75371 irse news watermark 203.qxd:layout 1 news 203 sep 14 with... · irse news | issue 203 |...

IRSE NEWSISSUE 203 SEPTEMBER 2014

Front Cover: A view inside the London Underground Training Centre at Stratford, East LondonPhoto: Ian James Allison

TENCONI steel construction department has a reputation of excellence also for the manufacture of special steel hollow sleepers, low friction slide chairs, insulated base plates and many other railway products.

TENCONI SAMechanical workshopCH-6780 Airolo

For more information contact:Sales manager: Fabrizio LucchiniTel.: +41 91 873 30 00Mobile: +41 79 435 59 84E-Mail: [email protected]

Manufacture of Insulated Rail Jointsin Hardomid for Railways and of special hollow sleepersTENCONI plastic division is the only manufacturer of the high quality insulatedrail joints also called "BENKLER" joints. The pieces are produced also in smallbatches, according to customers' specifications and needs.

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IRSE NEWS | ISSUE 203 | SEPTEMBER 2014 1

IN THIS ISSUE PageEdinburgh Calling 2Clive Kessell

IRSE International Technical Convention, Lyon, France 6Nugroho Widiyanto, Shushant Pradhan, Arpan Singhania, Geoffrey Kaing,Robert Bragg, Phineas Moranda & Aniket Mukhopadhyay

Industry News 9

Younger Opinions – Unearthing Engineering Gems 11Nimesh Patel

Grads and SPADs at the Great Cockrow Railway 13

A theoretical obvious explanation that’s not so obvious in practice 15Aryldo G Russo Jr

IRSE Matters 16ASPECT 2015 – Call for Papers 16North American Section 2014 Activities 16 Midland & North Western Section: Annual Steam Lunch – Keighly & WorthValley Railway 18Scottish Section: Advanced Notification – IRSE Scotland Annual Dinner 20Swiss Section Conference: Where are the CENELEC stardards going? 21

On the Move … 23

Younger Members – Unmitigated single point failure – IRSE Exam 24Firas Al-Tahan, Chairman of the Younger Members

European Railway Agency 25

Recruitment 25

Membership Matters 26

IRSE NEWS is published monthly by the Institution ofRailway Signal Engineers (IRSE). The IRSE is not as abody responsible for the opinions expressed in IRSENEWS.

© Copyright 2014, IRSE. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the permission in writing of the publisher. Copying of articles is notpermitted except for personal and internal use. Multiplecopying of the content of this publication withoutpermission is always illegal.

EditorIan J Allison102 Beacon Road, Loughborough, LE11 2BH, UKTel: +44 (0) 7794 879286e-mail: [email protected]

Deputy EditorTony Rowbotham36 Burston Drive, Park Street, St Albans, AL2 2HP, UKe-mail: [email protected]

Assistant EditorsHarry Ostrofsky (Africa)e-mail: [email protected] Howker (Australasia)e-mail: [email protected] Thurston (N. America)e-mail: [email protected] Dutta Chowdhury (Asia)e-mail: [email protected] Coenraad (Europe)e-mail: [email protected] Patel (Younger Members)e-mail: [email protected]

ContributionsArticles of a newsworthy or technical nature are alwayswelcome for IRSE NEWS. Members should forwardtheir contributions to one of the Editors listed above.

AdvertisingFor advertising rates and deadlines callAndrew Walker at DVV MediaTel: +44 (0)208 652 5214e-mail: [email protected]

Advertisements are accepted on the basis that theadvertiser and agency (if any) warrant that thecontents are true and correct in all respects.

Web SiteFor up to date information about the Institution or itsactivities, or to download a membership applicationform, log on to the IRSE Web Site: www.irse.org

London OfficeIRSE, 4th Floor, 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster,London, SW1H 9JJ, United Kingdom

EnquiriesMEMBERSHIP OR OF A GENERAL NATURE

Tel: +44 (0)20 7808 1180Fax: +44 (0)20 7808 1196 e-mail: [email protected] DEVELOPMENT

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Tel: +44 (0)20 7808 1190 e-mail: [email protected]

www.facebook.com/IRSEUKwww.facebook.com/IRSEOzwww.facebook.com/ian.allison

NEWS VIEW 203

STUART ANGILLNot long before Press Day for this issue of the NEWS we heard the tragic newsthat our Production Manager, Stuart Angill, had been killed in a serious roadaccident close to his home in France. Apparently he was desperately trying toavoid an approaching jack-knifing lorry. His wife Rosemary was hurt, but is nowback home recovering from a fractured sternum.

Stuart’s job as Production Manager was to take the basic MS Word filesfrom the Editors and transform them into the format and page layouts seen byreaders of the NEWS. This task including inserting the photographs, tables (whichhe hated), and adding the headers and footers in a consistent manner.Miraculously Stuart nearly always managed to fit the articles neatly into completepages without having to leave odd spaces, resulting in a very professional lookingpublication. He also had to contend patiently with minor changes requested bythe Editors at the very last minute.

Stuart of course had to liaise continuously with our printers, Fericon ofReading, and they have very helpfully taken on Stuart’s tasks for a few issues,starting with this one.

Stuart was as can be seen a very valuable member of the IRSE NEWS teamand will be sorely missed.

The Editorial Team

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EDINBURGH CALLING

Station announcements have long been the trigger forcomedian’s jokes on stage, the impersonation of garbledmessages always good for bringing a laugh. Some of thisimplied criticism is valid but so many of the larger stations areacoustic horrors, the enclosed space with an overall roof being afine echo chamber. Railway engineers have tried several theoriesand methods down the years to improve the quality of soundbut never quite reached what could be called perfection. Maybethe problem has no universal solution but in Scotland and inresponse to considerable public comment, Network Rail decidedto engage some of the best brains in the acoustics industry toproperly analyse the circumstances of Edinburgh Waverley priorto committing to hardware renewal. This has proved quite achallenge but the results are impressive.

ASSESSING THE STATIONEdinburgh Waverley station is set in a hollow, so is relatively longwith four through platforms and a number of bays at the eastand west ends. Road access is from a ramp off the North Bridgethat spans the hollow, leading to a central concourse area withtaxis and other vehicles all descending to this level. Pedestriansteps and escalators from the north (Princes Street) and south(the Old City) lead to a footbridge across the complex with stairsdown to the platform level. The middle part of the station isprotected by an overall roof. Much has been done in recentyears to improve the fabric of the station and add moreplatforms but all work has needed to take account of the listedbuilding status. Train services are about half diesel, half electric,so ambient noise levels vary considerably. As with most bigstations, retail outlets abound and with a ‘quiet’ central waitingarea all need to hear important announcements.

Another factor entering the equation has been the need toimprove the fire alarm and evacuation procedures from such adiverse site. Normal alarm bells do not trigger the publicreaction that is required and most people just stand aroundwondering what all the noise is. A verbal message is much moreeffective and the VA (Voice Alarm) requirement became part ofthe project. Sounds straightforward enough but the impact is tomake the resulting PA (Public Address) a safety system and thisintroduces significant requirements for reliability and availability.

DESIGNING THE SYSTEMThe prime need has been to get clear and concise sound toevery part of the station regardless of the ambient conditions.The novel element to achieve this is the use of intelligentloudspeakers. These are formed in long columns of individualspeaker units, each of which has its own sound setting. Theamplifier for the unit is contained within the loudspeaker column,thus each of these needs a power supply as well as a cable forthe input sound signal. Some 47 of these intelligent speakers areused in the central area where the overall roof (train shed) coversthe station, there being three types: ’64’ very big; ‘48’ medium;‘32’ small. The goal is to have a constant output volume,whether standing close to the speaker or 50 metres from it. Thissuggests negating the laws of physics but amazingly it does

work. Each speaker has two audio feeds separated whereverpossible in diverse routes to obtain maximum reliability and adata cable enabling each speaker to be separately monitored.All are set up individually and programmed in line with soundmeasurements taken on site. The intelligent speakers arecomplemented by some 300 normal speakers mounted on lampposts, off canopies, etc away from the train shed area, in shopsand customer locations. These speakers later operate from aconventional 100 V line.

2 IRSE NEWS | ISSUE 203 | SEPTEMBER 2014

Figure 2: PA-VA UPS Battery

Figure 1: PA-VA Power Cable

Edinburgh CallingBy Clive Kessell, FIRSE

IRSE NEWS would like to thank theRail-Media Group for permission topublish the following article originallypublished in The Rail Engineer.

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Figure 4: 'Medium' Intelligent Speaker

Figure 5: Intelligent Speaker Column

Figure 3: 'Big' Intelligent Speaker

Distribution of sound from the central node unit located inthe station basement to so many speakers was a challenge so‘sub nodes’ have been provided in the north, west and eastsections of the station. These are linked together by a fibre opticring and enable a significant reduction in conventional cabling.Getting the power distribution has been a major challenge. Themain unit is sited next to the central node and comprises of anUninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) with associated battery. Thebattery supply has sufficient capacity to maintain the system inoperation for at least half an hour with sufficient capacity toprovide a full evacuation broadcast to all alarm zones for aroundanother 30 minutes. However, this is considered insufficientlyrobust and thus a standby generator will kick in after a threeminute in-built delay if the mains power fails.

The importance of resilient power arrangements has resultedin some very large cables to connect the 5 nodes and findingcable routes with a sufficient bending radius tested the initiativeof the installation team.

The system includes noise sensing microphones so as toadjust sound levels if high background noise levels occur,typically a diesel train idling or starting away. Feedback from thisis sent to the speaker amplifiers but once the announcement hasstarted, the level will remain unchanged until completion.

