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Apprenticeship Development Scheme
Alstom Transport UK – National Apprenticeship Programme
Since developing a national apprenticeship programme in 2013, Alstom now has 45 apprentices in the 16 to 24 age range. This is helping to rebalance the age demographic in the business.
Freightliner Group – Freightliner Maintenance
Freightliner has developed a scheme to provide a pipeline of qualified technicians for its Freightliner Maintenance (FML) business, due to a very real skills shortage in this area. As a result, the company recruited four engineering apprentices who are now employed at the FML depot.
Linbrooke Services – Phoenix Project
Since 2010, Linbrooke has recruited over 30 apprentices, equating to almost 10% of its current workforce. It has also developed the Phoenix Project partnership, in collaboration with Chaucer School, to provide workplace experience and industrial placements to academically disengaged students.
London Underground – Track Apprenticeship Programme
The Track Apprenticeship Programme was developed to address a future skills shortage at LU to deliver track and drainage renewals projects. The first two cohorts have now graduated and taken up full-time employment as delivery or construction engineers.
National Training Academy for Rail – Generation Z
In order to accommodate Generation Z, NTAR has adopted several new technologies and approaches to learning, including gamification. The goal is to deliver skilled, motivated, and connected engineers back into the industry.
The Digital Railway and Arup – Future on Track
The Digital Railway programme enrolled its first 20 students onto ‘Future on Track’, its new work placement initiative. The project, which targets students from diverse backgrounds, promotes future career opportunities and the existing industry schemes on offer.
Wabtec Rail Limited – Apprenticeship Retention
The motivation behind the firm’s apprenticeships is to ensure it has the right people, trained and competent in the right skills, to deliver current and future projects. Apprentices provide an essential element of the current business, with 100% of them being employed within Wabtec.
Collaborative Working
BAE Systems – Initial Industry Architecture
BAE Systems has delivered the initial industry architecture for the Digital Railway programme, which enables the team to focus on the first wave of targeted deployment to deliver capacity and performance benefits.
London Underground – Paddington Closure Access
London Underground and Network Rail both had the need for closure access at Paddington to deliver renewal and remodelling work in 2015. The organisations delivered a joint plan that caused the least possible disruption to passengers while reducing the overall cost of the work.
Network Rail – Commercial Directors’ Forum
Building on the success of the national Commercial Directors’ Forum, Network Rail has developed a regional model, with the majority of delegates drawn from the Tier 2 community, to encourage collaborative working throughout the supply chain.
Network Rail – London Bridge Area Partnership
While building a new station fit for the 21st century, the London Bridge Area Partnership has sought to eliminate the traditional ‘client/contractor’ mindset and instead uses talent and potential as the basis for organisational structure, setting a template for all future major programmes.
Network Rail – One Team Wessex
One Team Wessex, the collaborative joint venture between Network Rail, Geoffrey Osborne and Arcadis, has been critical to the early success of the Reading 10-car train lengthening project, which so far has delivered a challenging programme of signalling commissionings and platform openings at Martins Heron station.
ScotRail – ScotRail Alliance
The ScotRail Alliance has been developed to ensure that Abellio and Network Rail work as one team to deliver an innovative, exceptional railway in Scotland. A joint Partnership Centre of Excellence has also been formed to train the Alliance’s large number of joint teams.
Young Rail Professionals Executive Team – CPD Certificates
This year the Young Rail Professionals (YRP) Executive Team announced that the YRP is now a CPD-accredited organisation, rewarding its members for taking the time to develop their skills through the organisation’s events.
Cost Base Reduction
Fugro RailData – RILA
Since being introduced to the UK network, Fugro’s RILA sensors have been used to complete surveys on various projects. It is estimated that full data capture for 100km of track corridor saves 1,200hrs conventional surveying time, while avoiding 200hrs of track possession.
London Underground – Deep Track Renewal
LU undertook a project to completely review the deep tube reconditioning process. By using concrete bursting on renewal sites, it has brought significant benefits in productivity, site safety, customer satisfaction and project planning.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
The primary aim of the migration project was to increase the nominal voltage from 630V to 750V dc and to implement 890V dc regenerative braking for the first time as part of the Four Lines Modernisation scheme. This has been tested and proved ready for the change-over date.
Network Rail – Tail Lamp Camera
The Signalling Innovations Group within Network Rail has developed a ‘low cost’ mobile recording unit which can be mounted safely to a standard tail lamp bracket, to capture data to the requirements of project teams.
Panasonic – Off-Grid Energy Storage Solution
Ensuring consistent power for critical trackside telecoms infrastructure is a constant challenge, but Panasonic’s Off-Grid Energy Storage Solution allows network operators to boost the efficiency and sustainability of their infrastructure by gradually reducing reliance on diesel generators, and their subsequent impact on cost and the environment.
Turbo Power Systems – Static Converter
TPS has successfully designed and replaced existing Motor Alternator equipment with a Static Converter for Mk3 coaches, and there are more than 30 units successfully operating in the field. The converter minimises conversion costs and provides a modern electronic replacement fully compliant with all rolling stock and Network Rail standards.
