CONNECTIVITY, CAPACITY AND CARBON 2020

The Government’s carbon free railway targets

How rail freight can expedite Britain’s Net Zero future

Why driverless operations are the key to the future

RE-IMAGINING RAIL,FROM ACHIEVING NET ZERO

TO COVID RECOVERY

Connectivity, Capacity, Carbon. These three Cs inform everything we do, from rebalancing transport modes to putting the passenger at the heart of rail. With the events of 2020, you could argue we need a fourth C, Coronavirus.

The pandemic has certainly made us stand back to reconsider rail networks and passengers, but I believe the articles in this magazine show that the three Cs are more important than ever; and that our industry’s recovery depends on us getting these right.

In fact, it is the third C, carbon, that is the thread tying the three Cs together – if we want to enhance connectivity and capacity, we must do so in a sustainable way. That’s why you’ll find our Net Zero future at the heart of this magazine; we believe rail has a big role to play in creating an environmentally-friendly future for the UK, and indeed across the world.

I hope you enjoy reading these articles. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how, together, we can push the three Cs forward to a new and better future for rail.

From the editor

Lizi StewartManaging Director, Transportation

Lizi leads 2,700 professionals in the rail, highways and local transport markets. Her background is in management consultancy delivering transformational change with the world’s leading clients in the transportation, retail, financial services and property industries across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Garry Keenor Group Engineer (Electrification) and Technical Authority for mechanical OLE systems

Garry is a Chartered Engineer with 28 years’ experience in railway electrification, having delivered a wide range of electrification designs in the UK and overseas including major multidisciplinary projects. He’s been a Contractor’s Responsible Engineer for 18 years and a Contractor’s Engineering Manager for 12 years. Garry is currently Group Engineer for Atkins and is responsible for all OLE design in the South West. He also acts as Atkins’ Technical Authority for OLE.

Paul Hooper Technical Director and Professional Head of Discipline for Electrification

Paul is a Chartered Electrical Engineer and strategic railway consultant with over 30 years’ railway systems experience specialising in railway electrification. He is the Atkins Professional Head of Discipline for Electrification and has a broad range of experience as a Senior Business Manager, Project Director/Manager and Engineer involved in multi-disciplinary projects.

Tom MeacockClient Director for Strategic Rail

Tom leads on strategy, business development and sales for our rail sector and has key account management responsibility for our relationship with Network Rail. Tom joined Atkins in 2015 from Balfour Beatty having spent the previous 10 years working on major infrastructure projects with a focus on investment and business development and bidding.

Tim DanversBusiness Development Manager for Strategic Rail

Tim Danvers leads business development for rail at Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin group. A trained engineer, Tim has contributed to major projects including the Channel Tunnel, Class 92, and more recently HS2. Tim has built influential relationships across the industry, in government and with clients and uses his platform as a spokesperson to promote skills, apprenticeships and equality, diversity and inclusion.

Paul ThomasTechnical Director, Rail Systems

Paul has over 30 years’ experience in the engineering management and delivery of railway systems on rail, light mass transit, and main line railway applications. Paul is the Technical Director for rail systems and has extensive experience in driverless metros, successful engineering management, technical and people leadership and is an experienced Systems Integration Practitioner.

Alexandra Best Marketing and Communications Manager

Alexandra.Best@atkinsglobal.com

linkedin.com/in/alexandra-best-a6520815

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4We must act now to deliver the Government’s carbon free railway targets

6Why driverless operations are the key to Britain’s future railway

8Why rail electrification is key to keeping the UK’s climate progress on track

10Journey’s friend? How passenger-centric design can enhance our transport

12How better rail in the north of England could transform the whole country

14Carrying the load: how rail freight can expedite Britain’s Net Zero future

16Five minutes with: Young Rail Professionals

18Re-thinking transport business cases in a post-COVID world

Byron EdwardsHuman Factors Consultant

Byron Edwards is a Senior Human Factors Consultant with a wealth of experience from a range of high hazard industries. He was elected a Trustee of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors in April 2020; he also serves on the London and Southeast Regional committee of the Young Rail Professionals.

Andre BlackwoodTelecomms Engineer

Andre has over 9 years’ experience working on Telecommunications Systems, designing and developing solutions for transportation systems. He has worked on the development, design, installation, testing and commissioning of a range of systems.

Michael Grace Strategic Growth Director, SNC-Lavalin

Michael is responsible for strategy, business development and the growth of SNC-Lavalin and the Rail Consulting business in Atkins. He is responsible for maintaining the businesses market-leading reputation and for delivery of the long-term business plan, including growth in the volume and scale of multi-disciplinary projects delivered. Michael has worked extensively overseas and is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and an MBA.