THE PA IN OPERATIONAlmost all train announcements are automatically generated andtriggered. The pre-recording was done by the ATOS operation inNottingham but using a person with a Scottish accent to ensurefamiliarity with the local populace. Management of

EDINBURGH CALLING

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aspect could be agreed in advance. Testing had to be carefullymanaged so as not to interfere with the day to day running ofthe station but also not to disturb nearby residents at night.Complaints from some home owners, hotels and art galleries didarise and led to a consultative process being put in place fromwhich the operating volume of the system has been constrained.

TESTING AND COMMISSIONINGTo test each intelligent loudspeaker; firstly a known frequency isinjected and used to set the loudspeaker’s maximum level whichis between 85 dB - 88 dB. The loudspeaker is then equalisedand balanced using ‘pink noise’, i.e. a lot of frequencies beingbroadcast and adjusted to achieve roughly the same level (ofaround 85 dB). Following this, a repetitive drum click isbroadcast to each platform at 80 dB to confirm and adjust theloudspeakers’ audio delays. This ensures the announcementsheard from each speaker will arrive to the human ear at the sametime.

When all loudspeakers have had gain, equalisation anddelays set-up, the system is tested from the audio inputs viz.microphones, recorded announcements and evacuate/alertmessages, these being broadcast to each zone from whichvolume levels are set. Lastly, sound intensity measurements(STi’s) are made to confirm the system’s intelligibility.

Authorised in 2012, installation work commenced inSeptember 2013 and the system was commissioned on the 28Feb 2014. Getting it right was never going to be cheap but theoverall project cost of £2.5M is considered well worth it for thesignificant gains that have been made.

So is the new system a success? Most people will not evennotice the new speaker columns so improvement can only bemeasured by the lack of complaints on audibility from the public.Certainly, announcements are much clearer than before and thusto date the team are confident that success has been achieved.

A nice touch has been the re-use of the old equipment, thespeakers going to a university student who wants to see hisstudy of ambionics put into practice and the amplifiers beingacquired by the Strathspey heritage railway. Thanks areexpressed to Andrew Warren, the designated project engineer,Gerry Welsh, the construction manager, and John McNichol theproject manager, all from the Network Rail engineering group forfacilitating the visit and explaining the details of the system.


announcements is controlled from Nottingham and transmittedto Edinburgh via a router in Birmingham. Triggering of messagesuses a combination of timetable and train running databases.Such is the advancement of message construction fromindividual words and phrases that it is not obvious to theuntrained ear that it is computer derived. Currently only a singlemessage is made for each train service, this being broadcast fiveminutes before departure and gives platform number, departuretime and calling points. Arrival information is only announced fortrains not terminating at Edinburgh. Additional messages arebroadcast if disruption occurs. Although a zoning facility doesexist, currently every announcement is heard everywhere.Microphones for live messages are located in the stationreception office and the signalling control centre, needed mostlyfor ‘person alert’ communication but also if serious out of coursesituations occur.

Retail units, the ticket office and all other public areas can beprogrammed whether or not to have train announcementsdepending on the disturbance likely to result, but must receiveany voice alarm messages

VOICE ALARM OPERATIONAny fire alarm activation from a call point or smoke detector willinitiate an alert to the station reception and triggers a ‘call toinspector’ voice message. The person then has six minutes togo to the alarm site and check whether the situation is indeed areal problem or more likely an equipment fault or minor incidentsuch as the toast being burnt. If no further action is needed, acall to the station reception will lead to the alert being re-set.Failure to resolve the alarm trigger within six minutes, will resultin a voice evacuation message being broadcast. Should asecond alarm be generated during the six minute timescale, theevacuation message will immediately result. Controlling anevacuation is itself a challenge and with the arrival of fireengines and personnel, additional information will be broadcastfrom one of five Fire Microphones that are positioned aroundthe station. From these, the public will be told the routes to befollowed and any other relevant data. This procedure maysound draconian but so far no unintended evacuations havetaken place. Any VA message will have priority over any trainannouncement.

PROVIDING THE SYSTEMWith such a complex system, no single supplier was capable ofproviding all the elements. NR (Network Rail) competitivelytendered for a management contract and system integrator,which was awarded to Babcock International. From this anumber of sub contracts were let, the most significant being:

• T G Baker based in Clydebank near Glasgow for acousticdesign and programming of speakers, also the constructionof the main and sub node racks;

• ASL Ltd of Lewes for their Vipedia product that routes theaudio signals to the speakers;

• Tannoy of Coatbridge who supplied the intelligent speakers;

• Ogilvie of Stirling for cable running, power provision andoverall installation;

• Lanarkshire Welding for design, fabrication and installation ofspeaker bracketry.

To satisfy the listed building requirements, photo montages ofthe speaker installation had to be produced so that the visual Figure 3: Tannoy Control for Intelligent Speakers

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This year, the IRSE ITC (International Technical Convention) washeld in the city of Lyon, France from 2 to 6 of June 2014. Lyon is avery beautiful and artistic city built during mediaeval times. Thecity also has two beautiful rivers, namely Rhone and Saone. Thecity is well organised and over-crowded. During this season, Lyonhad more than 15 hours of daylight, sun rise at about 05:00 andset around 22:00 which might be very common for most ofEurope. This daylight favoured the convention schedule and alsogave a lot of time for our tourism. It indeed was a very goodchoice of the place and season to have the convention. Theground zero for the convention was in the Hilton Hotel in a districtcalled Cite Internationale.

The convention was attended by IRSE members around theworld. In this event, IRSE supported younger members to attendthe convention through its Frank Hewlett/ Alan Fisher TravellingBursary which was formed and named after its two LateHonourable Presidents. This Bursary has been allowing youngermembers to travel to International Convention for last few years.This year, there were 11 younger members who were awarded theBursary from Australia (4 members), UAE (2 members), India (2members), Indonesia (1 member), Malaysia (1 member) andBotswana (1 member).

IRSE Convention has been providing opportunity to IRSEmembers for decades to share knowledge, experiences and fornetworking. Every year convention focuses on the technologies,systems and projects in railway signalling and communications indifferent hosting countries. This year the focus was France. Theparticipants had many technical visits to experience the mainlinerailway system of France and urban transport system of Lyon thatconsists of buses, trams, trolleys buses and metros.

DAY 1: 2 JUNE 2014Meet and Greet with IRSE President, Christian Sevestre

This was indeed a very special event for the Bursary winners whogot the opportunity to have a separate lunch and meeting withIRSE President – Christian Sevestre and his wife, Chief Executive –Colin Porter, Former IRSE President – Dave Weedon, IRSE CouncilMember – Claire Porter and IRSE Council Member – AndrewSimons. We shared regarding our job and the country we hailfrom and it was very encouraging for us to have this opportunitywith Senior IRSE Council Members. We also had wonderful Frenchfood. Lyon is also the gastronomy capital of France and hence wemade full use of our visit gastronomically.

Registration & Reception

In the evening we proceeded with our registration for the fivedays convention. All the participants were present at this event.There were 200 over participants from around the Globe withmembers from as far east as Japan all the way up to the UnitedStates. IRSE President welcomed everyone through his key noteaddress which was very interesting and entertaining for theaudience. We were also offered cocktail and drinks at thereception.

After the reception was over, we were permitted to have ourown plans hence we could go out to for late dinner in the city.Thanks to the long hours of day light, it never felt too late to goout.


Meet and Greet Lunch with Bursary Winners

At the Reception

Keynote Addressby IRSE President

IRSE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

IRSE International Technical ConventionLyon, France 2nd – 6th June 2014By Nugroho Widiyanto, Shushant Pradhan, Arpan Singhania, Geoffrey Kaing, RobertBragg, Phineas Morenda & Aniket Mukhopadhyay

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DAY 2: 3 JUNE 2014As we all gathered at the Hilton Hotel, to begin the conventionwith Christrian Sevestre, the President of the institution giving awarm welcome to the convention, discussing how the industry isheading toward more of a communication base and thatsignalling engineers are becoming more like system engineers.

Some of the interesting Paperswhich were presented:

• Welcome and paper by Bernard Schaer, SNCF DeputyDirector SNCF Infra;

• Welcome from Pascal Jacquesson, KEOLIS Director Lyon;

• “Signalling in France and its train controls” by JocelynGallou, SNCF Signalling Direction;

• “Future European Signalling” (UNISIG and the ERTMLSUsers’ Group; NGTC; Shift²Rail) by Jacques Poré for ALSTOMTransport;

• “Signalling System for High Speed Lines” in France by SergeTranchard, Ansaldo-STS and Jean-Claude Zabee, Systra;

• Paper by Bernard Rivalta, SYTRAL Director, on Lyon publictransport and details on its systems: metro, tramways, buses.

Technical visits:• COCG (“Centre des Opérations”) operation and operating

room;

• LN4 operating room;

• “Central Sous-Station” of Lyon area;

• CCR (“Commande Centralisée des Circulations”) of LyonRegion, the first of 16 to manage SNCF;

• Lyon PAI (Poste 2 signalling room; equipment room).

For the afternoon of day 2, we were taken to go visit RegionalControl Centre where we had the opportunity to see thetelemetry systems, interlocking and equipment used. After whichwe were able to see the panel for the high speed trains.Unfortunately there was only time to visit Traffic control centre orthe SCADA. To finish top of the evening we had a coach rideback to Brasserie George, which is a popular place for localcuisine.

presented many fascinating and entertaining presentationsduring the morning revealing the secrets of local vineyards, theirorigins, their implementations and techniques. Several differentred and white wines were provided over a delicious lunch at thewinery which also featured a musical interlude at variousintervals. In the afternoon, guests were then free to explore thenearby historic railway museum and take a rubber-wheeled roadtrain to the nearby Jardin En Beaujolais and Centre DeVinification. The return bus ride took a very scenic route back toLyon which included commentary on the area. The buses alsostopped at the beautiful town of Oingt, perched on a hill andlisted among the most beautiful villages in France. The eveningwas free of organised activity.

