareas of the complete system andhow they impact upon theequipment under consideration.
An assessment of the
In a world where trains must
function on time, every time,
pressure is on railway operators to
ensure regular upgrades and
repairs of their infrastructure, all
driven by the needs and
expectations of the customer.
When it comes to thecomponents and control systemsof rail carriages, the pneumaticdoor controls and locking systemsare often some of the mostcomplex and costly items torefurbish. Safety, long-termreliability and cost-effectiveness
The essential decision-making processbefore vehicle enhancement throughrefurbishment and upgrade
The RefurbishmentConundrum – Repairor Replace?
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Expertise inrefurbishmentsolutionsParker Hannifin has been activelysupplying the rail market for manyyears with a range of componentsand control systems for use acrossa wide range of applicationswhere reliable motion and controltechnology are required. Some ofthe technologies used includepneumatics, hydraulics andfiltration and also products suchas hoses and connectors.
It is with this extensivebackground of supply andapplication experience that anexpertise in refurbishment andenhancement in these technologyareas has developed to supporton-going rail vehicle operationand life extension projects.
In addition to supplyingcomponents to support otherpartners involved in refurbishmentprojects, we have also refurbishedexisting manifold systems, re-usedmanifolds to rebuild systems andprovided newly manufactured
contamination levels presentwithin the existing pneumaticcomponents and system manifoldcan help identify issues down theline with filtration and dryers,which if not also addressed willimmediately negatively impact onany refurbished equipment.
Baselining is therefore a criticalpart of the process in ensuringthat the true state is identified andall relevant issues are addressed inthe planning stage ofrefurbishment activity.
Required outcomesWhile it may seem a bit of a leapto move directly to defining thedesired outcomes straight afterthe baselining exercise, it is worthremembering that it is after all vitalto identify the destination of anyjourney before commencingtravel!
Having clearly defined objectivesand agreed key deliverables willenable a full definition of theproject’s key requirements andhence the activities required tosatisfy and deliver the requiredoutcomes.
Key deliverables such as warranty,life and reliability of the deliveredrefurbishment activity will all needclear definition and agreement.The impact of these issues on theactual scope of work undertakenis key to the decision-makingprocesses in deciding not onlywhat is undertaken, but also howit is undertaken and what theimpact is on the project costs, andhence defining best value bothtechnically and commercially.
Value assessment The two activities of baseliningand outcome definition willhopefully have provided a clearpicture of the scope of works
involved, but further work onanalysing costs to establish thebest methods to achieve bothtechnical and cost requirementswill define the final proposition.
In refurbishment projectsinvolving a pneumatic system, thecosts of manpower for thepredominantly labour-intensiveprocesses involved with anypotential rebuild of a systemretaining the original manifoldmust be weighed up against therelative cost of supplying acompletely new manifold with thebenefits of all new warrantedparts.
The cost differential betweenthese two options is frequentlyminimal, especially in projectswith a significant quantity of unitsrequiring refurbishment, so whenthe total cost of the project isconsidered, including the benefitsof ‘soft’ elements such asmaintenance and warranty, itoften works out to be moreeconomical to replace the entiresystem with a newlymanufactured unit.
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annual dividends paid toshareholders for 59 consecutivefiscal years, among the top fivelongest-running dividend-increaserecords in the S&P 500 index. Formore information, visit thecompany's website atwww.parker.com, or its investorinformation website atwww.phstock.com.
complete systems, depending onthe particular requirements of thespecific project and consideringthe points raised above.
Introducing newtechnologiesWhen analysing anyrefurbishment, vehiclemodification or upgrade projectwe are also continually on thelookout to ensure the latestdevelopments in technology areapplied when suitable to do so.
This could be as simple as amaterial change to a seal ordiaphragm or as wide-ranging asreviewing the system performanceand proposing new solutions.Whichever the case may be, ourengineering teams are there tofully engage with and support ourcustomers through the processwith all of the expectedsupporting documentation tomitigate risk.
When considering vehicleimprovement projects as opposedto refurbishment, we are alsoactively engaging in theapplication of new technologiesinto the rail market with a range ofelectromechanical and hybridtechnologies.
There is the potential toinvestigate the application of newtechnologies to many areas ofmotion and control on railvehicles and our focus is to workin partnership with our customersto ensure we are engineering yoursuccess.
