Q: Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to the seminar topic?
Bob Tiller, GB Railfreight (BT): As Locomotive Fleet Engineer and Engineering Director, I have been responsible for the supply and design acquisition of a variety of both diesel and electric locomotives and passenger/freight rolling stock over my 45 year career in the railway industry.
Paul Sutherland, Eversholt Rail (PS): I have been in the rail industry for 23 years working for a train operators and latterly a major rolling stock leasing company. During this time my roles have always been focussed on maintenance optimisation delivering improvements in availability, reliability and cost.
David Buckley, Angel Trains (DB): As Head of Fleet at Angel Trains I lead a Fleet team that includes 26 engineers. This comprises of three Fleet Engineering teams, an Engineering Standards team, and a Performance Improvement team. The Fleet team at Angel Trains provides the day-to-day support for all our operators and suppliers with regards to safety, maintenance, and performance.
I joined the Railway in 2001 from automotive sector. During that time, I have been involved in new train introduction, fleet engineering and have managed several maintenance optimisation projects.
Chris Moss, Daniel Hamblin, Hugh Torry, Transport for London (CM, DH, HT): Transport for London (TfL) Vehicles Engineering, LU Rolling Stock Team enable the safe and efficient operation of the railway. As part of this we identify and address inefficiencies that impact Whole Life Costs.
We deliver reactive, and planned works for 9 distinct LU fleets, and provide support for other TfL transport modes all at various stages within their lifecycles.
The maintenance schedule supplied with new trains is recognised as ‘best endeavours’ at the time. After a period of running, the Engineering teams, using data from the asset management system, can build a picture of whole life costs and identify where optimisation can occur and deliver the benefits.
Q: What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for utilising new technologies and innovations in your sector?
BT: Cost, effective maintenance, lack of understanding of the freight sector.
PS: Getting all the stakeholders aligned with a vision and then having the tenacity to push it through.
DB: The biggest roadblock has always been cost. To progress with trialling new technologies this seems to be required to be backed up with a robust business case. Whereby, the technical and cost benefits are to be realised within a defined period.
The benefit of trialling innovation will provide the industry with more solid foundations to build long term business cases. Breaking this barrier will help innovation prosper.
CM, DH, HT: TfL is constantly seeking to improve its services through new technology and procedures. It is vital that we carry out our due diligence in ensuring changes do not have any short term or long term negative impacts, especially around safety, dependability, support and Whole Life Costs.
Q: What key topics are you excited to discuss at the Rolling Stock Whole Life Cost Optimisation seminar?
BT: Understanding how the future can change maintenance perspectives and costs whilst bringing forward availability.
PS: How the approach to whole life cost management has changed with newer and more technological assets.
DB: I am excited to hear about how the strategies used within the industry to understand the approaches being used to optimise maintenance costs.
CM, DH, HT: We’re excited to meet a cross section of engineering excellence to understand the drivers behind Whole Life Costs within other companies and what we can learn from rail and other sectors. Especially around intelligent maintenance.
Q: What would you say are the technologies or applications to watch for the future?
BT: Electric and bi-mode traction.
PS: Over recent years I have been very impressed with the acoustic monitoring technology that has been deployed. Also image processing software for pantographs and OLE has massive potential.
DB: Artificial Intelligence is very much an emerging technology, and it will be very interesting to see how this can be harnessed with interpreting and managing costs going forward.
CM, DH, HT: The top two areas of interest are improved usage of asset on board intelligence and the ability to rapidly reverse engineer items, both supporting Whole Life Costs.
Q: Which other speakers and presentations are you looking forward to hearing at the forthcoming seminar?
BT: Views on the future rail freight strategy.
PS: I am keen to compare and contrast approaches used elsewhere - like the case study in aviation.
DB: The speaker line up is impressive for the event. I am always keen to hear how other industries manage the same issues to see where this can be utilised within the railways.
CM, DH, HT: The different methodologies and techniques that other rail industry stakeholders use to understand and solve the same problems that we all face. There will always be the need to tailor the approach to the organisation, regulatory and certainly budget constraints that we face, but the opportunity to try and improve must always be taken.
Q: Why is it important for engineers and industry to come together at this event and share best practice?
PS: A chance to see practices and approaches used by different parts of the industry and understand that whole life cost management isn’t just about engineering - it requires a joined-up approach across stakeholders on the technical and the contractual matters.
DB: By coming together, we can better understand the joint issues we face with managing Whole Life Costs; if not necessarily reducing it, then reducing silo thinking and coordinate transport solutions.
Engineers understanding what industries are doing on the topic of maintenance optimisation has the potential to allow the norm to be challenged. This can then lead to speeding up the introduction of innovation and an adoption of a new ways of doing things that would benefit the whole railway.
CM, DH, HT: By coming together, we can better understand the joint issues we face with managing Whole Life Costs; if not necessarily reducing it, then reducing silo thinking and coordinate transport solutions.
The Rolling Stock Whole Life Cost Optimisation seminar will be taking place on 9 November 2023 at One Birdcage Walk, London.
Join this seminar to:
- Hear from key engineers and strategic decision-makers in the industry on how to manage rolling stock lifecycle in the most cost-effective manner
- Learn best practice to minimise whole-life costs and simultaneously enhance the reliability, efficiency, and longevity of rolling stock
- Understand the key roles engineers play in efficient rolling stock procurement, replacement, and management
- Accurately assess the near and long-term financial implications of maintenance and procurement decisions
- Understand what the rest of the railway industry is thinking at this pivotal time and, learn how other industries are resolving similar challenges
To book your place, please visit the event website.