Features
The Freight Safety Improvement Programme ( FSIP ) – improving safety for our customers
Kenneth Yarham - Senior Regional Freight Manager , Network Rail
The last Network Rail Control Period ( CP6 2019-2024 ) has seen £ 25m of investment in freight safety improvement initiatives through the Freight Safety Improvement Programme ( FSIP ).
This fund was allocated to enable Network Rail to address the pressing need to reduce risks , hazards and injuries for Freight Operating Company ( FOC ) or Freight End User ( FEU ) staff working on or near Network Rail infrastructure , particularly focussing on yards and sidings . Yards and sidings have historically been challenging environments for underfoot conditions and combined with many freight workings taking place during hours of darkness , there was a need to address the safety environment in these spaces .
The delivery of 140 projects across the national network has been made possible by the installation of some cutting-edge new technologies . Glass reinforced plastic ( GRP ) panels for walking routes are now becoming an industry standard providing antislip , durable and easy maintainable panelling . The panels are also easy to unclip and then re-secure to maintain any infrastructure assets situated below . In some of the tight spaces between boundary fencing and the running rails this is a particularly important feature for ensuring the walking routes offer the best combination of under-foot safety and compatibility with an operational railway . The yellow colouration also makes them easily visible to the user .
Where lighting schemes have been provided at locations which regularly see train movements in the hours of darkness or otherwise have poor ambient lighting , these have used a combination of easily maintainable solar light technologies to reduce power drain from mains systems , or new LED low level lighting columns . These reduce light pollution to our lineside neighbours whilst offering excellent light projection performance at ground level .
The third new technology used as part of the yards and sidings transformation has been the wider roll out of new hand point mechanisms . Away from fully signalled , power operated point environments , freight yards and sidings mostly use traditional hand points operated by a manual lever . With the traditional mechanism this has presented a risk of manual handling injuries as well as a greater risk of damage to the infrastructure . The installation of RACOR switch stands as part of the FSIP programme , a North American design , supports an existing industry move to upgrade hand points to this type of heavy duty mechanism . The main difference to the user is that the movement to operate is now a lateral one and the mechanism locks to ensure that the points are secured properly before any train movement , therefore also reducing the risk of derailment .
The success of FSIP in CP6 was not delivered through Network Rail working alone . It is an outstanding example of cross-industry collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders including the National Freight Safety Group ( NFSG ), Rail Freight Operators Group ( RFOG ) and the Heritage Trains Risk Group to encompass the charter sector . On the ground , the key focus for the Network Rail regional freight teams was to listen to and experience the operating conditions with our FOC ground-staff and driver team colleagues .
Having developed an idea or concept of what was required to drive a step change in the safety environment at a particular location , we then worked with Network Rail Works Delivery and industry contractors to design , fund , procure , project manage and ultimately deliver these projects for the industry . All were delivered to an excellent standard with the likelihood of lost time injuries ( LSIs ) much reduced at these locations .
Beyond the CP6 upgrades to walking routes and hand points within yards and sidings , FSIP also delivered and set in motion other important workstreams including the fitment of Radio Frequency Identification ( RFID ) tags to freight vehicles to aid remote monitoring of fleets , as well as investing in technology and security to reduce the impact of Trespass and Vandalism ( T & V ) at freight sites . RFID tags ensure that freight vehicles can be tracked across the network and any condition issues identified to a specific wagon with interventions actioned back at base .
Apart from damage to the wagons , defective or worn wheel-sets can cause significant infrastructure damage leading to network delays for both passenger and freight services . The installation of these tags is a critical early step in digitalising the rail freight industry . With the ongoing development of other ‘ intelligent wagon ’ technologies , this could be a seminal moment for the sector .
Part of the FSIP programme in CP6 also funded the commencement of the Condition of Freight Vehicles on the Network ( CFVN ) programme ( now known as the Wagon Condition Programme ) which has refined and developed processes for train preparation and wagon maintenance , ensuring that vehicles are fit to be loaded and conveyed across the network . It has also created a greater understanding of the important role of human factors in the performing of safety critical tasks .
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