Fixing the link - Abellio

Fixing the linkMeeting passengers’ needsthroughout their entire trip

For employees and stakeholders of Abellio / April 2014No.2

Finance andawareness‘Ownership and involvement increase our ability to achieve’

Tendering policies in GermanyOn the lookout for high performance train operators

magazine

3 ABELLIO WALKING THE WALK Fixing the Link

4 ON THE ROAD WITH CHRIS SMULDERS “We have to carry on building a sound

portfolio”

5 OUR PEOPLE Meet Gonzalo Gordillo, Abellio UK

6 ABELLIO ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Celebrating the amazing job our people do

10 BEST PRACTICEHow to create a culture where innovation can thrive

12 INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS

Martin Husmann, Chairman of the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority

14 MEANWHILE BACK AT … NORTHERN RAIL

Upgrade of washing plants raises customer satisfaction and reduces environmental impact

16 MY ABELLIO WAY

There are exciting times ahead for Abellio. Let me use this opportunity to take you on a tour of some of the recent developments at our businesses across Europe.

Forgive me for starting in the Netherlands. From my office here in Utrecht, I can see that Qbuzz is operating a smooth bus service every day, despite having an extremely short mobilisation period. It is to the credit of our Qbuzz team that the company has provided an excellent service from Day 1 with a new timetable and great performance figures. Well done! The next step for our Qbuzz team is to introduce new buses on the University route this spring. Mobilisation is the buzzword at Abellio Germany too. The S7 contract started in December last year operating new trains. Our passengers clearly appre-ciate the comfort and quality of these vehicles as more than half a million people have travelled with us in barely two months. Our team in Germany is now focusing on the concession in central Germany where we bought new premises for our workshop recently. And while talking about Germany, I am pleased to introduce here Stephan Krenz and also Niclas Blomqvist, Abellio’s new Managing Director Germany and Scandinavia respectively. We are delighted to welcome them on board and have great confidence that their expertise is just what we need to take forward our ambitions in both countries.My tour comes to an end in Glasgow. We have opened an office in the city so that our ScotRail bid team is right where the action is and can submit an outstanding bid. Early this year we held an extremely well attended stakeholder consultation event at the Scottish Parliament which positioned us to deliver and exceed the bid requirements.So this Spring is a really exciting time for us and we look forward to telling you more about it through The Abellio Way Magazine, our magazine for employees and stakeholders across Abellio’s European network.

Enjoy!

Jeff HoogestegerAbellio GroupChief Executive Officer

COLUMN

Spring is in the airCONTENTS

The Abellio Way MagazineNumber 2 - April 2014Published by Abellio Group

P.O. Box 20253500 HA UtrechtThe Netherlands

COLOPHONThe Editorial Team Ed Coumans, James Dark, Suzanne Menheere, Yvonne Mulder, Wies Peters, Dirk van Sambeeck, Rose Teunissen (editor-in-chief), Nancy Visser, Roel Willems, Cameron Jones Images Andrew Davidson,

iStockphoto, Mark Kuipers, Daniel Oxtoby Photography, Jurjen Poeles, Simon Rawles, Olaf Rayermann, Jim Varney, Aubrey WadeEditing and design Gloedcommunicatie, Nijmegen

Printed by Mediacenter, Rotterdam

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE2

Understanding the crucial role public transport plays in the lives of our customers guides Abellio’s approach to service delivery. Public transport sustains healthy economic development, promotes social inclusion and reduces society’s impact on the environment.

We recognise, however, that our services, whether trains, trams or buses, are only one element in our passengers’ journey. For this reason, we have a responsibility to meet their needs throughout their entire trip wherever we can. Our services can only deliver truly sustainable benefits for society if we are successful in doing so.

This involves looking beyond the areas that transport operators traditionally regard as their responsibility, for example the quality of walking routes between stations and local destinations such as high streets. As many of our customers start or complete their journeys on foot, we believe we must use our influence to ensure they can do so safely and conveniently.