Clara Gago EzquerroSafety Engineer

Clara Gago Ezquerro is originally from Spain and came to the UK in 2012 to study Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London. She joined Atkins in 2016 as a Process Engineer in the Nuclear New Build team before moving into the Rail System Safety Team in early 2017. Clara has worked on a variety of projects including Crossrail and HS2, to deliver a safe and compliant railway. She is currently seconded into the System Safety team at HS2.

Rand WatkinsAssociate Director

Rand is an Associate Director in the Stations and Transport Orientated Development team in Atkins, focussing on the planning, design and delivery of transport infrastructure and regeneration opportunities. She has over 20 years’ experience in the underground construction and transport related development sector with key positions held on major infrastructure schemes in the UK and overseas. Rand has a particular interest in the prioritisation of sustainable, integrated and inclusive transport growth.

David WestcoughProject Engineer, SNC-Lavalin

David is currently seconded to Northern Trains Limited, working on their Alternative Energy Trains programme that seeks to introduce rolling stock to the UK rail network powered by alternative energy sources. David is also the National Treasurer and a former National Chair of Young Rail Professionals.

We must act now to deliver the Government’s carbon free railway targets Last year the UK was the first major economy to legally commit to becoming ‘carbon-neutral’ by 2050. The rail industry’s role to achieve this is to make transport as green as possible, as set out in the Department for Transport’s (DfT) 2018 vision to make the UK the world’s leading carbon-free railway by 2040.

As of 2020, less than half (around 42%) of our railway is electrified, meaning that the greater part of our network operates with diesel trains. In under 20 years, the Government has committed to removing diesel only trains from the network. To succeed, large sections of the network will need to be electrified, mixed with developing alternative green traction systems.

The final report of the Government’s Decarbonisation Taskforce estimates that 4250 route km will fall into the “must be electrified” category. Therefore, to reach the DfT’s vision in 20 years’ time, this equates to a little over 200 route km per year to be electrified. For reference, Germany carries out a steady 200 single track kms a year. Since our railways are at least 2-track, with many being 4-track, we must act on this twice as fast as Germany to reach our goal.

Boom and bust is fast becoming an irrelevant talking point – the issue is the supplier capacity and the planning skills to deliver this significant programme of electrification efficiently, with a ruthless focus on annual continuous improvement in performance. We are running out of time to deliver and we need to act now on electrifying our railway to meet the Government’s targets.

“But what about alternative solutions!” I hear you say. For most of the railway network, conventional electrification is the only viable answer. Hydrogen and batteries are also likely to be part of the solution, but are only suitable for lower traction performance, speed and relatively short distance routes. Current hydrogen production requires the use of steam methane or electrolysis, and these are not currently low carbon processes.

Critical to bringing hydrogen into the mix is capturing our carbon through a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry or powering electrolysis through low carbon electricity. Net Zero potentially requires the UK to have up to 40% of UK’s energy mix dependent on CCS – we currently have no operational carbon capture.

Importantly, to make this vision of electrification totally green, we must ensure that the energy required to power our railways is also green and from low carbon sources. We will not have met our goal while electric vehicles, and electrification of our railways, continue to be powered by energy from gas and high carbon generation. As covered in our latest report Engineering Net Zero, by 2050 our energy demand will increase from 300

TWh per year to well over 600 TWh per year, requiring us to quadruple low carbon energy generation as it stands today. This requires a never before achieved build rate of 9-12 GW of new energy infrastructure per year to 2050; this needs to come from a mix of renewables such as offshore wind, solar, nuclear power and carbon-abated gas generation across a balanced system.

While we hear extensive conversations about battery storage for use in transportation and infrastructure, it is pertinent to acknowledge that there is currently no battery technology capable of grid-scale balancing storage, and none on the horizon. Our critical railway transport system needs increased firm low carbon electricity to decarbonise and that supply needs to be reliable and consistent.

Fundamental to our own industry aims and Net Zero targets is the cooperation between demand and supply – where our future energy supply will come from, and how we will afford to use it, across our railways, highways and modes of transport. Net Zero targets in one industry cannot and will not be reached unless targets across all industries and our entire system are met.

Underpinning all of this is the need for firm commitments and decisions now on the route to Net Zero. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

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Lizi StewartManaging Director, Transportation

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Journey’s friend? How passenger-centric design can enhance our transport

We’ve all been there. Stranded at the back of a long queue, waiting to check in for a flight; squeezed onto a train that’s running far later than it was supposed to; or desperately trying to hail a taxi in the rain.

Travelling is something we all do, and being a passenger is familiar to everyone. Yet no matter what kind of transport you take, the experience of being a passenger is often unpleasant. Delays, discomfort, and disorientation are all too common.

It doesn’t have to be like this. And thanks to improvements in technology and in the ethos of transport management, things are changing for the better.