DAY 4: 5 JUNE 2014It was the Urban Transport day with presentations in the morningand the technical visits in the afternoon

Papers in conference room:• “Different assessment missions” by Aryldo Russo, CERTIFER;

• “End-to-end security” by Cédric Tavernier, AS6System;

• “Toward signalling as a service” by Alexandre Bétis, Ansaldo-STS;

• “URBALIS Fleucne” by Guillaume Denis for ALSTOMTransport;

• “Cityval signalling particularities” by Edouard Dumas,Siemens-France;

• “LYON metro network and its maintenance” by ThomasFontaine, Head of KEOLIS Lyon Maintenance; and Jean-LouisKocher, KEOLIS Lyon metro line D (UTO/UnattendedOperation).

Technical visits:• Metro Line D workshop and maintenance centre: stabling

area, maintenance area, bogies and tyres, motors, on-boardsignalling, detection systems (there are no platform screendoors in Lyon but an infra-red system);

• Tramway workshop: stabling area, washing area, controlcentre, repairs and workshop.

The day started with lot of interesting presentations by CERTIFERon assessment, end to end security, Alstom’s Urbalis 500 whichhas no interlocking separately everything is managed on-board,


Site Visit

Hameau Duboeuf

DAY 3: 4 JUNE 2014Wednesday involved an all-day visit to Hameau Deboeuf, aninternationally acclaimed winery in the Romaneche-Thorins areawhich is an area dedicated to railways and Beaujolais wines. Thiswinery was well placed to receive the large IRSE group and

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Ansaldo demonstrated how the Signalling has become a Serviceindustry, the audience appreciated the presentations with lot ofinteresting questions.

The evening was devoted to technical visits on tramway andmetro. All the technical visits were guided by the generous staffsof the respective organisation and questions were entertained.Thanks to the organisers.

DAY 5: 6 JUNE 2014During Friday morning a site visit of the TGV Technicentremaintenance depot in Lyon was conducted. The depot wasopened in March 2009 and is the newest of the TGVTechnicentres and the first installed outside Paris. The facilityincludes various workshops with some impressive arrangementsas well as a control centre. The highlight of the tour involved aninspection of the IRIS 320 Infrastructure maintenance train whichhas been in use since 2006. It is designed to monitor andmeasure the infrastructure data of high-speed lines in France allwhile travelling at high speed itself, up to 320 km/h. It monitorscivil, overhead and signalling equipment including taking trackcircuit measurements over a two weekly cycle through the entire


Tram Maintenance Facility

Tram Maintenance Facility

Gala Dinner

TGV Train Maintenance Facility

French TGV network to provide both corrective andpreventative maintenance information. Data isprocessed, analysed and validated on-board. TheIRIS 320 has examined 220 000 km of track annuallysince 2006.

Visiting the Lyon Technicentre was the lasttechnical session. In the evening there was galadinner at the Hilton Hotel with music from “AndreTAIB Orchestra”. It was the last gathering in theconvention. All of the participants (members andguests) come to gala dinner. In this gala dinner, thepresident of IRSE, Christian Sevestre closed theconvention.

Overall, the convention was a great event for themembers of IRSE. It had good balance betweennetworking among members and technicalknowledge in signalling.

The convention was made possible by thegenerous cooperation of SNCF (French National

Railway Operator) and RFF (Infrastructure Manager in France)with the sponsors : Keolis, Alstom, Ansaldo, Atos, Certifier,Cofely-Ineo, Eurailtest, Setec – Ferroviaire, Siemens, Systra,Sytral and Thales. Thank you for everything so that this greatconvention could be held succesfully.

IRSE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

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Rail radio communication systems provider Kapsch hassuccessfully installed GSM-R technology on two rail routes in theCzech Republic. The two railway sections for which theEuropean train control system is now available are betweenLanžhot and Kúty, Slovakia, as well as Breclav and Hohenau,Austria.

The installation will further contribute to a standardisedsignalling, control and train protection system on Europe'srailway network. As part of the project, Kapsch implementedgeo-redundant GSM-R core networks and one additional basestation on the two 15 km railway sections. Optic cabling wasused for signal transmission.

The company will also provide technical support for theCzech Railway Infrastructure Administration.

The trains running on the two sections in the Czech Republicwill now be able to rely on a fully interoperable system. TheBreclav and Hohenau section links to Vienna, Austria, while theLanžhot and Kúty route heads towards Hungary.

Synerail to upgrade the existing GSM-R network. As part of theupgrade contract, Kapsch will provide maintenance services until2030, as well as replace the existing network with a new, next-generation Kapsch R4 architecture-based all-IP core solution.

Kapsch CarrierCom vice-president Michel Clement said "Thelong-term partnership with RFF is based on a deep knowledgewe have of our customers' needs and expectations, as well asour technological expertise."

The new RFF all-IP core network comprises geo-redundantcall servers, media gateways, home location registers, a servicecontrol point and a next-generation Kairos mobile switchingcentre. Apart from offering improved reliability, robustness andflexibility for RFF and Synerail, the solution will form the basis forapplications such as train geolocation.

Approximately 15 000 km of rail track has already beenequipped with Kapsch GSM-R technology and the componentswill be deployed by December 2015. Kapsch's solution is alsoused by railway operators in the UK, Ireland, Germany andAustria.

RFF is responsible for implementing an upgrade plan and anational new line development policy. Roughly four high-speedlines are currently being built, while 800 km of new high-speedlines will be implemented in 2017.


INDUSTRY NEWS

GSM-R technology installed on tworoutes in Czech Republic

Siemens Rail Automation has received full System Acceptancefrom Network Rail for the latest release of their RailComManager platform, which facilitates the control of IEC61850devices within an automated substation. This follows thesuccessful completion of an upgrade of the SCADA (supervisorycontrol and data acquisition) traction power control system atNetwork Rail’s inte-grated electronic control centre in York earlierthis year.

Originally installed in 2002, the upgrade was required notonly to overcome certain areas of obsolescence, but also toextend the operational life of the system and to provide thecapability for future interfaces to Network Rail’s new DNP3-IPcommunications protocol.

The work, which saw the successful migration of the SCADAtraction power system to Siemens’ latest RailCom Managerplatform, took place over a 20 day period and was followed by a30 day trial, with the system being signed into operational useon 2nd January 2014. The whole programme was delivered as acompletely seamless migration, with no disruption to theoperational railway.

Commenting on the programme, Vincent Clark, ElectricalControl Manager at Network Rail said “The update of theSCADA system at York was delivered seamlessly by theprofessional Siemens team. Not only was the project completedon budget and within the agreed timescales, but also without asingle minute’s delay to the operational railway. We now have aSCADA system which is fit for the 21st century”.

The system accommodates the forthcoming changes to the EastCoast Main Line, in line with Network Rail’s power supplyupgrade programme, and can be easily expanded to controlother areas of the infrastructure.

Siemens’ Technical Support Services Manager, Andy Smith,added “We were delighted to have completed this vital updatework and to have received System Acceptance for RailCom

Acceptance Received for the LatestRailCom Manager Release

Spanish railway infrastructure manager ADIF has completedvalidation of the new Alstom Atlas 200 European railways trafficmanagement system (ERTMS) for level 2 signalling on the newlyfinished Albacete-Alicante high-speed line.

The European version -2.3.0.D of the ERTMS system wasinstalled on the 165 km-long double track line and it is the firstof its type to be installed in the country. The radio-frequencysignalling system is based on continuous train positioning and itpositions the train intermittently using Eurobalises, unlike theconventional system. This technology will enable trains runningfrom Madrid to Alicante to reduce their journey time.

Alstom Spain and Portugal transport information solutionsmanaging director Ignacio Rodriguez said "The signallingproject was completed in 18 months and is the mosttechnologically complex project implemented so far in Spain.Furthermore, the project, which is also financed by the EIB, wascompleted totally in accordance with the original tenderbudget."

Alstom has secured ERTMS technology contracts in 23countries to date, covering 1200 km and over 4150 trains. It hasinstalled ERTMS Level 2 signalling system on the Rome-Naplesline in Italy, a cross-border high-speed line running from Liege inBelgium to the German border, a higher traffic density linebetween Mattstetten and Rothrist in Switzerland and a freight-only line Betuwe Route in the Netherlands.

Albacete-Alicante line ERTMSValidated

Rail communications provider Kapsch CarrierCom has beenappointed by system operator Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) and

French GSM-R upgrade contract

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Following three weekend blockades, including the May bankholiday weekend, principal contractor Siemens Rail Automationsuccessfully commissioned its work on the Sudforth Laneresignalling project for Network Rail in the UK, with the railwaybeing signed back into operational use at 01:52 on Tuesday 27May.

At the outset of the project, Network Rail completed GRIPstages 1 to 4, with the organisation’s Signalling Design Groupdeveloping the scheme to provide a defined, stable scope forSiemens to deliver stages 5 to 8. Network Rail’s InfrastructureProjects Signalling and Works Delivery teams also workedextremely closely to install a 20 kilometre buried cable route –the area had historically suffered from high rates of theft andvandalism, which significantly impacted on the performance ofthe railway.

In July 2013, as a direct result of the Hatfield landslip, theproject had to be demobilised, as the routes in and aroundSudforth were critical to the continuity of supply of coal to Draxand High Eggborough power stations while repairs to Hatfieldwere undertaken. The project was re-mobilised in March 2014and, despite some late changes to possession arrangements anddata design, it was successfully completed on time, deliveringsignificant operational expenditure savings through therationalisation of signalling control and the upgrade of tracksideequipment and level crossings.

