Re-blog: Nurturing the next generation of rail workers

A version of this article was originaly published in Rail Magazine in August 2021

 

 

A recent tweet commenting on what appears to be a new generation of young rail enthusiasts got me thinking about skills and how the industry can attract the next generation of railway workers. The skills gap within the rail industry seems to be a subject which comes up frequently and has been in part blamed for the difficulty the industry has had in delivering large infrastructure projects. GWML electrification and the Control Period 5 debacle highlighted the issues the industry has with a lack of skilled workers to undertake the monumental task of upgrading the UK's railway network. The CP5 debacle was in my opinion largely the fault of the Government, they simply asked the industry to do too much in such a short space of time, but it is clear that the rail industry must attract and retain skilled people if it is to continue to modernise.

 

I do think there may be a deep-rooted issue with encouraging young people to join the railway industry, or for them to even consider a career within the industry, and as it happens I do have some experience with interacting with young rail enthusiasts, as I have a small YouTube gaming channel. It's not something I often discuss openly beyond those who watch my channel and follow me on various social media platforms. But I have gotten to know a number of incredibly talented young railways enthusiasts, who would be a credit to the industry, should they decide to pursue a career within rail.

 

There is a small group of enthusiasts in particular who are incredibly talented and knowledgeable. They make 3D models of UK rolling stock for a game called Transport Fever 2, on which my own Youtube Channel is based. They are able to recreate these models in exquisite detail, which often include custom sounds and recreations of various iterations of locomotives in a variety of liveries. 

 

3D model of a Class 87 by a modder called Chris

I think it is these young people who really should be encouraged to take up a career within the railway industry. However, I do not think that the industry knows how to talk to these young individuals, who don't always use established social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate. Many are active on an online platform called Discord, which is a chat room-style app that can be used to discuss a variety of subjects.

 

I know some Rail contributors are familiar with Discord and have their own, "servers" which are used to talk about railway subjects. I also know that this is where a large number of young rail enthusiasts are choosing to congregate online and discuss gaming, modding and railways in general. 

 

Example of an active Discord server

Now I'm not saying that it's the job of those within the railway industry to monitor these platforms or even to engage with young people on these platforms, but it does show that, what are considering relatively new platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, which the railway industry is now using with great effect to engage with passengers, are fast becoming almost, dare I say it, old-fashioned.

So it can become more difficult to engage with these new young rail enthusiasts and attract them into the railway industry. It may well be the case that they already have thoughts about joining the railway industry one day, but I think it's vital that the industry engages with these individuals and encourages them to peruse a career within the railway industry.

 

I myself through my YouTube channel have been, in my own small way trying to educate and garner interest from people who are interested in the railways. Throughout my videos I try and be as factual as possible and try and talk about different railway subjects, in fact during the last series that I recorded which was based in the north of the UK, I talk about HS2, discussing why it is needed, where it will serve and what it will do to improve the UK's rail network. Of course, I try to keep my videos light-hearted and entertaining, but I do also like to try and inform and encourage discussion.

 

Now, I do not pretend to have the answers on how to engage with young people, but I do think it's vital that the industry does engage with these young people. Whilst 3D modelling and coding may not, on the face of it sound like something that is directly transferable into rail. Clearly, not all young rail enthusiasts can become designers or architects working within the rail industry, but as the railways become increasingly digitised, it is these tech-savvy individuals with knowledge about coding who may well have the skills that the industry needs.

 

Network Rail already offers an IT and Business Services apprenticeship which it says “could involve anything from implementing cutting-edge, innovative technologies and applications like digital railway traffic management and accident prevention to playing a supporting role in the delivery of a significant business change initiative to working in one of our business as usual departments (Information Security, IT Support Services Programme Office)”. But are these opportunities being marketed widely enough to young people? Granted only a small number of such opportunities may be available each year, but are organisations doing enough to promote them to the right sort of young people?

