ATOC ‘FUTURE TRAIN’ EVENT
Future Train
ATOC’s ‘Future Train’ conference brought together fi gures from across the rail industry with an interest in research, innovation and change to discuss the next steps for rail, and how to get there. Adam Hewitt reports.
A
TOC, the Association of Train Operating Companies, gathered together engineers
and professionals from across the rail industry for its ‘Future Train’ event on April 17, keen to assess the infl uence engineering has on the industry, and the opportunities and obstacles to innovation.
The event was chaired by former Tomorrow’s World presenter Kate Bellingham, patron of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and president of the Young Engineers.
ATOC chairman Tom Smith told attendees: “We’re living through a resurgence in the fortunes of the rail industry, with engineering at its heart in one way or another.”
She praised the improved journey times and acceleration of rolling stock, and the quality of recent refurbishments, picking out Mark 4 coaches in particular. “Most people would not have a clue the Mark 4s were built so long ago – they seem new.”
She said that although TPWS, the train protection and warning system, was originally a sticking plaster, its effects on safety have been drastic enough that there is now not an economic case for implementing ERTMS just on the grounds of safety (although of course there is still a case in terms of capacity and train frequency and so on).
Shaw said: “The UK has probably the safest
There was then a discussion of how the UK supply chain can manage obstacles to innovation, with Frazer Stirling, fl eet planning and performance manager at Southern (who is leaving to become Go-Ahead’s head of fl eet), Anthony Smith of Passenger Focus and David Clarke, director general of the Enabling Innovation Team all taking part.
Stirling said the main obstacles were the huge amount of data and the diffi culty of marshalling it to practical uses. He said the industry was quite constrained by Victorian infrastructure – though noted that no such restriction exists inside trains themselves, where there have been big improvements in comfort and facilities.
Above: The conference discussed ways to make the RTS a reality.
He praised the huge contribution of engineering to the success of the railways over the last 20 years, and the ways in which it has enhanced the railways and the passenger experience.
Head of engineering at ATOC, Louise Shaw, outlined the post-1994 developments in rolling stock (with half of today’s fl eet built since then), and described greater levels of comfort, fl exibility, access, air conditioning and quieter trains, along with a great deal of extra capacity via more seats.
56 | rail technology magazine Jun/Jul 13
train fl eet in the whole of Europe, possibly the world.”
She welcomed improvements in access for those with lower mobility, but said the national rail network still has a long way to go. But she said she “takes her hat off” to TfL and LUL for the progress they have made so far on step-free access in London.
Simon Iwnicki, the University of Huddersfi eld’s Professor of Railway
He said engineering’s contribution will be about preventative maintenance, reducing the amount of possession time needed by Network Rail through greater collaboration, and also reducing dwell time for trains at stations to boost capacity.
Lessons can be learnt from metro systems on this, he said, while engineers also have a huge role in improving signalling systems to allow more trains to run more safely. The structure of the operator side of the industry – fi xed- term franchises – might preclude long-term innovation, he said.
Clarke also spoke of misaligned incentives, saying: “It’s relatively rare for manufacturers to indulge in speculative design.”
Engineering, director of the Institute of Railway Research, and the academic chair of RRUKA, spoke about the need to invest in research and education, and highlighted why universities can help unlock innovation. This is because they tend to focus on science-driven, innovative though high-risk medium to long term technologies, while the private sector may be more business-driven, focusing on low-risk but practical technologies that will have a short to medium term impact.
He discussed some recent events put on by RRUKA, such as ‘The 24/7 Railway’, sponsored by Network Rail, and ‘The Half Cost Train’, sponsored by ATOC.
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