Rail Ops 2023 - Q&A Responses are Members

Rail Ops 2023 – Q&A Responses

Thank you to all who attended the Rail Ops 2023 conference, we hope that you found the day engaging and educational. If you didn’t get chance visit on the day, all presentations are now available on demand from the event portal.

With such a packed line-up of speakers and high level of engagement from those watching, we didn’t manage to cover all questions posed to our speakers live. As promised, our speakers have kindly offered to answer these post-event, which you can find below. As more responses are received, they will be posted here.

Ellie Burrows – Regional Managing Director – Network Rail

Questions	Answers
Hi Ellie. Do you feel that the vision statement about ‘getting a customer where they want to be at the time they want to be there’ (safety as a given, of course) is made all the more difficult to achieve because of the excessive collection of measurements and contractual obligations in the performance world (Cancellations, PPM, Time to X, Right Time, On Time etc etc!)	We need to be really clear on our priorities and for me that is about getting customers where they need to be safely at the time they want to be there. We have a lot of measurements (and this can be for good reasons) but measurements shouldn’t create a cottage industry in themselves! The key measurement has to support the vision above and we need to be clear on the success factors for making this achievable.
Did you encounter any resistance from controllers about ‘systemising experience’? In some cases did controllers want to rely on their experience rather than use and be measured against a SOP created by someone else?	Yes! This was a challenge we knew we’d need to overcome from the very start and we tackled it by encouraging those controllers to share that experience by writing the SOPs and downloading their years of experience in a way that it can be used by their colleagues (via the SOP process).
Could you please explain about the continuous improvement framework followed by NR ? What kind of continuous improvement tools is mainly used by NR ?	There are several CI frameworks in use across the framework – we have Lean practitioners within our team and deliver a Lean course which is available to colleagues in Wessex. As for NR more widely, we have lots of different tools to look at improvement for example peer reviews, significant incident reviews, lessons learned & post implementation reviews to name a few! .
Hi Gunnar, a great demonstration of involving the right people to get the desired results. How was the feedback acted upon following the daily calls and was it mainly feedback that led to individuals development or did SOPs get amended as a result too?	Great question. It’s a bit of both. We’ve made a huge number of tweaks to our SOPs and review them regularly as a result of feedback – we are pushing for more human interactions to take place as well to address the important point about people’s development.
With 729 standard operation procedures SOP’s in place, in a busniness as fast paced and ever changing as NR is, what this the PDCA cycle to ensure the SOP’s remain fit for purpose?	To be clear, there are 59 Standard Operating Procedures that span a range of different types of incidents. In the calendar year 2022, we initiated 729 SOPs as a result of incidents. We regularly review the SOPs.
Is there sometimes a conflict between the demands of the TOC & Network Rail, Who generally prevails?	There’s always competing priorities between different parts of the railway system. The Continuous Improvement team in Wessex is a jointly funded team with SWR and we set its priorities together.
Does the SR have a written PIMS in place?	The PIMS is generally held jointly between each Route and their respective primary Train Operating Company. So yes but it will differ across the different geographies.
How do yo overcome the com’s challenges when operating from two different locations and what IT systems do you have in place?	It can be a challenge – we’ve recognised that challenge and are developing innovative Portal technology to bring our operating centres closer together to make our teams feel like that 40 mile divide is much smaller through a ‘doorway’ type concept.
SOPs are essentially a piece of low-level policy. How openly are they shared and debated with operators?	They are created together with our operators.
Morning – When discussing headcount reductions, do you consider increasing CI teams?	We aren’t currently discussing headcount reductions in NR Operations.
How do you overcome the com’s issues when operating from two different locations?	See above answer.

Howard Smith – Director – Crossrail Elizabeth line

Questions	Answers
Great example of transformation and project delivery, with regard the lessons learnt, how are you measuring the success of each, it is one thing stating the lessons but I would suggest it’s another tracking the value from them?	Lessons learned are available on the Crossrail learning legacy website learninglegacy@crossrail.co.uk and via the Association for Project Management website apm.org.uk. How the value of the lessons is measured has to be for the organisations that are receiving them, such as HS2 but the Crossrail and Elizabeth line teams have done an excellent job in assembling them in a digestible format and holding a public all-day event at the IET in April 2023 to promote them.
Are you planning to deploy CBTC along the entire line or ar you happy with the coexistence of different technologies?	In terms of extending CBTC beyond the COS, that doesn’t feel likely, it would be very complex and difficult to overlay it over existing systems on the NR sections or track and would only be needed for very high frequencies, say above 20tph or auto-reverse.

Tom Joyner – Managing Director – CrossCountry Trains

Question	Answer
How would CC navigate the different ticketing regimes within London esque local rail metro services where lines are shared with NR Operators?	Well this is a challenge for the industry – how do we make ticketing clear and simple for all customers. I don’t see any reason why this needs to be difficult to navigate, given the ability of us to do the difficult part of this in the back office, whilst our passengers get clarity and simplicity on the front end of their digital tickets.
As part of the intercity post-pandemic rebuild could their be room to add more routes/destinations to the XC map? e.g. if you start from Guildford why not extend to Portsmouth, etc.	We are thinking about how we could innovate, collaborate, and then review where we go. Our aspiration is to be a high quality long distance intercity operator that serves communities across Great Britain. What we need to work at is how we achieve going to new places in a more efficient and faster way so that we can make sure we are a good and efficient operator but also that we can move quick enough to respond to customer need.

