Institution news
Supporting development and innovation towards a safer railway plays an immense part in the engineering role across the UK’s rail industry. For passengers, boarding and alighting the train is the time that they are exposed to the greatest risk of injury, and therefore ensuring that the Platform Train Interface (PTI) is as safe as possible is paramount.
With 2017-18 being the fifth year in a row with more than 4,000 injuries on London Underground, engineers are turning to technology to address the main roadblocks to improve safety nationwide. Elements such as door design, sensors and accessibility equipment are being designed and integrated to mitigate the risk of the uncontrolled factors of boarding and alighting. This is no small feat, particularly when taking into consideration the 1.7 billion train journeys made each year in the UK.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers spoke with Frazer Scott, Systems Safety Manager at Govia Thameslink Railway and chair at our upcoming Platform Train Interfaces seminar.
"[There] is a big question when it comes to managing the risks around the PTI’, Frazer stated. ‘As the industry continues to try to improve the efficiency of the dwell time on stations to enable more passengers to board and alight, the way in which risks are managed remains a key element. The [main] challenge is between safe access from platform to train, and improving performance."
Pressures to improve accessibility for all passengers is also a key issue facing rail operators and engineers, as demand increases nationwide. Most challenges arise when dealing with aging infrastructure, and trying to accommodate this with the design and integration of new and existing rolling stock. ‘A large amount of the current infrastructure is still based on 19th and early 20th century arrangements, which challenges engineers when introducing new rolling stock and trying to open up the network to everyone,’ Frazer explained.
Existing strategies across the rail network to allow passengers to navigate the PTI quickly and safely are being implemented in both rolling stock, and at the train station platforms themselves. Frazer has been involved in leading the safety verification for the introduction of infrastructure and the new Class 700 trains as part of the Thameslink Programme. This includes assessing the risks relating to the PTI, when either extending platforms to accommodate new train services, or when introducing new services to additional routes served by the Class 700.
Finding the balance between safety at the PTI and maintaining performance has many potential solutions, including new technologies, upgrading infrastructure and rolling stock. Frazer let us know his thoughts on where engineers should be prioritising their efforts; ‘the focus has to be on improving accessibility across the network and finding solutions to enable everyone to travel safely throughout the rail system.’
Want to hear more?
Frazer Scott will be chairing the Platform Train Interfaces seminar alongside speakers from Crossrail, HS2, Network Rail, Heathrow Express, Transport for London and others.
Attend the Platform Train Interfaces seminar to:
- Find out how new development projects have improved passenger safety whilst reducing dwell time
- Gain insight on innovations helping passengers “mind the gap” between the train and the platform
- Improve the management of accessibility challenges posed by legacy infrastructure combined with modern train designs
- Meet and discuss solutions with design engineers, fleet performance engineers and heads of safety and human factors
Feedback from the last event:
“This event brought together an extensive range of expertise from across the industry in an environment where wide-ranging and informed discussion was given free rein”
Office of Rail and Road
“A well thought through programme with a good mix of technical and practical issues explained”
Costain