It’s worth reiterating why it’s worth being passenger-centric in the first place. After all, if transport depends on infrastructure, vehicles and engineering, doesn’t it make sense to focus on those instead?

We tend to think of transport as serving the public. But that’s not the way we experience transport. The public is always made up of distinct individuals, each of whom have distinct needs. A retiree visiting their grandchildren will have different requirements than a daily commuter, who in turn will have different demands from those of schoolchildren. Unless we consider these passengers as individuals, we can’t come close to giving them what they need. Only by connecting with your passengers and gaining insights into their behaviours can you create a truly beneficial transport system.

Placing the passenger at the core of the service isn’t just for customer service. It radically reshapes the whole process of travel. From implementing engineering works to making movement as frictionless as possible, starting with the passenger helps to ensure that each process is designed with real human needs in mind.

Compare this humanised approach with the all-to-often used traditional method of starting with the engineering. Better trains and infrastructure may make your journey time marginally faster. But if there are insufficient seats, no WiFi or mobile connectivity, or no ability to connect to alternative modes of transport for the ‘last mile’, for example, these improvements may be more than offset by the poor experience and ultimately drive customers away. Only by connecting with your passengers and gaining insights into their behaviours can you create a truly beneficial transport system.

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So how can you gain insights about your passengers? Data-gathering gives us greater knowledge about how transport is actually being used than ever before. Whether air, rail, or road-based, transport providers must harness this data intelligently in order to develop better designs. How do passengers move about the terminal? Where do they spend the longest? What hinders their progress? Understanding these processes can point to the changes which would make a genuine difference to travellers.

But data is not the be-all and end-all to indicate how transport is being used. So much can be gained by observing passengers anonymously, preserving their privacy while gaining behavioural insights. Monitoring passenger flows in stations and terminals, for example, can yield powerful insights about how to reduce overcrowding, long queues and stress.

And data about infrastructure can be used to improve passenger experience. For instance, sensors placed to monitor the maintenance requirements of trains can be used to inform passengers of potential delays to their journey. If your intelligent infrastructure is telling you that it needs some maintenance work, you can use this information to understand the implications for the passengers and forewarn them of the impact on their journeys, giving them time to prepare and preventing nasty surprises.

Ultimately, everyone has different preferences when travelling. And what you want when cycling is different to when you’re in a cab or on an aeroplane. Regardless of such differences, having a passenger-centric mindset is the best way to ensure that these needs are always being considered. Data can be used to create a personalised service, across all modes of transport. By harnessing the insights of data, we can make all modes of transport better, and ensure that the passenger is always at the heart of the design, no matter what.

Tom MeacockClient Director for Strategic Rail in UK and Europe

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Why rail electrification is key to keeping the UK’s climate progress on track

Working to the UK Government’s carbon-neutral targets, the Department for Transport’s (DfT) 2018 vision is to remove diesel-only traction from our railways by 2040. So how can we speed up rail electrification and create a greener transport network fit for a carbon-neutral economy?

Railway electrification began in the early 1900s, but even considering schemes currently under construction, which boosts the figure slightly, only 46.5% of our railway is electrified, with the majority of the rail network operating with diesel trains. To achieve Net Zero carbon, we need to electrify more of the railway in the next three decades than has been achieved in the last six.

Fossil fuels have seeped into almost every part of our economy, and the railways are no exception. For the electrified routes, we must also ensure that the energy required to power our transport is green and from low/zero carbon sources. We will not have met our goal while electric vehicles and railway electrification use energy from gas and other high carbon generation sources.

Stopping the stop-start habitCountries like Germany have steadily electrified their networks year after year in a rolling programme of works. Yet the UK has witnessed periods of intensive electrification invariably followed by an abrupt halt – slowing down the process and leading to cost inefficiencies and reluctance to restart the programme.

This cyclical process, known as ‘boom and bust’, has also led to a talent drain; during lengthy spells of stasis, our best practitioners either find work elsewhere or leave the industry entirely, with vital skills being lost. This has been seen in the current dip since the electrification programme was halted in 2017 with design volumes down significantly and construction volumes reducing.

Looking to the long termA long-term approach will help avoid the problems of ‘boom and bust’ and maintain steady progress, reduce unit costs, manage expectations and prevent mistakes from rushed processes. It also permits electrification of routes to be integrated with rolling stock replacement and modernisation programmes including remodelling and resignalling.

Electrification should be seen as part of a wider package of railway improvements, since it is not possible to complete electrification without renewal of other elements. An electrification programme brings together many different suppliers, consultants, managers, and stakeholders

– all with aspirations and concerns. Establishing long-term partnerships with suppliers can create mutually beneficial relationships, incentivising the supply chain and expediting the process.