Tackling the challengeOften the routes to high streets from stations and other transport hubs are unattractive or even unclear to our passengers. They may encounter poor signage, major road crossings, unlit walkways or deserted streets that create a sense of insecurity. Abellio has been tackling this challenge with our latest initiative: Fixing the Link.

Developed in the Netherlands by our parent company NS, Fixing the Link is a methodology for assessing the quality of a walking route, or link, between a station and town centre. Improving this link is not only the right thing to do for customers; it can also benefit local

economies. Dutch research has established that a person who feels positively about their route to their local high street is likely to stay longer and spend more money. Uncertainty about their return journey has been eliminated.

Comfort and security of passengersUsing our knowledge of passengers’ perceptions, Fixing the Link methodology allows us to identify potential improvements to these routes which will have the most beneficial impact in providing a pleasant and safe walking experience. Of course we can only do this by working closely with local authorities, so the process of assessment and delivery relies heavily on developing local partnerships and sharing mutual goals.

Application of the methodology in the Netherlands is still at an early stage, and we’re awaiting the first results. Nevertheless, we anticipate that it will become a core planning tool for Abellio’s businesses, and are currently working on pilot schemes at Ely, Colchester and Ipswich on the Abellio Greater Anglia network. This will help us understand its application in a UK context.

More information‘Fixing the Link: Making good the walking route from station to town centre’, www.bettertransport.org.uk/files/13.11.04.fixing-the-link.pdf

Abellio fixes the linkAttractive routes from station to city

Fixing the Link AssessmentIndependent transport lobby group, Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), was invited to assess the pilot schemes at Ely, Colchester and Ipswich. The CBT explored Fixing the Link’s applicability in the UK and potential barriers to delivery of the methodology.The average distance between stations and town centres is 950m, compared to 497m in the Netherlands.The CBT’s report ‘Fixing the Link: Making good the walking route from station to town centre’ makes several recommendations.They include measures to encour-age integration of Fixing the Link principles with local planning processes for developing transport hubs and promoting sustainability. The recommendations are currently being considered by the UK Department for Transport.

More informationwww.bettertransport.org.uk/home

ISSUE 2 – APRIL 2014 3

‘Continuing to build a sustainable portfolio’Chris Smulders, Abellio’s CFO, is hardly ever at a loss for words. He is an effective communicator and knows exactly what he wants to say, particularly when the conversation turns to leadership and staying ahead of the competition. An interview with Abellio’s CFO on innovation and adding value to our operations.

Although he is based in Utrecht, Chris is more closely involved with Abellio’s business operations in the United Kingdom and Germany than might initially be expected. “As a holding company with a single small head office we are certainly a lean operation,” he says. “But the extent and scope of our involvement is very extensive.”

And his tasks as the company’s CFO? “Making a contribution across a broad front, particularly based on my professional expertise: so issues that range from cost control to risk management and from bidding processes to divestment. Some finance is involved, but is mainly about awareness: can we sharpen our focus? Are we aware of the risks and opportunities? And how do we handle them?”

The style Chris adopts is one of giving people responsibility and freedom, while ensuring he is available to act as a sounding board if required. “One of the people who report to me directly says that the relationship feels like being on a long ‘leash’. And that’s how it should be. Ownership and involvement significantly increase our ability to achieve.”

Chris sees these qualities as particularly important given the need to make a difference to customers as soon as possible after winning new franchises and concessions, and because the relatively short duration of some contracts does not allow lengthy development processes. “Our objective is to see tangible effects almost immediately and make rapid progress.”

He highlights the best practice programme and, above all, the Abellio Achievements Awards, as clearly demon-strating how committed the company’s employees are. “Our very own Oscars,” he says with a smile.

InnovationChris feels that the emphasis on innovation is an essential and appealing element of The

Abellio Way. “If we want to maintain our lead, we have to continue to innovate. We compete with global players in our bids, so you need to be able to spring a surprise. In fact, that’s what I enjoy about liberalised markets: the process of putting in a competitive bid, implementing an effective organisation and offering quality at the same time.”

He stresses that delivering a good service day in day out will always be his top priority. “But very often, things you can add to that are of priceless value to a community,” he says. “What you offer is location-dependent. For example, our Northern Rail franchise covers some sparsely populated areas. We can make a valuable contribution to these communities by providing facilities and organising activities. In addition, we applaud employees who contribute to the community by doing charitable or voluntary work.”