Maggie Simpson – Director General – Rail Freight Group

Questions	Answers
How much influence does rail freight have in re-opening lines such as Matlock to Peak Forest which would massively help freight flows with the example you have demonstrated?	Rail freight can be an important part of the business case for new routes and reopenings, if it unlocks new end to end routes. In itself rail freight has no more influence than others on unlocking funding of course.
The speed restriction is only on part of the issue traveling via dronfiield, the substantial incline from dore south junction through Bradway tunnel with a fully weighted freight train is as much of a problem as the speed restriction if not more, that is not easily engineered out.	Of course one would need to look at all the parameters to determine what is possible. A modern loco which was not coming from a standing start may well be capable. But the example does show the carbon impact of choices and there will be other similar locations too.
Have you had any input into recent ministerial decisions on HS2, given that without HS2 services being able to access Euston there is minimal released capacity on the WCML for either freight or passenger services?	We certainly haven’t had any input into decision making, that is a matter for Governement but we have consistently raised the need for HS2 to release capacity for freigth, and for the existing network to be made capable of handling HS2 trains and freight traffic on congested sections, including at Bill stages for both phase 1 and 2A.
What is your view on the lack of electrification schemes?	We understand cost pressures but are particularly keen to see small infill electrification schemes developed which would enable more electric haulage today.
Agreed speed restrictions are a huge waste of energy and time. Engineers tend to focus on the maximum speeds but much more important to minimize low or speed restrictions.	Agree!

Programme Director Passenger & Freight Services at Great British Railways Transition Team

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join you at the CIRO on-line conference. I am sorry I was not able to answer all the questions in the time available. I thought I might therefore make a few final points to wrap these up.

As discussed, the majority of GBR will fall into a devolved structure, with five regions designed to work with local leaders and communities. The regions will lead on strategic business planning and major programme delivery, with delivery devolved further to business units bringing track and train and P&L together as well as relationships with partnering TOCs. GBR will have an imperative to establish new ways of working with the TOC’s such that they bring forward initiatives to grow revenue, deliver efficiencies and solve issues of track and train together.

We also believe there are some immediate benefits to developing new ways of working and cultures in our relationships with commercial partners (also referred to as supply chain). It is tempting but wrong to see these benefits through the lens of our market power – rather we see these benefits arising from more efficient processes and better ways of working.

GBR will continue to work with third parties with direct responsibilities for rail e.g. Scotland and Wales on how GBR will interface with them, and the future system will be a hybrid of GBR procured and independently managed operators e.g. open access and Freight. We believe the system will allow everybody to thrive, with a continuing role for the ORR to ensure fair play across the industry.

In terms of safety, our future railway will be judged on its performance including delivery of a reliable, and safe train service. The intention is that safety responsibilities are not fundamentally transformed but there is a commitment to continuous improvement in safety outcomes.

With regards to simpler and better fares for customers, our Fares, Ticketing and Retail Reform programme is already rolling out best practice in terms of fares and products that customers want. In particular, we think that PAYG (Pay as you Go) and single leg pricing will materially improve people’s trust and confidence that they are getting the right ticket at the best price.

Finally, the cross-industry talent we possess is pivotal to ensuring the future success of our railways. We recognise some roles in the industry are highly specialised whilst others are not and our commitment lies in retaining & developing current talent, while fostering an environment that welcomes innovative ideas and diverse perspectives. Martin Thayne, our People & Culture Director, is currently leading on the creation of new job roles to retain valuable talent and attract new individuals, irrespective of background or rail experience.

Rachel Heath – Head of Operations Delivery Wales & Borders at Network Rail

Questions	Answers
Very inspirational talk – is there anything you’d do differently if you were starting again?	No, everything I have done has made me who I am now, even the tough times!
Mentoring is a great opportunity to pass on corporate memory rather than distill it and share experienced contacts	Agreed!
Thanks for a fascinating and engaging presentation. What tips do you have for getting out of your comfort zone while still maintaining confidence in your self and your abilities in the workplace. Or should we be seeking to feel comfortable with being uncomfortable at work?	Agree with the latter, we should get more comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Learn to know what that is for you, for example I accept that the first 6 months of any new job are going to be a struggle for me, but with experience that 6 months has become 4 and will continue to decrease. Get some coping mechanisims in place for when it is tough, which goes back to my ‘be kind to your self’ comments.
Do you love railway before entering the industry? And does it change as per your career progression?	No! Not at all. I always wanted to be in the Police! I fell into the Railway but have never regretted it since. I can’t answer the second part, maybe for some people who have string views on what they want to do before joining the railway, but for me I just went with what I enjoyed.