Right track issue 8

RIGHT

ISSUE 8 // FEBRUARY 2014

signalling change
HOW THE CAMBRIAN LINE’S ADOPTION OF ERTMS
IS WORKING OUT IN PRACTICE FOR OPERATIONS

URBAN EXPLORERS

IN-SERVICE
ADHESION AID

ON TRACK SAFETY

Part of the
operational
safety programme
sponsored by
industry

RIGHT

headlamp
Welcome to Issue 8 of Right Track
As Right Track was heading to the
typesetter, an incident occurred in the Bronx
district of New York that gave us pause for
thought and could not be left out of this
issue.
At 07:20 on 1 December 2013, an eight-coach
Metro-North push-pull service working in push
mode derailed near Spuyten Duyvil station.
Four people were killed and 63 were injured.
Two of the coaches flipped on their side after
the derailment, one stopping only a few feet
from the banks of the Harlem River.
Firefighters and ambulance crews responded
quickly, some firefighters breaking through
windows in order to rescue passengers, of
whom 150 were said to have been aboard.

75 mph to 30 mph and where the tracks enter
a 30 degree left-hand curve. Media reports
suggest the train was travelling at 82 mph at
the time of the incident. The driver has also
been reported as experiencing ‘a momentary
lapse of awareness’ just before the accident
happened.
America’s National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) is investigating. It has indicated
that information obtained from the train’s
event recorders reveals that approximately
six seconds before the locomotive came to a
stand, the control handle was placed in ‘idle’
and a brake application was made.
For more information, see RSSB’s summary on
Opsweb, www.opsweb.co.uk

The derailment occurred where four lines
become three, where linespeed drops from

In this issue
What went wrong at
Saxilby? Our review of the
RAIB report looks at the
lessons learned for track
safety. Network Rail’s
Tracey Coverley talks about
the role of their Academy in
managing competence, and
Scott Meadows proposes
a new approach to ‘urban
explorers’. And amidst the
usual newswire, lowdown
and SPADtalk columns,
don’t forget our interview
with Local Operations
Manager Carl Jones
showing us ERTMS in
action on the Cambrian line
starting on page 8.

Contents
2-3 //

Headlamp /
buffer stop collision

4-5 //

RAIB report brief:
Saxilby

6-7 //

An idea that gels

8-10 // Turn of the Mach
11 //

Exploring the urban
jungle

12-13 // Academy
14-15 // Lowdown: Paul
Trigwell
Back Page // SPADtalk

eddtoro / Shutterstock.com

Right Track is produced by RSSB through cross-industry cooperation. It is designed for the people on the operational front-line
on the national mainline railway, yards depots and sidings and London Underground. Their companies are represented on the
cross-industry Operations Focus Group, managed through RSSB, and Right Track is overseen by a cross-industry editorial group.
RSSB
Block 2 Angel Square 1 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NY
Tel 020 3142 5300 Email righttrack@rssb.co.uk www.rssb.co.uk www.opsweb.co.uk
Designed and printed by Urban Juice / Willsons Group Services.

Right Track can be
downloaded from Opsweb -

www.opsweb.co.uk

Right Track is designed to share news and views from individual companies in a positive way. However, the views expressed in Right Track are those of the contributing authors; they
do not necessarily reflect those of the companies to which they are affiliated or employed, the editors of this magazine, the magazine’s sponsors - the Operations Focus Group - or the
magazine’s producers, RSSB (Rail Safety and Standards Board).

02 //

Adhesion

buffer stop collision
In November, a Virgin Trains Voyager crashed through the
buffer stops at Chester.
The last time a buffer stop collision killed
anyone in this country was at Cannon
Street on 8 January 1991, when the
driver of an incoming service failed to
operate the brakes. Two people were
killed.
Since 2003, TPWS has done much to
reduce the risk from such events, but as
the recent incident at Chester shows,
low adhesion means we’ve no room for
complacency.
The incident occurred at 12:10 on
Wednesday 20 November, when the 10:10
off Euston struck the stops at the end of
Platform 1 and derailed. Two passengers
were slightly injured.
As the train approached Chester, the driver
applied the brakes to reduce the speed
for the 20 mph limit into the platforms. The
weather had been dry, but a shower was

just starting and reduced the adhesion. The
train’s wheel slide protection (WSP) system
detected that the wheels were sliding, and
regulated the brakes, bringing the speed
down to within the limit as it came in.
As it entered the platform, the driver
applied the brakes lightly, but the wheels
immediately started to slide. Despite the
automatic WSP activation, the train’s
deceleration wasn’t enough to bring it down
to a safe speed.
Consequently, the emergency brakes were
applied by the TPWS; the driver pressed
the emergency stop button very shortly
afterwards. The combination of emergency
braking and the detection of wheel slide
triggered the automatic sanding system on
the leading vehicle to drop sand onto the
rail head.

The sand helped to cut the speed before
the train collided with the buffer stops,
which were destroyed and then overridden.
Platform 1 was closed to traffic until the
following day for recovery of the train and
repair of the track and buffer stop.
RAIB is now investigating and says it
will consider the train’s braking system,
including the WSP and its sanding
equipment. It will also look at the
adhesion conditions in the area at the
time (using information from other trains
that experienced low adhesion conditions
that day), the condition of the rails on the
approach to the platform and the value of
any actions taken to treat the rail head.

Tried reporTing your HeALTH
& sAfeTy concern inTernALLy?
sTiLL concerned?
need An independenT And
confidenTiAL rouTe?...

Call
Your company is serious about health and safety.
They subscribe to CIRAS because it is part
of their safety strategy.
They want your health and safety concern raised and
resolved. Your best first action is to report it internally.
Use all available channels. However if you need to speak
with someone independent confidentially, call CIRAS.

0800 4 101 101

Freephone
Freepost CIRAS Text 07507 285887

// 03

RAIB report brief:

Saxilby
Safe system of work?

