Projects

Earlier in their careers, John and Richard worked together to lead this 10-year framework to provide HEX with maintenance and asset management strategy advice for its track, signalling and OLE assets.

Their leadership support included: administration of HEX’s contract for system maintenance (including leading the contract’s transition from the private sector to NR): development of a performance-based asset management strategy to achieve enhanced reliability of the system: safety review and acceptance of the T5 extension: and monitoring of the existing infrastructure during the construction of the extension.

Initiatives under John's and Richard’s leadership included life extension strategies for track slab and development of the wheel rail interface strategy to address rolling contact fatigue.

Whilst at Arriva, Anna led the infrastructure, new trains, fleet refurbishment and IT elements of this franchise mobilisation. This included an early franchise requirement to produce a feasibility report on platform lengthening commitments, incorporating opportunities to reduce whole industry costs, deliverability of the programme and funding arrangements. 

Engaged by Anna, prior to joining RAG, Andy led development of the franchise train lengthening enabling strategy and authored the recommendations report for DfT/Rail North. Supported by Richard, who provided Rolling Stock, Communications and Safety advice, Andy established operational practices and principles which were challenged to ensure limited investment funds were targeted on the areas of greatest need and benefit.

The study considered factors such as technology and innovation risk, complexity of platform extensions on aged infrastructure in constrained urban areas, and programme deliverability of both fixed infrastructure and rolling stock change. Automatic Selective Door Opening (ASDL) was adopted for routes on which the new fleet operates, utilising the new vehicles' embedded technology. Platform lengthening was selected for many routes on which the existing and cascaded fleets would continue to operate. 

Prior to joining RAG, Paul and Andy lead a study to determine the long-term funding requirements for the CVL following transfer of the network from Network Rail to Transport for Wales (TfW). 

Leading TfW’s team of engineering, cost management and economic modelling advisors, and working to a constrained timescale; Paul and Andy applied assessment, benchmarking and statistical techniques which were tailored for each asset class to best utilise available data and provide funding estimates with acceptable levels of confidence. 

For example, current predictions of Digital Rail’s (DR) implementation efficiency saving were applied to a conventional S & T renewal as a bottom-up scoping and costing a future DR solution was not practical. Assessment of the 60-year maintenance and renewals cost profile for a random sample of structures with balanced statistical confidence levels with levels of effort to provide an acceptable estimate for the whole of the TfW structures portfolio.

Paul, as NR’s Head of Asset Knowledge Management, Andy as ORR’s strategic advisor on Asset Knowledge, and Peter as ORR’s senior Asset Management advisor collaborated to develop this vital industry improvement programme and, respectively, lead and regulate its 3-year implementation. 

Addressing the convergent drivers of post privatisation change, safety concerns and advances in data management system capabilities the programme had to quickly advance NR’s asset knowledge management to satisfy regulators and wider stakeholders, including Minsters. Paul implemented a strategy that achieved the needed major change in an operational environment, drove improvements in data quality, delivered improved efficiencies through developments such as decision support tools and addressed or managed varied stakeholder expectations to realistic levels.

Peter and Andy executed a regulatory assurance framework that balanced the need to maintain a clear visibility of progress and sustain pressure on NR, whilst allowing the work to progress without unnecessary hinderance. This regulatory scrutiny helped maintain the focus of NR’s Executive on this complex, demanding programme, and NR’s asset knowledge management improved significantly over this period.

London North Western Route (LNW) then comprised around 25% of Network Rail’s infrastructure.   

Paul led the development of three comprehensive Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS) for the North West, the West Midlands, and Lancashire & Cumbria, which significantly influenced developments and investments in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and surrounding areas.  

Each RUS involved extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation on findings, options, and priorities.  Paul also led the development of LNW’s annual route plans, working closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the plans reflected priorities and were coherent, affordable, and deliverable.  The level of detail in these plans varied in line with key stages within Network Rail’s regulatory control period, with the more detailed plans providing a major input into Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan and funding submission during its Access Charges Review. 

Prior to joining RAG, John was the TfW’s Authority lead for the £738m CVL Transformation programme. Working with John, Andy was technical lead for procurement of the CVL’s Infrastructure Manager, this enabled the transfer of the CVL from NR to TfW, which was needed to allow Transformation.

For their respective areas of responsibility, John and Andy: led the competitive dialogue adopted for the procurement: supported requirements liaison with Welsh Government: developed the Invitation to Submit Final Tender and the scoring methodology: ensured the approach integrated effectively with the other workstreams (such as legal, operations and financial) and led the evaluation of the submitted tenders. 

John managed the assessment of novel technical solutions, including bi-mode and tri-mode vehicles proposed by the bidders, and innovative train control systems. Andy led the design of the Infrastructure Manager contract, to address complexities such as imperfect asset knowledge and balanced risk allocation.