 

Coding is an increasingly sought-after skill, so the rail industry can't just expect that rail enthusiasts who can code will pursue a career within the railway, so the industry must do all it can to make rail as attractive as possible, and as subsequent generations become increasingly diverse and socially aware the industry must also do all it can to show that it is open to and accepting of diversity.

 

 

Put simply, if these young people do have skills that the industry needs, then they must be made aware that the skills they have are transferable into the “real world” and also that they will be welcomed into the rail industry no matter their gender, sexual orientation or where they come from.

 

 

Twitter - Facebook - Youtube

 

Railway maps on Redbubble

A series of railway network maps are now available on Redbubble. The stylised maps have been designed to fit perfectly on mugs, but also work well on a variety of other media such as t-shirts and prints.

The collection so far includes the Merseyrail network, West Coast Main Line and Great Wester Railway, but I will be adding to the collection over the coming weeks and months. If you'd like to suggest a network map then let me know in the comments below.

Don't see anything that takes your fancy? Let me know in the comments or e-mail Info@EngineeringFocus.co.uk and I'll consider making one of your choosing. New designs will be added, so keep checking back to see if there's the one you want.

Railway maps on Redbble

CrossCountry

Great Western Railway

West Coast Mainline

 

Merseyrail Network

The end of Diesel trains?

By Chris Howe


On the 12th of February 2018 the Minister for transport Jo Johnson MP announced that he "would like to see us take all diesel-only trains off the track by 2040". This being the same deadline set by the government to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars. The announcement got little press attention considering the Minster had set such an ambitious target, which if it was to be achieved would require a huge investment by the government.

The devil though is in the detail, two little words which water down the announcement from one which could have involved large-scale electrification being put back on the table, to one which simply pays lip service to the environmental debate. The two words being "Diesel-only", very carefully chosen as not to undermine the £5bn investment that is being made in a fleet of new trains to replace the aging HST fleet. Why? Because the new trains which are only now coming into service and are expected to be in service for 30 or 40 years have diesel engines fitted to provide power on non-electrified routes.

A soon to be replaced HST passes Honeybourne station. This route does not fall within the GWML electrification programme, therefore any new trains serving on this route will require diesel power for the foreseeable future. 

If the 2040 deadline had been for all diesel-powered trains it would mean removing the engines from a fleet of trains which by that time will be little over 20 years old, no big deal however because they were designed with this in mind, as/when electrification was extended. BUT, this would mean the government would only have 22 years to fund, plan and complete the electrification of many hundreds of miles more of railway than already planned.

22 years does seem a long time, however Just to remove the engines from the new class 800s and 802s which will be operated by Great Western Railways would mean extending the wires from Cardiff to Swansea, Oxford to Worcester and Bath to Penzance. This alone may be achievable, but it is hard to see how any other routes such as Midland Mainline and TransPennine could be electrified with the time allowed, given that the GWML electrification programme, is billions of pounds over budget, behind schedule and has been de-scoped with electrification between Cardiff and Swansea now cancelled

9 years since GWML electrification was announced and still there's a year to go before trains will be running on electricity only between London and Cardiff, whilst other routes such as Oxford to Didcot Parkway will have to wait a further 2 years. So in all, it will have taken 11 years from go-ahead to completion to electrify 235 miles of railway. Such is the scale of the challenge just to electrify the GWML other schemes have had to be deferred or cancelled altogether.

So we are left with a ban on "diesel-only" trains, this gives a reprieve to bi-mode trains such as the class 800s and others currently on order. But what of the class 195s, yet to enter service are hailed as the much-anticipated replacement for Northern Rail's fleet of loathed Pacers? These new trains will be "diesel-only" and will operate in some cases on lines with no wires for most of their length and for which there are no current plans for wires. By the time we get to 2040 the trains will be little over middle aged and given the cost of rolling stock the owners would surely hope to get 30-35 years out of their investment.