Could you benefit from workingwith Parker’s dedicatedtransportation team; ready torespond to your performance,application, cost, weight and spacechallenges? Contact us to discuss your solutionneeds on [email protected]
About ParkerHannifin With annual sales of approximately$13 billion in fiscal year 2015,Parker Hannifin is the world'sleading diversified manufacturer ofmotion and control technologiesand systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a widevariety of mobile, industrial andaerospace markets. The companyemploys approximately 55,000people in 50 countries around theworld. Parker has increased its
Application Example - Networker vehicledoor control system Parker supplied the door control system as part of the fleetrefurbishment programme on networker vehicles. In this particularexample, Parker supplied new control systems as the technical andfinancial case supported this approach versus taking the refurbishmentroute.
There were two main components that were updated during theengineering review process, where full engineering change supportdocumentation packages were supplied to support the work. The firstwas a material change to the diaphragm in the door obstacledetection valves. This new material used offered an improvement tothe life characteristics of the valve. Full documentation to support thereasons for the change, the benefits and an assessment to ensurethere was no risk associated with the change was supplied.
The second change was to a valve end cap on the interface to thepiloting solenoid valve; this change came as a result of the baseliningactivities carried out where the potential for damage to the solenoidduring handling and maintenance had been identified. Once installedand in use, there was not a functional issue, so there was norequirement to change the product function, just to ensure theinterface could not be affected by mishandling or inadvertent contact.A design review was carried out and the end cap design was modifiedproviding flanges either side of the pilot solenoid ensuring protection.Again, this was fully supported by comprehensive documentation.
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her family commitments meantshe could no longer travel and soworked entirely on UK projects. In2009 the position of GeneralCounsel became available, sheapplied and was successful.
“99% of the women around mesay that they got into the railindustry by accident not bychoice. But once it happened,once they were in the sector,there was no chance of themleaving it, they absolutely love it.The same is for me.”
Filling a Void
She founded Women in Rail in2012 following a conversationwith her male CEO who, she says,is very supportive of the cause. Ashe has two daughters himself, heunderstands how hard it can befor a woman to find her placewithin the corporate environment.On a business trip they werediscussing the rail industry and thefact that it’s male-dominated. Thisis not by choice, but has historical
The proportion of women in theUK rail industry today is the sameratio as 1918. Women make uparound 16% of the total workforce,and of this, they represent only 4%of engineers and 0.6% ofexecutives and directors.
However, two factors – theincreased attention feminist issuesare receiving in the media, and theincrease in spending oninfrastructure and supportingeducation – have come about atthe same time. The point at whichthey met was Adeline Ginn,General Counsel for Angel Trains,and founder of Women in Rail.
The FemaleExperience
Adeline Ginn’s professionalexperience in the rail industry istypical of the experience of mostwomen in the industry. Sheoriginally practised as a barristerpractising family law. Shedescribes the training she received
as helpful since it gave heruniversally applicable skills.However, she always had aninterest in transport. Coming froma family of mercantile sailors, shecompleted a masters in Air &Space Law at McGill University inQuebec before joining the Bar,where she discovered that, as sheobserved, “crime doesn’t paywhen you’re on the right side ofthe fence”, so she made thedecision to go in-house.
She joined a firm of solicitors intheir litigation department, whosent her to Airbus Industries inToulouse in order to assist thegeneral council there. She foundshe enjoyed the experience ofbeing part of a team and seeing aproject from beginning to end.Upon her return to the UK, shewanted to carry on that way ofworking, ideally in transport, soshe was lucky enough to land ajob at Angel trains, where she hasstayed for 17 years, first as counselfor international business until2005, when she left briefly to starta family. When she returned, and
Adeline Ginn, Founder ofWomen in Rail, Speaks toRailway-News
Women in Rail
By Naomi Thompson
39
by volunteers, although effective,were not large-scale enough totackle the problem.
With this in mind, Women in Railopened up a discourse with theDepartment for Transport andother like-minded organisations,reaching out to connect and worktogether to close the skills gap.
“The rail industry is undergoingexpansion, with resources mostindustries would die for, billions ofpounds invested in infrastructure,there’s a huge wave ofrecruitment to replace peoplewho are either retiring or neededto work on new projects. Parts ofthe country are beingregenerated, new homes arebeing built, new jobs. You can’tdeliver on this project unless youhave a balanced workforce.”
Moving On
Along with the data provided byLord Davis, the business case forgender parity in the industry wasimpossible to refute, and theconversation was very wellreceived. With increasedawareness from above, there ismore attention being focused alsofrom the ground up that there is anecessity to improve genderbalance and improve the skillsgap.