Learning from each otherLooking back on 2013, Chris is satisfied with the results. The year got off to a difficult start in England when several bidding processes were delayed. This was followed by a hectic fourth quarter. Operations improved further and there was a strong focus on staying on budget. In Germany, the company won the cross-border Niederrhein-Netz concession, but bus operations had to be sold off. The Czech bus business was sold too. “Good strategic choices from a business point of view, but a great shame for the teams at a personal level,” Chris says.

In the Netherlands, bus operations were successfully expanded through Qbuzz. “We have set up our operations well,” Chris says reflecting on 2013. “Now we need to scale up in order to ensure we remain a competitive, sustainable business, and carry on building a sound portfolio.”

Abellio can count on the support of its parent company, NS, which has over 175 years of experience in the railway business, in this task. “We exchange a great deal of information with the passenger transportation operation at NS and we learn from each other,” Chris says. The CFO also endorses refinements to the parent company’s strategy, which offers growth opportunities for Abellio. “That will strengthen the interaction, so that we can be of even greater value to NS.”

“We can add things to basic operations that are of priceless value”


Who: Gonzalo GordilloJob description: Commercial and Sustainability Manager, Abellio UKWork place: Ely Place, London, UKCurrently working on: Providing support for UK business development activities

ourpeople

Nationality: Dutch Age: 57 Background: business economics, audit, international accountancy, automotive, has held various positions at NS, was CFO of NS Passengers before he joined Abellio Enjoys: being involved in negotiations and contributing his financial expertise to get the best results Hobbies: reading, golf

with Abellio’s CFO Chris Smulders

ON THE ROAD

How would you describe your job?I bring together data and narratives. I analyse the data first and then talk to people in operations. I help tell their stories in our bid documents in a way that helps us win new business. These stories are tangible evidence that our bid plans are credible and portray Abellio as a safe pair of hands to run the franchise.

What do you like about Abellio?It is a young, expanding company so there are a lot of opportunities to put forward ideas to help develop the structure and style of the business. The management will listen – and if the idea can add value, we get the chance to develop it.

What does The Abellio Way mean to you?Before it was a whisper but now it is more of a reality. My favourite Strategic Foundation is ‘we make a difference together’. It is all about drawing on the skills and experience of every-one in Abellio. HQ cannot win a bid without the support of our operating companies.

What do you do in your spare time?I am studying for an Executive MBA at London Business School. I originally came to the UK (from Peru) to do an MSc in Operations Research. I also like to read, write and walk around London with my girlfriend.

Who are you passing the Abellio mug to for the next issue?I think we would benefit from getting the views of Ingrid Standke (Abellio Deutschland).

Abellio Group is a melting pot of all kinds of people, cultures and backgrounds. That is what makes the company so unique. Meet our people!

“IT IS ALL ABOUT DRAWING ON THE SKILLS OF EVERYONEIN ABELLIO”


AWARD TROPHIES The trophies, made of acrylic, were designed and produced in Utrecht. Every nominee gets a small version and the winners are presented with the larger version.

More than 100 people enjoyed an excellent awards evening – a black tie event held in a converted church at Shrigley Hall Hotel, near Manchester, UK on 12 March. Those attending included all the finalists in the six categories plus the management teams who were also at the venue for a two day Leadership Event.

As well as an inspiring speech from Penny Mallory, the first woman in the world to compete in a World Rally Car, and a short video address from NS Board member Merel van Vroonhoven, the audience was greatly entertained by the short videos which explained why each finalist had entered the awards. Or, as it turned out in many cases,

why their line managers had filled in the nomination forms without them knowing!

Monty Python sketchIt was inspiring to hear what the finalists had done and to see how their colleagues worked together to help produce some very memorable videos. The Abellio Greater Anglia team deserve a special mention for their version of the Monty Python sketch ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’ (The Life of Brian) in support of Simon Pready.

