Rail consultancy AARC Professional Services Limited has helped the maintainer of London’s Elizabeth line prepare to take on its new responsibilities.
Established by seasoned rail operator Steve Derrick in 2015, AARCPS is a rail consultancy, specialising in rail operations, projects & engineering, safety & assurance and training, with all of its associates time served, long term railway professionals, most having worked together previously.
AARCPS was engaged by Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) to independently assess its maintenance business readiness when it was appointed to take on the role of Elizabeth line Infrastructure Manager.
Explained AARCPS Associate and project lead Derek Mason: “We were tasked with producing a report on each maintenance business areas’ readiness for taking over the railway at ROGS – Railways & Other Guided Transport Systems Regulations.
“The assignment was then extended to support Crossrail’s hand-over of stations, portals and rail wide systems by assuring the necessary information and training was sufficient to enable the maintainer to mobilise.”
Acting as sponsor’s representative, Derek helped achieve the business benefits through project delivery of a fault reporting system link between operational control systems and Maximo (the maintenance work bank system), which enabled operators to initiate a response team directly from the control system.
Since entering revenue service, AARCPS has also been working with the heads of departments to improve the concept of the RTIM (Real Time Infrastructure Manager) working 24/7 on the control floor, as well as continuing to support the Elizabeth line’s Infrastructure Manager.
Endorsing AARCPS’s support, Jon Jarrett, Elizabeth line Head of Infrastructure Maintenance for RfLI, said: “Derek joined the team to support the delivery of robust infrastructure maintenance products that would be reviewed formally as a core input into the Railway Safety Assurance Case, required to bring the Crossrail Project into passenger use as the Elizabeth line. This was also the first use of Common Safety Method (CSM) regulations and the first digital railway to be commissioned in the UK, with the infrastructure maintenance products the ‘first of type’ in the UK – new, novel and measured against a new set of industry requirements.
“As such, Derek didn’t just provide support – he led, shaped, improved and drove the production, ensuring that all agencies had the opportunity to input and comment, whilst offering solutions and fixes.”