Unipart Rail – Flexi-kitting
Working collaboratively with South West Trains (SWT), Unipart Rail developed a new kitting solution which supported the timely, accurate and complete delivery of material to lineside. This enabled SWT to meet its delivery commitments and deliver units back into traffic in alignment with its schedule.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Balfour Beatty Rail – Supporting Local People
Wherever Balfour Beatty Rail operates it aspires to be integrated within the neighbourhoods it occupies, supporting the local people, their businesses and workforce. It also encourages staff to contribute towards charitable causes.
CrossCountry – Community Involvement
In response to stakeholder feedback, CrossCountry has taken an innovative and co-ordinated approach to community involvement with the development and delivery of its sustainability strategy and community plan, which has been embedded across the business.
KeolisAmey Docklands – Back on Track
The Back on Track project is a unique social inclusion programme centred around NHS mental health service users, which seeks to break down barriers through better education and staff training and make the DLR more accessible to all.
Linbrooke Services – Opportunities for All
Through its CSR initiatives, Linbrooke provides opportunities for redundant miners and steelworkers in the area, helps ex-service personnel with resettlement programmes and delivers apprenticeships for disadvantaged children from local schools.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
The aim of the migration project was to increase the nominal voltage from 630V to 750V dc and to implement 890V dc regenerative braking for the first time as part of the Four Lines Modernisation scheme. The increased voltage will also result in a reduction of maintenance and energy consumption, decreasing LU’s annual energy costs and overall carbon footprint.
Network Rail – Crossrail Programme
In 2015, the Crossrail team embarked on a new partnership to support social mobility for young people (18-24) in London. The work placement scheme has given young people from the areas impacted by the project access to paid work experience, supporting them to gain employability skills and ultimately to obtain full-time roles.
VGC Group – Inclusive and Ethical
VGC Group acknowledges its responsibilities to its employees, community, clients, industry and the environment. As well as behavioural safety, the company invests in equality, diversity and inclusion and in the skills development of its people.
Design Innovation
Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, dhp11 and Imperial College London – Digitally Enabling Electrification
Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, dhp11 and Imperial College London came together to create the Digitally Enabling Electrification project. The core feature is a digital platform that enables the automatic production of detailed design models from outlined design information.
BAE Systems – Initial Industry Architecture
BAE Systems has delivered the initial industry architecture for the Digital Railway programme, which enables the team to focus on the first wave of targeted deployment to deliver capacity and performance benefits.
Chiltern Railways, WiFi SPARK Ltd and Icomera – Continuous wi-fi
Working collectively, Chiltern Railways, WiFi SPARK Ltd and Icomera have delivered a continuous wi-fi experience across both trains and stations for the TOC’s passengers. Over 110,000 people have used the new Chiltern Railways wi-fi connectivity in the first two months since its introduction.
Fugro RailData – RILA
Driven by new safety legislation and the need for more complex data, Fugro created RILA, a lower-cost data collection system which offers a fully remote survey system of working. In 2016, it was approved for UK use by Network Rail.
Graystone Wearable Tech Ltd – Smart Charging Holster
Jointly with GWR, Graystone developed a wearable smart charging holster device that brings together innovative technology and uniform accessory design to ensure rail staff can rely on their phones throughout a whole shift, regardless of low battery.
London Underground – Concrete Check Sleeper
LU designed and developed a new concrete check sleeper with baseplates for use in ballasted track formation. The anticipated life expectancy of the system is now 40+ years, compared to 15 years in previous installations.
Metrolink RATP Dev – Opto-Isolation Module
Metrolink RATP Dev has developed a bespoke Opto-Isolation Module to address potential safety incidents caused by electro-magnetic interference affecting the network’s Tram Management System. Since its introduction, alarms into the Network Management Centre have been reduced by 99.9%.
Digital Pioneer
Worldline – Integrale
Integrale is Worldline’s unique automated decision support system for transforming rail operations. It provides a single source of truth to warn control rooms about service problems before they happen, offers solutions, and reworks operational plans to deliver those solutions.
Furrer+Frey GB Ltd – HOPS App
Furrer+Frey’s HOPS App is the first overhead line tool to be available across the industry for free using mobile technology. It enables designers, engineers and planners to quickly check the acceptable limits of their designs and confirm the suitability of utilising HOPS for safe installation of structures.
Glow New Media (with Rail Delivery Group & CACI) - My Train Journey
In summer 2016, Glow’s ‘My Train Journey’ app was launched. It gives customers the power to see the historic performance record of every train service in Britain on a smartphone, tablet or computer.
London Underground – Immersive cab
LU has created a virtual reality system to replicate a 1972 Tube Stock cab environment for an immersive training experience. The key benefit is that this training simulation is desktop-based, enabling remote staff training in any location across the organisation.
Heathrow Express – Smart Screen Enhancement
Last year, Heathrow Express installed the world’s first smart screens at Heathrow Airport. The screens have now been enhanced and help passengers who do not have English as a first language to make decisions on how to make their onward journey.
Northern Hub Alliance – Digital Modelling
The use of co-ordinated digital BIM modelling has significantly enhanced the ability of the Northern Hub Alliance’s Ordsall Chord project to deliver an integrated design on time, which has been vital with a very challenging programme and some exceptionally complex infrastructure.
West Midlands Combined Authority/LEPs - BIMwm
WMCA has launched BIMwm, a unique framework which delivers a simplified and pioneering Building Information Modelling solution for the whole built environment supply chain.
