TIM BELL has a railway pedigree that stretches back three generations. But the Arriva Trains Wales chief will be the first to launch rail into the future when his drivers help to trial ERTMS on the Cambrian line. PAUL WHITING asked him how it feels to pave the way for the whole network.
Tim Bell is a man with a busy railway agenda but, although his base is in the bustling Welsh capital city of Cardiff, his thoughts often turn northwards to a single line railway which meanders through the magnificent landscape of Mid Wales.
The railway uppermost in his mind is the Cambrian line, where Arriva Trains Wales is helping to pioneer a new signalling system which one day is expected to replace the conventional colour light or semaphore systems.
The route starts at Sutton Bridge near Shrewsbury, continues to Machynlleth, and splits at Dovey Junction for lines to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. Currently, it is controlled by RETB – Radio Electronic Token Block signalling. But from 2009 all that is expected to change.
The line has been chosen as the site for the first UK trial of ERTMS – European Rail Traffic Management System. That system will be entirely cabbased with no lineside signals – a major cultural change for the 50 ATW drivers at the controls of the Class 158 Cambrian Coast diesel trains which use the route.
These are staff who come under the management of Tim Bell, newly appointed managing director of Arriva Trains Wales.
| 'ERTMS is a big challenge for us, with new rules and operating procedures to learn' |
“ERTMS is the way forward in terms of signalling schemes. The advantage you have is in transferring track side signalling to in-cab, which will mean less maintenance work required on the track which means it is safer,” says Tim, who is based in a new Arriva building not far from Cardiff Central station.
“But this is a big challenge for us and an issue for driver training. This will change the whole method of signalling, with new rules and operating procedures to learn.
“Our trains will be the first to be fitted in the UK with the in-cab signalling interfacing with the balises on the track.”
By the end of this year the new system will have to be prepared for final testing and in March 2009 it is due to achieve full functionality.
Tim says the ERTMS trials – already taking place on mainland Europe – are in answer to European ‘interoperability’ regulations but have their origins in the Cullen report following the Ladbroke Grove disaster.
Meanwhile, the Welsh Assembly is funding new or extended passing loops for the Cambrian line in preparation for a one-hourly service.
But while the advent of ERTMS trials is of strategic value to the entire national network, Tim also has other fish to fry in a Welsh rail network of 500 services on the Cardiff Valley lines and 400 ‘main line’ trains a day between many major centres.
His recent appointment as managing director of the company responsible for rail services in the Principality follows a long railway career which started in 1974 when he joined 1in West Yorkshire, working at various stations doing “a bit of everything”.
Joining the railway was very much in the family line of business. His father – Stephen Bell, who was managing director of rail consultancy Transmark – grandfather and great grandfather all worked on the railway.
In his early days he worked in train crew resourcing and later moved to Exeter in Devon. When Regional Railways was started by BR in the early 90s, Tim moved into management, becoming stations manager for Cornwall, based in Truro.
“I spent around three years there, travelling a great deal, with a mixture of operational and commercial responsibilities,” he says.
His first association with the railways of Wales came when he was appointed retail operations manager, then production manager, for the newly set up South Wales and West. In fact, he has been involved with Welsh railways in all its manifestations.
Working from Cardiff he has held senior roles in South West and Wales and later Wales and Borders, which Arriva took over from National Express. Now working under the Arriva Trains Wales title, the company took over former Central and First North Western routes, including the Cambrian Coast from Central.
Currently much attention is being paid to the fan-shaped Cardiff Valley Lines, which feed millions of commuters into the city. With 21 million people a year using the economically necessary routes, passenger figures are still climbing.
The vital importance of the lines is acknowledged by the Welsh Assembly government. It is pumping £18 million into platform extensions, station improvements, new track, switch and crossings and improved signalling.
“We are looking at timetable improvements to meet demand and plan to lengthen trains from four car to six car units. Trains are usually Class 150s and Class 142/143 Pacers which have cascaded from other areas.”
Soon after Tim Bell gave this interview, trains starting running in service for the first time on the £30 million rebuilt Ebbw Valley line.
“We are running 17 return services and new drivers and conductors have been recruited.
“In all, during the past two years we have recruited around 100 drivers and we now have 611 on the books.”
Tim’s long-distance main line services, such as Cardiff to Holyhead and Manchester, are handled by a mixture of Class 158s and Class 175 Coradias inherited from First North Western. The Class 175s are comparatively new rolling stock but the Class 158 fleet is looking tired and talks are going on between ATW, rolling stock companies and the Welsh Assembly with a view to giving the fleet a refurbishment.
“We have carried out some minor refurbishments to the 158s, such as changing seat covers and carpets to raise the standards,” says Tim.
Canton is still the main depot in South Wales dealing with the Pacer fleet, Class 150s, 158s and 153s.
“The depot has been pleased recently to win a Golden Spanner award for the best improved miles per casualty on the Class 150s – a good boost to us and the staff there.
“Since trains which are now in the First Great Western fleet were moved out of Canton we have reorganised the depot to be more focused on the ATW fleet. We have driven up our PPM – Passenger Performance Monitor – and improved reliability through good work by the depot’s 200 people and the fleet managers.
“In fact, everyone in the business has contributed towards good performance.”
Overall recent performance figures show that the MAA – Moving Annual Average – of the Valley Lines is 91.8 per cent of trains arriving on time and 87.1 per cent on the main lines.
On staff issues Tim is pleased to have a variety of highly experienced, long-term staff working alongside people new to the company: “We have had a lot of new train crew, especially drivers and conductors. All types of people are looking to work for us.”
One feat has been to bring together people from several different franchises into ATW. “It’s been a challenge to harmonise five different businesses and five different sets of employment conditions. But we are now virtually there”
The Adopt a Station scheme is also going well, with more than 100 stations ‘adopted’ by local communities and places such as Bargoed on the Rhymney Valley’s line have seen their ticket office open again because of increasing demand.
ATW also works closely with BT Police to stop anti-social behaviour: “Some of the Valley Lines can be ‘challenging’ for our staff, shall we say,” says Tim.
Investment is healthy – £2 million is being spent on a major revamp of Chester station, a listed building.
A great many positive things are happening on the railways in Wales but, as Tim says: “We have still got to realise that we are competing against the car.
“The other challenges are the environment and how we reduce our carbon footprint. And how we give value for money – bearing in mind that some of our season tickets are the most competitive fares in the UK.”