A Bespoke Safety Assurance Plan
Since August 2022, Collinson-RMS have been supporting Transport for Wales Rail Ltd by developing and implementing a bespoke safety assurance strategy and management plan (with supporting processes) that integrates the safe transformation of depot operations at Cardiff Canton Depot with the new train introduction and infrastructure enhancements being introduced by the TfW New Trains project.
Cardiff Canton Traction Maintenance Depot has a long established history in successful diesel traction maintenance for passenger and goods / freight stock operated in Wales. However, with the introduction of new trains as part of £800million of investment by Transport for Wales, the depot is being upgraded to transform it into a facility capable of cleaning, servicing and maintaining the new tri-mode fleet being delivered by FLIRT.
These changes include the introduction and upgrading of various depot facilities, such as:
- New Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) in the sidings for Electric Traction charging
- High Level Access Gantry installations for maintaining roof mounted equipment
- New traction battery storage and maintenance facilities
These depot facility changes, being delivered by the infrastructure enhancements organisation, require the depot teams to safely introduce new facility operations procedures and processes, and these are to be managed under the ‘managing change’ processes already in place for TfWRL. The challenge faced by the depot team is that these changes also needed to be integrated with the safety management processes being used to safely introduce the new trains and the new / upgraded infrastructure.
Collinson-RMS, working with AEGIS Engineering Systems, are helping provide the solution through the creation of a bespoke “Safety Strategy and Management Plan – Depot Operations”, taking a pragmatic approach to managing safety where the risks being introduced by a number of ‘proposers of change’ (some being treated as ‘significant’ under Common Safety Method legislation) were being managed by one team; the Cardiff Canton Depot team.
The bespoke safety strategy enables each organisation responsible for managing the safety of their own changes, to continue in accordance with their respective plans, avoiding the need for extra effort or processes, and focused on effective integration of hazards, risks and safety requirements where these were required to be transferred to the depot team.
The results are a simple, but effective, hazard management process that integrates shared hazards / risks into a single depot operations hazard management plan; providing visible control and assurance of the safe introduction of depot operation changes at Cardiff Canton Depot.
Following successful application of the approach developed by Collinson-RMS, the strategy is being extended to cover other depots undergoing changes as a result of the new train introduction, including the completely new depot maintenance facility being built at Taff’s Well.
Working with AEGIS
AEGIS is a member of IKOS Group, providing engineering expertise and innovative solutions to the Rolling Stock, Plant, Telecommunications, Electrification, Signaling and Infrastructure sectors within the Rail industry.
TfW – investing £800million
TfW is investing £800 million in new trains for the Wales and Borders network.
Through working with train manufacturers Stadler and CAF, TfW is investing a total of £800 million into brand new trains that will begin to run on the network for customers in 2023.