Electrification
Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, dhp11 and Imperial College London – Digitally Enabling Electrification
Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, dhp11 and Imperial College London came together to create the Digitally Enabling Electrification project. The core feature is a digital platform that enables the automatic production of detailed design models from outlined design information.
Balfour Beatty Rail – Conductor Beam Air Gap Neutral Section
The Conductor Beam Air Gap Neutral Section solution is a pioneering system. Due to its tension-free, robust design and construction, the overhead conductor rail by Balfour Beatty Rail does not need to adhere to the ‘so-called’ overhead line area otherwise required for overhead lines.
Four Lines Modernisation – Electrical Trackside Equipment
As part of the Four Lines Modernisation programme, LU has had to upgrade all of the electrical trackside equipment. Now in the final stages of its delivery, the project has installed over 50,000km of cable, along with new low-loss conductor rail and a reconfiguration of traction supplies.
Furrer+Frey GB Ltd - Rigid Overhead Conductor Rail
Network Rail has used Furrer+Frey’s Rigid Overhead Conductor Rail system in the complex Severn tunnel. This has meant that only a minimal amount of track lowering has been required to accommodate the overhead line, and the tunnel’s structure has not been altered.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
The primary aim of the migration project was to increase the nominal voltage from 630V to 750V dc and to implement 890V dc regenerative braking for the first time as part of the Four Lines Modernisation scheme. This has been tested and proved ready for the change-over date.
OMICRON – RelaySimTest
OMICRON has developed its RelaySimTest system to simplify the complex relay testing process, and can control multiple tests over one PC.
UK Power Networks Services – Blackheath TP Hut to Substation Conversion
The UK Power Networks Services project team ensured high-quality design and construction to convert the existing Blackheath track paralleling hut in South East London to a 33kV railway traction substation. This formed part of a wider electrification programme.
Environmental & Sustainability
Network Rail – Biodiversity No Net Loss
The Greater West Programme, as a pilot project, is leading the way in the rail industry to become the first Network Rail scheme of this scale to deliver Biodiversity No Net Loss.
Network Rail – High Output Ballast
Network Rail’s High Output Ballast Cleaning System has enabled the reuse of approximately 2.6 million tonnes of ballast over the past 10 years, providing both environmental and economic benefits.
Network Rail supported by Affresol Ltd – Eco Trough
As part of an effort to make the industry more sustainable, Affresol has worked alongside Network Rail to develop Eco Trough products, which can be recycled back into an aggregate that is reused in the Affresol synthetic concrete process.
Network Rail – Under Sleeper Pads
In trials pioneered by the Network Rail IP Track Engineering & Innovations team, Under Sleeper Pads (USPs), which are placed between sleepers and ballast, have been successfully tested at a number of sites. The overall aim of the UPS is to enhance the lifespan of the railway asset.
Turbo Power Systems – Static Converter
TPS has developed a static converter as an alternative to motor alternator equipment, which is lightweight, reliable and environmentally friendly.
London Underground – Trams LED
London Trams is the first tram network in the UK to have totally upgraded its system to LEDs. The project has delivered CO2 savings from increased energy efficiency in line with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. It has also delivered operating cost savings through reduced energy consumption and maintenance.
Panasonic – Off-Grid Energy Storage Solution
Ensuring consistent power for critical trackside telecoms infrastructure is a constant challenge, but Panasonic’s Off-Grid Energy Storage Solution allows network operators to boost the efficiency and sustainability of their infrastructure by gradually reducing reliance on diesel generators, and their subsequent impact on cost and the environment.
Infrastructure Planning
BAE Systems – Initial Industry Architecture
BAE Systems has delivered the initial industry architecture for the Digital Railway programme, which enables the team to focus on the first wave of targeted deployment to deliver capacity and performance benefits.
London Underground – Four Lines Modernisation
The Four Lines Modernisation programme is one of the largest and most challenging rail infrastructure projects in the world. LU has had to upgrade all of the electrical trackside equipment. Now in the final stages of its delivery, the project has installed over 50,000km of cable, along with new low-loss conductor rail and a reconfiguration of traction supplies.
London Underground – Predicting Future Depot
As part of the Predicting Future Depot programme, LU has been able to comprehensively assess the shunting process at its depots by combining train performance modelling and human factors analysis. This has enabled it to state whether a depot will be able to dispatch and receive trains at a rate which is high enough to meet uplifted future service promises to the general public.
Network Rail – ORBIS Programme
Network Rail’s ORBIS programme has developed and rolled out the Geo-Rail Infrastructure Network Model Viewer, an innovative digital mapping tool for Britain’s entire railway network which is accessible from the safety of a desktop.
Network Rail – Controlling Minds
Over the last 12 months, Network Rail and Project Leaders have facilitated a number of key successes through the Controlling Minds planning process. For the Action Wells S&C and Bridge Renewal over Christmas 2015, it actively managed the collaborative effort in planning and delivering the works safely and on time.
Northern Hub Alliance
In Northern Hub Alliance’s Ordsall Chord project, planning has been key to success; without effective planning, the creation of the Ordsall Chord to the satisfaction of all concerned would have been dismissed as an impossibility. To date, each of the key stages has been delivered safely, successfully and on time.