The situation is not much better inmuch of Europe. In Sweden, withgender equality promoted in theworkplace, flexible working as anorm, and a higher opinion ofengineering among the generalpublic, there are marginally morewomen in the rail industry, but it isa global issue that girls andwomen do not have a high uptakeof STEM subjects and STEMcareers.
roots, harking back to a day whenrailway engineering was anexercise in brute force and dirt.This remains for many theperception of the industry.
It was about the time that the LordDavis Report, Women on Boards,was published, which found thatonly 12.5% of board members ofFTSE 100 companies were womenin 2010. The rate of increase wasslow (it would take 70 years toachieve gender balance inboardrooms at the current rate ofprogress), and the factors whichcaused it are numerous andcomplicated. It advised againstintroducing quotas in order toavoid tokenism, and insteadadvocated a number of othermeasures to combat them.
One of the problems that Ms Ginnand the Report identified, is that inthe rail industry, women did nothave many female peers to reachout to for support and networkingopportunities. The rail industry isspread out across the country, andwith a low density of women inthe first place, the practicalities ofmeeting other women to connectwith had to be overcome. So thatwas the original purpose ofWomen in Rail when it wascreated – to give women theopportunity to network with otherwomen.
A NurturingEnvironment
The launch of Women in Rail tookplace in April 2013 and wasattended by women and menfrom all over the industry, from allgrades and all roles. Initially, thegroup used LinkedIn to connect;networking events were organisedto great success, where the issuesaffecting women in the industry
were discussed, and this evolvedinto ideas to solve them.
It might have remained an idlechat in a bar among colleagues,but for the drive, passion andcompetence of Ms Ginn, whosaid, “I didn’t have any massiveplans, I was doing it out of a purewillingness to bring womentogether.”
Nuanced points, such as the self-confidence of women, wereidentified as an issue, as was anabsence of opportunities tonetwork in order to learn fromother women’s experiences. Inresponse, workshops were set up,events to support women in thesector, and from these events itwas evident that the genderimbalance had to be addressed ata more fundamental level.
Women in Rail work closely withan organisation called YoungRailway Professionals, who run anAmbassador Programme forwhich volunteers go to collegesand schools to teach children andyoung people more about thecareers available in the railwayindustry. Challenging perceptionsin young people was a key issue tobe tackled, particularly amonggirls.
A Network Rail survey carried outin 2015 called Switch On SwitchOff found worryingmisconception about careers inthe railway industry. It showedschool-age girls pictures ofrailways and engineering andfound that girls between the agesof 7 and 9 described the industryas dirty and messy, girls aged 10–12 described it as physically strongand dangerous, and girls aged 12–15 thought it was unglamorousand socially isolating. The studyconfirmed what Ms Ginn believed.It also confirmed that school visits
“The government is very supportive,the process has started, it’s going totake some time, but awareness hasreally been brought to the skills gapand gender imbalance. We have theDfT initiative in respect ofapprenticeships, Transport forLondon has launched its ‘100 yearsof women in transport’ campaign,so it’s really snowballing. The railindustry has taken ownership of theissue and is doing things to addressit which I think that is absolutelyfantastic.”
Many companies and organisationsseek out Women in Rail to ask howthey can best accomplish this. Theadvice is uniform and simple. Thefirst element is to utilise the hugenumbers of talented women in theirorganisation. They need to fosterthat talent and help women realisetheir career potential, to give themthe confidence to push themselvesforward for the job they want.
“Anyone can do it, get yourself outof your comfort zone, apply for thejob you want, not the job you thinkyou should be doing.”
The second element is to helpwomen on a practical level to havefulfilling careers by introducingflexitime for men and women,giving women the confidence to askfor flexible working hours. The thirdelement is that as often as possiblethey portray the railway sector topeople outside it for what it is – adynamic and modern industry.
Less obvious issues are things likejob adverts, which are readdifferently by women; they shouldfeature career plans set out fromentry level so women can plot acareer trajectory not dependent ontheir self-esteem but theirsuccesses. Finally, there must be animproved awareness ofunconscious bias against womenwhen filling roles.
Rail Minister Claire Perry meets womenworking on Crossrail © Crossrail Ltd
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What’s Next?
Over the coming 12 months, the 20most Influential Women in Rail willbe announced and celebrated,because by promoting thesuccesses of women andcelebrating the achievements ofwomen, the next generation ofachieving women will beencouraged to reach higher.
