In the Network Rail Village

Explore more features: Outside the Network Rail Village

Future Sustainability: rail engineering in action

A live, track replacement demonstration from the Wales and Western region construction services team, taking place over both days of Rail Live. This innovative demonstration will show just how achievable fully sustainable working is and how innovation can make us safer. The whole working site and Network Rail Village is being run from sustainable power generated by solar and battery feed. All materials being used are fully recycled and sustainable including the ballast, fittings and sleepers. The team will also be running the site without paperwork! Yes, instead of paper, they’ll be using app-based safety systems to give a higher level of safety, control and reporting. By the end of the show, the team will have re-ballasted the top stone on two track roads and replaced sleepers that are a risk to safe running. Watch the work from the viewing platform in the Network Rail Village and see presentations from across the Rail Live show on the giant screen alongside the work site.

Training

We believe that excellent training and development is the essential glue that enables Network Rail to put passengers and freight users first.

Rail Live enables us to showcase the latest skills, leadership and professional development training on offer, and the new schemes we’ve launched for apprentices and graduates.

We also have teams on hand offering live demos with some of the new technology we’re introducing to create interactive learning experiences.

Pop by and learn more about the programmes we’re supporting in partnership with routes, regions and the wider industry, and the insights we’re creating to fuel how we think about learning now and in future control periods.

Sentinel

Since 1999 Sentinel has been the rail industry’s Authority to Work system that enables you to work safely on the manged infrastructure. The system is owned and run by Network Rail for the industry, with over 100,000 users, over 1,700 Sponsor companies and multiple infrastructures signed up to the scheme.

Sentinel uses a secure database and smartcard technology to check an individual’s Sponsor, competence and medical validity before going track side in near real time. It prevents unqualified individuals from working and causing danger on the infrastructure and is supported by the Sentinel Scheme Rules, which outline the policies and responsibilities that must be adhered to.

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Technical Services

The team delivers specialist engineering, asset management, systems analysis, modelling and rail test development services. At Rail Live this year a demo of our upcoming HPSS mark 2 points operating equipment will show what makes the technology so robust and reliable. You’ll also find our Autonomous Railhead Inspection Vehicle demonstrating the future possibilities of what fully automated track inspection and repair could look like.

Asset Information Services (AIS)

We collect, analyse and share data and intelligence about Network Rail's infrastructure assets and maintain some of Network Rail's key asset systems and tools. AIS collects 18 different data sets via a dedicated fleet of infrastructure monitoring (IM) vehicles. Air Operations provides high resolution aerial images of railway infrastructure with helicopters or remote aerial vehicles to complement the collation of asset data.

AIS data is used by asset managers, engineers, network infrastructure planners and maintenance teams to plan and deliver effective maintenance and renewals of railway assets.

Make sure to visit our class 153 track inspection unit and the Air Operations stand to see our helicopters and drones.

Research and Development

The Research and Development Team is a focal point for research, development, and innovation. It consists of managing programmes, connecting ideas with funding, owning tools and processes that help the regions and routes innovate and coordinating with other R&D within and beyond the rail sector. The team’s priorities are:

Driving up the pace of innovation
Addressing a wide range of challenges including asset and environmental sustainability, affordability, reliability, and safety
Supporting our regions to identify, plan and deploy R&D outputs at the earliest opportunity
Promoting the R&D Portfolio to strengthen Network Rail’s reputation as an industry leader.

Intelligent infrastructure

Intelligent Infrastructure is a digital transformation programme helping Network Rail improve asset management and predict when and where to maintain our railway.

We’re using technology to turn data into intelligent information so front line and supporting teams can work more safely, smarter, and seamlessly. A range of easy-to-use online tools will provide colleagues across all disciplines, the right information at the right time, making it easier to deliver improved services for passengers and freight customers.

Benefits include:

Centralised data collection gives teams transparency to plan what, where and when to act
Analytics and algorithms turn data into intelligent information to support decision making and improve train reliability
Easy to use apps to help teams work smarter
Visualising the railway through maps and aerial survey imagery
A holistic view of the railway to help identify root cause of common issues

Visit us in the Network Rail Village to see Intelligent Infrastructure tools in action

Network Rail Design and Delivery

We are Network Rail’s internal design organisation where delivery is based on collaboration with shared purpose.

We offer regional customer focus and close internal relationships but with a national reach that provides co-ordinated access to specialist capability and engineering expertise to all of NR. Our multidisciplinary design team works where customers see best value in internal delivery. This particularly includes early-stage development and design where we support setting and delivering the output requirements to deliver the optimum solution and specialist services throughout the project lifecycle.

We are part of the same team as the asset owner and project delivery partner and strive to apply our skills efficiently and with agility, honesty, pace and technical expertise.

On our stand we’ll be showcasing our work across all our design disciplines with examples of efficiency generation, added value, innovation and SPEED delivery.

Commercial & Procurement

Commercial & Procurement (C&P) manages a wide range of service provision and procurement contracts across Network Rail – more than 3,600 suppliers and £2.2 billion of spend.

Through rigorous testing and benchmarking against the market, the function always aims to secure the best value and outcomes for Network Rail and achieve balance between national, regional and local sourcing.

The services we provide include:

Category management
Commercial management
Supplier management
Procurement operations
Sourcing

On our stand, we’ll be showcasing a range of recent activity that drives innovation and better value across Network Rail’s expenditure and you will have the chance to meet up with C&P and Regional representatives to discuss topics including:

Science-based targets
Environmentally friendly PPE
Work on enhanced supplier assurance & supplier risk (to incl., things like SID)
Safe service with a focus on initiatives linked to supplier safety and welfare

Safety Task Force

The Safety Task Force has one simple job: keeping our people safe on our tracks through better planning and use of safety equipment.

Working with the regions and routes, the Safety Task Force has made huge improvements to keeping our people safe on our tracks, through better planning and use of safety equipment. The team has achieved considerable success, including:

In around two years, the number of near misses involving track workers, where colleagues were seconds away from injury or fatality, has reduced by 70 per cent.
Unassisted lookout working now accounts for less than one per cent of maintenance work
over 1,168 train operating circuit devices (TCODs) installed
over 4,200 cess pathways have been identified for refurbishment since September 2019
Network Rail – Railhub launched in December 2021 and is expected to be complete across all routes by the end of this year. Replaces outdated systems, helps users track Safe Work Packs and enables easier collaboration.

Come and talk to the team and find out more about what we’re doing to make sure our track workers are working on the safest possible railway.

Road fleet

Route Services Road Fleet provides and facilitates a range of services including vehicle design/specialist conversions, vehicle disposal, compliance, short-term vehicle hire, fuel cards and the In-Cab Safety System.

Road Fleet is supported by our fleet management partner Novuna Vehicle Solutions. Services they provide include 24/7 helpline assistance, accident management/breakdown recovery, routine/emergency tyre support, glass replacement/repair vehicle servicing, maintenance and repair, road fund licence management, compliance management.

The combined efforts of both Route Services Road Fleet and Novuna ensure Network Rail maintains a safe and compliant road fleet 24/7, 365 days a year.