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Network Rail: Britain’S Biggest Builder

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Network Rail: Britain’S Biggest Builder IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Network Rail: Britain’s biggest builder See inside for: n Future proofing London Bridge n NR’s new Supply Chain Strategy n The Great North Rail Project n Taking a safety-first approach n Crossrail: Europe’s largest n Getting a GRIP on costs construction project n Investing in people n Delivering value for money n Electrification: the inside story PLUS exclusive interviews and a look ahead to CP6 Foreword Contents ur railways are vital to the UK’s Upgrade Plan, investing £130m every week. the electrification projects at the beginning of the economic growth; creating jobs, Extending platforms, building new stations Control Period (2014/15) tarnished an otherwise XxxxxxxxInterview Training & Skills s Dr Francis Paonessa, Managing Director of Network Rail’s Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects business. building homes and connecting and platforms, building flyovers and new strong record of delivery. Much has been written JACK BOSKETT/RAIL. DELIVERING CHANGING Rising Stars PERCEPTIONS Network Rail is investing heavily in the next generation of communities. Continuing pieces of railway; introducing new technology about how these problems arose, but the main thing CHANGE engineers and project managers, giving them the opportunity to work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in Europe, as Paul Stephen discovers. Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects arm is delivering y providing an exceptional “We’ve had a lot of success in billions of pounds worth of investment in Britain’s railways opportunity to work on some of while undergoing sweeping internal changes to make it more the biggest and most challenging attracting talent from a wider engineering projects in Europe, variety of sectors, bringing high levels of investment in and new signalling; replacing worn out track and is that now we will not enter into projects before efficient. Paul Stephen talks to Dr Francis Paonessa, IP’s Infrastructure Projects (IP) offers a Bhighly attractive career path to some of Britain’s different approaches and Managing Director to discover how the business is changing. most talented young individuals. Each year it receives hundreds of applications to innovative ideas.” ontrol Period 5 (April 2014-March to run on the network - equivalent to a train 87 The way IP delivers this work has undergone its graduate and apprenticeship schemes, where Alison Rumsey, Human Resources Director, Infrastructure Projects 2019) will long be remembered miles long. major changes since 2014, reflecting the wider the intake is equipped with the practical skills and as one of the most transformative With 4,300 employees, IP represents just 12% decentralisation of NR and devolution of greater vocational training needed to build a career in because sharing learning and transferring it from traditional perceptions of working in the rail Control Periods not only for of NR’s total workforce but over two-thirds of powers to its eight geographic Route businesses programme management or engineering. one project to another is an important part of sector. Rather than a heavily labour-intensive s Fjolle Bunjaku Britain’s railways, but also Network its spending power, utilising a supply chain of (plus its virtual Route for freight and national IP passionately believes in investing in its how we deliver.” and unfashionable career choice, IP wants it to CRail itself. over 3,000 suppliers and more than 100,000 passenger operators). National Rail Awards 2017 people to improve the safety, reliability and She adds: “We’ve had a lot of success and be viewed as a powerful vehicle to achieving a our railway are essential if we are to continue junctions; increasing line-speeds and providing understanding the scope and costs; confidence in judging panel member O NR is not just engaged in delivering the individual contractors. IP now operates as a matrix delivery efficiency of the railway. NR has 26 training external recognition for our young talent and the highly accomplished technical or professional biggest programme of UK rail investment organisation, and is aligned with the Route- centres located across the UK, supporting a range projects that they work on, which have won a career in roles including construction engineering Fjolle beat off stiff competition from more than 70 Young Rail for more than a century, but has initiated Grand Scale based structure via four regional delivery teams. of accredited vocational courses. huge range of accolades. It demonstrates what a or project management. Professionals members earlier this year to win one of five places sweeping internal changes that will make it The scale of IP’s construction activity is These operate alongside separate delivery teams It also prides itself on immersing new great place IP is to come and have a