These operational savings underpinned the strong businesscase to renew the life expired signalling on this section ofrailway, which is predominately used by freight serving criticalpower generators for the north of the country. As a result of theworks, both Sudforth Lane and Hensall signal boxes have beendecommissioned and three manned-gate level crossings have

Network Rail and Siemens CommissionSudforth Lane Resignalling Project

Manager. The update has delivered both improved operationalperformance and a completely new user interface, with theworkstations now running familiar Windows screens. The systemis now in the hands of our maintenance team which is providingongoing support to Network Rail in York”.

been converted to manually controlled barrier (MCB) CCTVcrossings.

Ben Lynch, Network Rail Programme Manager, said“Sudforth Lane was a challenging project and a number of keybusiness drivers had to be met to in order for it to be sosuccessfully and efficiently delivered. Despite a number ofunforeseen challenges en route, most notably the Hatfieldlandslip, which resulted in critical access to the railway beingremoved, the behaviours of the project team were always tosafely deliver the works in the most efficient way.

Right across the Network Rail business, from operations andmaintenance to the excellent project management team, staffplayed their part in delivering this scheme and once again, itconfirmed the ability of Network Rail and Siemens to workeffectively and collaboratively to achieve a successfulcommissioning.”

The scope of Siemens’ works included the replacement ofboth Sudforth Lane and Hensall interlockings with a newSiemens Trackguard WESTLOCK computer-based interlocking(which is now controlled from Ferrybridge power signal box); thereplacement of track circuits; the installation of new light-weightLED signals; the conversion of all points to plug-coupledmachines and the renewal of level crossing equipment at sixlocations - Sudforth Lane, Whitley Bridge, High Eggborough,Hensall, Heck Lane and England Lane.

Commenting on the programme, Siemens’ Delivery Director,Rob Cairns said “Re-mobilisation brought a number ofchallenges for the Siemens and Network Rail delivery teams.However, the collaborative approach to delivery proved criticalto the project’s ultimate success, the combined teamdemonstrating outstanding commitment and an exemplaryapproach to accommodating and responding to late changes.

This was a technically and logistically complex project, withthe track circuit replacement work being particularly challengingduring the commissioning blockade due to the large quantity ofcircuits involved and the specific access arrangements.Delivering this element of the programme was critical to thesuccessful outcome of the whole project and the team deservescredit for the meticulous planning and preparation that madesuch a positive outcome achievable”.

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I was once one of the millions of rail users in the UKwho would never step back to appreciate what wasbehind the efficient functioning of my train. Inaddition, it was a lack of understanding of railwaysignalling that meant I used to curse the engineerswhen I heard about “minor” delays due to “leaveson the line”. Well, if I was aware of the numerousdangers of ‘leaves on the line’ prior to my week’swork experience placement for LondonUnderground, perhaps I would have been moreunderstanding.

Firstly, leaf build up on the railhead (see Figure 1)means that the signal may display a proceed aspectdespite there being a train on the line (known as a‘disappearing train’). This is due to the crushedresidue being electrically insulating, which preventsthe correct operation of track circuits, in the sensethat the circuit will not complete (this is one of fewstates that are not ‘fail-safe’ in the industry). Anotherproblem that things like leaves, snow and frost causeis the lack of friction between the wheel and the rail,leading to wheel slip. Although I was always awareof this, I was unaware of the degree to whichadhesion is reduced (I recalled from my mechanicsthat Fmax = Coefficient of Friction x Reaction Force).

Leaves on the track can therefore cause a train accident inmany ways, ignoring this fact in system design and operationmay lead to loss of life. So the next time I hear about delays dueto ‘leaves on the line’, I will be glad it is being dealt with asopposed to ignored to keep customers happy.

Engineers have come up with ingenious solutions to solve theproblem of ‘leaves on the line’. For example, special trains nowcarry a substance called ‘sandite’, which is sprayed onto the trackafter leaves have been cleared with high-pressure water (seeFigure 2). The sandite both degrades existing leaf residue, andhelps to prevent new residue from forming. Another nifty trickthat is used by London Underground is to vary the brake rates ofthe trains as a part of their adhesion control system (see Figure 3).This system uses environmental data and train performance tomake decisions. If one wheel is spinning more than the others ina train, sand can be released proportionately onto the rail headto increase the adhesion. This allows the wheel to regain gripand ensures that the train can break adequately.

Of course, I did learn much more than just the dangers andprevention methods of ‘leaves on the line’! A course on thehistory of railway signalling really opened my eyes to appreciatejust how sophisticated modern day signalling is. The UK, thefirst country to ever have a railway (or a steam engine),pioneered the advancements of railways and signallingworldwide.

Railway signalling developed before the boom of electronicsand involved a signaller in a booth who would pull a leverconnected to a high tension cable to raise a semaphore. Themany signallers employed along the course of the railway linewould communicate to one another via telegraph using alanguage they had developed (similar to Morse code). The fail-safe feature was that if a cable broke, the semaphore wouldreturn to the horizontal position, leading the train driver to


YOUNGER OPINIONS

Figure 1 – Leaves on the line may look picturesque but create significantchallenges to railways

Figure 2 – Railhead Treatment Train

Figure 3 – London Underground’s adhesion control system showing train break rate indicators

Unearthing Engineering GemsBy Nimesh PatelWatford Grammar School for Boys

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assume that the there was a train in the section ahead. Thesesignals then became colour light signals. However, as with alldevelopments, they did not come without their drawbacks. Forexample, if there was thick fog in the air, the driver would not beable to see the signals (see Figure 4). This would put the driverin two minds about how to act, which could easily (and did) leadto many train crashes.

Thankfully, as with all successful engineering, this problem wasidentified, and a solution was devised (which is still used todate). Before continuing my research into the development andimprovements of the design, I took a step back to see if I couldcome up with my own solution to combat this problem, bearingin mind that complex electronics had not arisen at the time. Ireckoned that a powerful light surrounding the signal would besufficient to ensure that it is still visible in the fog.

When I then looked into the mechanism that was adopted toovercome this problem, I was overwhelmed by its simplicity. Itinvolved using a fixed magnet and electromagnet situated closeto the signal which would interact with another magnet withinthe train. The resultant magnetic field created then linked to abell (for a green signal) and a horn (for any other signal) insidethe train. There was also an appropriate visual indication. Thiscreative update to railway signalling also impressed me as itresolved multiple problems with one solution. For example, thebell ensures that the driver does not miss a signal, even if he/shehad lost concentration (which of course is very rare), as hearing isinvoluntary, unlike sight which relies on the driver consciouslylooking for the signal. This general concept with magnets is alsostill adopted in the present day, and the magnets painted yellowon the tracks are visible at many national rail platforms.

In the present day, the most common form of signalling onLondon Underground is fixed-block signalling. This essentiallyinvolves ‘blocks’ of track between two fixed points only beingable to occupy one train at a time, and the use of signals toinform the driver of how the state of the line ahead. The biggestproblem with this is that, although the blocks are made as smallas possible, it limits significantly the number of trains that can beon a length of track at any point in time. This limiting factorgrows ever more concerning as the demand continues to growwith a rising population, so if nothing is done about it, trains willbecome ever more overcrowded. Thus, underground lines arenow gradually moving towards the most modern form of railwaysignalling to date: moving-block signalling. This is the pinnacleof signalling, as it overcomes fixed-block signalling’s biggestissue of limited train capacity.

Moving block signalling involves trains creating a larger virtuallength section around themselves, which no other trains areallowed to enter (see Figure 5). The section’s parameters aredetermined by many factors including speed, direction, gradientand precise location at the time. This information is fed to thecomputers via several sensors: train borne tacho-generators andspeedometers, along with active and passive markers along thetrack. This form of signalling has many advantages compared toits predecessors, the most prominent being that trains can safelyrun much closer together thus increasing capacity. Also, just assignificantly, the new signalling involves trains communicatingwith each other via radio communications and block centres, andhence line-side signals now become obsolete. In London,moving block signalling is in use on the DLR, the Jubilee line,and most recently the Northern line.

Railway signalling is always evolving with time. This is a resultof well-educated engineers with creativity and ampleexperience. The London Underground’s project managementstrategies allow them to repeatedly execute large scale projectssuccessfully, hence pleasing their customers.

Over the course of my week’s work experience placement atLondon Underground, my view of railway signalling has beentransformed. I used to be a person who considered signalling tobe a ‘black-art’ as many in the industry consider it to be, which isunnecessarily complicated and expensive. I now appreciate thehistory, advancement and principles of railway signalling, andbelieve that it would be an exciting career path to pursue for anyyoung engineer. I will certainly keep up to date with theevolution of railway signalling through the IRSE NEWS.

I would also like to also take this opportunity to thank LondonUnderground for providing me with such an insightful week’swork experience programme, which has benefited me hugely inmy understanding of the applications of engineering.


Figure 4 – A signal obscured by thick fog

Figure 5 – Speed-Distance graphs showing moving block principles

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During July, six graduates from Atkins’ Rail Engineering Projects(REP) business got the opportunity to learn more about theintricacies of signalling at the Great Cockcrow Railway in Surrey.The week-long challenge, saw the graduates complete a rangeof activities designed to test their knowledge and develop theirskills as signalling engineers.

The graduates, Stewart Thomas, Ian Yan, Dhanya Srivathsan,Keith Upton, Michael Bastow and Matt Wells arrived at therailway on day one to find that they were going to be in chargeof running it. With a 7¼” (~184 mm) gauge track and miniature

locomotives at their disposal, the six IRSE young membersstarted learning the ins and outs of the two main routes, whichwere signalled by a mixture of colour light and semaphoresignals.

John Alexander and his team of Great Cockcrow Railwayvolunteers showed them the ropes as they learnt to operate therailway from each of the three full size signal boxes, using bothmechanical and power lever frames. The volunteers then handedover control to the novices. Once in the driver’s seat, thegraduates were tasked with providing their mentors with a safe

Grads and SPADs at the Great Cockcrow Railway


THE GREAT COCKROW RAILWAY

journey around the railway while keeping the volunteers’ prizedlocomotives in good condition.