What did RAIB find?

At 13:50 on 4 December 2012, a
Scunthorpe–Lincoln service struck and
killed a COSS working at Saxilby. An
undeniable tragedy, but how did it happen?

Obviously, the COSS was killed as he didn’t
see the train. However, he’d also failed
to implement a safe system of work for
the task in hand. None of the other track
workers on site challenged it and none of
them challenged the COSS for working
within an unsafe area.

The COSS and his gang were due to work
from 07:00 to 17:00 doing remedial work
on the Down line after a waybeam had
been installed on an underbridge at Sykes
Lane the previous weekend. The COSS
met the Carillion supervisor at the access
point in Sykes Lane before work was due
to start, but he was then asked to take one
of the gang to attend a nearby worksite in
Branston to undertake a survey to detect
underground services.
As the weather was very cold, the COSS
decided it was best to take the whole gang
to Branston by van. When this was sorted
out, they all went back to Sykes Lane
sometime after 11:00. The COSS had a
number of telephone conversations with the
Saxilby signaller as he tried to obtain a line
blockage for the Down.

There were a number of factors which may
have influenced the COSS in not requesting
the Protection Controller to seek a blockage
of both lines:
• His previous experience (before and on
the day of the accident) was that it was
difficult to obtain a line blockage of one
line at this location and that there would
be even less chance of getting a double
line blockage.
• He may have wanted to complete
the task as soon as possible and the
cold weather may have acted as an
additional incentive.

The signaller called the COSS and asked
if he’d be prepared to work under another
individual acting as COSS for a separate
gang located nearby and who would act as
Protection Controller, allowing both gangs
to work under a single line blockage. Both
parties agreed to this request and, between
12:43 and 14:25, two line blockages of the
Down line were duly granted.

• His familiarity with the location and the
long sighting distance that was available
for trains approaching on the Up line
may have convinced him that he could
provide adequate protection to anyone
working in the six-foot.
RAIB also found that no effective action had
been taken in response to the involvement
of the COSS in two other safety incidents
in the two months preceding the accident.
Moreover, the COSS had not been subject
to an effective formal performance review
by the agency (SkyBlue) that had hired
him for COSS duties for the work taking
place on 4 December 2012 and on other
occasions. Deficiencies and omissions
within SkyBlue’s management systems had
not been identified by its parent company
(Carillion).
RAIB observed that the processes
employed by the railway industry during
its own investigation into the accident at
Saxilby may have taken insufficient account
of the trauma that some of the witnesses
were suffering as a result of their proximity
to the accident.
What’s been done?
Carillion (encompassing Sky Blue) has
introduced a requirement for a manager
to review all completed point of work risk
assessment forms. The review is intended
to ensure supervisors understand their
responsibility to complete the forms and to
brief them to all parties on site. A training
programme is being implemented for all
supervisors, which explains the point of
work risk assessment process.

At around 13:50, during the second line
blockage, a passenger train approached
on the Up line. At this time the gang was
working on the Down and the COSS was
standing between both, facing the Down
and side-on to the approaching train.
As the train neared the worksite, the driver
saw the COSS step back into the path of
his train. He applied the emergency brake,
but the train struck and fatally injured the
COSS.
Photo: Network Rail

04 //

• The cold weather may also have
affected the clarity of his decisionmaking processes.

Amey Colas has introduced a new
procedure to specify how proposed
restrictions on the certification of employees
and agency workers arising from
investigations into incidents and accidents
should be dealt with.

Track safety

Australia: Two trains collide,
millipedes to blame

Carillion has also:
• Established a Competency, Compliance
& Rail Training (CCRT) unit to control,
monitor and manage compliance with
its own procedures and rail industry
standards. All requests for temporary
suspensions of certification will be
made to the CCRT. A programme has
been established to ensure all SkyBlue
workers are trained and mentored.

On 3 September 2013, a stationary
train was struck by an empty coaching
stock formation at Clarkson station,
near Perth, leaving a number of
waiting passengers with minor injuries.
Low adhesion is thought to be the
cause. The Perth Transport Authority
is investigating and is looking into an
infestation of Portuguese millipedes
that are thought to have caused a
similar accident in 2009. When crushed
beneath the wheels of a train, the
insects leave a slippery residue on the
rail head.

• Re-briefed SkyBlue Rail Managers
on their responsibilities to manage
and develop agency workers to meet
the required level. If sub-standard
performance is identified, the Rail
Manager will support and develop the
competence or withdraw the worker
from the particular activity.
• Employed staff to undertake onsite safety critical observational
assessments, mentoring and
developing agency workers and support
the implementation of safety training
and initiatives in conjunction with
Carillion’s customers.
• Beefed-up its incident database to
provide an increased level of information
relating to rail accidents and incidents
involving external contractors.
Carillion managers will now conduct
frequent checks to review information
relating to any incidents, accidents,
performance or behavioural issues to
identify common trends and linked
investigations/individuals.
• Nominated a senior management team
member as the responsible lead in
the event of an incident, responsible
for communications with the parties
involved and deciding on the course of
action to be taken.
• Ensured that if an agency worker is
involved in a safety critical incident, the
worker’s certification (COSS) will be
temporarily limited to track worker level
until the outcome of any investigations
is known.
• Stipulated that a designated manager
will undertake a formal review of any
findings from incident investigations to
record appropriate actions to be taken
and by whom.

Newswire...

US: MEWP collapse at rail bridge
site

Photo: Network Rail

RED 38 – reacting
in an emergency
In RED 38, due for imminent release,
the dramatised scenario shows a rail
worker acknowledging the warning
horn of an oncoming train, but
being struck and injured because
he doesn’t move immediately to a
position of safety.
While the spotlight for these sorts
of accidents is on the trackworkers
involved, these sorts of incidents
have also prompted questions about
whether train drivers are reluctant to
use emergency braking. Indeed, any
member of staff, including drivers,
signallers, platform staff and track
workers, may be called upon to act
decisively in an emergency.
The challenge is to decide when
to act – and there’s often very little
time to decide. RED 38 explores this
challenge – look out for it at a safety
briefing near you soon.