Also in 2016, Women in Rail will askorganisations and companies toidentify women in their ranks tobecome rising stars, furtherpromoting the achievements ofwomen to serve as an example toexisting and potential employees inthe industry. Women in Rail ishosting the Big Rail DiversityChallenge at the end of September2013 – giving teams of men andwomen (in equal numbers) mentaland physical challenges. It is alsohosting the Big Pink on 30 October,which is a campaign to raise moneyfor breast cancer care – an issuewhich affects men as well aswomen. Women in Rail asks allgrades in the rail industry todemonstrate solidarity by wearingpink on that day.
Women in Rail will also become acharity this summer, which will leadto scholarships and grants tosupport young women into STEMsubjects to embark on successfulcareers in the industry.
“The sector is fantastic and filledwith people who deeply care aboutthe railways. I am absolutelypassionate about the railways, andbefore I created women in rail I wasacutely aware that many womenfelt isolated and resulted that theydidn’t realise their full potential, oreven worse, they left the industry,and I wanted to change that. Wehave had a very positive responsesince the beginning of thecampaign.”
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Multi-Contact (MC) is a leadinginternational manufacturer ofelectrical contacts and systemsolutions for industrialapplications: connector systemsand modular connectors,customer-specific contactsolutions, assembled connectors,and fully tested assemblies, allfrom a single source.
Transformers and inverters changethe high voltages coming from theoverhead cables into the requiredpower supply voltage. Powerelectronics that can be exchangedduring maintenance are used inmany of these inverters.
Cable lugs used to be screwed tobolts, but today, slide-in systemsare the norm. In collaborationwith a manufacturer of tractionconverters, Multi-Contact hasdeveloped a customer-specificfork plug for printed circuit boardunits. The solution is lightweightand saves space in inverters and
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Thanks to the tried and testedMULTILAM technology, contactresistance is low, and there isminimal power loss and hardly anyrise in temperature. This meansthat the fork plug can be used intemperatures ranging from -55°Cto +125°C. The contacts arevibration-resistant and aretherefore suitable for use in therail industry.
Rolling stock contains several consumers ofelectricity, such as doors, heating, climatecontrol systems and even traction motors,which must all be supplied with the correctelectrical power supply.
Low-maintenanceSolutions for theRailway Industry
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Printed circuit board units for slide-insystems with customer-specific fork plugs
from Multi-Contact
Church of England ordained itsfirst woman priest, and NelsonMandela became the first blackpresident of South Africa. It is also the year Sweden andFinland held referendums in whichvoters in both countries decidedto join the European Union, while
In our Infrastructure segments inthe previous two issues, welooked at Crossrail and theGotthard Base Tunnel. In this issuewe’re looking at HS2; however, aswe’re taking a special look atEurope and the rail industry in thisissue, we thought we’d use the
excuse to look at another tunnel,namely the Channel Tunnel,which had its 20th anniversary justtwo years ago.
It opened in 1994, the same year,a Wikipedia search informs me,China joined the internet, the
Here at Railway-News we seem to havebecome quite excited of late about tunnelsand the sheer vision and engineering ability needed to build them.
The Channel Tunnel:Britain’s Fixed Link toMainland Europe
By Josephine Cordero Sapién
© Eurotunnel
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start of the Truck Shuttle in July1994, more than 23 million trucksand 300 million tonnes of freighthave been transported by theservice, along with 38 milliontonnes on rail freight trains. In2015, the average daily number ofpassengers was 57,000. 85% of carpassengers are British.
The Channel Tunnelin a Political WorldThe Channel Tunnel has been atthe frontlines of a changing world.The UK border forces are currentlylocated on the French side. As aresult of the migrant crisis manyhundreds have tried to jump theborder and make their waythrough the Channel Tunnel onfoot. In addition, many migrantstried to enter the terminal and geton to trucks, causing significantdisruption when Eurotunnel hadto suspend its services. With themigrant situation in Calais asdesperate as it was, manypassengers were intimidated bymigrants trying to enter their cars.As a result, many passengersopted not to travel via this route.This has led Eurotunnel to seek£22 million in compensation fromthe British and Frenchgovernments. Spokesman JohnKeefe said: "The French andBritish governments are clearlyresponsible for the security at theborder, and also for the publicorder security on site.
"During last year we were severelydisrupted by the migrant crisis -people trying to break on to ourterminal and break into trucks onthe motorway - and so wesuffered quite a loss of revenueduring the early part of the year."
