The Railway Chronicle. Feature Article: Punctuality..keeping the trains moving in all weathers....with GBRf & Network Rail at Tonbridge

Running the railway on a daily basis is a challenging affair.... and keeping trains to time is one such challenge...

Why is punctuality important? And how is this accomplished in the south east, for example?

The following feature provides some answers.... 

Punctuality….keeping the trains moving in all weathers…

“Time is money”… although the origins of this saying are various, the truthfulness of the expression is certainly felt on the railways, especially in relation to the need for punctuality, for there is no greater annoyance for the travelling passenger than to be waiting on the platform, and seeing the announcement… “delayed “.

In the UK, the financial incentive to keep trains to time is also keenly felt by both the Train Operating Companies, and Network Rail, which owns and is responsible for the track upon which the trains run.

So, what is done on a day to day basis to keep interruptions to services at a minimum, particularly through the autumn and winter periods? How is the track kept in good order to facilitate optimum running? What benefits are accrued to the travelling public?

Firstly, how is punctuality, in this particular scenario, defined?

The “Public performance measure” is that percentage of franchised operator trains that arrive ‘on time’at their destination (that is within 10 minutes of scheduled arrival time for  long distance, and five minutes for regional, London & South East and Scotland).

For 2014, the actual percentage was 90.0% compared with a target of  92.0%.

For freight operations… that arrive ‘on time’at their destination (10 minutes for all operators). 74.8% actual as compared with a target of 74.9%.

Relevant background information

In a letter from Norman Baker MP, then   PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT he states, regarding  “Schedule 8” that “The purpose of the compensation regime in the Track Access Agreements is to incentivise Network Rail and the train operator to achieve an acceptable level of performance, and for Network Rail to compensate the operator if performance drops below an acceptable level. Payments under this regime are also designed to compensate for the effect of delays on an operator’s future business which, if unaddressed, could ultimately have an impact on public finances.”

The formulae for working out the compensation is not simple…phrases such as “Lateness Multipliers” (also called “delay multipliers”), which reflect the value put on one minute of average lateness relative to one minute of timetabled journey time; and “GJT elasticities”, which measure the sensitivity of rail demand to changes in Generalised Journey Time (GJT) are found in the Passenger Demand Forecasting Handbook (PDFH)

On its own website, for example, Southeastern Trains notes as follows “ The effects of autumn and winter create numerous challenges for train operators across the UK, and have a significant impact on our performance.Despite our best efforts to keep the tracks clear, leaves on the line can cause traction problems and affect the speed our trains can run. Our timetable changes in Autumn to allow some early morning services to start earlier, ensuring our drivers can drive safely in the challenging conditions.

Train services south of London are also vulnerable to snow and icy conditions as we use a third conductor rail to draw power and move our trains, as opposed to overhead power lines available in other areas of the UK.

The past few years have seen our network suffer more than most from seasonal changes; causing more delays to your journey.

Together with Network Rail, we continue to work to prepare the track, trains and teams for the seasonal challenges.”

A look at recent “Punctuality” figures issued by the UK rail regulator ..the Office of Rail Regulation(ORR) ,Southeastern’s punctuality is running at a moving annual average of 87.5%.

Safety Critical

So, given the above, and the need to avoid paying out vast sums of money in compensation (either by Network Rail and/or the Train Operating Companies), especially in the light of the annual furore over rail fare increases..it is in everyone’s interests to do all that can be done to keep the trains running to time in all weathers…safely.

The Southeastern’s website previously referred to spoke of the challenges of the autumn/winter period… “leaves on the line” is an expected annual phenomenon affecting the tracks….left untreated, the tracks would be covered by a film of mulch (rather like unseen black ice on the roads in winter) that would be hazardous to trains at signal stops, station platform stops, and traction generally. Similarly ice would create the same difficulties, with the added problem of freezing points..and in the south east..ice on the third rail carrying the electric current to power the trains.

The Solution

In the last year, Network Rail, in conjunction with Keltbray Rail and GB Railfreight(GBRf) ,have been involved in a project based at Tonbridge to address these foregoing issues in the Southeastern franchise area (i.e.Kent and Sussex)..the provision of RHTTs (Rail Head Treatment Trains) and SITTs (Snow and Ice Treatment Trains)

 

Tonbridge Station viewed from the yard.

 

 SITT (coupled to Class 66) and RHTT (blue tanks) in background- at Tonbridge. 

Meet The Project Team

The Project team provide background information to the project, and their specific roles.

Left to right:

Martin Creighton (Project Manager - Keltbray)

Keltbray Rail (www.keltbrayrail.com)- a privately owned company., and the UK’s leading specialist engineering , construction, decommissioning  and environmental services business – developed the site at Tonbridge.

