This occasion was a major “first” for the Midlands Area as it marked the first event to be held at Network Rail’s Milton Keynes Central offices, home to a large number of people who have either moved from other parts of the country or recently joined Network Rail. Nearly 40 attendees turned out to hear Steve Knight, Head of Operations Development for Network Rail, talk about Operating Strategy, traffic management and future train control in the UK. They were not disappointed.
This event has been some two years in the planning and was promoted jointly with IRO South East and North West branches. The event formed part of a major programme of industry, customer and stakeholder engagement from Steve’s programme team throughout 2011 with much coverage in the rail media. Indeed, the topic is addressed in Bulletin edition 30.
Steve described how the programme had started from seeking the answer to a fundamental question – “How can we operate and control the rail network differently to give greater business benefit?”. This question is posed with two constants: firstly, the programme would not consider reducing the size of the network and secondly, construction of ‘new’ railway lines would not be a part of the programme either. Some considerable thought went into considering different ways of delivering train services. For example: what might the outcomes be if there was no signalling system at all and drivers managed their own safe passage? Or, what outcome might result if there was no timetable and trains simply went when they could? The answers to these apparently strange and clearly radical ideas produced a raft of thoughts about where efforts would need to be focussed to maximise capacity, minimise effort and so on.
This is not simply a programme about closing signal boxes, although it would be understandable if some see it this way. Steve pointed out that rationalising signalling control points has been a fact of life in the railway since BR started reducing the numbers from around 5000 in the early 1960s. Recent press comment on the current reduction programme from around 800 to 14 Rail Operating Centres (ROCs) is only an extension of what’s been a fact of life for the railway for over 50 years now.
The Operating Strategy and traffic management practices that support it are key to unlocking many aspects of survivability for the railway in the future. The challenges of delivering a sustainable railway, with reduced costs, increased capacity, much greater flexibility and – critically – a predictive capability to greatly enhance service operation and recovery on the day can only be met if the industry accepts and accommodates the need for these changes.
All the signs so far are that it will.
Attendance: 40.
Copies of the presentation are available from mike.christelow@networkrail.co.uk.