Temple Group – Appraisal of Sustainability
Temple has developed an Appraisal of Sustainability process, which has been used by HS2. It has delivered a range of tangible benefits by helping to enhance the transparency and robustness of decision-making in the selection of route options, while considering relevant sustainability aspects.
Marketing & Communications
IQM Software – Calipso
IQM Software has developed Calipso, which enables firms to ensure that important safety and company-critical documentation are delivered efficiently. This will cut down significantly on a company’s printing and postage costs.
McGinley Support Services Ltd – SafetyINRail
Started over 12 years ago, SafetyINRail began as a single-page safety briefing. But over time, it has changed to reflect the business and expanded into a free magazine which aims to increase safety awareness within the industry.
Northern – Farnworth Tunnel Communication
Northern helped deliver a co-ordinated communications campaign during the closure of Farnworth tunnel, to ensure customers felt informed about the daily and long-term impact this would have on their lives.
Northern – ‘We are Northern’ Campaign
In July 2016, Northern launched the ‘We are Northern’ campaign, with the objective of generating the greatest amount of revenue by inspiring customers to take off-peak rail trips to destinations across the north. The £2m integrated campaign delivered a return on investment of 3:1.
Rail Operations Group – Brand Exposure
In an effort to increase the exposure of Rail Operations Group, with a limited budget, the company produced lightweight removable headboards that could be fixed to the brackets on the front of trains. This generated significant social media interest and free advertising.
WillB Brand Consultants – Hitachi Digital Railway
Hitachi commissioned WillB Brand Consultants to deliver a campaign focusing on the firm’s product offering for the digital railway in a simple and attention-grabbing manner. This resulted in an animation being launched at InnoTrans 2016.
Young Rail Professionals – Rail Week
This year, Young Rail Professionals played a key role in driving an industry-wide initiative to address the skills shortage in the sector with Rail Week. This saw over 70 companies open the doors of their factories, construction sites and control centres to let young people see what is done in rail.
Mobile Technology
Kullasoft Ltd – PGM Manger app
The aim of Kullasoft’s PGM Manager app is to provide a platform that can act as a hub to store and display data captured by mobile devices. It also allows surveying companies to create witness diagrams to build much more effective workflows.
Network Rail – Sighting of all Signals
The Signal Sighting Form Tool (SSiFT) mobile app was designed to minimise time spent on site by improving efficiency through technology. Project engineers have estimated the combined benefits of the SSiFT app and hosted version are up to 13 times more efficient than previous versions.
Network Rail – Tail Lamp Camera
The Signalling Innovations Group within Network Rail has developed a ‘low cost’ mobile recording unit which can be mounted safely to a standard tail lamp bracket, to capture data to the requirements of project teams.
Northern Hub Alliance – Digital Modelling
Northern Hub Alliance’s Ordsall Chord project, the use of mobile technology throughout has shortened the duration of works, keeping costs to a minimum. The adoption and exploration of new technologies has introduced time savings of 88% compared with traditional methods.
Nutshell Apps – Zero Code App Development
A truly breakthrough innovation that’s transformational. The Works Delivery team within Network Rail are leveraging Nutshell’s drag n’ drop toolkit to drive innovation and efficiency. Together they designed, built, tested and deployed 11 apps in 4 weeks. Put the power of change in the hands of those who need it.
SNC-Lavalin Rail and Transit Ltd – Audit Companion
Audit Companion is SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit’s innovative mobile and web-based audit solution, which has been designed to deliver more audits, at a higher standard and at a lower cost.
Virgin Trains – ‘Amazing Apps’ Store
In an effort to create a connected workforce that provides real-time information to customers, Virgin Trains deployed the ‘Amazing Apps’ Store. This has resulted in a suite of four apps being developed to provide staff with a toolset to drive up customer satisfaction.
Operator of the Year
KeolisAmey Docklands – Delivering Service Excellence Every Day
Over the last year, KeolisAmey Docklands has seen its joint vision Delivering Service Excellence Every Day brought to life, embracing a collaborative and cross-functional approach that has seen the operator break more performance and customer satisfaction records than ever before.
Heathrow Express – Customer Satisfaction
In the spring 2016 National Rail Passenger Survey, Heathrow Express achieved the second best punctuality rate in the country and achieved an overall customer satisfaction of 91%, outperforming every other airport express service.
Metrolink RATP Dev – Rapid Expansion
Alongside the rapid expansion of Manchester’s light rail network, Metrolink RATP Dev has ensured the smooth daily running of 1,300 daily Metrolink services. This has meant its client, TfGM, has been able to achieve record passenger numbers, which now stands at more than 34 million journeys each year.
Rail Operations Group – Growing Business
After being granted a train operator license in May 2015, Rail Operations Group developed a five-year plan. This has already seen the company negotiate a number of multi-million pound long-term contracts, and this year invest in a fleet of its own locomotives to support its growing haulage operations.
Outstanding Projects – Large (Over £20m)
Balfour Beatty Rail – South East Section Project
Balfour Beatty Rail has been delivering the South East Section Project (SESP) for Network Rail. With a new transport interchange at Abbey Wood on the south east spur of the Crossrail route, the SESP is symbolic not only for its regeneration impact on this part of London, but it also marks the geographical start of Crossrail.