One goal, many skillsElectrification is a complex process, demanding different skills, from earthing and bonding to electromagnetic compatibility. We must command teams with the right mix of talents and expertise and draw on digital resources. Our railways are a patchwork of overlapping designs, built at different times and with their own challenges. Digital tools allow us to develop OLE layouts more quickly, with a higher level of consistency, and deliver standardised digital outputs for use by procurement, construction and maintenance teams.

One tool, Polecat, has been successfully deployed on over 3000 STKs, delivering 25-40% reductions in production times for OLE design drawings. Another tool, D-RSS, has huge potential to challenge conservatism in traditional OLE design rules. It was recently used to justify running through Steventon Bridge on the Great Western Mainline at 110mph, almost three times the speed permitted by the current OLE standards.

The future’s electricThe last few decades have shown how complex the electrification process is. It is vital to combine long-term thinking with a holistic approach to railway electrification. As an industry, we must become more efficient, reduce unit costs, and collaborate to implement electrification and keep the UK’s progress to a carbon-free economy on track.

A greener economy is becoming the bedrock of our national policy. Unless we drastically curb our emissions, we’ll face adverse consequences from pollution, degradation and climate change within the next generation – we must act now.

Paul Hooper Technical Director and Professional Head of Discipline for Electrification

Garry Keenor Group Engineer (electrification) and Technical Authority for mechanical OLE systems

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Why driverless operations are the key to Britain’s future railwayTo become more efficient, our railways must embrace automation - and that means implementing driverless trains. But while they offer a whole host of advantages, their successful deployment depends on how well we can overcome some of the challenges of driverless vehicles.

Driverless vehicles are going to play a big part in cleaner, more efficient transport. For most people this means autonomous cars and trucks. However, driverless services also have the power to transform our railways. From greater flexibility in timetables to more efficient use of energy, driverless operations can unlock improvements in our railways to help meet passenger expectations, improve capacity, increase connectivity, and reduce our carbon footprint.

A move to driverless operations isn’t an easy one and to overcome the challenges, the industry must be much more benefit-focused, advocate automation and create compelling business cases.

Advantage: automationDriverless operations have some obvious advantages. The absence of the driver eliminates a costly aspect of the train service and frees up capital to be allocated elsewhere. Space usually taken by the driver’s cabin can be used for passengers, and, judging by TfL’s DLR, everyone likes to sit at the front and marvel at the nice view.

Driverless operations also have some less perceptible advantages; without a focus on staff and rosters, railways become more user-orientated with services designed for passenger-experience, providing access to greater journey information and a more reliable and flexible service.

Passengers firstDriverless operations enable a radical re-orienting of train timetables; without train staff to consider, services can be centred entirely around passenger demands. Underground metro services can run all night, and services can be increased during bottlenecks, around high-volume moments such as football matches or pop concerts. Passenger-centric railways are crucial to improving customer satisfaction, to getting more people off the roads and onto trains, and ultimately help reduce the nation’s carbon footprint. Driverless operations are an indispensable element of the push for a passenger-focused railway service.

To enjoy these benefits, the industry must overcome several important challenges, one of which is passenger safety. Today, train drivers still perform a number of safety tasks, and an autonomous network will require replication and automation of these tasks. Passengers attempting to board sometimes get their coats or bags stuck – drivers must intervene before the passenger is injured. An automated system must identify such issues and stop the train before people get hurt. While drivers are not entirely capable of stopping these problems either, automated systems have to make people feel safer.

Another challenge is an issue of trains stopping between platforms. Without the authority and situational awareness of the

driver, passengers may feel more nervous or alone, especially if tunnel temperatures increase. Building points of human contact into the driverless operations - such as video terminals to communicate with station staff - is important to ensure passenger safety. To speed up the adoption of driverless operations, not only must travellers be safe, they must feel safe.

Transforming the tracksAutomating an inefficient process doesn’t make it more efficient. Driverless operations require changing the whole way we operate the railway, rather than just automating existing operations. This includes changing people’s perceptions and presumptions about how a driverless network can run. When properly implemented, driverless operations increase safety and reliability, and minimise human error and mistakes. Yet this narrative infers that passengers will be less safe on automated services, because of a lack of staff.

Building new driverless operations is relatively straightforward but updating existing control systems to fully automated ones is much trickier. This transformation will also require an interim of interoperation between conventional and automatic, prolonging the project and increasing costs.

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Paul ThomasTechnical Director, Rail Systems

Our railways face a stark choice. Currently they’re too expensive, unreliable, and carbon dependent. In every way possible, we must make the railways more efficient - the only way is by automation. The industry must make a strong argument for driverless operations and address safety concerns while illuminating all the advantages.