One of the soon to be replaced Pacers sits at Chester station, these trains will be replaced by modern diesel-only DMUs

The 2040 announcement whilst ostensibly sounds like great news for environmentalists and passengers, it could seriously jeopardise investment in new rolling stock in the near future. Who would want to invest in a new fleet of diesel-only trains which may only be in service 20 years or less? The Wales and Border franchise which is soon to be taken over by a new company still has a fleet of 30 Pacers and across the country there are 1000 aging diesel Sprinter units which will have to be replaced within the next 10 years.

Hydrogen fuel cell power is one option being investigated but plans are only now being put in place to test such trains in the UK, so hydrogen-powered trains won't be carrying passengers in the UK for at least 5 to 10 years. This leaves a gap in which time rolling stock owners may choose not to invest in new trains and try to keep trains running which are already well past their best, heck it could mean a few Pacers still being in service well into the late 2020s.

Class 230 "D-Train" being developed could be one answer for the short/medium term, using second-hand aluminium bodies these trains could be pressed into services quickly and provide a return on any investment in well under 20 years. 

I hate to be cynical about the railway but I think setting such a deadline could have a negative impact in the short to medium term, it relies too much on the assumption that unproven technology (at least in the railway sense) such as batteries and/or hydrogen fuel cells will be a viable solution in just a few years time. 

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook - For more information e-mail Blog@EngineeringFocus.co.uk

Electrification - what went wrong?

I don't normally like to write negative or political headlines, however reading the news about the announcement that electrification schemes are to be scrapped on Thursday (20th July) caused me to reflect on promises made by Government back in 2012

The CP5 HLOS (Control Period 5, High Level Output Specification) published in 2012 was full of promises and seemed a real boon for the rail industry. Electrification of the GWML between London to Cardiff, Oxford and Newbury was finally given the go ahead after being delayed in 2010.

Midland Mainline, North West, Transpennine and other electrification schemes were also announced, all due to begin in or be completed during CP5 which covered the period from 2015 to 2019. A map produced by the Department for Transport which set out ambitious plans can still be found here.

Now it seems that a number of these electrification projects will not go ahead, on Thursday (20th July) the Department for Transport announced that electrification of the GWML between Cardiff and Swansea will no longer go ahead, nor will the electrification of the Midland Main Line. Planned electrification of the section of railway in the Lake District between Oxenholme and Windermere has also been cancelled. 

GWML electrification

Cost overruns and delays to the GWML electrification programme could be one reason why the government has lost its appetite for further electrification. The upgrade of the GWML was first costed at around £600m to £800m, however the budget now stands at £2.8bn. 

Great Western Railway will begin to phase out HSTs later in 2017 as they begin to deploy new bi-mode IEP sets. 

Problems such as Network Rail's approach to planning in which permissions were sought for changes to each individual structure rather than for large sections [1], the much lauded high output electrification train did not initially deliver the intended level of output and difficulty designing and installing OHLE on listed structures all contributed to cost overruns and delays.

In hindsight it seems that government plans to electrify so much of the network in a relatively short period of time were overly ambitious. After years of under investment and not having electrified a main line since the ECML was completed in 1991 the UK rail industry simply did not have the skilled workforce, expertise required nor the right equipment to undertake such a large programme of electrification.

There were problems too with the North West electrification programme, although 2 key sections between Liverpool and Manchester were completed in 2015, phases 3 to 7 were delayed after Network Rail and main Contractor Balfour Beatty agreed that the company would not continue with the project.

What went right?

It's not all doom and gloom, it would be unfair to say that Network Rail has failed or that improvements have not been delivered. Key projects across the network have been completed in the 5 years since the CP5 HLOS was announced.

Electric trains began operating between Liverpool and Manchester in March 2015 providing improved journeys for passengers and more capacity. In 2013 new electric trains were operating between Manchester and Scotland which was one of the most crowded routes outside of London. It is also anticipated that the final phases of the North West electrification programme will be completed in early 2018, with the exception of Oxenholme and Windermere.

