In Business

Well done: Unipart Rail employees are thanked by Siemens representatives.

SIEMENS REWARDS UNIPART

SIEMENS RAIL Systems has awarded Unipart Rail the Customer Focus and Collaboration Award at its Supplier Recognition event.

The award recognises the close relationship between the two companies to support Siemens’ train maintenance activities, and in particular the joint development to integrate a new asset management system into the Siemens warehouse at Doncaster over the past two years.

Unipart has also worked on a joint project with Siemens to introduce a new asset management system, CORMAP, to support the maintenance agreement for the Class 700 EMUs the manufacturer has built for the Thameslink route. The companies collaborated to identify information and data requirements, with Unipart providing significant design, testing and integration of existing and new systems.

The two companies have a 10-year agreement in place for the supply of parts to support the operation of Siemens’ train fleets in the UK.

SEAT MILESTONE

100,000 seats: the number of seats Crewe-based TBM Rail has refurbished for UK operators now exceeds six figures. With a number of industrial dry cleaning units running constantly, the firm is able to clean and replace seat covers quickly, helping to minimise vehicle downtime. Besides cleaning, as seen in this photo, seat foam is assessed and the fire-proof membrane is also checked and replaced where necessary.

Name change for WSP PB

CONSULTANCY FIRM WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff will be changing its name to WSP in May 2017.

The company says the change of name reflects its recent growth to around 36,700 people globally, with 7,100 based in the UK. The new name will cover more than 85 small and mid-sized to large companies that have previously come together. This includes Mouchel Consulting, which was acquired in October 2016, and will become WSP in July when it is fully integrated with the wider business.

ALSTOM TO ACQUIRE NOMAD DIGITAL

ALSTOM HAS signed a purchase agreement for the acquisition of Nomad Holdings, commercially known as Nomad Digital. The Newcastle-based company is presently owned by Amadeus Capital Partners, SEB Venture Capital and Deutsche Telekom Strategic Investments and other investors.

Nomad offers a broad range of applications and ICT solutions to train operators, including provision of on-board Wi-Fi and passenger information systems. The company says it and Alstom share a vision to make the ‘digital train’ a reality, and that Alstom’s heritage and pedigree will enable Nomad to accelerate delivery of that vision.

The transaction was forecast to complete in January, at which time Nomad will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alstom, reporting within the company’s digital mobility division. Alstom will then begin integrating Nomad into its own group; the aim is that Nomad will retain its brand and independent identity. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

IAN ALLAN SELLS TITLES

IAN ALLAN Publishing, the former owner of Modern Railways, has agreed the sale of its transport book titles and the ‘abc’ brand to Crecy Books. The move effectively marks the end of the company’s involvement in transport publishing, having divested its magazine titles to Key Publishing in 2012.

The company says it will continue as a publisher of Masonic books and runs its dedicated bookshops in London and Birmingham, while the Ian Allan Group will continue to develop its other interests, including property, organic retailing and distribution, motor franchises and business travel management.

WABTEC EXPANDS IN MONITORING

WABTEC IS marketing its capabilities in condition monitoring following its acquisition of the Track IQ company 18 months ago. Track IQ was behind the wheel condition monitoring (WCM) installed at Swaythling on the South West Trains network in 2009, which has helped Siemens improve the reliability of its Desiro fleet. The Class 444s topped the Golden Spanners tables in last month’s issue, with the Class 450s close behind.

The WCM system has been complemented by a bearing acoustic monitor (BAM), with both WCM and BAM installed at Mortlake and now on the Paddington approaches as well.

MTU POWER PACKS FOR ‘802s’

ROLLS-ROYCE IS to supply 136 MTU power packs for Great Western Railway’s fleet of 36 Class 802 bi-mode trains.

Of the fleet, 29 trains were ordered by GWR for services between London and Devon and Cornwall, and are due for delivery from 2018. The remaining seven units are for services to Oxford and Bedwyn, and were ordered as part of a reshaping of GWR’s rolling stock strategy following delays to the Great Western electrification programme.

The MTU power pack features the MTU 12V 1600 R80L, a 12-cylinder diesel engine that Rolls-Royce says provides high power density, low consumption and low emissions. The MTU brand is part of Rolls-Royce.