The migrant crisis hasn’t been theonly thing to make passengerscautious. Eurostar recently notedthat “Travellers remain cautious
the people of Norway decidedthey would not. And just two yearsearlier in 1992, the members ofthe European Communities signedthe Maastricht Treaty, whichestablished the European Union aswe know it today. Now, 43 yearsafter Britain first joined, and 41years after its first referendum, theUnited Kingdom is set to vote onwhether it wishes to remain in theEuropean Union or not. WithBritain questioning its relationshipwith the EU, we wanted to take alook at the Fixed Link thatconnects the UK to mainlandEurope.
Construction andDesignThe Channel Tunnel actuallyconsists of three tunnels, all 50kmlong, two single-track tunnels forthe trains running in eachdirection and a service tunnelbetween them. 38km of the totallength is under the sea, making itis also the longest undersea tunnelin the world. However, there arealso two places under the seawhere trains can switch from onetunnel to the other, which is auseful feature for continuingsmooth operations duringmaintenance for example. At itslowest point, the tunnel runs 75mbelow the sea. Every 375m there isa cross-passage connecting thetrain tunnels to the service tunnel.The service tunnel, a road tunneloperating maintenance vehicles,also has important safety featuressuch as a higher pressure than thetrain tunnels, to prevent smokefrom entering in the event of a firein the train tunnels – and therehave been three big enough toclose the tunnel, in 1996, 2008,2012 and 2015.
But let’s take a step back. Theagreement covering the ChannelTunnel is the Treaty of Canterbury,
which was signed in 1986 byBritish Prime Minister MargaretThatcher and French PresidentFrançois Mitterrand. Constructionbegan two years later in 1988 andwas to last six years. Eleven tunnelboring machines were used forthe project, many built specificallyfor this job. Tunnelling took placefrom both sides. Then, on 1December 1990, the two sidesmet under the sea. All of thetunnel boring machines wereremoved and dismantled bar onefrom the British side, whichremains in situ. The constructionwork was completed in 1994 andthe Channel Tunnel was openedby Queen Elizabeth II and FrançoisMitterrand on 6 May that year. TheFixed Link is now operated byGroupe Eurotunnel SE.
The Channel TunnelTrainsThe Channel Tunnel sees theoperation of both passenger andfreight trains. The passenger trainsare operated by Eurostar, which ismajority-owned by the Frenchstate-owned rail company SNCF.The Shuttle service, which carriesroad vehicles by rail, is owned andoperated by Eurotunnel. Just onesuch Eurotunnel shuttle is 775mlong. Eurotunnel Freighttransports lorries.
In 2015, almost 1.5 million truckstravelled through the ChannelTunnel with an equivalent of 19.3million tonnes of freight carried.More than 10 million passengerstook the Eurostar through thetunnel, while the same amountagain used the Shuttle service.Eurotunnel says that since thecommencement of services inMay 1994, more than 366 millionpassengers have travelled throughthe Channel Tunnel – that’s theequivalent of five times thepopulation of the UK. Since the
© Eurotunnel45
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New RoutesHowever, there are positivedevelopments as well. Eurostarintends to run a London-Amsterdam service, a very popularroute, and has begun testing itse320 on the Dutch network. Thisroute currently sees 3 millionairline passengers a year and witha four-hour service from citycentre to city centre, this one willbe popular.
The EuropeanUnion: ChannelTunnel Must Openfor CompetitionThe European Commission hasbeen keen to open up rail freightand passenger services tocompetition, laying thegroundwork for this move in 2010.In 2013 asked both the UK andFrench governments to complywith EU regulations. In astatement issued in June 2013, the
following the terrorist attacks inBrussels and demand isdampened.
The impact has been particularlyevident in international marketswith Eurostar reporting aslowdown in travellers from the
US and Asia. As a result, passengernumbers in the first three monthsof the year were 2.2 million, a 3%reduction on the same period lastyear (2.3 million: Q1 2015) andsales revenues were 6% loweryear on year (£201 million Q12016: £215 million Q1 2015).”
© Eurotunnel
© Eurotunnel
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European Commission said that“Excessive track access chargesmean higher prices for railpassengers and rail freightcompanies when using theTunnel. It also discourages newrailway operators from enteringthe market.” They go on to saythat “The current track accesscharges for use of the ChannelTunnel infrastructure do notappear to be based on directcosts or the long term investmentcosts of building the Tunnel.”