Network Rail – One Team Wessex
One Team Wessex, the collaborative joint venture between Network Rail, Geoffrey Osborne and Arcadis, has been critical to the early success of the Reading 10-car train lengthening project, which so far has delivered a challenging programme of signalling commissionings and platform openings at Martins Heron station.
Network Rail – Banbury Remodelling
The £76m Banbury Remodelling project was planned with 12 different TOCs and FOCs into 36 separate stages to maximise the transformation of the Chiltern mainline route. Despite the scale and complexity, the project was commissioned on time in August this year.
Tony Meadows Associates – Canary Wharf
Tony Meadows Associates delivered the Crossrail station design at Canary Wharf, with an overall saving of £350m from the CLRL reference design. This meant that the station could be delivered whilst meeting the stringent requirements of the client, Canary Wharf Group, and that of the Crossrail brand.
Staffordshire Alliance of VolkerRail, Atkins, Laing O’Rourke and Network Rail
The Staffordshire Alliance successfully delivered the £250m Staffordshire Area Improvements Programme, which saw line-speed improvements from Stafford to Crewe, re-signalling around Stafford and the scheme’s largest project near Norton Bridge, which involved building six miles of new railway and 11 bridges in the Staffordshire countryside.
Outstanding Projects – Medium (£3m-£20m)
Aspin Foundations – Gospel Oak to Barking
Aspin was contracted on the Gospel Oak to Barking Project to design, fabricate, deliver, install and survey the piled foundations for the whole route. This included developing a three-phase plan to de-risk the scheme.
London Underground – Four Lines Modernisation
The Four Lines Modernisation programme is one of the largest and most challenging rail infrastructure projects in the world. LU has had to upgrade all of the electrical trackside equipment. Now in the final stages of its delivery, the project has installed over 50,000km of cable, along with new low-loss conductor rail and a reconfiguration of traction supplies.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
The primary aim of the migration project was to increase the nominal voltage from 630V to 750V dc and to implement 890V dc regenerative braking for the first time as part of the Four Lines Modernisation scheme. This has been tested and proved ready for the change-over date.
Mott MacDonald – Rochdale Station Capacity Upgrade Project
Mott MacDonald worked with Network Rail and Buckinghams to deliver the Rochdale Station Capacity Upgrade Project, a key part of the Northern Hub programme. The tangible benefit realised from this project is the option for trains to be stabled and turned back from Rochdale station to Manchester Victoria station, providing greater rail capacity and timetable benefits on the Calder Valley Line.
RSSB – Safety Management Intelligence System
The RSSB led the development of the new Safety Management Intelligence System, which has provided the rail industry with an intuitive and powerful tool to report and track all safety-related incidents in a new common format.
Solihull MBC, Carillion, SLC Rail and Network Rail - A45 Road Bridge Replacement
SLC Rail working with Carillion Contracting Limited managed and completed a significant project on behalf of Solihull MBC to replace a narrow Victorian road bridge at a pinch-point over the WCML, to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and remove obstacles to economic growth. The local area is already seeing improvements with a reduction in congestion near Birmingham Airport.
Story Contracting Ltd – Arcow Quarry
Story Contracting worked with Network Rail in the £6m scheme to reconnect Tarmac’s Arcow quarry with the national rail network on the Settle to Carlisle line.
Outstanding Projects – Small (Under £3m)
BPR Architects – Station Place
bpr architects was commissioned to bring visual life to a key railway station design concept on behalf of the Rail Delivery Group in response to their Vision for Stations. The resulting concept was Station Place, which offers a creative solution that can attract investment from the wider community.
Cubic Transportation Systems & Abellio Group – NextAgent
Cubic Transportation Systems created an innovative hybrid between a virtual walk-up ticket office and a ticket vending machine with a video-linked call centre, which is being piloted at Stansted Airport as part of a partnership project with Abellio Group.
Linbrooke Services Ltd – CIS Display Equipment
Linbrooke was contracted to design, test and install over 200 innovative new CIS screens across four London stations as part of the Thameslink programme, in order to display a greater wealth of passenger information and facilitate embarkations.
London Underground – Ventilation System Upgrade
LU’s Cooling the Tube team completed a complex and accelerated water chiller, mid-tunnel ventilation system upgrade project at Forest Road on the Victoria Line, making a significant difference in keeping customers, staff and the railway infrastructure cool.
Senceive Ltd – Track Geometry Changes
Using its innovative sensor technology, Senceive worked with Morgan Sindall to monitor track geometry changes at Pudding Mill Lane. This required over 600 sensors running along 600m of track.
Tony Meadows Associates – Step-free access at Greenfor
Tony Meadows Associates has been working with LU and the London Borough of Ealing to provide a low-cost, step-free access solution at Greenford station.
UK Power Networks Services – Blackheath TP Hut to Substation Conversion
The UK Power Networks Services project team ensured high-quality design and construction to convert the existing Blackheath track paralleling hut in South East London to a 33kV railway traction substation. This formed part of a wider electrification programme.
Passenger Safety
Arriva Trains Wales – Safety Performance Indicator Programme
Arriva’s Safety Performance Indicator programme aims to reinforce commitments to safety and early intervention by proactively monitoring and addressing any unsafe behaviour in high-risk activities, leading to dramatic drops in accident and incident rates.