The Hitachi-built trains, which are based on the AT300 platform, are similar to the Class 800/801 Inter-city Express units procured by the Department for Transport for the Great Western and East Coast main lines, for which Rolls-Royce is supplying more than 330 MTU power packs. However, the diesel engines in the ‘802s’ will operate at a higher power rating and the trains will have larger fuel tanks.

KB BUYS VOSSLOH ELECTRICALS

VOSSLOH IS to sell its electrical systems business unit to Knorr-Bremse in a deal valued at €72.5 million. The transaction is expected to be completed during the first quarter of the year, with the transfer taking place on 1 July 2016. The sale has been approved by Vossloh’s supervisory board but is still subject to merger control clearances.

Electrical systems, based in Düsseldorf, is the second of three business units in the Transportation division that Vossloh is selling as part of its strategy of focusing group activities on rail infrastructure. The company sold its rail vehicles business unit, based in Valencia, Spain, to Stadler in 2015 for a cash payment of €48 million. The Transportation division’s remaining business unit, locomotive manufacture based in Kiel in Germany, is now up for sale.

CELEBRITY ‘37’

Oil company sponsorship: one of only four surviving Class 37/7 locos, No 37714, has been painted into a new livery to reflect support from Morris Lubricants, which has supplied products from its Locomax range for the locomotive. Direct Rail Services, which owns the loco, has placed it into the care of the Heavy Tractor Group to operate and maintain it at the Great Central Railway. The loco is likely to tour the country and operate on heritage railway lines in the future.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Hitachi Trains, lecture, 1 February, Chippenham

Details at http://www.theiet.org/events/local/242784.cfm

Rail Accident Investigation, lecture, 7 February, Chippenham

Details at http://www.theiet.org/events/local/242783.cfm

Visit to Chiltern Railways Aylesbury Depot, 8 February

Details at http://www.theiet.org/events/2017/244452.cfm

Turning around South East – Britain’s most difficult railway?, lecture, 8 February, London

Details at http://www.theiet.org/events/local/244844.cfm

Electrification of Severn Tunnel, lecture, 13 February, Cardiff

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12435

Research at the Interfaces of the Rail System, lecture, 14 February, Manchester

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12373

ATO – The Future of Mainline Railway?, seminar, 16 February, London

Details at http://events.imeche.org/ViewEvent?e=6454

HSTs for ScotRail, lecture, 16 February, Glasgow

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12303

Future of Rail Freight – The Engineering Challenge, lecture, 20 February, London

Details at http://events.imeche.org/ViewEvent?e=6449

Swiss Rail Inward Mission, briefing and meet the buyer, 1 March, Derby

Details at http://x.email.ukti.gov.uk/ats/msg.aspx?sg1=a32a663b4b1d10f8d4d537f2dfc789cb

IMechE Railway Division Annual Luncheon, 3 March, London

Details at http://events.imeche.org/ViewEvent?e=6397

Sheffield Tram Train Interfaces, lecture, 8 March, Derby

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12082

Crossrail, lecture, 8 March, Newcastle-under-Lyme

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12384

Trains that Fit – Gauging Dilemma, lecture, 13 March, London

Details at http://events.imeche.org/ViewEvent?e=6451

Transformation of Craigentinny, lecture, 14 March, Edinburgh

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12304

International Railways, lecture, 20 March, London

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12486

National Training Academy for Rail, technical visit, 21 March, Northampton

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12714

ERTMS and ETCS 2017: The Future of Railway Signalling in the UK, conference, 21-22 March, London

Details at http://www.waterfrontconferencecompany.com/conferences/rail/events/ertms-etcs-2017-future-railway-signalling-uk

Leeds High Speed Rail Station – the challenge of integrating the old with the new!, lecture, 23 March Pontefract

Details at http://nearyou.imeche.org/eventdetail?id=12266

Modern Railways Fourth Friday Club and Northern Rail Conference, 5 May, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester

Details at www.4thfriday.co.uk

Rail Vehicles and Enhancements 2017, exhibition and forum, 5 October, Derby

Details at http://www.railve.com/