NEWS
‘Sentinel 1’ no longer valid
Old-style Sentinel cards are no longer valid, as of 6 January. The final roll-out of the new smartcard system took place over the winter.
The new cards under the ‘Sentinel 2’ scheme use an RFID chip and allow records to be instantly updated, as well as closer monitoring of staff hours on duty. The cards can be read by card readers or smartphones and provide detail on machinery competencies, drug and alcohol tests and hours worked.
The old system was introduced in 1999 and “technology has moved on”, Network Rail says, hence the need for a replacement.
Network Rail’s safety and sustainable development director, Gareth Llewellyn, said: “I cannot emphasise enough how important safety is to us and how committed
Eversholt Rail launches Class 321 demonstrator Eversholt Rail launched
its upgraded Class 321 demonstrator at Liverpool Street Station on 18 December.
The ROSCO is testing new features from a major high- specification refurbishment, in partnership with Abellio Greater Anglia and Wabtec.
The four-car unit, with two carriages in suburban style and two metro-style, will run on Greater Anglia routes for a year. During this time Eversholt Rail will be collecting opinions on the upgrade at www.eversholtrail-
innovations.co.uk.
The demonstrator includes refurbished seating, new air conditioning and heating systems, LED lighting, double glazed windows, better wheelchair access and an accessible
toilet. The final scope of the fleet upgrade could
include wi-fi and power sockets through the train.
Mary Kenny, chief executive, Eversholt Rail, said the new unit is “a fantastic demonstration of the possibilities offered by quality refurbishment at an attractive cost”.
Ruud Haket, managing director of Greater Anglia, said: “With better seats, air conditioning, enhanced lighting and improved access, the train offers a step change in comfort for passengers, as well as a valuable pilot project which can provide excellent input into potential future train upgrade programmes on the Abellio Greater Anglia network.
“The Class 321 demonstrator also benefits from technical modifications which should improve its performance and reliability.”
6 | rail technology magazine Dec/Jan 14
we are to looking after the people who work with us.
“Sentinel smart cards are vital to improving our ability to do that, and they also offer a means of improving the efficiency of our operation on the ground. Being able to ensure people have the correct competences for the task will make us safer and more efficient. Our supply chain has really embraced the new card and in fact become an advocate of them.”
Darren Gamage, technology services director at MITIE Total Security Management, which is delivering the system, spoke to RTM in detail in 2013 to explain the changes. He said: “As soon as a change is made and [a worker’s] competency is updated, or removed, people with access to the database will be able to
view that immediately, which is a significant improvement for health and safety and also in terms of competency management.”
Network Rail is currently piloting proposals to overhaul its site safety rules, with these key principles:
• The line manager is
accountable for planning safe working practices and for appointing someone responsible
for safe delivery of work • One person will be responsible for safe delivery of work
• The safety management arrangements will be appropriate to the risk of the work being carried out, the hazards present at the location of the work, and the time the work is carried out • A Permit-to-Work system will be introduced and with it clear roles and responsibilities • Everyone will comply with the permit and the Lifesaving Rules
Network Rail has also endorsed the new SkillsID system, run by the National Skills Academy for Rail Engineering, to verify workers’ competences and qualifications.
New Rail Delivery Group chairman announced
Stagecoach Group chief executive Martin Griffiths has been appointed as chairman of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
Griffiths, who started in the new role with immediate effect in December, succeeds FirstGroup chief executive Tim O’Toole, who has been the RDG chairman since its creation in 2011.
Griffiths said: “The rail industry, Government and other key stakeholders have a shared responsibility to deliver a better railway for Britain and I would like to thank Tim for the leadership he has shown over the past two- and-a-half years. The RDG, with its expanded and strengthened executive team, will be working even harder to champion improved services for both passengers and freight customers.”
O’Toole said: “Having met the challenge laid down in the McNulty Study by delivering work that is proving critical to achieving the industry savings for the next control period, we have recently achieved a new level of industry cooperation by combining resources from Network Rail, ATOC and the freight community to create a unified voice for the industry in the RDG.”
The RDG has recently merged some of its functions with ATOC. The RDG’s director general is ATOC chief executive Michael Roberts.
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