Jeff Hoogesteger described how the judges had been overwhelmed by both the quantity (almost 200) and the quality of the entries. “It was both inspiring and humbling to read

AbellioAchievement Awards

Recognising the amazing work our people do every dayIt was a fitting end to the Abellio Achievement Awards evening that the Employee of the Year, Andrew Phillip, received a standing ovation. After all, as Abellio’s Chief Executive Jeff Hoogesteger said: “The awards have been established to celebrate the amazing job that our people do every day for Abellio and for our customers.”


A winning attitudePenny Mallory, the first woman in the world to compete in a World Rally Car (the Formula 1 of rallying), believes that everyone needs to take responsibility for driving improvement – both in their own lives and at work.“World class thinking is not just for some chosen elite, it is for everyone,” she told the audience at the Abellio Achievement Awards ceremony. “We all have the potential to be world class in our chosen field.”Penny, who made a very entertaining speech and also described how she has overcome significant obstacles in her own life, laid down a challenge. “Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself if maybe there is a little bit more you can give? If we all do a little bit, it will make an enormous difference.”

through all the achievements and amazing displays of commitment by our people across Europe. It was very difficult to select the finalists and even more difficult to pick a single winner,” he said.

Employee of the Year Andrew Phillip, a bus driver for Abellio London & Surrey, summed it up. “I am thrilled to win. I applaud all the people in this room and salute

all those who did not make it this time. Thanks to all the team back at Battersea who helped make this possible – and to the passengers who inspire me and bring out the best in me.”

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in your room.”

Jeff Hoogesteger “I want to thank every single one of you here for your contribution to the Abellio family and for your service to our customers.”


WINNER: CLARE JENKINSMERSEYRAIL “I am really shocked to win but proud of our team as I wouldn’t be here without them. My bosses Tracey Upton and Sal Ralston really inspire me.”

The jury: Clare is an inspiration to all and always goes the extra mile for her team, her colleagues, the community and our customers, beyond the remit of her role and often in her own time.Runners-Up: Rafal Ostrycharz, Abellio London & Surrey Peter Simmonds, Northern Rail

WINNER: ANDREW PHILLIP, DRIVERABELLIO LONDON & SURREY “People rely on me. I want to give them a good start to their day. We can make a difference – how you treat people, you get that back in return.”

The jury: Andrew is passionate about providing the best service, continually putting in the effort and the hard yards and every day he gives his best. A real gem!Runners-Up: Elaine Booth, Northern RailLouise Mitchell, Merseyrail

WINNER: TONY ELLIS ABELLIO GREATER ANGLIA“I feel a bit odd. I have never won anything. But I have always liked taking things to pieces and seeing how they work. And it has been good since Abellio took over. I feel like the senior managers care more now.”

The jury: Tony’s innovative solution to upgrade and improve the CCTV system on the company’s Class 317 train fleet not only markedly enhanced the availability and reliability of the system, but also achieved that aim through a proactive and inventive local initiative - which saved the company over £250,000.Runners-Up: Margriet Cuypers, Merseyrail Johanna Hakulinen, Abellio London & Surrey

Employee of the Year

Leader of the Year

Innovator of the Year


Team of the YearWINNER: BID TEAM GERMANY(Andrea Buchs) “It was a big surprise to win but we are very pleased. We have a great team spirit and we have really enjoyed coming here to the event.”

The jury: Around 350 jobs have been generated in a region whose infrastructure is weak in parts, and Abellio has thus become a major employer in Central Germany. The commissioning authorities here are firmly anticipating further involvement from Abellio, and now (despite service not yet having started) consider us a leading private company in the Central German local transportation landscape.Runners-Up: Abellio Corporate Travel, Abellio Group HQ Team ‘Groningen Bereikbaar’ Qbuzz, Abellio Netherlands Twickenham Performance Team, Abellio London & Surrey

WINNER: SIMON PREADY ABELLIO GREATER ANGLIA “I am very proud on behalf of the team working with me. It is nice to be recognised for our work on the franchise extension. And we had a lot of fun making the video!”