The very first public passenger service using electric trains between Liverpool and Manchester

A £750m project to improve Birmingham New St Station was also completed in 2015, with a new 3,300 square metre atrium which is now filled with light thanks to an impressive plastic and steel roof. 

The ETFE roof that now covers the "Grand Central" atrium at Birmingham New St

 

The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) which aims to upgrade key junctions and infrastructure as well as electrification has been underway since 2013, with electrification between Glasgow and Edinburgh expected to be complete by Autumn 2017.

Crossrail may steal the show in London (in terms of rail infrastructure) but the ThamesLink Programme which hasn't been without its controversy has been steadily transforming a crucial part of London's rail network since 2009. 12 car trains began operating between Bedford and Brighton in 2011 and brand new class 700 trains began arriving in 2016.

New look platforms at London Birdge which had already been completed by 2015

 

The last element to be completed which is also one of the largest and most complex elements of the project has been the transformation of London Bridge, work began back in 2013 and due to be completed by 2018.

There are numerous other projects planned, underway or complete which are listed on Network Rail's website

The future is bi-mode?

Part of "what went wrong" isn't anything to do with budget or planning, but rather Government oversight. In the past 5 years rolling stock technology has advanced significantly. The bi-mode class 800 IEP trains once thought to be a stopgap have turned out better than many expected, even with diesel engines fitted, passengers will enjoy benefits of modern trains, quicker journeys and extra capacity.

Hull Trains, Transpennine Express and Abellio East Anglia have all ordered various bi-mode diesel-electric trains, which will be able to take advantage of the parts of the network that are electrified, whilst also being able to operate on non-electrified lines.

Alternative forms Motive power have also advanced significantly, Alstom has already begun testing a hydrogen fuel cell powered train in Germany and a battery powered train has already been tested on the UK rail network.

The fuel cell powered Coradia iLint built by Alstom has already been tested up to a speed of 80km/h, with hopes to operate the first test passenger services in 2018.

In 2015 Network Rail trialled a battery-powered passenger train between Harwich International and Manningtree, a Class 379 Electrostar was fitted with lithium iron magnesium phosphate batteries which provided enough power to propel the train for about 96km

In the West Midlands battery technology will be retrofitted to 21 of Midland Metro Urbos 3 trams in order to remove the need for the installation of OHLE "in architecturally sensitive areas". The extension of the Midland Metro from New Street station to Centenary Square, which is due to open in 2019 will run through Victoria Square without the installation of overhead line equipment.

Birmingham New St, currently the last stop until the new extension is completed in 2019

 

So, what can we conclude from all this? Despite my initial feeling of pessimism on Thursday morning, after reflecting on the news and reading Nigel Harris' comment about bi-mode technology in Rail issue 831, I feel that whilst it is not a good news story, it is not particularly bad news for the industry or passengers either.

The story will make news headlines for a few days, there will be plenty of analysis for weeks if not months and it will also fuel more anti HS2 feeling. But I think that when all is said and done commuters will go on as normal, not paying much attention to the improvements going on around them, just glad to get a seat, decent wifi, charging point and for the train to be on time.

Isn't it really only people (myself included) who are interested in the railway who care what actually powers the trains? 

My only one concern and it's a big one, is the environment. Diesel fuelled bi-modes will undoubtedly have their place on the network for decades, but I hope and I would urge the government to seek to quickly move to other (greener) forms of power such as battery and or fuel cell technology sooner rather than later. 

I also believe electrification should continue as and when budget and resources allow, but it is unrealistic to think that the remaining 60% UK's network that is not yet electrified can be done so quickly. 

Further analysis of Trans-Pennine electrification and a suggested "Crossrail North" can be found here

I would also encourage readers to take a look at an excellent article on the subject by Joe Dunckley which can be found here 

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook - For more information e-mail Blog@EngineeringFocus.co.uk