On 6 September 2013, a rail employee
died and another was critically injured in
a 10-metre fall when a mobile elevated
work platform fell and collapsed during
maintenance work on a Union Pacific
rail bridge north-west of Mathis, Texas.

New Zealand: Man killed while
taking photos of train from tracks
On 9 September 2013, a man taking
photographs of a steam-hauled service
was killed after being struck by the train
as he stood on the tracks between
Christchurch and Greymouth. He was
taken to a local hospital, but later died
of his injuries.

Canada: Train collides with bus,
6 killed
At 08:48 (local time) on 18 September
2013, a bus and a passenger train
collided at a level crossing near
Fallowfield, Ottawa. Six bus passengers
were killed and more than 30 more were
injured.

China: Supervisor killed in rail
tunnel accident
On 20 September 2013, the supervisor
of a work crew died after being struck
by an excavator in a tunnel at a
construction site on the Chinese High
Speed railway.

US: 3 freight trains collide, 4 crew
members injured
At 04:30 (local time) on 25 September
2013, three freight trains collided
in the Texas Panhandle, derailing
up to 30 wagons and injuring four
crew members, two critically. Initial
investigations suggest that one train
struck the rear a stationary train,
just east of Armarillo, Texas. A third
westbound train struck the wreckage
moments later.

// 05

an idea that gels

90010 weaves a Greater Anglia service into Ipswich on 13 November 2013.
Copyright Stuart Ray (appearing by kind permission)

Richard Dugdale talks about trialling a new approach to help
combat poor adhesion using in-service treatment.
Every year industry makes great efforts
to tackle the station overruns and delays
to trains caused by poor adhesion
conditions during autumn.
A new approach, to add to the
‘conventional’ means, is arriving.
The potential to increase the coverage of
railhead treatment exists through the use
of normal service trains to lay adhesion
modifier (traction gel, or ‘sandite’ as-was).

This is regular practice in the Netherlands
and has now seen trial service in Britain, on
the Liverpool Street-Norwich line. In Autumn
2011, vehicle 82103, a Mark 3 Driving
Van Trailer (DVT), was fitted with prototype
equipment to test the practicability of laying
the gritty adhesion treatment compound
onto the rail in normal duty.
The photo on the left shows the prototype
installation. On the roof of the vehicle is an
antenna, taking in GPS signals in much
the same way as a satnav or smartphone.
The signal is interpreted in a GPS control
unit and then fed to a ‘pump control unit’
which is the controller for application of
the adhesion modifier gel. The large yellow
box contains a large storage tank and two
pressure pumps which feed pipework to
two nozzles, mounted on the bogie and
directing the compound directly to each rail.
No train crew intervention is needed
because the system switches itself on or
off to pre-set GPS coordinates completely
under remote control. It speed-senses
when not to apply (either when stationary or
over 60mph), and the rate at which to apply
between those speeds.

06 //

The Autumn 2011 trial saw a 200-metre
test site at Manningtree being monitored
and independently reported for accuracy
of start/stop treatment, accuracy on the
railhead, and response to new commands.
The trial worked perfectly against the
assessment criteria. The equipment was refitted to the train in October 2013, and has
once again seen service, this time on all the
known adhesion ‘hotspots’ on the LondonNorwich route. At the time of writing the
results have been encouraging. There has
been interest from other railways including
from Switzerland.
There is not the space on most passenger
trains for the equipment as configured
on the prototype. However there is an
opportunity on most electric trains (which
coincidentally operate in the leafiest areas
and run the most demanding start/stop
schedules) to design an underframemounted unit.
This pilot installation is being rolled out to
at least two fleets in time for Autumn 2014
service. Greater Anglia are again in the lead,
with the first two trains being Class 317s.
These are being fitted with the new design

Adhesion
area on a daily basis, and the TGAs cover a
small stretch of railway frequently, in-service
treatment has the ability to cover ‘hotspots’
across a large area, on a regular basis,
without removing trains from the timetable
or encroaching on engineering time.

3D graphical representation of the ‘pilot’
adhesion treatment module to be fitted
underneath Class 317s
and will be tested in late 2013, shaken
down and any modifications resulted will
be incorporated in a rollout of up to 6 EMU
fleets across the country, up to 6 units per
fleet. The underfloor equipment is cleverly
designed in being a standard ‘cassette’,
slid into place under custom brackets, and
plugged into the GPS and pipework which
are individually designed for the various
types of unit.

If reports are received of poor adhesion, the
system has the potential to respond and
treat the section with the next pass of an
equipped service train, possibly within the
hour.
The project team are confident that the
system has the potential to be a very useful
additional weapon to add to the formidable
seasonal arsenal of autumn mitigation
measures.

Only a proportion of units in each fleet
would be fitted. This is a different system to
sanding, where every train is fitted: in this
case only a few units need to be fitted as
railhead treatment would only be needed
every few hours at its most frequent.

On 1 October 2013, a passenger
train struck a minibus at an open
level crossing in Jenkok village, killing
13 – including the bus driver and four
children. Six others were severely
injured. There were no injuries on board
the train.

Belgium: Freight derailment
sends wagons plunging 20
metres
On 1 October, a car transporter train
was struck in rear by another (hauled
by a Class 66-type locomotive) on a
viaduct at the entrance to a tunnel in
Remersdall, near the Dutch border. The
collision damaged several new cars,
derailed a number of wagons and sent
three over the parapet, from which they
fell some 20 metres. There were no
reported injuries, although the driver is
reported as suffering from shock. The
cause is currently unknown, but a SPAD
is an obvious possibility.