Grand Central Rail – Cones
Grand Central worked alongside ‘Cones’ writer Chris Madeley to develop a rail edition of the book series, designed to engage and educate youngsters about safety in a fun way by encouraging them to be aware of potential dangers.
Land Sheriffs – Tackling Anti-social Behaviour
Abellio Greater Anglia asked Land Sheriffs to patrol stations and trains in order to tackle growing anti-social behaviour towards staff members, with this joint working significantly improving safety on services as a result.
Metrolink RATP Dev – Raising Staff Awareness
Metrolink has seen a successful reduction in instances of anti-social behaviour on trams as a result of engaging its 700+ employees in a concerted internal communications campaign to raise awareness across the board.
Network Rail and McNicholas – Welfare of Travellers
Driven by a strict deadline and health and safety concerns, the Network Rail and McNicholas project teams collaboratively managed to install Class II Functional Supply Points at 70 locations across Kent and Sussex in just 12 weeks to ensure the welfare of travellers.
Network Rail – Safety by Design
Network Rail committed to ensuring ‘safety by design’ would be employed on the Reading 10-car train lengthening project to ensure hazards were designed out before work even started on the site.
Panasonic – Trespass Warnings System
Panasonic’s Trespass Warnings System applies decades of experience in security systems to create an effective solution to trespassing incidents, using vandal-proof dome camera technology and thermal cameras to automatically detect behaviour patterns and keep staff informed.
Product and Service Innovation (Product)
Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) and the Staffordshire Alliance – Bridge Monitoring System
This innovation represents a step-change in condition monitoring, which has the potential to influence maintenance practices and structural design codes. This technology can help redefine best practice, making structures of the future safer, more reliable, more efficient and more cost effective
Dura Composites Ltd – Dura Slab Structural Stair Treads
Dura Composites has worked closely with Abellio Greater Anglia to devise a new concept in structural stair treads which can be installed with minimal disruption and help extend the life-span of footbridges for many years.
Graystone Wearable Tech Ltd – Smart Charging Holster
Jointly with GWR, Graystone developed a wearable smart charging holster device that brings together innovative technology and uniform accessory design to ensure rail staff can rely on their phones throughout a whole shift, regardless of low battery.
Network Rail – Sighting of all Signals
Network Rail devised the Signal Sighting Form Tool app to minimise time spent on-site by capturing and reviewing data directly. The tool has been so integral to the signal sighting process and will be mandated by the industry under a new standard, planned for 2017.
Northern – Digital Information Screens
To address the fact that 40% of its stations had no customer information other than timetables, Northern installed new Digital Information Screens, which provide real-time train information as well as a live link to its Twitter feed in an industry-first turnkey solution.
Reactec – HAVWEAR
Reactec developed HAVWEAR, a wrist-worn device that provides a personalised exposure risk management system designed to support worker behavioural change towards vibration risks.
Virgin Trains – ‘Digital Ease of Boarding’ System
The deployment of Virgin’s unique and innovative ‘Digital Ease of Boarding’ system has resulted in a much better customer experience at London Euston, helping drive up customer satisfaction.
Product and Service Innovation (Service)
Fugro RailData – RILA
Since Fugro’s RILA systems were first introduced in the UK, over 5,000 miles of track have been surveyed. They were approved for use by Network Rail in 2016, meaning they can now be deployed quickly and safely on a routine basis.
InterCity RailFreight – Intermodal Delivery Service
The company established a first-to-market, fully-integrated intermodal delivery service across the East Midlands and Great Western franchise areas, allowing parcels to be delivered between cities at high speed and with a low-carbon footprint.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
Created to enable 32 trains per hour during peak, the 750V dc migration project raises the nominal voltage on the sub-surface railway in the most efficient way possible, thus reducing maintenance and energy consumption, annual costs and the overall carbon footprint.
Network Rail – Tail Lamp Camera
Network Rail devised a low-cost mobile video recording unit that can be mounted safely to a standard tail lamp bracket without comprising the operation of the railway vehicle, thus improving data coverage in a cost-efficient and environmentally-sustainable way.
Pan-Optic Monitoring – Cu-Secure
The company’s Cu-Secure device was designed as a security measure to prevent copper cable theft across the rail network, and is the only product to combine 3G tracking and monitoring systems to provide feedback to TOCs within seconds.
West Midlands Combined Authority/LEPs - BIMwm
The WMCA created OnTrack, a pioneering 3D virtual rail procurement resource that showcases market investment and supply chain opportunities by engaging with regional suppliers and promoting the renaissance of the Midlands as a talent hotbed.
Recruitment Excellence
Jobsavvy (UK) Ltd
Jobsavvy provides a unique real-time centralised portal that meets major contractor needs, such as by validating documentation and providing a rating system once work is undertaken.
McGinley Support Services Ltd
McGinley seeks to attract new people to the rail sector by offering apprentices specialised on-the-job training through its Academy, established in partnership with Coleg y Cymoedd.
MTR Crossrail
Despite having had just nine months to appoint talent before launching, MTR Crossrail’s successful HR strategy managed to attract almost 15,000 trainee driver applications, resulting in more offers than planned due to the sheer quality of candidates.