Automation? All aboard!Transport and political authorities are well aware of the barriers to driverless services. It’s our job to demonstrate a strong business case, with safe and cost-effective solutions for better services. And it’s all about timing; we should upgrade when replacing the rolling stock. Intelligent planning can remove much of the pain surrounding upgrading conventional systems.

Global examples prove it can be done. Countries like Denmark use such technology to improve public transport, making it cleaner, more efficient, and ultimately safer. Since driverless trains can’t rely on drivers, they simply must be safer, more punctual, and more aligned with passengers.

It’s exactly what the UK’s train network needs.

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Tim DanversBusiness Development Manager for Strategic Rail

How better rail in the north of England could transform the whole country

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The north of England is undergoing its biggest rail investment in decades. Through HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), the North’s major cities are being connected to one another. Its routes to the South are being improved. And the entire passenger experience is being renovated.

Given their interdependence, it’s useful to think of HS2 and NPR as two parts of the same project. HS2’s state-of-the-art high-speed rail network will improve connections to London from Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and the East Midlands. And NPR will spread the benefits of HS2 to a much wider area by improving the connections between northern towns and cities.

These benefits depend on a holistic approach. Understanding the trains’ relationship to the roads, the impact of stations on their surrounding areas, and how the on-board experience can change passenger travel habits: this kind of joined-up thinking can exponentially increase the benefits that this once-in-a-lifetime investment can bring.

High speed rail, high speed economyThe clearest benefit is economic. Connecting the UK’s northern cities and shortening the journey times between them will boost their commercial interaction. New customers, lured by shorter train journeys, will increase trade.

Yet the benefits exceed more footfall or an uptick in business travellers. The entire economy of the North could be transformed. Whole areas could be revitalised. Crossrail has shown how property prices can be rejuvenated by the presence of a new railway line. Building around the forthcoming stations began before the tracks were even laid; demand for commercial space located within 400

meters of a great railway station has the potential to increase its value by up to 30%. Improved rail in the North could have a similarly positive impact on the towns and cities in its vicinity.

How travel can change livesThe transformation brought about would go beyond mere proximity to new stations. New clusters of economic activity will form. Not only will the enhanced rail change the way we travel, it will also change how we manage our businesses and organise our lives. Economic models struggle to predict this complex behavioural change, but the impact will nonetheless be real.

It will also redress a long-standing imbalance. According to The Economist, in 2018-19 the Government spent £903 per person on transport in London, compared to less than £500 per person in the North. The capital receives more investment than all of the North, despite its smaller population. Even today, it’s faster to take the train from Newcastle to London than it is to go from Newcastle to Liverpool, even though London is twice as far. For many northern towns, this reflects the lop-sided priorities of a country whose power base has been firmly south-eastern for over a century.

Improving rail in the North does much more than boost the transport. It opens new paths in people’s lives, it gives them more options, it empowers them to make meaningful choices. Expanding the connectivity of the North will redress inequities and arrest decline. While cities like Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool have attracted investment, many of their smaller neighbours have been left out. Partially, this is because of poor connectivity - places like Blackpool and Wigan aren’t well-integrated with wealthier neighbours, missing out on the opportunities. Investing in northern rail can eliminate these inequalities and make life better for northerners.

Getting the industry on trackBoth schemes will improve economic performance in the North. But they will also upskill a whole generation of rail

professionals. As HS2 and NPR come to life, thousands of new jobs will be created, and we need those jobs to be filled as skilfully as possible.

Creating genuinely passenger-centric railways requires far more than engineers and willpower. Nowadays, high-functioning train systems need architects, data scientists, ecologists, and more. Genuine diversity is necessary.

Could COVID knock us off the rails?It’s true that COVID-19 rapidly altered our transport habits, making millions of people wary of public transport. And it could take months or even years for demand to return to pre-pandemic levels. Making trains COVID-secure will cost operators. Safety equipment, cleaning and staff training are estimated to increase operating costs by around 5 to 7% during the transition period (post-lockdown but pre-vaccine) and about 1 to 2% during the ‘new normal’ thereafter.

Changes initiated by COVID-19, such as working from home, could also lower train demand in the long term. But, given rail’s vital role in lowering carbon emissions, and given the huge growth of rail travel in the past decade, this won’t make Britain’s train network any less viable. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but our rail network will emerge stronger than ever.

Go holistic or go homeUltimately, to develop the best railways we have to think holistically. Rather than considering the trains in isolation, as a self-contained mode of transport, we need to think of them in full context. That means exploring the needs of local authorities and helping them to link the trains to auxiliary local rail or bus services. It means consulting passengers about what they most need aboard their trains. It means improving the air quality for all by making rail enhancements a key pillar of a cleaner transport strategy. This is only possible if we bring a wider group of stakeholders together, including local enterprise partnerships and combined authorities.