At around 12:03 (local time) on 6
October, a Metro track maintenance
contractor was killed between Union
Station and Judiciary Square. Metro
says a fire and loud noise occurred near
heavy track equipment used to weld
sections of rail together. It appears that
the victim was struck by a piece of rail.
Two Metro employees, one track worker
and one supervisor, were also injured. It
is unclear whether a fluid leak or another
mechanical issue caused the accident.

The system has the potential to
complement the existing coverage provided
by the Rail Head Treatment Trains (RHTTs)
and the fixed Traction Gel Applicators.
Whereas the RHTT circuits cover a huge

siding with the
new approach
This is the opportunity for staff with
shunter competence to let us know what
they think about the New Approach.
There is an opportunity in the 12 month
review of the New Approach documents

Indonesia: Passenger train
strikes minibus at level crossing,
killing 13

US: Contractor struck and
killed by piece of rail during
maintenance near Union station

The project has potential to make more
inroads into autumn delays.

RSSB is collecting feedback from front
line staff across the railway industry on
the New Approach to the Rule Book,
and whether it has been successful in
making the Rule Book easier for staff
to use.

Newswire...

to make amendments to the documents
so it is really important we find out what
you think.
The survey will take a maximum of 10
minutes to complete and responses are
confidential.
The survey can be completed by following
this link: https://www.surveymonkey.
com/s/Shunter_survey
The survey is open until 21 February.

Canada: Empty tankers derail
foul of main line in Brampton
October, a 73-wagon freight train was
involved in a derailment at Brampton,
Ontario. Four empty tank wagons left
the rails. They remained upright, but foul
of the running lines. One rail employee
suffered minor injuries.

US: Fatal level crossing collision
in West Virginia
October 2013, a lorry carrying logs
was struck by a passenger train
carrying 63 people at a level crossing
in Randolph County, West Virginia. Two
carriages were overturned. The lorry
driver was killed instantaneously; 24 rail
passengers were injured, six of them
seriously.

// 07

turn of the Mach
Right Track’s Greg Morse pays a visit to the Cambrian line in
mid-Wales to talk ERTMS, marathons and mountains with local
LOM, Carl Jones
There’s a bit of a can-do attitude about
the Cambrian. As soon as my train
begins to traverse its metals, I sense
something of a change. Smiles get wider,
seats get comfier, the language starts
to take on more lilting lyricism. Maybe
it’s just me. Maybe it’s the spirit of David
Davies, the Welsh industrialist and
politician, who built the line on which I’m
travelling. Maybe it’s something to do
with John Disley – the man who brought
the New York marathon to London, and
whose resolve resulted in over £500+
million being raised for charity. Disley
was born in Corris. So was the man
waiting to be my host and guide….
The Cambrian Line was built by the
Newtown and Machynlleth Railway,
which subsequently passed into the
ownership of the Cambrian Railways,
before being absorbed into the Great
Western in 1923. After nationalisation in
1948, it fell under the Western and then
the London Midland Region of British
Railways. The line is now operated by
Arriva Trains Wales, part of Network
Rail’s Western Route.

08 //

Pride of Wales
I’m in Machynlleth to talk to Network Rail
Local Operations Manager Carl Jones
about ERTMS. The new Europeanstandard cab-based train control system,
which does away with the Cambrian’s
traditional lineside signals and radio
electronic tokens, has been introduced to
the line. It can allow headways between
trains using the same track to be reduced
without affecting safety, meaning more
trains for a more frequent service. It’s easy
to pigeon-hole ERTMS as ‘engineers only’,
but the fact is that it’s set to be introduced
more widely across the network, so now’s
a good time to get some feedback from
those on the spot.
There’s no question that Carl’s a railwayman
through and through. He arrived at
‘Mach’ (as it’s known) as a member of the
Permanent Way team in May 1990. ‘There’s
nothing more satisfying than measured
shovel packing,’ he smiles. ‘No, I tell a lie,
the best bit is looking back on the length
you’ve just done and feeling proud with the
way it all looks.’ Pride. That’s an important
word in Mach.

Carl Jones
‘I do believe that Cambrian staff have a
very “can do, will do” attitude, which helps
new ideas like this to progress,’ says Carl.
And it’s clear this is one of the reasons why
ERTMS is working so well here. But there’s
something else: ‘We didn’t really split on
privatisation like the rest of the railway – I
don’t think you can in a small place like this.
We’ve remained comrades – us and the
Arriva staff. It’s like a family, really.’
So, I ask, is that why the Cambrian was
chosen to test ERTMS? Or was it the
fact that the line was already fitted with
RETB, making it a sort of ‘half-way house’

ERTMS

About ERTMS
The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is designed to be a
single Europe-wide standard for managing and controlling the movement of
trains.
Its main features are the way the train is controlled (via in-cab signalling) and
the way communications happen (via mobile phone technology, also known as
GSM-R).
The benefit of ERTMS is that in theory, more trains can be run with an even
higher level of safety, and as a European standard, it becomes easier to run
trains across borders.
between traditional signalling and full cab
signalling.
‘Neither really,’ explains Carl. ‘One of the
major reasons is that Arriva has a “captive
fleet”, so there’s little chance of an unfitted
unit turning up. The line also has enough
timetabled services to conduct the tests
pretty quickly, but not too many to cause
performance problems.’
Crossings and Comms
We go into the signalling centre at the top
of the yard. Carl points to the bottom of one
of the screens, where a red, green and blue
square flash in slow succession. ‘See that?’
he says, ‘that’s the ERTMS “heartbeat”. If it
stops, nothing can happen.’
I watch awhile, and as the beat goes on,
our conversation turns to Llanbadarn,
which gave ERTMS something of a bad
press, despite it being no less safe than
RETB. The incident, which occurred in
June 2011, involved an Aberystwyth–
Mach service running onto the crossing at
Llanbadarn while the barriers were raised.
RAIB investigated and found a range of
factors, including the driver’s ‘workload’ (his
need to observe a screen in the cab at the
same time as he should also be observing
a lineside indicator, and doing a running
brake test), the design of the equipment