The jury: Simon demonstrated the full range of Abellio behaviours in the STA (franchise extension) project, building on a year where he has performed really well, developing into a ‘Finance Director in waiting’.Runners-Up: Jason Bond, Abellio London & Surrey Sally Ralston, Merseyrail

The Abellio Way –Areas of Excellence AwardWINNER: MARTIN DIXON ABELLIO LONDON & SURREY “It’s awesome to win. I‘ve been working hard to encourage the guys to look at every aspect of their work and they can all see that it really does improve the quality.”

The jury: Martin has been outstanding as an individual and a phenomenal team player; he has worked tirelessly throughout 2013 to improve the standards, workmanship and team ethos.Runners-Up: Soeren Friis, Abellio ScandinaviaAlistair Rutter, Northern Rail

The Bringing the AbellioValues to Life Award

From LtoR: Jan Spethman, Andrea Buchs, Eckhard Siler, Jan Marten Feil, Peter Kowallik


INNOVATION

VICTOR FROOMHead of Business Improvement,Abellio Greater Anglia

Inspired IdeasAbellio Greater Anglia has an Inspired Ideas programme which encourages all staff to offer suggestions to improve customer experience and/or streamline staff operations.Ideas can be quite simple to implement – such as changing the colour of a feedback form so it is more easily distinguished from other forms. Or it might be more complicated – Tony Ellis, a technician at Ilford, has devised an innovative solution to upgrade and improve the CCTV system on the Class 317 train fleet, which not only improved reliability and the quality of the images, it saved approximately £250,000 compared to alternative solutions.

To this end, Abellio is developing a plan of action, with measurable targets and results, to create a culture where innovation can thrive. “This is not a new concept – innovation is an intrinsic part of the Abellio Way,” explains Ian. “It is also an essential part of our future success as a business. By challenging the traditional ways of working we can create a better travel experience and improve performance. We will become more cost efficient and improve revenues, while always keeping the passenger as our central focus.”Ian says innovation is not just about one big idea that will revolutionise the whole company. “It starts with everyone looking at their day to day activities to see what we could do better.”Abellio has three ways of classifying different types of innovation: ‘incremental’, ‘expansive’ and ‘disruptive’. Each one requires different capabilities, skills, processes and structures.“We would expect the majority of our innovation to be incremental – doing the same things for the same markets but better, also known as ‘continuous improvement’,” explains Ian. Expansive innovation is about fundamentally challenging the way we do things. This tends to focus around projects and is typically led top-down by cross functional teams to address defined challenges.Disruptive Innovation is a much less frequent occurrence as it involves a major shift in thinking and could result in revolutionary changes to the way we do business and/or the opportunity to explore new markets.

Team perspective

There is natural tendency to shy away from innovation, and it’s easy to find reasons not to challenge the norm

Creating the right conditions

“We haven’t got the time/resource”

“We have never done it that way before”

“What if it doesn’t work”

“We’ve tried that before”

“The timing is wrong”

“It needs more study”

“Transport is differentto other markets”


“Companies don’t innovate; people do. But we need the right environment,” says Ian McConnell, Abellio Group Director of Projects and Planning (pictured).

“COMPANIES DON’T INNOVATE; PEOPLE DO”

Ensuring the way people approach change and behave with one another supports innovation; accepting there may be failures in pursuit of innovative new methods and not allowing ideas to be killed.

Leading Creating the right environment and setting the agenda; directing and co-ordinating change activity.

Enabling Building structures and systems to stimulate and support the change; allowing ideas to become reality.

Getting on with trying new things using new ways of working; unlocking issues through creativity.

JOHANNA HAKULINENMarketing and Communications Executive, Abellio London & Surrey

Ticket to RideAbellio London & Surrey has introduced two new innovative ticket types: YUGO and Hop & Go YUGO was introduced last September to extend the half price ticket for under 16s to everyone under 20 years old. The trial proved very popular and we have seen a 10% increase in revenues week on week (or ticket sales up by 26%), helping us exceed our target. YUGO can be purchased online and displayed on phones, which helps speed up the boarding process.Hop & Go is a new ticket which encourages passengers to use us for short journeys – they can travel two stops for just £1. It is easy to use and drives up passenger numbers.