The graduates undertook a number of different exercises asthey learnt the art of signalling. Two Signal Passed At Danger(SPAD) scenarios were staged, which the graduates investigated.They went about this by conducting interviews with thoseinvolved and analysing the evidence they gathered. The firstscenario involved a train departing a station and passing thestarting signal at danger, which they found to be due to drivererror. The second involved a moving train passing a red signal

and was found to be due to the assistant signaller incorrectlysetting the signal to danger while the train was passing. Later onin the day an erroneous signaller’s panel indication was staged,the graduates then investigated the circumstances and testswere carried out upon the routes to determine the cause. It wasa busy day on the Great Cockcrow Railway!

To end the week, the graduates returned to the office, wherethey gave presentations to their mentors and guests, fromAtkins’ QSE team and the Network Rail Signalling Design Group.The graduates spoke about the challenges they faced during the

Group photo of the Atkins graduates, their managers and the Great Cockrow railway volunteers at the end of their week on the Great Cockrow Railway

week, the solutions they came up with to solve them and whatthey had learnt. During the presentation the graduates receivedsome useful feedback and plenty of invaluable advice.

Speaking about his experience at the Great CockcrowRailway, Stewart Thomas said “I learnt a lot during the week, itwas great to have the freedom to do things which we would notnormally get to do on a live railway such as operating asignalling system and investigate the workings through trial anderror. I can now apply the knowledge I have gained from beinginvolved in this challenge to major projects that I am currentlyworking on for Atkins”.


Three of the Atkins graduates (Matthew Wells, Stewart Thomas and Keith Upton) waiting at a signal whilst travelling on a Great Cockrow freight train (pulled by'7900' 'Modified Hall' class 4-6-0 no 7915, 'Mere Hall', 1952, BR Brunswick Green)

Keith Upton interviewing the signallers in the Hardwick signal box after aSPAD occurred at Hardwick Central station

Three of the graduates (Michael Bastow, Dhanya Srivathsan and Ian Yan) andPaul Mann awaiting their passenger train to leave Hardwick Central station(pulled by Hawthorn Leslie 0-6-0ST 'Buttercup' no 10, 1987, Stewart & LloydsYellow)

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When analysing railway safety from the most of Europeanrailways, it seems almost naïve thinking in a case where a partialcompliance with safety standards, like CENELEC, would beacceptable. Or even the use of different approaches, non-regulated, in order to demonstrate safety (using scatteredrequirements from the standards, like the Safety Integrity Levelconcept). Theoretically this should not be possible, although, thisis the practical common sense in several different countries.

The technological complexity of railway systems is increasing,and this is nothing new. In this new reality, we all have to adapt.The usual practice long ago, to hire an independent entity tocarry out full safety analysis of the equipment or system is nolonger a feasible approach. This approach, inherited from themilitary process, more dedicated to reliability and availabilitythan safety, is based on the hypothesis that calculations basedon some database information, and straightforward punctualfailure analysis would lead to a safety system. And even if itwere feasible before, it still would not be effective on theintegrated complex modern technology in these systems.Moreover, responsibility for operating authorisation with the enduser becomes increasingly stringent.

This situation has been identified by the internationaltechnical community since the late '80s, reflected in internationalEuropean standards (CENELEC) and (IEC and other organisation)developed and issued in the early 90s, and now consolidated inpractice. Several countries have already established them as therules of their national systems of regulation.

In general, these standards establish requirements governingexecution of two parts of a supply from the beginning of theproject:

a) There is a set of requirements to be met throughout thelife cycle of the product – equipment or system. Inparticular, there are requirements to be met by thesupplier – the development, verification & validation,manufacturing, installation and commissioning of supply,all actions from design to commissioning and delivery tothe organisation that will operate and maintain thisproduct;

b) There is another set of requirements that establish the"evaluation" or "assessment" of the process performedby the supplier and the outcome of this process –documents and records, assessment that has to be carriedout by independent entity, qualified for this. Accordinglyalso to specific processes, equally regulated (ISO 17065,for instance).

Finally, this review is the "proof" of clearance for operation ofsupplied system, with the end user audience.

The practice is including formal qualification for entities thatperform the review, part (b), mainly requiring expertise intechnological area of the equipment and systems in question,

and very tightly to examine the independence both technicallyand in terms of conflicts interests of these entities. At the sametime, are required to be recognised and respected the authorityof the entity by pointing nonconformities in meeting therequirements applicable to the supply of the product as well astechnical inconsistencies in meeting the safety requirements atany point in the supply chain process. And the sooner thesecaveats are identified and pointed, the lower the cost and timeto fix them or delete them, as well as smaller negativeimplications on the final product, and ensure sufficientconfidence in the security of the system to allow operation withthe user audience.

Again, in countries where the adoption of the standards isregulated by laws, it is not an option to do it in a different way.But, what’s the case of places where no regulation agency isresponsible for the authorisation to operate? In most of thesecases, the supplying specification is a patchwork, with so manyinformation, that come from so many different sources, that thefull compliance is almost impossible due the inconsistences orcontradictions presented in the specs. Moreover, as it’s known inrailway and other domains, the latency to change is enormousand the fear of applying a sort of “new” regulations prevents theact of a step forward in the direction of a homogeneousdevelopment toward a safety system.

The question in the air is, how we, from the Institution ofRailway Signal Engineers, could help in these cases? And, is thehomogeneous rules, as for example, defined for ERTMS systems,the solution in all the cases?


OBVIOUS EXPLANATION

A theoretical obvious explanation that’s not so obviousin practiceBy Aryldo G RUSSO JR – MIRSE

Project Manager - CERTIFER [email protected]

Engineering Council RegistrationsBrown S Final Eng Tech registrationLail I Final IEng registrationPhilbin L Final CEng registrationSykes J Final CEng registration

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Every few years the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE)organises an international conference on the themes of …

Automation, Signalling, Performance,Equipment, Control, Telecommunications.

The last ASPECT conference in 2012 was attended by 250delegates representing 24 different countries, and 33 paperswere presented – all of these are now available to view on openaccess in the knowledge area of the IRSE web site. The nextASPECT will take place on 15-16 September 2015 at the usualvenue, the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre at Westminsterin the heart of London. The date has been chosen tocomplement the IRSE Convention in Australia in June, giving analternative attraction for Europeans who can not afford the timeand expense of getting to Australia, and for Australians who aremissing the annual international travel opportunity they expectto get from the Convention.

The unique feature of ASPECT compared to other eventsorganised by the IRSE is that it is an opportunity for anyone toput themselves forward as a speaker on a topic of their choicerelevant to railway signalling, control and communications. TheIRSE issues a “Call for Papers” and prospective presenters

respond with a 500 word abstract of their chosen topic. TheASPECT organising committee then puts together theconference programme by making a selection from the papersthat have been offered.

This approach means that the quality and balance of theconference programme is crucially dependent on having plentyof interesting papers to choose from, and this is where we needYOUR help. Presenting a paper at ASPECT is a fantasticnetworking experience, you get free admission to theconference, and your paper appears on the IRSE web site as apermanent record. If you can’t think of a topic to presentyourself, then what about colleagues, customers or supplierswho might have something to offer? They do not have to beIRSE members, the Call for Papers is open to all – in fact wewould especially welcome offerings from railway operations andengineers in other disciplines.

So go to the IRSE web site at www.irse.org/aspect ,download the registration form and complete it and return [email protected] by 1 November. The organising committee islooking forward to being inundated with good quality proposalsfrom all around the world.

The 2014 Railway SystemsSuppliers Inc. (RSSI) exhibitionheld at the Gaylord OprylandConvention Center in Nashville,Tennessee on 21 – 23 May wasthe site of the Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) of the NorthAmerican Section (NAS) of theIRSE. In addition, technicalpresentations were provided tothe RSSI attendees as a serviceprovided by the NAS.

The NAS AGM was held following the closing of the last dayof the RSSI exhibition. The AGM hosted the regular business ofthe Section, and followed the agenda below:

• Introduction; • Safety Moment;• IRSE Overview – W. J. Scheerer;• Remarks from the IRSE President;• Council Award presented by the IRSE President;• Annual General Meeting: Call to Order/Quorum Count;• Approval of minutes of the AGM held in 2012;• Voting by Anyone Who has not Voted Prior to the Meeting;• Other Matters Arising;• Election Results;• Adjourn.

The NAS was fortunate to have the IRSE President ChristianSevestre and his wife Nina attending the meeting. IRSE NorthAmerican Country Vice President W. J. “Bill” Scheerer, spokeabout the purpose of the IRSE and the benefits of IRSEmembership.

ASPECT 2015 – Call for Papers


IRSE MATTERS

IRSE NORTH AMERICAN SECTION 2014 Activities

Those present were also engaged by remarks from IRSEPresident Sevestre. He spoke about the challenges facing ourindustry in the coming years and his commitment to the

Country Vice President Bill Scheerer Speaking on the benefits of IRSEmembership.

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A presentation of the Merit Award was made to NAS secretaryGary Young. The Merit Award is given to an individual who hasdemonstrated outstanding service to the IRSE. Gary wasnominated and found to be a fitting recipient of the awardhaving been the Secretary of the NAS for the last several years.

He also stressed the importance of mentoring as a means ofinteresting young people in the challenges of our industry.

Both presentations were well attended and promise tobecome a popular attraction at coming RSSI exhibitions.

On December 6, the IRSE will host a short series ofpresentations in Toronto, Canada at the Toronto Railway Club.This will occur just prior to the Railway Club’s annual dinner atthe Royal York Hotel. The NAS page on the IRSE web site willhave listings of the speakers, and the Section thanks JohnLeonardo for organising this event. It is the third event in thisseries and we expect to continue with this format in the future.Last year’s meeting was attended by over 90 visitors, and helpsto increase our membership. Specific details are listed below.