associated with the operation of the level
crossing, and the re-setting of the signalling
system on board the train before it could
depart from Aberystwyth. There was also
an underlying factor that ERTMS did not
‘talk’ to the level crossings. It’s true that
ABCLs would never have really ‘talked’ to
any signalling system, but ‘now,’ says Carl,
‘we’ve put balises out each side of the
crossing, which will dump the brakes if the
driver doesn’t get the white light.’
I ask about safety critical comms. Carl
nods. ‘Under RETB, our comms were
excellent – you know, “this is One Papa
Two Four at Mike Alpha Two Zero” – that
type of thing. But we deteriorated for a bit
with the GSM-R that goes with ERTMS.’
It seems the sound quality of GSM-R is so
good, that it briefly encouraged staff on
both sides to be a touch too chatty when
talking to each other. ‘We did a lot of work
to get ourselves back to where we were,’
says Carl. ‘But it’s something that needs to
be borne in mind by drivers and signallers
when ERTMS is rolled out more widely.’
Another possible problem area centres
round the dispatch of trains against red
signals – something that the control log is
starting to see more of whatever the local
signalling system might be. ‘But then we
didn’t think we’d have any SPADs with
ERTMS,’ Carl adds. ‘We thought the balise
would be a bit like TPWS, that it’d stop a
train before it got to the marker board. That
said, you’ll never get beyond the overlap,
thanks to the train stop function. Now if the
overlap (the ‘Supervised Location’) were
the point from which we counted a SPAD –
and not the End of Authority – then ERTMS
would be truly SPADless – what a great
advertisement for the system – and the
railway – that would be!’
Arriva splits trains at Machynlleth – using
the ‘On Sight’ mode. ‘The trouble is,’
explains Carl, ‘when he comes off the shed,
he could still be in “Staff Responsible”. The

The railway has an important connection with
the local community, and supports a range of
charity work. Here Carl presents a cheque to
the Welsh Rally Cyclists in January 2010.
train you get on Platform 2 at Machynlleth
could be in a different mode every time
you get in the cab. If you’re in the wrong
mode, you could get a ‘trip’. In one recent
case, the signaller had set the route, but
the driver had a ‘trip’ as the unit was still
in “SR”.’ Carl grins ruefully. ‘We haven’t
suddenly spawned a load of bad drivers
on the Cambrian,’ he says. ‘In fact, the line
had a very low SPAD count in RETB days
(and before). It’s just that ERTMS is a very
different way of doing things, and getting
used to it takes time. For example, one of
What’s it like for the drivers?
Arriva has about 45 drivers based at
Mach working the Cambrian line, and
all of whom have had to learn how to
drive using ERTMS.
Arriva Trains Wales’ head of safety
Chris Didio explains:
‘ERTMS is a big change to the way a
driver approaches the task of driving.
You have to put yourself in their shoes
and think about what it’s like for them.
It’s like anything else where you have
a big change: wherever you are, it
takes time to adjust and develop new
driving skills. And then when you do
get the hang of it, you then become
the spotlight for others to see how it’s
done, so it can feel like you’re under the
microscope. The long-term benefits of
ERTMS to staff and to the railway as a
whole I think everyone’s bought into,
but we’ve learned it’s important to take
our time to get there and listen to the
drivers and their experiences and take
them with us.’

// 09

my signallers likes to warn drivers when
there’s a tamper about. This helps prevent
SPADs by letting the driver know he’ll be
stopped in a loop at some point.’
There’s been suggestion that degraded
mode operation creates too much
paperwork for staff. I put this to Carl.
‘Currently,’ he says, ‘we don’t have a
frequent enough service for this to be a
problem – the “worst” would be two trains
an hour (one up, one down). The biggest
problem would be advising drivers of all
the different speed restrictions, but we’ve
solved this by having a blanket limit of 80
km/h, putting out boards ONLY for speeds
lower than that (this is in SR mode)’. Some
of Carl’s team have said that the “Written
Order 3” (most of which are the signaller
advising the driver of something) are not
really needed. ‘When these came in,’
laughs Carl, ‘reports from drivers went
down as they knew they’d have to fill out a
form. Apparently in the first year of ERTMS
we didn’t have a single trespasser on the
Cambrian – we’ve been trespassing on the
Cambrian for decades!’
All things considered, ERTMS has been
a big boon to the line. For one thing, the
operation of UWCs is easier, as the ERTMS
allows the signaller to see exactly where the
train is. There’s also less chance of getting
confused about which crossing is calling
in, as the display screen in the signal box
makes it very clear. ‘We used to ask drivers
where they were, and could occasionally
be tripped up by inaccurate replies,’ says
Carl. ‘Now, the signaller can use the Gest
system to pinpoint the train’s position. But
we phone the driver to cross-check if Gest
shows the crossing has been passed.’
ERTMS has also brought power-operated
points, which allow higher speeds, and

the facility to run trains into either side of a
loop – which can be a benefit to wheelchair
users. It also brought track upgrades
to the Cambrian ‘which we’d never had
before.’ Carl wonders if we aren’t using
the technology to its fullest advantage yet:
‘Why do we need to remind the driver to
stop at a point when we can actually stop
him? We aren’t yet using the technology to
its full potential – there are a lot of outdated
rules in place that just aren’t needed with
ERTMS. In fact, I have to say that an
ERTMS rules-only booklet would have been
nice before we started all this – though

Cab familiarisation in one of Network Rail’s Class 97 locos, fitted with ERTMS
Photo: Network Rail