Siemens
Siemens launched a strategic military engagement recruitment plan to tap into the 14,000 skilled armed forces personnel leaving the military annually, which has already resulted in a series of placements and reduced recruitment costs.
Signalling and Telecommunications
Linbrooke Services – CIS Display Equipment
Linbrooke was contracted to design, test and install over 200 innovative new CIS screens across four London stations as part of the Thameslink programme, in order to display a greater wealth of passenger information and facilitate embarkations.
Metrolink RATP Dev – Reducing Electro-magnetic Interference
Metrolink RATP Dev’s S&T team developed a bespoke technical solution, built in-house, to address the issue of electro-magnetic interference affecting the new TMS, thus reducing alarms into the Network Management Centre by 99.9%.
Network Rail – East Notts Modular Signalling Project
The East Notts Modular Signalling Project achieved its aims of reducing operating costs, renewing time-served infrastructure and improving safety by installing seven modernised level crossings and a state-of-the-art modular signalling system.
Northern Hub Alliance – Major Signalling Framework efficiencies
The Alliance is supporting investment in Manchester through the Major Signalling Framework efficiencies such as LED signals, lightweight structures, plug-and-play equipment and axle counter detection, as well as using Siemens technology that will feed into the city’s Ordsall Chord project.
SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit Ltd – SSiFT v3
SNC-Lavalin developed a modernised Signal Sighting Form Tool (SSiFT v3) for Network Rail that allows designers to quickly create sighting forms through a more intuitive user interface, resulting in significant savings in time and cost.
Subcontractor of the Year
Central Alliance Pre-construction Services Ltd – Strong Partner
Central Alliance offers a strong, stable and growing pre-construction partner for customers. In just over a year, it became the preferred supplier for large rail firms and won places on national framework agreements with major contractors.
D2 Rail – Construction-based Approach
With a vision of challenging the norm and delivering a construction-based approach to planning, D2 Rail has received high praise from stakeholders since its launch in 2011 and delivered around £6.3m of possession cost savings.
Kan Do Ventures Ltd – Improvements at All Levels
With its vastly diverse and experienced team, Kan Do seeks to drive improvements at all levels, delivering briefings, mentoring and tutorials with a consistent approach to all changes being implemented.
Terrawise – BSPDX Hammer Range
Now the most widely-used hammer in the industry, the BSPDX hammer range consolidated Terrawise as a key player in foundation delivery on the rail network, helping it successfully bid and deliver works on Network Rail’s NEP schemes.
Track technology
Fugro RailData – RILA
Fugro’s RILA Track system is coupled to passenger trains to collect data without the need for surveyors to be near the track. Its operational flexibility, data accuracy and high safety levels have set it apart from traditional survey methods.
KeolisAmey Docklands – Guideway Overlays
KAD’s signalling upgrade project, Guideway Overlays, helped reduce the number of non-communicating trains (NCTs) which lead to delays for passengers. Since then, there has been a significant drop in the number of NCT events and the departure losses associated with each.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
To increase the nominal voltage on the sub-surface railway to 750V, LU’s team has been working on upgrading all trackside assets and regenerative braking, leading to smaller maintenance costs and energy consumption.
London Underground – Concrete Check Sleeper
LU designed and developed a new concrete check sleeper with baseplates for use in ballasted track formation. The anticipated life expectancy of the system is now 40+ years, compared to 15 years in previous installations.
London Underground – Deep Tube Track Form
LU engineers created an ‘off the shelf’ deep tube track system designed to boost productivity rates, improve noise and vibration qualities and decrease maintenance intervention. It offers a life expectancy of 60 years – twice that of previous solutions.
Senceive Ltd – Low-power Wireless Sensor Networks
Senceive has pioneered the development of high-quality, low-power wireless sensor networks, designed to generate extremely stable high-precision data and thus significantly improve understanding of how an asset deteriorates or is affected by major works.
Traction & Rolling Stock
KeolisAmey Docklands – Condition Monitoring Equipment
KAD designed and built an industry-first ‘condition monitoring equipment’ that allows for remote detection of traction motor bearing degradation, which is less resource-intensive and helps reduce overall maintenance costs.
London Underground – 750V dc Migration Four Lines Modernisation
Created to enable 32 trains per hour during peak, the 750V dc migration project raises the nominal voltage on the sub-surface railway in the most efficient way possible, thus reducing maintenance and energy consumption, annual costs and the overall carbon footprint.
Four Lines Modernisation – Trackside Electrical Upgrade
When existing cables were found to be incapable of handling higher loads when running ATC, LU decided to upgrade all electrical trackside equipment, which will boost power supplies for its larger, energy-hungry S-Stock trains.
MTR Crossrail – Reliable fleet
In just 18 months, the MTR Crossrail team has gone from nothing to consistently delivering one of the most reliable and clean fleets in the country, owing much of its success to the collaborative relationships built with suppliers.
TE Connectivity – High-voltage Roofline System
TE Connectivity’s new-generation high-voltage roofline system uses a modular approach that offers manufacturers a single design suitable for any operating environment, the first unit of which is likely to enter commercial service in 2018.