IRSE –Toronto Christmas MeetingEVERYONE WELCOME

3:00-5:00 pm –Friday December 5, 2014

Toronto Royal York Hotel - For additional information, contact:[email protected]

We are also working towards a similar format of presentationat other sites in the coming months. Please check our web pagefor details as they become available.

The AGM and Conference meeting room was graciouslyprovided by the Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc, who alsoprovide the NAS with booth space at the annual RSSICommunications and Signal Exhibition and Product Show. Manyinformation packets and book orders were passed out during thetwo day event, and the members wish to thank the individualsthat volunteered their time to man the booth. A special thanks toVic Babin and Rob Burkhardt for setting up the booth andorganising our efforts there.

The presentations will be available on the IRSE NAS webpage for download at:http://www.irse.org/nearyou/publicnam/namericansection.aspx.

The North American Section (NAS) was formed on May 24,2002 to support the goals of the Institution in North America.The NAS presently has over 50 members, and is encouragingrailroad communication and signal professionals to join. Whileprospective NAS members must also be members of the IRSE,the NAS Local Committee would be pleased to offer assistanceto anyone interested in the applying for the benefits ofmembership with their application. NAS membership at presentis free. IRSE membership is available at several levels, fromAssociate to Fellow with appropriate membership fees.Information on IRSE and NAS membership can be found atwww.irse.org.

North American Section officers are:

David Thurston, PhD, P.E., FIRSE, Chairman NAS SectionVice President Rail-SystemsParsons Transportation Group1601 Market Street, 9th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19103Tel: (215) 606-2365; Fax: (215) 567 1581E-mail: [email protected]

Robert Burkhardt, MIRSE, Vice Chairman NAS SectionPresident ISIS Rail6200 Fegenbush LaneLouisville, KY 40228E-mail: [email protected]


encouragement of cooperation amongst all the sections toassure the dissemination of information for the betterment of theindustry as a whole.

During the exhibition hours of the RSSI Product Show, Technicalpresentations were held within the Innovation Theatre on thefloor of the exhibition. Two presentations were made; one byJoe Zerzan concerning Southern California Regional RailAuthority’s (SCRRA) Positive Train Control (PTC) program and itssuccessful running of their first PTC interoperable train, and asecond by Richard Moura of GO Transit identifying thechallenges of attracting young people to the signallingprofession and measures that can be taken to make signalling ameaningful career choice to these individuals.

Joe Zerzan addressed the challenges of interoperability in acorridor where SCRRA operations are mixed with traffic of boththe Union Pacific Railroad and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

He also discussed the fact that the vendor originally taskedwith the provision of a new Computer Aided Dispatchingplatform was unable to meet the requirements of the projectwhich forced SCRRA to go with another vendor.

Richard Moura described an analytical approach toidentifying the core talents needed in the signalling industry andfurther identifying alternative programs, both in the universitiesand technical colleges that might meet the needs of the industry.

IRSE President Christian Sevestre speaking on IRSE unity.

Council Member Rob Burkhardt Presenting the Merit Award to Gary Young

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This year the Midland and North Western Section went a little offterritory for its annual steam luncheon on Saturday 28 June2014, with a sell-out crowd of members and their familiestravelling to Keighley in West Yorkshire for the occasion. TheCommittee can take comfort, however, from the fact that the 4 mile 75 chain (8 km) long Keighley and Worth Valley Railway(K&WVR) was a vested as a branch of the Midland Railway from1881, when they purchased the line to stop the rival GN fromextending their line from Queensbury.

There is a target of commissioning the installation in time for therailway’s 50th anniversary in 2018. The line is mostly single andoperated using key token machines and Annett’s Key forunlocking the ground frames.

The building of the line was funded by local mill owners andfirst opened on 15 April 1867 to serve many woollen mills thathad been established in the valley, most of which have nowclosed and been demolished. The mills needed hundreds oftons of coal each week to generate steam, which in turnpowered the looms. The products generated were then shippedout to the markets by rail. Demonstrating that there is nothingnew in the industry, The Midland Railway won a franchise to runtrains from Oxenhope to the junction at Keighley from where thefinished goods joined services running to Bradford or Leeds tothe south or towards Skipton in the north.

After being purchased by The Midland Railway, thenbecoming part of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in1924 and British Railways in 1948, the line between Keighley andOxenhope was eventually closed in 1962 as it had becomeuneconomical to run. However, it was not long after that apreservation society formed of local railway enthusiasts startedto make plans to re-open the line. They finally achieved theirgoal when it re-opened to passenger traffic on 29 June 1968.

The line is famous for many scenes in film and television, notless so than The Railway Children, released in 1971 (starringJenny Agutter, Dinah Sheriden, Bernard Cribbins, Sally Thomsettand Gary Warren). Station scenes at Oakworth and the famous‘landslide’ scene at Mytholmes Tunnel were very much evidentthroughout the film. An episode of Yanks Go Home was filmedat Haworth in 1976 and an episode of Last of The Summer Winewas filmed on the line where Compo, Foggy and Clegg try tostop a runaway train. Thankfully there was not quite so muchexcitement on the day of our visit!

Annual Steam Lunch – Keighley & Worth Valley RailwayBy Ian Bridges


MIDLAND & NORTH WESTERN SECTIONPictures by Ian Allison and Ian Bridges

Keighley Signal box under construction

As members and their families assembled at Keighley station,there was an opportunity to visit the ‘new’ K&WVR signal boxthat will eventually control the station area, replacing the existingground frame. A Midland type 2a design, built in 1884 it, thebuilding came to the railway from Shipley Bingley Junction nearLeeds. Bruce McDougall kindly gave a presentation about itshistory and how the signalbox with its 32 levers will soon fit intothe overall signaling system for the railway.

The new 32 leverframe assembledinside Keighley signalbox. The Railway’sS&T Engineer, BruceMacDougall standsalongside

All are ready for lunch and eager for departure

As has become traditional at the annual lunch, the outgoingChairman of the section presents the Chairman’s Trophy to aworthy recipient who has contributed to the industry, theM&NWS or the IRSE in general. This year Ian Fury presented thetrophy to Matthew Lupton for his services to the IRSE,

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particularly in the field of training of others and his work with theExamination Committee. Following this, a second presentationwas made by Past President David Weedon. A well deservedIRSE Merit Award was awarded to the M&NWS Secretary, BillRedfern, for his many years of service in various capacities for thesection (see separate article).


Presentation of the Chairman’s Trophy.

Big Jim ready to take the strain on the uphill climb out of Keighley.

IRSE MERIT AWARD – Bill Redfern

The award is made by the Council to a volunteer or staffmember anywhere in the world to recognise meritoriousservice to the Institution. Meritorious service is defined asmaking a substantial contribution to the Institution’s work overa period of time by organising activities, or carrying outspecific tasks which have furthered the Institution’s aims andobjectives.

On behalf of the IRSE Council and the Midland and NorthWest Section David Weedon, immediate past president, wasvery pleased to present Bill with the IRSE Merit Award forservices to the Section and the wider IRSE.

David told the assembled group, or at least those whocould hear over the noise of the steam loco beside him on theplatform at Keighley, that he had first met Bill in about 1984when nearly at the end of the BR sponsored student trainingscheme, during a three month period at Trafford Park. Whilstprimarily working with the SSI development, he had thechance to go with Bill and see the new Maglev at BirminghamAirport. That seems a long time ago but was the sort ofinteresting collaborative development project that waspossible at that time.

That was with GEC General Signal which was to remain atTrafford Park for quite a few years longer, however, when theend had come, at the end of 1999 Bill became a Director ofthe newly formed Park Signalling where he has been eversince, when not being a volunteer on the Talyllyn Railway.

It was in 1993 that Bill became a member of the M&NWSection Committee, becoming Vice Chairman and thenChairman in the following years. He has been on theCommittee continuously since 1993 and for the last 15 yearshas been Secretary. In 2002 he received the M&NW Section Chairman’sTrophy for his services and it was a pleasure to present himwith the Merit Award on behalf of the whole Institution.

Our thanks go to Bill for all he has done for the IRSE andwill continue to do in the future, on behalf of the Council, theM&NW Section and the Institution as a whole.

Once the formalities were completed, it was all aboard anddeparture for Oxenhope in our reserved coach with a sumptuousbuffet lunch and drinks. The train was hauled by SteamLocomotive No. 5820 ‘Big Jim’, which has seen active service inBritain, France and Poland, ending up at the K&WVR in 1977.Such was the amount of food and drink to consume; two returnjourneys were necessary for most of the party – a noble effort.

Presentation of the IRSE Merit Award.

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Dames Junction Signal Box. Dames Station Signal Box.

SCOTTISH SECTION

ADVANCE NOTIFICATION – IRSE Scotland Annual DinnerIt is the time of year again when the Scottish Section have the pleasure of inviting members to take a place at the IRSE Scottish SectionAnnual Dinner on Thursday 13 November 2014. This is now firmly established as the largest annual rail event in Scotland, whilstretaining an informal and friendly atmosphere. The dinner will be served at 20:00 with guests assembling in the bar area from about19:30 following the lecture in the adjacent room.

Continuing from previous years’ successful events, we are holding the dinner in the Marriott Hotel, Argyle Street, Glasgow, followingthe November IRSE lecture (“East Coast Mainline ETCS”). We are grateful to Jacobs UK Ltd. for their financial support for this year’sevent, without which we would struggle to hold the ticket prices at the realistic levels previously enjoyed by members and their guests.