10 //

that could be useful for when the system
expands.’
ERTMS Rule Book
The full suite of ERTMS modules (the
‘ERTMS Rule Book’) came into force
in December 2013, incorporating
all the amendments (existing
ERTMS rules) from 2009. These
are published on RGS Online http://
www.rgsonline.co.uk/ and printed
copies can be obtained from the
official distributor, Willsons, telephone
01636 702 334.
But what about training? With the East
Coast Main Line due for fitment from 2020
and the Great Western Main Line from
2017, could Machynlleth become a training
centre for ERTMS? ‘Well,’ Carl laughs,
‘we could certainly do that, yes. We learnt
with RETB that we needed to standardise
across the country, so we have a bit of
experience. At the moment, we do all our
own training on site, giving signallers a
two-week “conversion” from their previous
signalling to ERTMS. We also have a driving
simulator, and we like to send drivers to the
box, and signallers to the cab. This helps
drivers to get to know new starters, which
can make life easier for everyone when
that new starter starts in the box proper.
‘Martin? He’s alright – had him in the cab
last week – supports Spurs...’

exploring the urban

jungle

Photo: Network Rail

So-called ‘urban explorers’ sightsee all types of hard-to-get-to
man-made infrastructure. But are they a menace to society or
adult adventurers, taking and making their own decisions in
a restrictive British health and safety culture? Network Rail’s
Scott Meadows considers a new approach…
A flick through the words and images
on www.silentuk.com shows ‘average’
people, who when the urge takes
them, decide to wade in sewers, scale
skyscrapers and secretly infiltrate
infrastructure. Whether or not we should
‘forgive them their trespasses’ is of
course all a matter or perspective and,
ultimately, liability.
Railway buildings, tunnels, and
infrastructure are not off limits for these
adventurers, we are fair game, and why not.
We build and maintain some of the most
spectacular global railway infrastructure,
from the top of the Forth Bridge to the
deep tunnels and ghost stations of London
Underground; we have spectacular, secret
and inaccessible views.
For a railway that is safety and performance
focused, adventurers can turn quickly
into menace. A train travelling at 125 mph
moves a mile in under 30 seconds. A
moving train is a hazard even when you
have been trained to deal with it, if you are

not familiar with positions of safety (or don’t
have a safe system of work) this can be
even more so.
Cautioning trains due to trespass slows
the trains down, reduces performance of
the network, inconveniences fare paying
customers, and can - through making
exploring acceptable - encourage forms
of negative behaviours such as graffiti and
vandalism.

Why limit this to the Forth Bridge? Further
sites could be opened, safety, access and
impact provided in a controlled manner.
From tours of disused sidings and ghost
stations, to the view from the top of
Manchester Piccadilly Station, ‘if you build
it, he will come.’

Working on and maintaining the railways
of Great Britain every day, we perhaps
become sightless to the engineering
marvels we have created, others have not.
In a world where tourism represents a
growth industry, and there is a demand
for seeing different perspectives of the
world, maybe there is an opportunity for
the railway. This is being considered by
Network Rail through the Forth Bridge
Experience
http://www.forthbridgeexperience.com,
opening the bridge up to members of the
public.

// 11

Academy: management
21st century competence
Right Track talks to Tracey Coverley about how Network Rail is
making it easy for staff to manage their competence through a
bespoke competence management system.
The roots of good quality safety and
assurance are in the training and
building of people in their railway
careers. It’s people that ‘do’ things.
For example, by the time you read this, we
will have just seen the 25th anniversary of
the Clapham Junction disaster. This multitrain collision – which killed 35 people and
injured nearly 500 more – occurred when
a signalling technician left a loose wire
dangling, which later touched a terminal,
made a connection and caused a signal to
show green when it should have been red.
The inquiry led by Anthony Hidden QC
concluded that part of the problem had
been with the lack of training that the
technician had received. At the time, the
railway re-organised and re-adjusted
its training programmes under the very
successful ‘Organising for Quality’ initiative.
So the very idea of coupling training with
continual assessment has been around
for some time, but what about nowadays?
Developing today’s and tomorrow’s
signallers, controllers, and infrastructure
experts is the responsibility of Network Rail.
So how do THEY deal with training? Tracey
Coverley – Network Rail’s Operational

12 //

Competence Co-ordinator – has the
answer.
‘We’re very serious about producing
a quality competence management
framework,’ she begins. ‘Because if there’s
one thing I think we’re all aware of, it’s
that railways are about people.’ But how
on earth do you reach out to a workforce
spread far and wide – from Perth to
Penzance, Dover to Dunblane and pretty
much everywhere else in between? ‘Our
best weapon,’ Tracey goes on, ‘is Academy
– our one-stop online competence shop.
And the beauty of that is that staff can get
at it from anywhere – from an iphone, ipad,
phone, computer, whatever.’
‘Though we rolled the tailor-made system
out in 2011, the idea grew organically over

Tracey started as a signaller on BR
in 1993. She was one of the last
to undergo bi-annual testing in
the North West area. She was also
a briefer and used to undertake
deputy LOM duties. This has
given many useful insights into her
current role.

a number of years. Everyone signed up for
Academy has an account, which holds all
their training and competency information.’
The idea is to bring a bit of structure to
competency. ‘In the past,’ Tracey explains,
‘signallers were tested every two years,
but using Academy we now have a
more structured approach of continual
assessment including Assessment and
Development Days every six months.
That lets us identify problems they might
be having so that we can offer the best
help to get them back on track again in a
way that links directly to their objectives.
But there’s another – more important –
move away from the past: ‘Although the
manager or trainer can set up a test for a
candidate, candidates are encouraged to
test themselves. We can also do remote
testing, which helps encourage staff to
take ownership of their own competence,
instilling a sense of pride which has always
existed in railways – from the days of steam
onwards. ‘If you fall short in the test,’ Tracey
explains, ‘you get instant feedback. That
way you find out what was wrong, and
you get a prompt to the right section of the
Rule Book. You can self-learn before you
get anywhere near the “manager interview”
stage.’