Several rail operators in the markethave expressed an interest inrunning services through theChannel Tunnel. In 2010 DeutscheBahn announced it wanted to runservices through the tunnel in thenext three years and ran an ICE-3train through the tunnel. In 2013the Tunnel authorities finally
granted DB permission. DBwanted to run services fromAmsterdam and Frankfurt viaBrussels to London. However, theplans have been shelved becauseof technical issues pertaining tothe DB fleet as well as the highaccess charges on the Frenchnetwork.
With the European Commissionforging ahead with its goal ofcreating a Single EuropeanRailway Area and its desire to seeincreased competition in theEuropean rail market, the ChannelTunnel will surely continue to facechallenges and opportunities,giving other modes of transport arun for their money and hopefullygiving passengers and freightcompanies the ever-improvingservices they expect.
© Eurotunnel
RAILSTRAIGHT APP:excellent precisionmeasurement usingyour smartphoneUsing our award-winningRAILSTRAIGHT APP we can offerour customers even more comfortin the measurement process usingour RAILSTRAIGHT measuringdevices. It takes just two minutesto install the diagnostics softwarewhich runs on the Androidoperating system – be it on asmartphone or a tablet. The appoffers an intuitive user interfacewith on-screen help texts. Theapp, which is free for customers,enables the display of test reportsof longitudinal profiles of therunning surface and running edgewith the support of user-definedspecifications and the creation ofPDF reports, excel or csv files on atablet or smartphone which canbe sent by email. Furthermore,remote maintenance per log file
Increasing passenger levels andhigher cargo volumes lead tohigher speeds, higher average axleand wheel loads and tighterschedules. This results in threechallenges: the network is subjectto considerably more wear; in
addition, the time slots availablefor maintenance are continuallybecoming smaller; finally, theregulatory authorities requiremore and more digitaldocumentation of themaintenance and security statusof the railway networks.The RAILSTRAIGHTS fromGoldschmidt Thermit offer theperfect solution to check thestraightness of rails. This can befor both new rails andmaintenance where thestraightness of the welded joints,insulated joints or fishplate jointshas to be checked. Over thecourse of the maintenance workthe formation of corrugations canalso be analysed before and aftergrinding work.
As well as highly precise electronicmeasurements, the devices alsoimpress with their easy handlingand innovative control via an app.
Modern technology is increasingly finding applications in the area of railway engineeringto enable railways to handle ever higher loadsand meet the challenges of the future.
Precision Measuring Devices – High-end RailMeasurement For The Digital Work Site
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and mailing and GPS positiondefinition is possible.This means that it is possible torecord the condition of the trackin a short time, depending on thelocal conditions, and also withouttrack possession. The trackcondition can also bedocumented electronicallywithout delay. Individualmeasurements can be groupedtogether for projects and theresults sent directly by email tothe monitoring body or theordering party.
The right measuringdevice for everyrequirement
Naturally, RAILSTRAIGHTS meet allthe prevailing standards for theelectronic measurement ofwelded track and corrugations,including all the regulations of theDB, EN and the Netherlandsquality index. The devices are notlimited to straight rails; they canalso be used on curves.Measurements are possible inareas that are particularlyimportant to maintain, such asswitches and intersections.
Advantages of theRAILSTRAIGHTmeasuring devices:• Highly precise measurement of
the straightness and with WAVE also the analysis of corrugations with different wave lengths on the surface of the rail up to a distance of 5 metres
• Robust design for daily use on rails with silicon end covers to protect the devices from shock damage and for maximum non-slip
1. RAILSTRAIGHTCOMPACT: straightness measurement to check welding work, fishplate joints and insulated rail joints with alteration-proof electronic documentation of the acceptance results.
2. RAILSTRAIGHTDUAL: simultaneous measurement of the running surface and running edge for even quicker straightness measurements when inspecting the status of the rails, or for example for quality assurance with a flash butt welding device.
3. RAILSTRAIGHTWAVE: in addition to straightness measurement also measurement and documentation of corrugations in co-ordination with the required grinding or milling work or for the final acceptance.
