01.01.07
Metronet recruits hundreds to boost engineering strength
In a drive to improve performance on the London Underground, Metronet Rail is adding 550 new staff to its frontline engineering maintenance team, an increase of more than 25 per cent.
Metronet, which is investing over £3 million every day renewing two thirds of London's Underground network, has already recruited 280 new personnel to the strengthened team and is poised to launch a new maintenance regime based on a programme of planned preventative work.
Mark Cooper, Metronet's senior vice president of asset performance, said a main priority was the need for 100 Institution of Railway Signal Engineers certified technical officers to respond to signal and track circuit failures during the day and facilitate track and signal maintenance at night.
He said, “The dominant aim of the new regime is to get back to a position where we have 100 per cent confidence that planned inspections and maintenance in all asset areas are being carried out every hour, every day.
“To get to that position we need the right number of well managed, skilled and licensed staff available for work each and every day. We will then be able to eliminate overdue, deferred work.”
Half the new personnel will be employed on track maintenance, a quarter on signalling and the remaining 25 per cent on train and station maintenance.
Mark said the new maintenance regime will be introduced across Metronet over the coming 18 months. Drawing on global best practice of the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway it will be based on routinely applying planned preventative measures and focusing on eight top engineering issues.
“It means a total overhaul of current practice that will enable the substantially increased team of engineers to work more efficiently and effectively. Automated remote monitoring will be key. Using available technology the infrastructure itself will tell us when something is going to fail so we can take preventative action.”
Many of the automated monitoring systems will be built into the new assets Metronet is acquiring, such as new trains and signalling equipment. “This will minimise maintenance,” said Mark.
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