Ben Thear (Production Manager, GB Railfreight)

Operations Manager at Tonbridge covering Tonbridge, Hoo Junction & Eastleigh depots.

Responsible for driver training.Depending  on previous experience, passenger drivers to freight driver conversion  is around 3 months. To train up a new driver from scratch takes around 9 - 12 months.

Ben Thear at the controls of  73212

Mark Wyborn (Seasonal Contracts Manager – GB Railfreight)

Works closely with NR and the TOC's to deliver what is required. 2 sets (1 for Kent and 1 for Sussex)  go out every day, leaving Tonbridge at 0605, on working timetable circuits… The other  4 sets go out as required by Network Rail,which in practicality this year has meant every day. Sufficient drivers are on standby to cover requested trains (RHTTs finished on 21/12/14)Now SITTs are undergoing testing…..These trains are used to de-ice the 3^rd rail- the conductor rail.

 

A SITT ..Snow & Ice Treatment Train

Paul Taylor (Business Manager – GB Railfreight)

6 Trains are sent out daily, with 2 spare sets on standby. For  3 weeks in the year when there is snow and ice it’s a case of all hands to the pumps. Last year, though, it was  more about wind , rain and flooding, so  locos were sent out on line proving before the  first trains of the day, checking for debris, fallen trees and flooding  etc.

When setting up the operation  priorities as to likely challenging areas were established resulting in appropriate  route knowledge maps and  then training the 30 drivers in an intensive route learning programme through last summer. Extra drivers would be brought in from Southampton as needed.

It is an intensive operation for a few months….the rostered drivers are prepared for this situation, realizing that they would have more time off  in the summer months. This enables Network Rail to have  more track possession  for maintenance work overnight in the summer, which can’t always be done in the winter.

 

Adam Doy (Regional Business Manager, NSC – Network Rail)

My involvement in the project was essentially as the client. My day to day work during autumn is essentially the link between Network Rail and the supplier (in this case GB Railfreight) providing the specification for the treatment programme and then managing the contract once everything is up and running. The part of Network Rail (National Supply Chain) I work for designed and built the new RHTT sets in York and essentially provides the logistical support for autumn running.

This involved requesting from GBRf the particular number of RHTTs and SITTs needed on a daily basis and then  working out the train paths and working with GBRf to ensure that they were sighted on the plan in sufficient time to ensure they had drivers with the required route knowledge, etc

The RHTTs were used in conjunction with the MPVs operated by another supplier (Balfour Beatty) to operate on a daily pattern.  To this end we had 2 RHTTs working on booked circuits and 5 MPVs operating on other circuits. We would then utilise 4 RHTTs in a 'work as required' mode to pinpoint reported trouble spots of low adhesion.

 

Luis Cabecinha (Project Manager, SE Works Delivery – Network Rail)

Integrated the project management team of the Works Delivery organization that installed the new roads for the RHTT, the tank and all the other works (slabs, lighting columns, water and electrical supply, etc).It was a particularly fast scheme - from design to the final commissioning, roughly 9 months

 

Bobby Hannah (Project Manager, SE Works Delivery – Network Rail)

The lead project manager for the scheme on behalf of the Network Rail South East Route Works Delivery team,who were responsible for the upgrade works to the yard, delivering the new track work in-house and appointing Keltbray Rail Ltd, (with whom NR worked in partnership on the scheme) who  were responsible for the civils and electrical elements of the work.

Tonbridge West Yard..Before and After



(C) Courtesy Robert Hannah

The Operation

The whole operation is something of a “war of attrition”! There has been excessive wheel wear on the locomotives and wagons…all have been on  wheel lathes in the last 3 weeks!.. and as if to really make the point there was on display a specially left uncleaned locomotive..or two!!

 

A very dirty Class 66…..No 66720

…..and very dirty tanks……deliberately left unclean on one side for the occasion!

In theory there is sufficient treatment carried for 2 days work out of each load in the tanks….but these are always topped  up overnight…So, each load contains  85,000 litres…And the biggest circuit is 290 miles..which uses 70,000 litres

An RHTT train, showing the 5 x 17,000 litre tanks, headed by 73212

The trains carry out the cleaning at 60mph, and the treatment is jetted onto the track head at 1,500 psi….enough power to damage the rail head if left operating when stationary!

Prepared for all weather….

 

Snow plough and Conductor rail ice remover.

This project..a collaboration involving Network Rail, Keltbray Rail…and GB Railfreight.. will no doubt play its part through the challenging winter months to ensure that, as far as is humanly possible, all trains will run “ On Time”

 

The Railway Chronicle would like to extend thanks to James Clark (Westbourne), Amanda Kenny(Keltbray Rail) and the project team at Tonbridge, with special thanks to Paul Taylor (GBRf) without whose help this article would not have been possible. Thank you.

(C) Peter S Lewis (The Railway Chronicle)