A new collaborative partnership aims to play a major role in meeting the challenges set to industry by Network Rail in response to the UK decarbonisation agenda within rail infrastructure.
The UK Government’s ambition to decarbonise the rail infrastructure by 2040 is a key enabler to the wider net zero agenda across all infrastructure by 2050, supporting modal shift from cars and HGVs to an efficient railway for passengers and freight.
Launched in June this year, ARQ comprises AmcoGiffen, Rail Electrification Limited and QTS Group in partnership. All three companies have been actively facilitating electrification schemes throughout the UK during Network Rail’s Control Period 5. The collective skillsets in route clearance, civil engineering, structural interventions and OLE installation provide extensive value engineering, innovation and cost savings.
Both AmcoGiffen and QTS are wholly owned subsidiaries of the same parent company, Renew Holdings plc, headed up by the same executive director, responsible for all rail activities within the group. To supplement the complementary civil and structural capability of AmcoGiffen and QTS, Renew acquired an established, experienced overhead line electrification company, REL. This makes ARQ a ‘family of companies,’ all owned by the same parent company, self-delivering a wide ranging, multi-disciplinary rail system approach to future electrification projects.
ARQ’s ambition is to provide a step change and challenge traditional project delivery. It will contract as the sole integrator of system-wide delivery, working as one organisation, one team and one culture. This will give ARQ and its clients greater control and assurance over safety, quality and culture.
Preceding the launch, ARQ spent time engaging nationally with clients and stakeholders. This helped to shape an understanding of its unique geographical challenges in efficient delivery and how to reduce the unit cost of electrification on a route by route basis. Importantly, this period of listening allowed ARQ to set its strategy to deliver a cost-effective commercial model, recognising UK Government and Network Rail’s cost challenge. Its driving ambition is to help shape a sustainable, cleaner future for UK rail by supporting the upcoming decarbonisation programme.
In advance of the decarbonisation programme commencing, ARQ has made significant investment and a number of key appointments to shape and implement its collective vision.
Vinny O’Holloran, Operations Director, ARQ said: “Joining ARQ is a real highlight for me and I was immediately struck by the investment that has already been made. It demonstrates the commitment that all three businesses, and Renew Holdings, have to making this venture stand out from the crowd.
“It’s obvious that ARQ has listened to what the customer has said and carefully crafted a strategy which I’m thrilled to be delivering. The role allows me to have independent control over the activity of ARQ, ensuring consistency throughout. It also gives clients the confidence that they have an accountable individual who is instantly able to influence a programme with direct access to those who are delivering the works.”
He added: “Since its launch to industry, the partnership has been welcomed with an overwhelmingly positive response. Our model really aligns with efficiency targets and the reaction to ARQ has been very positive. There is true passion and drive throughout all three businesses to do things differently, listening to our clients and learning lessons from previous projects. As a partnership, we are focused on innovation, technology, and efficiency, investing in a sustainable, dynamic and diverse workforce.
“Our rail system delivery model, with its flat structure and reporting lines, reduces the complex contracting models that can add layers of cost and risk to infrastructure projects. There is no fee-on-fee for clients engaging with the partnership, contributing to cost reduction targets of circa 25 per cent per single track kilometre.”
ARQ clearly wants to be at the forefront of significant change to the way projects are delivered on the UK’s rail network, and to bring its collective expertise in delivering electrification schemes to bear in order that travel by rail is fit for the future.
Vinny, who is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers with lengthy rail industry experience, said: “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now to go and do this right, delivering on our industry decarbonisation promises. On completion of the rail systems upgrade, the new infrastructure will be our legacy for future generations. We have the opportunity collectively to provide efficient, affordable infrastructure that can deliver a world-class railway that passengers deserve and demand.”
With one eye on future delivery for UK rail ARQ has already made a significant investment in its people and is expanding its training capabilities. In addition to QTS’s training facilities nationally, ARQ is designing an OLE training span to self-train engineers, apprentices and OLEC lines people to increase the capacity of the existing resource.
Vinny explained: “We recognised the skilled resource shortages when we embarked on the CP5 National Electrification Programme (NEP). We aim to deliver for UK rail from the bottom up. Key to that is our commitment and investment in our people now, rather than being reactive when projects come to the delivery phase. Directly employing our people, they have the security to grow and learn, with access to training and personal development and wellbeing support. We have training facilities that allow multi-skilling of our operations teams to shape an agile workforce with consistent behaviours, driving a culture of safety and quality as key enablers of efficient delivery.
“The travelling public are attuned to the climate emergency, further highlighted by the UK leading the upcoming COP26 summit, driving the global decarbonisation agenda, but they want this investment in greener infrastructure to be delivered efficiently and with minimal disruption as post-COVID, we persuade passengers and freight back on to trains.
“What we must avoid, when passenger numbers are increasing again, is disrupting the public’s trust. We must remove our historic reliance on delivering engineering works that have a high dependency on disruptive possessions. ARQ will drive forward and focus investment in the future design and specification of rail systems that lend themselves more to off-site manufacture and delivery. We will utilise best practice from other sectors, such as highways, aviation and power, opening up supply chain and capacity from traditionally non-rail backgrounds.”
He added: “We are all really excited, not just for the role that ARQ can play, but also for the rail industry as a whole, as we look to shape the future of the railway and play a part in the solution to meet decarbonisation ambitions. The pounds in the ground for rail will significantly benefit the 2050 net zero target.”
Photo credit: ARQ
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