Ticket prices for IRSE members (all grades including retired members) and licence holders have been fixed at £24 per person with aspecial rate of £18 for Younger Members. Owing to the near sell-out numbers attending last year, you are urged to respond soonerthan the closing date of 31st October 2014 to avoid disappointment.

If you would like to attend the Annual Dinner, please contact Peter Allan, Events Co-ordinator. Companies wishing to take a table atthe event should also contact Peter for a separate Corporate Booking form.

Should you require any further information, please call Peter on 0141 242 8666 or email [email protected]

A period view at Oakworth Station.

Big Jim upon arrival at Oxenhope

The Section wishes to thank Radharani Rail and Park Signallingfor their very kind sponsorship of the event, enabling costs to bekept to an affordable level for family groups. Thanks also go tothe Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for their hospitality andexcellent service.

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A 23 May IRSE Swiss Section conference in Bern addressed the CENELEC standards for signalling – including weaknesses, strengths,past and future improvements and the roles of personal responsibility and common sense in interpreting and using the standards as thebasis for affordable, simple and safe systems.

Markus Schneider of Siemens Switzerland’s signalling development department described the long effort to combine the largelynational standards before 2000 into the European CENELEC standards (see box).

Where are the CENELEC standards going?Report by George Raymond


SWISS SECTION CONFERENCE

Austrian experts helped review CENELEC at a Swiss Section conference on 23 May 2014. ÖBB Railjet in Zurich; photo Hans and Jeanny De Rond, 2009.

Main European railway standards for signallingEN 50126-1:1999: The specification and demonstration of reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS).

EN 50128:2011: Software for railway control and protection systems. Replaced 2001 version.

EN 50129:2003: Safety-related electronic systems for signalling. Replaced 1998 version.

EN 50159:2010: Safety-related communication in transmission systems. Replaced 2001 version.

ONLY THE BIBLE IS THE BIBLEIRSE Swiss Section president Markus Montigel pointed out that the CENELEC standards should not be seen as a Bible. “Only the Bibleis the Bible”, he said. EN 50126 leaves room for interpretation by warning that its application should be flexible and effective in termsof size, complexity and cost. The standards are also inconsistent: checking fulfilment of “specified requirements” is the job ofverification in EN 50126 and of validation in EN 50128.

Mr Montigel called CENELEC a helpful resource to be used reasonably and sensibly. Designers should assume personalresponsibility, apply common sense and seek to implement a cheaper or simpler – and perhaps safer – system than CENELEC seems tospecify.

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WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHSKurt Preisinger of notified body Arsenal Race in Vienna described his experience with systems in the whole range of CENELEC safetyintegrity levels (SILs). Dangerous situations can arise once every 1000 hours in SIL 0 and once every 10 thousand million (1010) hours inSIL 4. Risk analysis yields the appropriate “tolerable hazard rate” and SIL for each application based on factors such as stoppingdistances for main lines, shunting and tramways. CENELEC’s RAMS standards recognise that unreliability leads to dangerous manualfall-back methods. The focus of the standards is traceability, and on how instead of what.

Like the Bible, Mr Preisinger said, the CENELEC standards have internal contradictions. These are unavoidable when many interestsare involved. The standards define process roles clearly, but people’s corresponding qualifications only vaguely. The standards’ level ofdetail and strictness is inconsistent. The texts contain many “softeners” and use examples that seem to be the rules themselves butrequire interpretation. He expected future versions of the standards to be more strict and detailed.

In order to draw practical support from CENELEC, Mr Preisinger said, you must adapt the standard to your process and not viceversa. You need to understand the purpose of the standard and be able to interpret it sensibly.

Mr Preisinger also described the standards’ strengths. They place safety before cost and time pressures. Their four-eye principleblocks a reasoning error by just one person. The phase model with intermediate checks prevents chaos. Documentation ensures thatthe product and processes are reproducible.

The standards also offer other benefits: transferability and reusability of processes and project structures; extension of thestandards’ coverage to new systems on the basis of experience; cross-acceptance between countries; and comparability of solutions ofequal and neighbouring SILs and with other standards for complex systems. The standards support project, safety and certificationmanagement. Although they seem to generate more work, complexity and functionality, this often reflects the greater complexity oftoday’s systems. The standards may ultimately save time and money by revealing problems early in the life cycle. Workload can bereduced by using hierarchical document structures, cross-references and IT tools that may ultimately eliminate huge paper printouts.

EN 50126: RAMS

Mr Schneider of Siemens said that the first version of EN 50126 from 1999 explained key terms, defined RAMS management and its lifecycle, and addressed risk acceptance criteria, which triggered discussion. But its very general handling of risk and safety integrityneeded much interpretation. For Mr Schneider, the next version of EN 50126 needs to cover risk management analogously to theEuropean Common Safety Method and make RAMS subordinate to the central notion of risk, as is usual for example in the machine-making industry and medical technology.

Markus Hirt of Thales Switzerland described using EN 50126-1 for RAMS management in a non-homogeneous railway project: theGotthard base tunnel. The project has linked EN 50126-1’s RAMS phases to milestones and payments for subcontractors. The 1999version of EN 50126-1 had no rules for the structure of a safety case, so they used EN 50129’s structure. The preliminary 2012 versionof EN 50126-1 now specifies such a structure. Whereas the phase model of the 1999 version foresaw no corrections until installationshad entered service, the draft 2012 version has many more feedback loops into risk analysis and previous phases and even back to thebasic concept.

For Mr Hirt, the astronomical safety goals of EN 50126-1, which prescribe no dangerous situations “until the sun stops shining”, saynothing more than “perfectly safe”. How can you judge a component’s failure rate without statistical experience? EN 50126-1 forcesyou to assume a risk reduction that is hard to justify or to demonstrate in operations. Following EN 50126-1 to the letter doesn’tnecessarily make an implementation safe. The standard provides only weak support for safety management, and its application isneither self-explanatory nor can it be taught. Only competent employees can master it.

EN 50128: Software for railway control and protection systems

Mr Schneider of Siemens said that the original 2001 version of EN 50128 focused on avoiding or reducing systematic mistakes insoftware development, i.e. on software quality assurance. It introduced specific rules, roles and responsibilities. But it had no errormodel for software writing. Implicitly based on the waterfall model, EN 50128 didn’t mention newer development and testing methodsalready known at the time. It created a need to explain the conformity of new methods for software development and qualityassurance, which in turn requires finding people familiar with the state of technology in 2001. The standard also placed too littleemphasis on the personal responsibility of the person in each role.

Mr Schneider said that the 2011 version of EN 20128 is more detailed and strict than the 2001 version. But the 2011 version doesnot make clear which faults in current practice it seeks to correct. The 2011 version has rules for each phase, including an explicit linkto verification; extension to more roles; explicit process descriptions; additional phases and new topics such as tooling; and last but notleast a better chapter structure. But verification duties have become much more extensive in the 2011 version and additional roles blurresponsibilities and hamper an overall view. The new versions of EN 50126 and 50129 should leave more room for interpretation andavoid the new perfectionism in EN 50128.

Nowadays, Mr Schneider said, people are ever more averse to risk and try to mitigate it with more rigid rules. But projects requirenot just perfect rules and formalism but also individual responsibility, trust and room in which to find solutions that are both innovativeand free of errors.

Werner Schütz of Thales Austria said that the 2011 version of EN 50128 better distinguishes two key concepts, roughly summarisedas follows:

• Verification checks that the results (process, documentation, software or application) of a phase fulfil requirements in terms ofcompleteness, correctness and consistency;


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• Validation checks that an object (process, documentation, software or application) fulfils user needs, particularly for safety andquality.

The 2011 version defines a new quality management process at a higher level. Verification and validation are now based on a numberof interrelated roles, including developer, tester, integrator, verifier, validator, project manager, safety manager and configurationmanager. In smaller projects, one person able to simultaneously fulfil several of these roles may be hard to find. One danger is limitingverification to documents while neglecting project results. EN 50128 now explicitly refers to testing, which is the most importantverification method. Mr Schütz recommended performing validation throughout the project and not just at the end.

EN 50128 now also prescribes classifying an organisation’s tools into three categories:

• T1 tools that don’t affect the code or data, even indirectly;

• T2 tools that help test or verify a product’s safety, and could fail to detect errors, but can’t introduce them and;

• T3 tools that contribute to the code or data, even indirectly.

In order to meet EN 50128’s tooling requirements, Thales Austria has created an overview that shows the selection arguments andjustification for each tool and conditions for its use. To use the tool, each project must then prove these conditions are fulfilled. Forissues such as tool qualification, coordination would be possible with other standards, but this could lead to the “consulting industry”that has arisen in automobile manufacturing.

Mr Schütz said the new version of EN 50128 brings additional work due to the new level of verification and more documentation ofchecks. But test organisation remains the same. He said the standard needs to be made clear for people who are not standardsspecialists.

EN 50129: Safety-related electronic systems for signalling

Mr Schneider of Siemens said that EN 50129, whose latest version dates from 2003, addresses electronic (not relay) railway signallingsystems and functional safety and is applicable from SIL 1 to 4. It defines main concepts such as the safety case. A weakness is that EN50129 copied the role model from 50128, but without stating tasks and responsibilities. The next version of EN 50129 shouldadditionally address IT security; procedural safety; COTS cross-acceptance for SIL levels (in relation to EN 61508 for example); differentSIL levels on the same computer; large systems versus small components; and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

DISCUSSIONDiscussion with the audience yielded these comments:

• Specific rules are required for the more complex responsibilities in bigger projects. More people mean many more interfaces;

• Some people just try to follow the standards and “turn off their brains“;

• You always must leave people some freedom of movement;

• Complete compliance with CENELEC is economically impossible;

• All project participants must apply the CENELEC standards from the start. You mustn’t wait until the Swiss Federal Office ofTransport (FOT) tells you the project has to conform to CENELEC. But the FOT has helped projects find practical solutions for thestandards’ implementation.