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Carrying the load: how rail freight can expedite Britain’s Net Zero future Too often, a vital aspect of our railways is ignored. Rail conjures images of passengers and platforms, conductors and concourses. But rail freight operates under the radar. And consequently few are aware of how instrumental it could be in reducing Britain’s carbon footprint.

Currently, rail only accounts for 5% of Britain’s hauled freight. The most popular haulage choice by far? Road, with 89% of all freight carried by lorries. Yet if the UK is to meet its legally-binding Net Zero aspirations, more of this cargo must be moved by train. Rail freight has a fraction of the road’s carbon footprint, with scope to bring this number even lower.

Importantly, there’s also plenty more capacity available in rail freight. In 2018-19, the total volume of rail freight moved rose to 17.4 billion net tonne kilometres. It sounds vast, but just a few years ago it was well over 20 billion. Most of this decline is linked to the collapse in demand for coal, which was mostly hauled by train. But it also signals that there is a large amount of unused capacity and untapped potential out there.

Rail vs road – a choice for people and the environment Carrying more freight by train unlocks a huge opportunity to decongest our roads and reduce the carbon footprint of our haulage.

Levelling up our rail freight can help improve our roads. Thanks to freight trains, 7.2m lorry journeys were avoided in 2017-18. And with HGVs responsible for 17% of the UK’s total transport emissions, this reduction can have a significant effect on carbon reduction. Around a fifth (21%) of UK greenhouse gas emissions came from road transport in 2017. Our railways still represent the cleanest choice for freight transportation, and by transferring more of our road freight to rail, we can reap the benefits.

Transporting more goods via rail isn’t just a boon for the nation’s sustainability, it’s also good for road users’ sanity. Congestion continues to grow. On the Strategic Road Network, the average delay per vehicle grew by 0.4 seconds year on year in 2018, according to the Government’s own figures. The government forecasts that traffic on Britain’s already-busy SRN could increase by as much as 59% by 2050. Freight can help ease this load. According to the Rail Freight Group, each freight train removes around 60 lorries from our roads. And that means more than just reduced emissions or less congestion. Fewer HGVs would also reduce the amount of wear and tear on the roads, lowering maintenance costs (whose processes are also carbon-intensive).

So to help our roads, we must power up our rail. A holistic approach considering the relationship between rail and road benefits both.

Go electricClearly, rail freight has many advantages over roads. But to maintain this superiority in the face of improvements such as electric vehicles, rail freight must show it is capable of going green. Rail produces just 25% of the carbon footprint of road freight, but this number is still too high. Less than half of Britain’s tracks are currently electrified, with the majority of our railway running diesel trains. A rolling programme of electrification would allow gradual, sustainable transformation of the tracks, reducing our carbon footprint without suffering from the stop-start ‘boom and bust’ problems of the past.

Some parts of the track are more urgent than others, so it’s important to start where we can reap the most gains. Felixstowe, the UK’s busiest container port, still lacks electrification. Electrifying the route to Ipswich, for example, would help to create a clean corridor for freight to be hauled up and down the east coast.

Getting society on trackGetting our transport strategy right will determine whether or not the UK can hit its Net Zero goals. To achieve this, we need to understand the relationships between people, government, and business that shape our transport behaviours. Only by understanding the interconnections between these three aspects of society can we make wise, long-term choices. For example, careful planning policy can help to protect freight terminals from housing developments. Decisions like these can help ensure rail freight’s viability.

Anticipating changing demand can also help ensure that freight remains relevant to tomorrow’s challenges. Online shopping has led to a huge growth in delivery trucks, hauling our parcels up and down the country. Converting inter-city trains to share the load could help to remove many of these vans, reducing congestion while ensuring we all receive our deliveries. It could even expedite the process.

None of this will happen overnight. The first step is to begin looking at Britain’s transport network holistically. Understanding rail freight’s potential to decongest our roads, clean up our haulage, and boost our chances of hitting those Net Zero goals all begins by looking at the relationships between transport modes. In turn, this holistic understanding generates support for joined-up policies that empower our freight to become greater in capacity, cleaner in emissions, and play a vital part in the transport network of the future.

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Michael GraceStrategic Growth Director, SNC-Lavalin

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Five minutes with: Young Rail ProfessionalsWe talk to four of our up-and-coming Young Rail Professionals about what attracted them to the profession, what’s surprised and inspired them in their working life, and what the future holds for rail and the role young professionals have to play in making it a reality.

What attracted you to the rail profession? David: As a kid I loved Thomas the Tank Engine; it’s where my enthusiasm for trains really started. Unsurprisingly, that went dormant over my teenage years, but at university I did a module in railway engineering that reignited that spark.

Andre: For me, it was the diversity of roles on offer, from engineering to business management and project management, as well as the range of projects, from small station upgrade schemes to multi-year, multibillion-pound projects like HS2.

