Peer review: David Simpson
Operations and infrastructure adviser
Tim Shoveller makes a strong, passionate and eloquent case for the benefits that the alliance in Wessex is delivering through closer working relationships.
‘Alliance’ is a word that has been bandied frequently around the industry in recent years - prefaced by words such as ‘deep’, ‘framework’, ‘light touch’, ‘informal’, and many more.
If you google the word ‘alliance’ there are 11.4 million potential responses. For me, two definitions stand out: “a union or association formed for mutual benefit”, and “a relationship based on similarity of interests”. These phrases seem to describe accurately how Tim’s patch is now being run to tackle the challenges of running and growing a railway which (as he puts it) is bursting at the seams - by making sure everyone involved has a very clear understanding of exactly what needs doing, and why, and then delivering the solutions.
It is also good to see the amount of innovation that this approach is bringing to old problems that were previously ‘too difficult’ to tackle.
In many ways it is a sad indictment of the industry that it takes people such as Tim ‘short circuiting’ normal processes to make the right things happen at the pace they need to.
Why is something as basic as “working together to solve the true root causes of problems” seen as something new and different? Collectively we need to work out why the existing regulatory and contractual processes stop this from being the normal way of doing things - and make it the norm!
How do we make what is happening in Wessex have the same impact elsewhere? Can we transplant that new DNA of how we work together to other parts of the network?
I firmly believe we can. Whether you are running a railway like Tim’s, which pays for itself and so can justify ambitious investment for growth, a multi-operator main line route, or a highly subsidised rural lifeline route, the same principles of working together must surely be better than the ‘constructive tension’ and ‘mutual suspicion’ that is so often seen.
Ultimately there has to be mutual benefit (nobody will
accept losing out financially), but taking the whole system view of problems - and opportunities - has to be the best
approach. That is how it was possible to electrify the Paisley Canal line in Scotland in 44 days, for less than half the original cost estimate.
The essential ingredients were clear objectives for all involved, strong and aligned leadership, clear communications and understanding of everyone’s needs, and a culture of challenging the norm to find safer, quicker, cheaper ways of doing things. The result? A better service for passengers.
That approach seems to me to sum up what is happening in Wessex - and what ought to be spreading around the rest of the network. It can be as effective at Georgemas Junction as it clearly will be at Clapham Junction!
- David Simpson was formerly Network Rail Route Managing Director for Scotland