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class, direction or name of the welder, also with own company logo
• Possibility of immediate wireless transfer of the report by email
• Optional accessories:
o Digital rail thermometer which automatically transfers the rail temperature for each measurement to the RAILSTRAIGHT APP
o Magnetic holder for improved hold on the rail
• Compact, light design with
ergonomic handle, delivered in
practical neoprene carrier bag
for easy transport
• Designed for operation by a
single person, without the need
for a long familiarization
process
• High performance internal
lithium ion battery,
rechargeable via micro USB
from the main power system
and from the car with
additional alternative power
supply using AA batteries for a
longer operational time
• Adjustable stoppers allowing adjustment to different rail profiles and correct measurement of the running edge
• Innovative RAILSTRAIGHT APP to control RAILSTRAIGHTS via Bluetooth with an Android device and automated data transfer for immediate documentation of the measurement values and clear presentation in the form of a graph
• Creation of individual PDF reports, excel or csv files through input of specific data such as the rail profile, speed
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European Transport Network, or
TEN-T. This new transport
infrastructure policy, with a
budget of €24.05 billion from
2014 to 2020, aims to “lose the
The guidelines, since modified,
also provide for the eligibility
criteria for EC funding for
transport projects. Other funds,
including the Cohesion Fund and
the ERDF (European Regional
Development Fund) are available
to finance eligible projects.
There evolved from this the Trans-
As part of an on-going awareness of theneed for a cohesive rail network throughoutthe European Union, a series of CommunityGuidelines were adopted in 1996 relating to the development of a trans-Europeantransport network.
HS2 – En Routeto Europe
By Naomi Thompson
© HS2 Ltd
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will be Britain’s second high-speed rail line, the first being HS1,also known as the ChannelTunnel. In 2014, recognising itsimportance as part of the TEN-Tnetwork, HS2 was awarded €39.2million by the Connecting EuropeFacility (CEF).
gaps between Member States'transport networks, removebottlenecks that still hamper thesmooth functioning of the internalmarket and overcome technicalbarriers such as incompatiblestandards for railway traffic. Itpromotes and strengthensseamless transport chains forpassenger and freight”.
TEN-T Corridors
The Core Network Corridors areintended to enable the co-ordinated implementation of thecore network, bringing togetherpublic and private resources andfunding to build cross-borderconnections where they arelacking and promote modalintegration and interoperability.
The corridors focus particularly onthe integration of rail freightcorridors and the promotion ofinnovative technologies as theyrelate to environmentalsustainability and safety. It is alsointended that urban areas will beintegrated into TEN-T. Nine corecorridors have been identified aseligible for European funding.Further “comprehensive networks”may be proposed by MemberStates. A core network line in theUK includes the West CoastMainline and Phase 1 of the HS2.
Of the nine corridors, the NorthSea-Mediterranean Corridor is theonly one which passes throughthe UK. The corridor runs fromIreland and northern Britain,through the Netherlands, Belgiumand Luxembourg to theMediterranean Sea in the south ofFrance. It is a multi-modalcorridor incorporating sea portsand inland waterways. Itssecondary purpose is to betterconnect the UK to mainlandEurope.
Part of the UK segment of theNorth Sea-Mediterranean Corridoris the proposed route for the HighSpeed 2 (HS2), a high-speed raillink between London and theWest Midlands, which will in itslater phases extend to the Northof England and up into Scotland. It
© HS2 Ltd
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“comprehensive networks” may beproposed by Member States. Acore network line in the UKincludes the West Coast Mainlineand Phase 1 of the HS2. Phase 2 isnot included in the network as itwill not be operational before2030. As such, Phase 2 is includedas a comprehensive network.
With a focus on intermodaltransportation – namely sea portto rail, HS2 will not cater to thekey ports of Felixstowe andSouthampton, both in thesoutheast of England. However,HS2 will eventually link up close toLiverpool, where a docklandscontainer terminal is currentlybeing developed. The corecorridor therefore lays thegroundwork for betterconnectivity from the north to thesouth for freight, which will in turnconnect to HS1 and enablesmoother intermodal freighttransport to mainland Europe.
HS2 Built toEuropeanSpecificationsThe current outline for thetechnical specifications of HS2 arebased solidly on Europeantechnical specifications forinteroperability (TSIs). A key part ofthis is safety, from design andconstruction through to operationand maintenance. Because HS2will be the fastest train to haveever operated in the UK, safetyand reliability will be key issues.
However, the safety of the trainwas called into question inFebruary 2016 by an expert reportwritten by Professor PeterWoodward, Atkins Professor ofHigh Speed Railways at HeriotWatt University, who found thatthe soil quality on much of the
TechnicalSpecifications
In order to be truly interoperable,the whole TEN-T network isrequired to run on the sametechnical specifications, with theexception of Northern Irelandwhich is classified as an “isolatednetwork”. Therefore, in addition tooperating on the same signallingsystem (ERTMS), other technicalspecifications are required to beuniform.