Doing

Being

What Next?The most recent Abellio Leadership Conference focused on innovation and each part of the business is now developing a plan of action to create a culture where innovation is the norm.We have set aside a dedicated budget for 2014 for Innovation Projects. Anyone can apply for this funding for the right idea. Talk to your line manager first and email [email protected] with your Project Mandate if you would like to apply.There are various other activities taking place during 2014 to support our innovation agenda including:• A new graduate programme seeking candidates

demonstrating specific ‘innovative’ behaviours and skills• A programme of inspirational presentations and

speakers to be set up, and access to third party support for OpCos

• We are talking to academic partners about diplomas/MSCs in Innovation

• We are encouraging Job Swap, as Abellio Greater Anglia did before the 2012 Olympics.

To create an innovation culture we need to get all the following areas right.

Innovation Ecosystem


Continuously changing economic and commercial conditions have caused the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority to adopt new approaches over the years. What is your strategy, Mr Husmann?“The practice of putting local rail services out to competitive tender started in Germany some 15 years ago. However, the situation has changed enormously during that time. In the early years, the tenders involved relatively small sub-networks with an annual volume of up to 3.2 million train kilometres. Today’s strategy focuses on offering larger packages. These are contracts that range between three and seven million train kilometres. This development is the result of a change in supplier structures. At the start of the regionalisation process, only Deutsche Bahn was capable of operating large railway concessions. Today, many of the original private sector suppliers, which were small businesses, have merged with financially powerful partners and grown into viable, high performance

Martin Husmann, the Chairman of the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr – VRR), has overseen a consistent competitive tendering policy for more than 10 years. Over half the VRR network has been tendered amounting to more than 23 million train kilometres per year. The result: new rolling stock and highly motivated train operators have delivered a marked improvement in service quality and exceptional value for the transport authority.

Increased competition will benefit passengerstrain operators. Against this back-ground, it makes sense for VRR to put larger networks and line packages out to tender, as this results in exceptionally keenly priced bids from potential suppliers. The financial crisis, which started in 2008, has led to a further major change.”

There are still barriers that prevent medium-sized businesses from participating in competitive tenders – for example, the significant cost of procuring new rolling stock. What are you doing to address that? “This is a valid point. In order to alleviate the situation, we introduced a rolling stock financing model in 2010. As the commissioning authority, VRR finances the rolling stock through favourable public loans and leases the trains back to the operator. The lease amount is based on the purchase price plus a supplement for administrative costs and financing risks. This approach allows the bidding companies to benefit from favourable loan


Increased competition will benefit passengersconditions and an attractive loan term with fixed long-term interest rates. Our offer is: available if required, but not compulsory. Bidders for our contracts are free to choose the most appropriate financial model for their situation. Regardless of whether rolling stock is purchased or leased, the most competitive bid wins. In many cases, we have only managed to successfully put contracts out to tender under difficult circumstances by extending the competitive tendering procedure to include rolling stock financing. In addition, the model allows us, as the commissioning authority, to take a further decisive step forward because the lower barriers to entry mean more train operators can participate in our tenders in the future. Increased competition among the bidders will allow us to achieve even greater benefits for local rail passengers.”

VRR’s rolling stock financing model was used for the first time in the tendering procedure for the

S7 contract, won by Abellio. What are your conclusions?“The S7 tender procedure demon-strates convincingly that the rolling stock financing model is not just a theoretical option for local rail tenders, but that it also works in practice. The bid put in by Abellio based on VRR’s rolling stock financing model was by far the most favourable, and ultimately won the contract. Abellio, as the operator on the route between Solingen, Remscheid and Wuppertal, specified and procured the required rolling stock and then sold it on to VRR. So VRR owns and finances the trains, and leases them to Abellio for the duration of the train operating contract. This resulted in savings of more than one euro per train kilometre in the competitive tendering procedure in comparison to independently financed alterna-tives. Based on an annual volume of approximately 1.5 million train kilometres, the resulting financial saving will amount to some 1.7 million euros. In the case of S7, we

achieved a double benefit: a better railway service for passengers and cost savings as well. Other than the purely financial aspects, the model also has a further positive effect for the train operator. Reuse of the rolling stock is not an issue from a financing perspective because the trains remain the property of VRR after the contract ends.”