Byron: As a Human Factors consultant I don’t work exclusively in rail, but I do find it one of the most interesting and challenging sectors that I work in. The rail network is a vast web of people and systems, run by a multitude of organisations and often under the intense scrutiny of the media, the public, as well as politicians. The challenge of optimising human performance in this environment is huge.

Clara: I joined Atkins in the Nuclear division and did a secondment in the system safety team in rail before moving permanently. What interests me is the diversity of rail – as a rail safety engineer I get to interact with signalling designers, civil engineers, operators and maintenance staff and learn new things every day.

What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on so far? David: Tees Valley, where we’re looking to introduce a fleet of 10 hydrogen trains to operate passenger services. It’s innovative and new (it’s only been done in Germany previously) – to be working on something ground-breaking is very exciting.

Andre: The most interesting project I’ve worked on thus far was a systems integration and upgrade project for a Transport for London underground station. I had the opportunity to work on the design, the offsite testing and integration, onsite installation and handover.

Byron: Thameslink TMS (Traffic Management System) – it was a challenge, but a fascinating one, to balance the competing priorities of different stakeholder groups. It demonstrated how every requirement requires a trade-off, and how that is in turn managed by people on the ground.

Clara: The most interesting project I’ve worked on so far has been HS2. There are some very interesting safety challenges particularly related to the operational speeds and the long sections of the line that will be going underground.

Is there anything that’s surprised you about working life? David: For me it was the 9-5 rhythm of work. In my studies I was used to working on my own time and as and when I needed to. I think COVID has highlighted more than ever the benefits of flexible working, which is sure to turn out to be a good thing.

Andre: When I first entered the industry I was surprised by the number of opportunities I was given, from working in different offices around the country to the breadth of projects I was able to work on in various roles designing, installing and testing.

Byron: I think there’s a lot more teamwork when you come into industry – in academia it’s very much about your own knowledge and outputs, and ultimately, it’s all on you. In work, you deliver as a team and are encouraged to ask for second opinions and bounce ideas around – the opportunities for collaboration and sharing ideas are huge.

Clara: I was surprised by how important people skills are in this industry, particularly when working in a multi-discipline project. At university the focus was on the development of technical skills and knowledge, but in working life being able to communicate effectively with people is just as important – it doesn’t matter how good your ideas are if you are not able to convey them to your colleagues and clients.

Who inspires you in your work? David: My clients. I feel lucky to have them as clients. They have realistic expectations for time management on the project and are happy for me to manage my own time, so long as the work gets done! They are also very supportive of my volunteer work with Young Rail Professionals.

Andre: Initially I was inspired by the senior engineers with their stories of the projects they had worked on in various parts of the world, the issues they had faced and how they came up with solutions. Currently it’s the younger engineers who bring enthusiasm and hunger for learning to work. When I work with them, it provides inspiration to learn and develop new knowledge again.

Byron: My colleagues, from very new graduates to those in more senior positions – everyone has something to offer. On a daily basis, I see graduate colleagues facilitating user testing sessions for the first time or senior colleagues leading on really complex technical challenges – it’s impressive and inspiring.

Clara: My colleagues inspire me. I am always learning from them – my senior colleagues have a wealth of knowledge and experience which is incredibly useful, whilst more junior engineers offer different perspectives and ideas, often finding ways to deliver the work more efficiently with the use of technology.

What role do you think young professionals have to play in the future of rail? David: There are some very big issues the world needs to address right now – from climate change to digitalisation – and rail has a big part to play in that. Young professionals have a big job to do in reducing emissions, finding a more sustainable balance between rail and road, making the railway more modern and ultimately providing a better service to end-users.

Andre: Our industry is constantly changing and transforming, and it is the role of young rail professionals to bring new ideas and enthusiasm to the industry. They have a duty to question the status quo to highlight where changes and improvements can be made by those that have gotten used to doing things the way they’ve always been done.

Byron: Young professionals need to take more of a lead role – shouting about the good things that we’re doing in rail, whether that’s making the railway more

sustainable or connecting people and places. If the next generation promote the good things about rail, it will help us overcome that scrutiny I mentioned earlier.

Clara: I think young professionals have to be disruptors in the industry. Too often things continue to be done the same way they always have been; as young professionals, we need to push for changes to improve the safety and performance of the railway, even if this is uncomfortable at times.

What do you think will be the biggest change in rail in the next 10 years? David: Climate change and introducing new trains that are more environmentally friendly. We are becoming more conscious of social issues and how the railway fits within that. We need to align our service with solving social problems.

Andre: Increasing the system’s capacity to meet growing transport demand, whilst using less resources, producing less waste and at a reduced cost. It’s a challenge, but there are solutions out there; whether it’s using new materials to reduce consumption or using new technology to speed up design and construction and reduce the number of errors along the way.