Training

Newswire...
Canada: Dangerous goods
derailment in Alberta leads to fire
and evacuation, but no injury

When knowledge testing first came in,
some staff left, feeling that they’d already
passed their ‘driving test’, but studies have
shown that rules and procedures we might
have learnt – but don’t use very often – can
fade to nothing in the mind. Academy can
help to combat that, and can also help build
trust. Signallers can also use a simulator for
self-assessment and get a national briefing
every six months – this complements the
competency framework, but encourages
discussion too. ‘We’ve realised’, says
Tracey, ‘that learning is about more than
just testing, it’s about talking to each other.
We don’t do training to people any more –
it’s a two-way street.’
‘We’ve also realised,’ she goes on, ‘that
we had to get right away from the idea that

themselves for other jobs. In the old days,
staff would share knowledge locally via
Mutual Improvement Classes; arguably this
is much the same sort of thing. Indeed,
Jen Oldroyd, whom – as a signaller at York
IECC – we featured in Right Track 3, uses
Academy every day in her current role as
a Local Operations Manager. Says Jen:
‘Academy is one system that most LOM
compliance-related tasks focus around, so
for anyone wanting to jump into being a
LOM I’d say understanding Academy would
be a huge benefit.’
But it’s not all about staff learning for
themselves. Tracey goes on: ‘One thing we
can do with the Academy system is use
the competency data in it – the test scores
and so on – to find out where people are
having problems across the board. If a
lot of people are missing the point about
something in a lot of different parts of the
country, for example, the chances are that
we need to re-write our training packs! It’s
all about managing risk, and realising what
those risks are.’
Very often – with technology having
come so far – accidents and incidents
are down to ‘non-technical skills’ – things
like good communication, awareness of
your surroundings and good teamwork.
Academy can help shine a light on these
once-dimly lit areas, and bring them to
centre-stage.

Tracey Coverley,
Operational Competence Controller
making a mistake will lead to disciplinary
action – it’s all about sharing knowledge
in a very positive way. We learn from our
mistakes in everyday life; we can do that on
the railway too.’
With sharing in mind, Academy allows
anyone to take any test they might wish
to. This can help staff train – or pre-train –

So, if you work for Network Rail, why not
get in there and check Academy out?
The system currently covers signallers,
crossing keepers, controllers, level crossing
managers, local and mobile operations
managers , contingent signallers and NR
station staff. And if you don’t work for
Network Rail, why not write and tell us
how your company deals with training and
competence? You could end up centrestage yourself…

October 2013, 13 wagons of a
134-wagon freight derailed in Gainford,
Alberta. Nine were carrying liquefied
petroleum gas and four were carrying
crude oil. One of the vehicles exploded,
resulting in what residents described as
‘a fireball’. A local state of emergency
was declared, leading to the evacuation
of anyone within a one-mile radius.
There were no reported injuries. Early
indications are that the train had
experienced an ‘undesired emergency
brake application’ immediately before
the incident.

Argentina: Buffer stop collision in
Buenos Aires injures at least 99
October 2013, a commuter train struck
the buffer stops at Once station in
Buenos Aires, before becoming wedged
between the platform and station
roof. Ninety-eight passengers and the
driver were injured. The cause of the
collision has yet to be determined, but
there have been reports that the train
‘appeared to have trouble braking
at two previous stops’. Local media
reports suggest that some of the
passengers ‘became enraged and
accosted the driver’.

US: Shunter killed when freight
train derails in Sanford, Florida
On 24 October 2013, a shunter was
killed when four gravel-laden wagons
overturned near Sandord, Florida, as
a ten-wagon rake was being propelled
into the local yard. An investigation has
been launched.

Kenya: Eleven killed and 34
injured in Nairobi level crossing
collision
On 31 October, at least eleven people
were killed and 34 were injured when
a passenger train collided with a bus
at a level crossing in Nairobi. Reports
describe how the bus crossed the line
as the train was approaching at speed.
The same vehicle had been involved in
a road traffic accident earlier in the day.

Canada: Shunter killed in
Saskatchewan
At 18:30 (local time) on 19 November,
a shunter was killed during a
marshalling manoeuvre near Tisdale,
Saskatchewan. No further details are
currently known.

// 13

The lowdown
My first involvement with Paul was when
he approached me soon after he’d
experienced a rail suicide. Rather than let
the event have a negative impact on the job
he loved, he decided he wanted to dedicate
his efforts to help prevent suicides and
help colleagues that have been involved
in similar events themselves. He had his
own ideas as to what we could be doing
on stations to help reduce the number of
events, and a desire to do something to
reach out to vulnerable people before they
reached the point of considering taking their
own life.

Paul Trigwell, Driver for East Midlands Trains

The lowdown:

Paul Trigwell - the
name behind the face

Darren Ward of East Midlands
Trains talks about how Paul
has made a difference to the
industry’s approach to rail suicide
Many of you will recognise Paul, driver
for East Midlands Trains, Derby, as the
face behind the Network Rail/Samaritans
suicide prevention programme.
He has featured in a campaign video
filmed for Samaritans by the BBC, as well
as being the focus of two mainstream rail
publications and a BBC radio interview. If
you’re a driver, you may also have a copy of
the ‘Journey to Recovery’ booklet, in which
Paul provides a personal perspective on
how rail suicides can affect train drivers.
Paul has had an amazing journey since
becoming part of the programme, but
opportunities to get involved in such things
don’t just land in your lap. They happen
because you make them happen. That’s
where Paul stands out from the crowd,
because that is exactly what he did.