“VRR finances the rolling stock through favourable public loans and leases the trains back to the operator”Martin Husmann, Chairman Rhine-RuhrTransport Authority

Abellio is rated as best railway company 2013

• No. 1 in punctuality• No. 1 for customer satisfaction• No. 1 for quality of conductors• No. 1 for reliability• No. 1 of all rail companies

VRR presented Quality Report 2013 to the public on March 7th 2014


Over the next ten to twenty years, sustained water shortages are predicted across the UK. Already, minimising water use is playing an increasingly important part in the public transport industry’s drive to maintain and enhance its sustainability credentials, particularly in operational activity. One of the leading projects of recent times is Northern Rail’s improvement to its automatic train washing facilities.

Northern Rail’s project to upgrade its train washing plant is an innovative step towards

raising customer satisfaction, and is also helping reduce environmental impact and costs. The aim is to cut the amount of water required to clean vehicles, and then reuse or recycle the remainder, while ensuring a significant improvement in the appearance of the rolling stock.

“Our objective is to develop train cleaning facilities,” says Marc Silverwood, Northern’s Train Presentation Manager. “We do this not only to improve the exterior cleanliness of trains for customers, but also to deliver impressive environmental savings. How? By introducing enhanced pumping

and water application systems on all sites, and fitting the busiest plant with additional water recycling facilities.”

The new system uses a more concen-trated and efficient water jet application to deliver better cleaning results whilst consuming significantly less water. The average 1400-1800 litres of water used to clean a unit has been reduced by 50%-75%, depending on the location and type of train. At the same time the quality of cleaning has improved. “Worn in dirt and ionised iron on our material, which traditionally have proven impossible to remove, are now being cleaned with ease,” Marc says.

Lower costsOther notable improvements to the system include redesigned brushes, which will last four times longer than previous designs, reducing the need for replacement parts and maintenance costs. In addition, new specialist chemicals maximise cleaning power and limit resource consumption and emissions to air. “And last but not least, installation of water recycling units at two of the busiest wash plant locations has enabled Northern to reclaim around 30%-50% of the water used, reducing the amount of water discharged to the sewer,” Marc explains.

Customers benefitNorthern has worked very closely with the wider industry throughout the project to ensure excellent results. “We are now benefiting from lower costs, improvements to exterior cleanliness and environmental

QbuzzARTICULATED BUSES AND ‘UBUZZ’ HIT THE ROAD IN UTRECHTOn 27 February, Qbuzz introduced the first of its new articulated buses in the city of Utrecht. During March and April, a further 16 are being brought into service, as the last remaining GVU buses are phased out. Passengers will benefit from a new onboard service, ‘Ubuzz’, which offers local news, updates and schedule information on special screens. The service is provided through a partner-ship between Qbuzz, radio and TV station RTV Utrecht and digital media firm Ngage Media.

ScandinaviaNEW DIRECTIONS

There have been significant recent developments in further opening rail markets to competition in Sweden and Denmark. A second open access service on Sweden’s primary rail route (Stockholm – Gothenburg) is due to start later this year. In Denmark, parts of the traffic that DSB is running today will be tendered in the coming years. Niclas Blomqvist (pictured), Abellio’s new Managing Director for Scandinavia, has made a flying start and is

focusing strongly on the ‘bid-to-win’ strategy. His main priority at present is identify-ing contract opportunities where we would be able to capitalise on introducing ‘best practices’ from across Abellio’s businesses and adapting them to Swedish market conditions. The Scandinavian team is taking part in consultations with Swedish clients who are showing significant interest in the potential for Abellio to share its knowledge and experience.