PRESIDENT’S CLOSING COMMENTSMarkus Montigel said that since its May 2011 founding, the IRSE Swiss Section has acquired eight corporate members and grownindividual membership from 33 to 57. Upcoming Swiss Section events include the Gotthard Base Tunnel in September 2014, SchweizerElectronic in November 2014 and the 2018 Convention.

The author thanks the conference speakers for reviewing this article.


ON THE MOVE

Russell Gell appointed as Engineering DirectorFollowing the organisational changes made towards the end of last year, DEG Signal has appointed RussellGell as its new Engineering Director.

Russell joins us from a leading role at London Underground, with a long and rich background of more than25 years of experience of railway signalling, with 15 of those years spent in the metro environment.

The position is part of the new structure of the company and will lead improvements in quality, processes and assurance and itexpands our consultancy capability. Russell's detailed knowledge of the metro market will help us to understand and better supportthe astonishing growth in capacity and level of service that LU has been implementing year on year.

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It is 20:23 Monday 28 July and after a spirited run from EustonSquare, I have resigned myself to the fact that I have missed the20:24 train home. Angry text from my wife aside, I am prettysweaty. Yuk.

Why were you in the office late, I hear the interested (or not)readers think to themselves. IRSE Exam preparation, that is why.Three hours of further study, after work, on two exams to be satin a little over eight weeks.

As many of you know, Younger Members (and some of thosewith a few more grey hairs) must sit four (of the seven) IRSEProfessional Examination’s to gain full Member status within ourinstitution. While this piece is primarily focused on those eagerto commit to sitting those exams, it also serves to highlight allthat has to be juggled for those who sat the exams many moonsago.

I am pretty lucky, having completed an employer-sponsoredMSc in Broadband and High Speed Communications Networks, Iapplied for, and secured, an exemption from sitting Module 4 -Communications.

I sat Module’s 1 and 7 in 2009 without a great deal ofpreparation and remarkably only failed Module 1. I apologiseprofusely to the poor soul who marked my paper; not even a'nearly pass' in Safety, of all subjects. In light of the above, I onlyhave two more to pass. Only.

The IRSE Exam is a big deal. The syllabus requires bothbreadth & depth. Having been involved in Younger Memberactivities (currently as Chair) I have grown accustomed to theexaminers asking us all to 'READ THE QUESTION!' Do notunderestimate the effort required to sit these papers. Youhonestly cannot 'wing it' unless you have had significantexperience in a relevant field. Do not believe sitting a few pastexams followed by 'a bit of reading' will get you through. Thesepapers require serious exam technique because unlike otherexams, these employ time pressure knowingly, to separate thosewho have studied and those who are kidding themselves.

I do not doubt your intelligence fellow reader, but you areunlikely to pass these papers without knowledge and practice.

So how am I going about passing this coming October?Preparation. It is absolutely essential. The subject matter in theIRSE exams is a minefield. While comprehensive, the examsyllabus is genuinely bewildering. There is too much of it to beof any real use. I did not know where to start and gave up fortwo weeks, it was the World Cup after all. Reassuringly, thismatter has been fed back and action is being taken by therelevant committees, but until then fellow student, hard luck.Work. Study. Practice. Love.

Love? How does that help? My secret weapon, Love. And ifyou find anything like it, you will immediately know and makebest use of it. Love. Woodbridge. Nicholson. Dakin.

In our community, there are some amazing people. If you haveno idea what I am talking about, you are not networkinganywhere near enough. Get in contact;[email protected]. These people leave me in awe,

because they offer tremendous amounts of their personal timeand experience, and fellow reader, these are things money justcannot buy. Well, actually, they are about £1000 a day, which toa Younger Member I am sure you will agree is out of reach,assuming you get hold of them.

Register. Pay. Plan. Practice. Socialise. Practice. Read.Practice. Events. Web Forums. Exam.

Why am I doing this? Why am I choosing to spend less timewith my wife every Monday night? I actually lose a letter aftermy name in achieving my aim. I am also pretty certain to losemy place on Council. Preparing for this exam is thoroughlyenjoyable, the subjects we discuss with love is what I got intoengineering for. Fukushima. A380 jets. C-Stock stoppingpatterns. Moorgate. SelTrac. Human Factors. Fault Trees.Concorde failure modes (think about that when travelling atMach 2.0).

It is not all good news. A few years back, YM put together aModule 1 and 7 study day. We attracted 70+ registrants and Ithink it was by far the most useful IRSE event I have ever beenon; it got me my pass in Module 7. This year, the YM committeeelected to put together a similar session, expecting 50+candidates based on the popularity of our most recent events.

We got seven.

According to some in the know, there is an influx ofregistrants for the exams this year. I saw the results from lastyear, let us just hope these people know more about FMECA,Safety Cases & Risk Assessments than I do, because, well, theycannot claim they were not warned.


YOUNGER MEMBERS

Unmitigated single point failure - IRSE ExamFiras Al-Tahan, Chairman of the Younger Members

EUROPEAN RAILWAYAGENCY

The European Railway Agency has just published its latestReport of Safety – Railway Safety Performance in the EU.This sizable 84 page report analyses safety performance ofrailways in the EU, and includes countless diagrams andpie-charts detailing the statistics, 2012 being the last yearconsidered. Far too many to describe here, but the UK issecond best in the analysis of deaths and serious injuries.Perversely, on the other hand the UK is second worse inthe percentage of tracks fitted with Automatic TrainProtection – a rather strange correlation.

Rather worrying is the total number of wrong-sidefailures in the year 2012 – 472.

The Report may be accessed by following the linksfrom [email protected]


RECRUITMENTTo advertise call Andrew: +44(0)208 652 5214 e-mail: [email protected]


MEMBERSHIP MATTERSADMISSIONSWe have great pleasure in welcoming the following membersnewly elected to the Institution:

MemberAbdul Wahab R MRT Corporation Sdn Bhd MalaysiaBhattacharyya S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd Indiade Vos P R Verebus Engineering BV NetherlandsFries J GE Transportation USAGilbert M W Network Rail UKJomsoongnern O Parsons Brinckerhoff AustraliaKamila A K Metro Railway IndiaKeates R J Ansaldo STS Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd BotswanaMajumdar S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaMustaffa M MRT Corp MalaysiaPylvänäinen J P MIPRO FinlandSihombing D M Balfour Beatty Ansaldo Systems MalaysiaWarwick JA GHD Australia

Associate MemberAbdul Ghaney H SBS Transit Ltd SingaporeMohamad A H MGBI Malaysia Sdn Bhd MalaysiaSorsimo T J VR Track Ltd FinlandTunley I D Signalling Solutions UK

Accredited TechnicianRound R Atkins UKTucker N P Siemens Rail Automation UK

AffiliateAdenubi A D Cleshar Contractor Service UKAltindal A Atkins UKBandi N Infotech Enterprises Ltd IndiaBej B Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaBhattacharjya K Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaBrewer C Carillion Rail UKBrooksbank S MGB Engineering Ltd UKBuckingham R MGB Engineering Ltd UKBuckler L Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd UKChakraborty A Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaChapple L MGB Engineering Ltd UKChatterjee A Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaChatterjee T Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaDas A K Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaDelaney J Atkins UKDeuty A Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaDutta S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaEvans D J Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways UKEvans J MGB Engineering Ltd UKForth II S C M C Dean USAFuller G I MGB Engineering Ltd UKGhosal S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaGoswami A Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaHall H J Atkins UKHalloran J MGB Engineering Ltd UKHaynes D Balfour Beatty Rail UKHerbert D MGB Engineering Ltd UKHickson J MGB Engineering Ltd UKHutchens D Network Rail UKIzzard K Atkins UKJohny C Siemens Rail Automation UKJones N Siemens Rail Automation UKKandasamy P UGL Limited AustraliaKatiyar V Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd India

Larter A - UKMahanti S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaMcDougall N J - UKMondal K Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaMustard M Findlay Irvine Ltd UKNicol A MGB Engineering Ltd UKParamanik S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaParker J Atkins UKPaul D Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaPillay D Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd AustraliaRedshaw G Siemens UKRiyat S Atkins UKRobinson T Atkins UKRoy S Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaRyan D W Triomf Professional Services AustraliaSelvaraja S Scomi Engineering Bhd MalaysiaSingha K Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd IndiaSmyth J MGB Engineering Ltd UKStanford C Atkins UKSuddapalli V S Siemens Rail Automation UKWells M Atkins UKWelter J Atkins UKWhite J Atkins UKYadav D Radharani Rail Eng Sys Pvt Ltd India

TRANSFERSMember to Fellow

O’Neill M Amey Rail UK

Associate Member to MemberBhujanga Rao N Hyder Consulting India Pvt Ltd IndiaLeung K P Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd Hong KongMiller C P TRIOMF Professional Services AustraliaPillai G A K Railway Project Management Co Saudi ArabiaSyamlal J Railway Project Management Co Saudi Arabia

Affiliated to MemberAppunni S WS Atkins (India) Ltd IndiaCox B M UGL AustraliaParris G J London Underground UKSnelling D Parsons Brinckerhoff AustraliaWalrond N P Boleh Consulting (Aust) Pty Ltd Australia

Accredited Technician to MemberBrammer R A Siemens Rail Automation UKVarghese P Serco Middle East UAE

RESIGNATIONSBaines P D Balmer P Chapman T D RElway S J Fullalove R Hallows J MHanson S Keefe R M Kramer P HRomet J A Saalman J G

RE-INSTATEMENTSParachuri V K

DEATHSIt is with great regret that we have to reportthe death of the following members:Blakey R Methuen R A HNg T Y

Current Membership: 5275

75371 irse news watermark 203.qxd:layout 1 news 203 sep 14 with... · irse news | issue 203 |...

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