Turbo Power Systems – DC-DC Power Module
TPS has designed an innovative DC-DC Power Module that sits on the conversion stage of its bespoke Auxiliary Power Supply system, which has already shown to improve efficiency through extensive testing – thereby reducing losses for train manufacturers.
Training and Development
Arriva Trains Wales – Interactive Briefings
Arriva began using tablet devices from September 2016 to deliver more engaging and interactive Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal (CASR) briefings. Just one month in, instructors, trainers and drivers involved with the training course were already giving very positive feedback.
Linbrooke Services Ltd – Opportunities for All
By creatively tackling the industry’s skills gap and developing individuals in need of qualifications, such as through its work with ex-military personnel, Linbrooke has become the fastest growing company in Sheffield, with 100% positive feedback from all those who took its signalling courses.
McGinley Support Services Ltd – Investing for the Future
Through a combination of spending £3m in training over the last five years, expanding its qualified in-house training division and creating apprenticeships through innovative partnerships with colleges, McGinley has received an increasing number of contract wins.
Mott MacDonald – Tapping into Potential
After taking part in a six-day career development programme, Mott MacDonald’s female employees have been able to tap into their potential more than ever before, with more women now putting themselves forward for tasks they might previously not have undertaken.
Young Rail Professionals – Rail Week
YRP’s Ambassadors Programme has provided a positive and insightful outreach presence in schools, colleges and universities, with the success of their events during Rail Week 2016 being a testament to quality of training provided by the team.
Workforce Safety
Amey – Remove Boots from Ballast
Amey is starting to see real progress in developing new strategies that remove ‘boots from ballast’ by embedding innovations into working practices, such as its new flying drone – thus making them more efficient and safer for staff.
Arco – Female Hi-Vis Hazardwear
Arco consulted with female workers across the industry to develop rail’s first comprehensive range of Hi-Vis Hazardwear specially designed for women, ensuring they are properly fitted, comfortable to wear and provide the correct protection.
Colas Rail UK – Road Risk Reduction Programme
Committed to tackling road safety, Colas Rail created the Road Risk Reduction Programme, a holistic scheme designed to impact every area of the business which reduced vehicle accidents by 50% in just six months.
Freightliner Group Ltd – ‘Zero Injuries’ Journey
In March 2015, Freightliner embarked on an ambitious ‘Zero Injuries’ journey of safety improvement. Through intense staff engagement across the board, it managed to dramatically boost safety performance on almost every metric.
Fugro RailData – RILA
Driven by new safety legislation and the need for more complex data, Fugro created RILA, a lower-cost data collection system which offers a fully remote survey system of working. In 2016, it was approved for UK use by Network Rail.
Network Rail – ORBIS Programme
A cornerstone of Digital Railway, ORBIS helps manage assets more efficiently through digital tools designed to capture high-quality data. One of these tools, the Geo-Rail Infrastructure Network Model Viewer, allows teams to visualise assets and their surrounding environment from the safety of the office.
Vital Human Resources Ltd – Safety Conversation Vehicle
Vital’s unique Safety Conversation Vehicle, a mobile, 24/7 vehicle specifically designed to deliver safety briefings in a fitting environment, has meant over 95% of the workforce was briefed in one quarter, leading to much greater levels of engagement.
Young Rail Professional – Female
Annais Siddall – Linbrooke Service Ltd
Annais joined the industry as a 16-year-old apprentice in 2014 and has since worked doubly hard to demonstrate her potential, passing her first and second years with courage and excellence and establishing herself as an integral part of the team.
Jade Feeney-North, IP Signalling South – Network Rail
Despite her relatively short time in the rail industry, Jade has already earned herself the role of project manager, which is a testament to her remarkable ability, drive and thirst to learn.
Kirsty Sando – Heathrow Express
Kirsty has risen through the ranks at Heathrow Express, becoming their second youngest driver at the age of 24 and eventually rising through to a manager position, where she has singlehandedly put drivers at the heart of the business.
Sabrina Ihaddaden – Bombardier Transportation
Sabrina has recently been appointed the national chair of the Young Rail Professionals, an accolade which speaks volumes of how hard she has worked to advance her career in such a short period of time.
Young Rail Professional – Male
Gowthaman Selvaraju – Atkins India
Since joining the Atkins team as a trainee in 2005 up until his current role as senior signalling engineer, Gowthaman has demonstrated phenomenal performance and has quickly become an inspiring role model for other staff.
Joshua Jones – Weston Williamson + Partners
Josh joined the Paddington Crossrail station project in September 2015 and quickly established himself as a responsible, trustworthy and proactive member of the team, particularly standing out due to his succinct design ability, technical competency and willingness to learn.
Rob Taylor-Rose, IP Signalling South – Network Rail
Rob joined Network Rail’s advanced apprenticeship programme in 2008, during which he was offered multiple placements and regularly acted as team leader – helping create the strong foundations that then allowed him to progress further in his career.
Sam Woolley – Northern
Although only having been at Northern for two years, Sam has already had a huge impact in the organisation, setting himself apart as an incredibly proactive team member who works hard to develop new processes to support the business.
Zahangir Hussain, IP Signalling South – Network Rail
After finishing his Masters, Zahangir joined Network Rail’s engineering graduate scheme, where he completed several placements, a pilot secondment with the RSSB and played a leading role in mentoring other new entrants to the scheme.