MerseyrailNEW LOOK FOR MERSEYRAIL FLEET UNVEILED Merseyrail has launched a new look for its fleet themed around the Liverpool city region’s sights, shopping

destinations and sporting attractions. Six designs show how commuters, students and leisure passengers can make the most of their day. Apart from providing a fresher, brighter image, the work will also help to reduce corrosion. “We’re sure the new look fleet, with its modern, fresh and dynamic designs, will further enhance people’s perception of Merseyrail,” says Maarten Spaargaren (pictured), Merseyrail’s Managing Director.This redesign is part of an £8.5 million investment that will deliver essential works

Northern Rail

MEANWHILE BACK AT ...

Halving water use delivers cleaner trains

14 THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE

Facts and figures• Water usage reduction: 50%-75%, depending on unit type and location• Estimated water savings per year: 6-7 million litres• Sewer discharge: reduced by 50%-75% • 50% lower Chemical Oxygen Demand

and enhancements to the inside and outside of the trains. The current fleet is almost 40 years old and was last re-liveried a decade ago. “Thousands of visitors will be descending on the Liverpool city region this summer and a good experience of the rail network will contribute to the positive lasting impression they will take away,” adds Councillor John Salter, lead member for rail at Merseytravel, the region’s transport authority.

Abellio DeutschlandTRAIN ‘CHRISTENINGS’Abellio Germany has held the first train naming ceremony on our ‘Der Müngstener’ route. The train was ‘christened’ at Remscheid central station by mayoress

Beate Wilding and named after the town. It has been running since Abellio started operating the route on 15 December 2013. Abellio has deployed a fleet of nine trains on Der Müngstener for the regional transport authority Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, and operational performance has already improved. In January 2014, 99.36% of all scheduled journeys took place, up from 98.46% in December 2013.Ronald R. F. Lünser, Managing Director of Abellio Rail NRW, explains the train christening

tradition: “Christening the trains at stops along our route creates an identity, and expresses our ties with regional counties, cities and towns,” he says. “Politicians and stakeholders are generally proud to christen a train named after their city.” Further christenings are planned soon, including the ‘Solingen’ and ‘Wuppertal’ trains. Details of all trains christened in Germany are at https://www.abellio.de/rail_nrw/abellio_rail_nrw/fahrzeugtaufen.php

Abellio Greater AngliaREBRANDING UPDATEThe new logo and branding are becoming increasingly visible around offices, depots, stations, trains and

on computers. The first station to receive refreshed signage was Whittlesford Parkway. It will be followed by the top 20 to 30 stations over the next six months. In addition, new name badges and lanyards have been distributed, logo replacement on trains is underway and the website has also been rebranded. The URL abellio greateranglia.co.uk is now online and email addresses have been updated to @abelliogreateranglia.co.uk (for the time being, old addresses will redirect to the new ones).

developments. More importantly, our customers are really noticing the difference: survey results have improved and we have also seen an impressive reduction in customer complaints relating to the cleanliness of our trains,” Marc says. “Through using innovative application and a sustainable approach, we’ve achieved cleaner trains and a greener output. We hope this helps promote our industry as environmentally and sustainably aware. It’s great to have these achievements recognised externally too. We won the Environmental Excellence category at the Railway Industry Innovation Awards last year.”

Northern is now sharing its experience with Abellio Greater Anglia and Abellio Group.

RichardTrain Conductor


Pramila KramerUtrecht, Netherlandsway

my

What do you think of the new Qbuzz?They are lovely buses with nice light colours and they look modern. I like the fact that they are new, still completely clean and fresh, with no damage or broken parts. The different colours used for each line are really useful and make it easy to see which bus I need to take. There’s nothing worse than getting on the wrong bus and being late.

Where are you off to today? I’m going to Utrecht Central to catch a train. Since I study in Amsterdam and live in Utrecht, I catch this bus every day.

Who would you like to sit next to on the bus?Preferably nobody, as I usually listen to music for a nice peaceful journey. But if my batteries were empty, I wouldn’t mind sitting next

to Leonardo DiCaprio. I think he’s a great actor and would like to ask him if he found The Wolf of Wall Street so long-winded too.

What would be the first thing you’d do if you were the director of a bus company?Something very Dutch – drop the prices. But I can’t really think of any improvements – the timetable and quality are all fine.

Qbuzz recentlyhit the streets of

Utrecht, enabling passengers to travel

in brandnew, striking buses.

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