Ironically, as the pioneer ofrailways in the 19th century, theUK is hobbled in adapting existinglines to meet European standardsin terms of technicalspecifications. Much of the UK’srail network is antiquated, withcurving tracks that do not allowfor very high speeds or long trains,and low bridges which do notallow for overhead power lines.
Trains in France, the Netherlandsand Luxembourg operate freighttrains that are 740m long. In theUK, only parts of the West CoastMain Line (linking London and theNorth West) and on HS1 allow fortrains up to 775m long. Half of thecore corridor networks in the UKdo not allow for a 740m standard,as compared to 20% which isabove that standard, and 30%which is unknown.
Track gauge must also beuniformly 1435mm gauge asstandard, which the UK satisfies.Electrification, because it is notonly faster but also moreenvironmentally sustainable (a keyobjective in the development ofthe TEN-T network) is essential,but by no means standardised. Inthe UK, a third of the core corridoris not electrified, and of the two-thirds that are, 160km rely on railelectrification rather than
overhead lines. Installing overheadelectrification lines in the UK is acostly and inconvenient process,requiring bridges to be rebuiltalong the whole route.
High-speed is defined as 200km/hby European standards, but for thepurposes of TEN-T high-speed isallowed at 100km/h. In the UK,68% of the West Coast Main Lineallows for trains to run at100km/h, while on the rest of theline, speeds vary widely from64km/h to 170km/h. Therefore,adapting the existing West CoastMain Line to meet Europeanstandards is not necessarily apragmatic option. Already full tocapacity for both passenger andfreight trains, the case for thebrand new HS2 is a strong one.
HS2
HS2 is a two-phase plan to build abrand new high-speed link fromLondon to Birmingham and thento the North of England, running a225mph train up to 14 times anhour in each direction. Phase Onewill operate between London andBirmingham, and will reduce thejourney times from 1 hour 24minutes as they are currently, toonly 49 minutes. This phase of theproject is set to be complete by2026.
The second phase is a two-pronged line, known as the Y-route, one from Birmingham toManchester, the other fromBirmingham to Leeds. It isproposed that there will be a thirdphase taking the line up toEdinburgh and Glasgow, but it ishoped to get as far as Leeds andManchester by 2033.
In addition to the nine corecorridors which have beenidentified by TEN-T, further
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through this part of the route andthe rest in cutting.
HS2 is the most ambitious projecton the UK’s railways since theVictorian era. Per kilometre, it willbe the most expensive railway inthe world. However, the UK alsoboasts the most establishedrailway in the world, forming thebasis on the railways of Europeand the rest of the world. It istherefore ironic that it mustconstruct a completely new line inorder to meet Europeanspecifications.
Much of the objection to thecontroversial line is that it isLondon-centric, but that is to missthe point. It is not that the north ofEngland will be connected toLondon, but that all of the UK willbe connected to Europe, and willoperate on a par with its Europeancounterparts. In this instance, it isnot a case of adapt to survive, butrather, build anew to connect.
proposed HS2 route would notsustain the top speeds of400km/h, which have beenproposed, without creatingstructural instability along the line.
BIMBY-ismHS2, as a new tranche of railway,will create yet another physicalbarrier between areas of wildlifeprotection, blocking migrationcorridors, and creating noise andlight pollution, as well as airpollution.
The EU initiative the ‘EuropeanCooperation in the Field ofScientific and Technical Research’(COST) recommends that anecologically sustainable transportinfrastructure requires innovationand adaptability to variouslandscapes, and that it must beaddressed at a policy and planninglevel in order to create aninterdisciplinary approach to solvethe problem. Accordingly, HS2 has
worked closely with organisationsincluding the Wildlife Trust and theWoodland Trust to improveprotection measures for wildlifealong the route.
In addition to the impact onwildlife, there is also an imperativeto preserve the beauty of theEnglish countryside. The UKheritage organisation the NationalTrust has worked with HS2 tosolve issues relating to theprotection of the countryside aspart of its BIMBY campaign(beauty in my back yard).
Working with the National Trust,HS2 has agreed to create a naturallandscape of banked earth whereit runs through parkland, whichwill negate any visual eyesore, aswell as noise pollution.Compromises have been reached;where the National Trustcampaigned for a tunnel beneaththe Chilterns (an area ofoutstanding natural beauty), whichis now two thirds in tunnel
© HS2 Ltd / Grimshaw
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