Byron: From a human factors point of view, we’ll need to look at how introducing new technologies will change the traditional rail job description. It’s not easy to enact change in such a complex and heavily unionised industry, especially in the timescales that we want to create a digital railway.

Clara: The digital railway. Large parts of the railway run on outdated signalling systems which limit the capacity of the network and its performance. The introduction of digital train control technology will enable us to deliver services more effectively, leading to more capacity on the railway and improved performance, safety and sustainability.

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Andre Blackwood Telecomms Engineer

Byron Edwards Human Factors Consultant

Clara Gago Ezquerro Safety Engineer

David Westcough Project Engineer, SNC-Lavalin

18

Re-thinking transport business cases in a post-COVID world

Rand WatkinsAssociate Director

Prior to the COVID pandemic, TfL had a significant number of projects under way that were predicated on a well understood assessment of passenger demand forecasting and modelling; what will the network need to address the congestion and capacity issues associated with future predictions of growth to the 5 million daily passenger journeys that the network currently supports?

Investment decisions and priorities were founded on business cases that optimised the improvements to journey time and associated social benefits with capital expenditure. How can that business case be built if the demand data that drives it is uncertain and the traditional tools to extrapolate the demand are no longer applicable in these unprecedented times?

Emerging from lockdownFollowing the easing of lockdown measures in May 2020 a number of measures have been brought in to provide staff and passengers confidence they are safe to use public transport. These include the intensive application of Travel Demand Management (TDM) tools similar to those adopted during the London 2012 Olympics, which saw 77% of Londoners make changes to their travel behaviours in response to the TDM programme during the event. Atkins “Restarting the Railway” is one of a number of industry initiatives to support transport bodies instigate safe systems of travel as the steady return of passengers begins. As we work through these measures over the coming months, we must as an industry use this crisis as an opportunity to take the best of what we have seen emerge as consequences of changes in our working and living patterns as we reopen, recover and reimagine our transport infrastructure.

The new baselineWhat is yet to fully emerge is how passengers’ attitudes towards commuting will change in the long term. There will be numerous factors influencing these, not least:

Tolerance for crowdingThe expectation is that many people will have a lower tolerance threshold for being packed into stations and trains. There may be a long term shift to cycling and walking to make or complete journeys within the capital. Neither of these modes generate

meaningful revenue for TfL and therefore the business case to invest in them alone is a harder one to build. An assessment of the zones that can be covered on foot, by bike, on a bus from key London stations is shown below. These can be used to demonstrate that a change can be encouraged to the inner London journey patterns. This shift would also benefit from a significant improvement in trip end/destination facilities i.e. attractive and adequate facilities at workplaces to support their active mode employee commuters.

Passenger confidencePassengers need to be back on the rail network to return a meaningful operating revenue. This may be supported by adopting a passenger-focussed approach to build confidence by creating unobstructed, inviting spaces where passengers have clear lines of sight to their destination, a sense of space around them and simple intuitive wayfinding.

Information on demandThe application of TDM will no longer just focus around peaks, events or during closures to the transport network. As passengers move to being more flexible in their routes to destination, choosing space and perceived safety over speed, there is increased need for real-time, accessible, responsive and personalised travel demand management tools which not just ‘Reduces’, ‘Reroutes’, ‘Retimes’ and ‘Remodes’ journey decision making, but ‘Reducates’ and ‘Rethinks’ end to end journeys.

Changing habitsWith a significant number of people working remotely during the lockdown, many businesses are exploring models to focussing on smaller collaboration spaces rather than full office occupancy, respecting and enforcing social distancing guidelines and requirements in the short term.

Demand forecastingUsing Railplan evaluates potential flow at each station node on the network for the peak weekday periods. The standard approach was to undertake passenger modelling utilising the Railplan demand to output journey time savings for business case evaluation, using this to inform station upgrade investment decisions based on congestion relief and value of time. COVID may introduce another capital spend assessment criteria, that of maintaining social distance as well as maximising the ability to cater for high demand, by design.

A new rulebookExisting tools and approaches to developing transport infrastructure business cases are no longer applicable as we come to a generational shift in how people will use public transport. The ICE has issued a Green Paper, “COVID 19 and the new normal for infrastructure systems”, calling on the industry to pick up on a number of lessons including “Reframing approaches to connectivity” and “Designing infrastructure networks to accommodate uncertainty”.

Atkins are envisaging though our “Reopen, Recover, Reimagine” model a staged response to this transport crisis. We have an opportunity to change the investment planning agenda to a new set of principles; ones that apportion value to sustainable, passenger focussed, agile and affordable transport solutions

Shaping transportation by channelling

solutions for the way we move, now and in

the future.

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