14 //

The timing of the discussion happened to
coincide with the formation of the national
suicide prevention programme. Samaritans
were still relatively new to the rail industry,
and it soon became apparent we were
pushing against an open door with our offer
of support and assistance. Paul openly
shared his personal experiences in order to
help ensure that the work being undertaken
in the realm of trauma support was tailored
to a driver’s needs, and was instrumental
in working with Samaritans to develop
some of the training courses and education
material that has since been rolled out
nationally.
Equally important, though not so visible, is
the pro-active input Paul has had elsewhere
in the industry that has helped engage
senior representatives from NR and the
BTP in better understanding the impact of
fatalities from a drivers’ perspective. This
in itself has helped ensure the national
strategies that are being developed and
implemented are fit for purpose.
In 2011, Paul was invited to be one of the
guest speakers at the national Samaritans
conference in York. His talk concentrated

The lowdown
the effect rail suicides have on train drivers
and promoting the work that Network Rail,
Samaritans, BT Police and TOCs are doing
to help reduce the number of such events.
He was asked back in 2013 to do the
same at another Samaritans conference in
Lancaster. He insisted in undertaking both
talks in his own time, as he considered
his involvement a personal thing, as well
as part of his job. Similarly, when we ran a
Samaritans charity railtour to the Keighley
and Worth Valley Railway in 2012, he was
one of the first to volunteer his time as one
of the drivers.
When asked about Paul’s
involvement with the programme,
Sarah Burden (Strategic programme
manager for the Samaritans/Network
Rail Project) said:

The inspiring nature of Paul’s story is that
rather than let a traumatic event taint
his working life and personal life, he has
channelled his efforts into improving the
situation for a far wider group. In doing so
he has been recognised within the industry
through three mainstream awards, and has
become a great ambassador for the driver
function.

Discovering a problem for others to solve
is easy. Identifying a solution and stepping
forward to help deliver it is far more
rewarding…

Most importantly, Paul has proven that we
all have the ability to make a difference. It is
passion and enthusiasm that will ultimately
inspire and influence others to deliver
change, not simply the role we hold within
the business.

‘Samaritans have been working
with the rail industry since January
2010 on a specific programme to
reduce the number of suicides on the
railways by 20% over 5 years.
As part of this partnership with
Network Rail we have been engaged
with a number of train operating
companies to work on a national
strategy. We have been working with
Paul Trigwell from East Midlands
Trains since last summer as he
attended one of the local suicide
prevention groups.
Paul was extremely keen to get
involved with the programme having
been involved in a fatality on the
railways. He is extremely proactive
and wanted to share his story to help
other drivers and staff members that
may face this traumatic experience.

Whatever you’ve done.
you.
Whatever life’s done to
Call Samaritans.
No pressure.
No judgement.
We’re here for you.
Any time.

Paul has been willing to attend
meetings, training days, workshops
and agreed to take part in a vodcast
to promote the partnership, the
training and Samaritans service. He
is a great advocate for wanting to
make changes on the rail industry as
to how this topic is addressed and
is willing to stand up and say this is
something that needs to be talked
about and there is something that
can be done about it.
Since Paul made the vodcast it has
helped the project team to explain
what the programme is about and
to allow rail industry members to see
the positive affect that it is having.’

08457 90 90 90*
www.samaritans.org

A registered charity

* Please see our website for latest call charges

In partnership with

// 15

SPADtalk

Travellin’ light

The trade press had a field day; the real
press barely seemed to notice, but the
fact is that it’s rare for RAIB to report
on a SPAD. Apart from the incident at
Didcot North Junction (essentially a case
of driver error) and the derailment at
Brentingby (off at the traps following a
‘microsleep’) the only one to trouble the
Branch since it starting up in 2005 has
been the incident at Stafford involving
Devon & Cornwall Railways in April 2012.
Now, we all know that our 300-odd
SPADs a year can frighten the uninitiated
into believing all those ‘gnat’s whisker’
overruns are going to lead to devastation
and destruction. We combat fear through
knowledge, so why don’t we look at the
facts about Stafford?
The incident occurred at about 13:35, when
a light Class 47 loco passed signal SD481 at danger by about 94 metres. RAIB’s
investigation found that the locomotive had
been travelling too fast as it approached the
area. The driver probably knew he’d been
exceeding the maximum permitted speed
for a light locomotive, but he didn’t make a
full brake application as soon as he saw the
double yellow ahead of the red.
Even the most experienced drivers can
make mistakes, but when RAIB dug,
they found that this particular driver may
not have had the right experience or
competence to be one. Devon & Cornwall
Railways hadn’t followed its own process
for managing the competence of its drivers.
It also had insufficient management controls
to ensure compliance with its own safety
management system.
There was also a problem with the Office
of Rail Regulation (ORR), having failed to
examine the implementation of Devon &
Cornwall Railways’ safety management
system after the issue of its safety certificate
nearly two years before.

Photo: Riviera Trains 47843 ‘Vulcan’ approaches Stenson Junction running light from
Washwood Heath to Doncaster Wabtec on 7 November 2012.
Copyright Mike Gill (appearing by kind permission)
RAIB has made two recommendations
to Devon & Cornwall Railways, covering
the competence of safety-critical staff
and locomotive maintenance. Two
recommendations were addressed to the
ORR, covering its supervision of a new
operator’s safety management system
and the effectiveness of Devon & Cornwall
Railways’ safety management system. One
recommendation was also been made to
RSSB, suggesting a change to the Rail
Industry Standard on the ‘Management
of route knowledge for drivers, train
managers, guards and driver managers’
to require an assessment of the training
needs of new staff. This should clarify
how ‘transferred-in’ route and traction
knowledge should be assessed by the new
employer. Particular attention should be
given to the management of train drivers on
‘zero hours’ contracts and those who drive
for more than one company.

The challenge for decision makers in train
operators and Network Rail is to get a
better understanding of the risks we import
when other operators access the network;
for the rest of us, it’s a reminder that SPADs
still happen, but when we’re fuelled with the
right competence and safety knowledge,
we help to cut down the risk.

120

Annual moving total of
‘light engine’ SPADs

100
80
60
40
20
0
Jan-04

Right Track is available to
download from Opsweb -

RIGHT

righttrack@rssb.co.uk

www.opsweb.co.uk

Oct-13

Right track issue 8

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