career. We “We’re actively trying to change the image that on the 2017 National Rail Awards judging panel. a leaner and fitter organisation. enormous. It spends more than £130 million a for IP’s two largest projects, Thameslink and the entrants in practical front-line roles from the want to use the skills, knowledge and experience jobs in NR are exclusively in the ‘orange army’,” Having joined NR’s project management graduate scheme in Internal restructuring and wholesale week and has more than 15,000 live projects at Great North Rail Project, and specialist teams in very beginning, while offering a wide variety of that they have developed to enhance what we do adds Rumsey. December 2015, she currently works as a project manager in cultural shifts will ensure that NR emerges any one time, including headline programmes track and signalling. placements within different areas of the business. and improve the way we operate.” “We’ve done a lot in the traditional media Development in track renewals. from CP5 as a more commercially-driven such as Crossrail, the Great North Rail Project IP’s Managing Director Dr Francis Paonessa Alison Rumsey, IP’s Human Resources Director, and in social media to try and improve that Fjolle was selected for the NRA due to her strong belief in delivery is essential for investors. and customer focused organisation than and Thameslink. explains: “Some people have a historical view of explains: “We encourage people into our Broader base understanding so that we’re known as a diverse recognising the efforts of other bright stars in the industry for to unlock the potential of our towns and new passenger facilities at stations such as their hard work, and her close involvement in industry-wide the one that existed five years earlier. Annual spend in 2016/17 was over £6bn, where we sit structurally within NR which is no apprentice and graduate schemes to move around IP is also committed to broadening its appeal to organisation and that people can benefit by Playing a leading role is NR’s delivery making IP responsible for delivering 22% of all longer accurate, and needs updating. We’ve done different parts of the business or change career reach all demographic groups. This is not only in line making it their career choice. efforts to encourage more young people to join the rail sector. arm Infrastructure Projects (IP), which is new UK infrastructure. Its total workload has a lot to reposition ourselves within the business, paths if necessary, to tailor the experience to both with NR’s diversity strategy, which aims to tackle “What we’re trying to achieve on the diversity responsible for implementing more than been estimated as the equivalent of delivering and to alter how we interact with the rest of it. their needs and those of the business. female under-representation in the workforce, but side is not just about ethnicity or gender, but £50 billion of enhancements and major an Olympic Stadium every month, but with the “IP sits as its own project management and “We also focus very heavily on giving people also to maximise the pool of talent it attracts. the diversity of thought that comes with their renewals during CP5. added complexity of working in and around an infrastructure delivery organisation, providing structured career paths to keep them in IP, A key part in achieving that aim is to change background and experience. We’ve had a lot of s Lucy Hoyle Ahmed Arteh As a result, by 2019 there will be an operational railway. functional support to the Routes. The common ➜ success in attracting talent from a wider variety Rail Staff Awards 2016 Young Rail Professionals 2017 additional 170,000 seats into major cities IP passionately believes in investing of sectors, bringing different approaches and Graduate of the Year Apprentice of the Year finalist The good news is that the changes we have across the UK and a 30% increase innovative ideas. cities, helping them to grow and to flourish by multi-storey car parks; all aimed at improving, “NR is not just engaged in delivering the in capacity into London at peak in its people to improve the safety, “We’ve recruited people to the IP executive Having studied Geography at University College London, Lucy Ahmed was one of just three finalists shortlisted for this times. Those 170,000 seats equate to biggest programme of UK rail investment team, for example, who aren’t from traditional joined NR’s graduate scheme in September 2015. She was year’s YRP Apprentice of the Year award. Having studied for approximately 142,000 commuting reliability and efficiency of the railway. railway backgrounds, but have great programme nominated for her role in IP’s track transformation team, which a Foundation Degree in Railway Engineering at Sheffield cars, which would cause a three-lane for more than a century, but has initiated management experience in an allied sector. That is responsible for implementing new ways of working within Hallam University, Ahmed joined NR in September 2015.
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