Collaboration and communication
JEREMY LONG, CEO - European Business of MTR Corporation, explains how MTR Crossrail has embraced and developed innovative collaboration processes to pave the way for the smooth introduction of Elizabeth Line services
When plans for a new east-west railway beneath London were given the go-ahead in 2008, long-awaited extra capacity was promised for the congested London Underground network.
Casting a fresh purple streak through the heart of the ubiquitous Tube map, the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) will provide the first new services through central London in decades - and the need to deliver a quality and timely final product is paramount.
The first test for Crossrail has been the introduction of the precursor service ( TfL Rail) on the eastern section of the line between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in Essex - a route combining heavy commuter traffic and the logistical challenge of a major London terminus.
Transport for London (TfL) awarded the concession contract to MTR Crossrail in 2014, and collaboration with partners as a “shadow operator” on the new network was central both to MTR’s successful introduction of TfL Rail services and to its long-term vision for the operation.
It needed to seamlessly integrate and improve the existing commuter line, while simultaneously setting the stage for a new railway. To be able to respond to this challenge in an effective and structured way, Network Rail, Greater Anglia and MTR needed to operate as true delivery partners. MTR applied its systematic approach of developing a close and practical understanding of not just its own operational challenges, but also those of its partners.
MTR already has extensive international experience of collaborating closely with partners from the start of a project to completion, including successful delivery of projects such as the Citybanan line in Stockholm. Both in the UK and worldwide, MTR has a strongly embedded culture of continuous improvement in order to draw on these positive examples and implement these learnings elsewhere.
Culture change: This led to a number of changes in how staff from both sides shared information. Some of these were achieved simply and quickly, such as the creation of two shared groups on a mobile messaging service.
Staff from Network Rail and MTR sat within two groups: one for disruption, the other for operations. The groups allowed for faster and more effective communication between those on the ground and those at central control, and ensured staff from both MTR and NR were fully up-to-date with the latest information.
This culture shift to embrace change and innovation to improve services continues. In 2017, MTR Crossrail led an initiative known as the operations concept, working collaboratively with Network Rail to manage the Mobile Operations Managers that respond to incidents on the railway between Shenfield and Liverpool Street on the Anglia route.
This has achieved a revised response strategy across the route - providing better response times, improving train performance, and creating a new working environment and collaboration between MTR station teams. MTR Crossrail is the only train operating company (TOC) in the industry to have responsibility of delivering competence management and operating leadership for Mobile Operations Managers who respond to its trains.
Also in 2017, the desire for continuous improvement led to changes to exceed customer expectations. Dedicated performance teams and customer experience teams worked closely together to analyse various measures, such as station dwell time, in order to identify solutions and improve Right Time statistics. Such activities show that best practice is constantly being worked upon and improved through greater collaboration.
Training the right talent: Another key aspect to ensuring the Elizabeth Line’s success is attracting and training the right staff, with a workforce of around 1,150 people required.
To ingrain the concept of collaboration from day one, MTR Crossrail extended its outreach to a wider range of potential applicants and was deliberate in its structuring of the hiring process at all levels.
The strategic deployment of staff was also significant. In order to create a better understanding between Network Rail and MTR Crossrail, new roles were created by the respective organisations. A number of individuals undertook secondments to complement their own work and to facilitate the development of shared ideas.
This extends to the use of various initiatives to encourage diversity and inclusion - from the Transforming Transport Pledge helping young people from minority backgrounds to pursue a career in the sector, to inviting female applicants to HQ and the driver depot to experience driver simulators and to talk to female drivers and members of staff about the benefits of working in the industry.
And these measures have started to have an impact, with statistics well above industry averages: 12% of MTR Crossrail drivers are female (compared with a 6% average), and 25% of drivers at MTR Crossrail are BAME (a 5% average).
This focus on attracting, training and retraining high-quality staff continues, as MTR Crossrail looks to complete its complement of drivers in readiness for full Elizabeth Line services in 2019.
In January this year, the move to the new Old Oak Common depot is set to help streamline this process. Forty drivers are currently completing training, and 40 newly qualified drivers now have a new base from which to familiarise themselves with the Heathrow Connect service ahead of the rolling out of the next phase of service.
The value of communication: These early changes quickly had a significant impact. In the first year of operations, the Customer Satisfaction Survey overall service score outperformed targets across all periods, reaching 85% in mid-2015.
Meanwhile, the Public Performance Measure (PPM) of punctuality outperformed the final year under the previous operator (2014) across all periods, ensuring that those who travelled on the line experienced an improved service. This was a complete turnaround from the decline experienced in the previous 12 months, bestowing the title of most improved TOC in the UK.
And this has continued. To date the PPM Moving Annual Average has continued to increase, reaching 93.5% in P12 of 2017-18. In 2017, some 160 hours of customer information during disruption training were delivered, and subsequently customer complaints were down 29% - proving that internal and external communication has a tangible difference for those travelling on the line.
As with MTR’s experience in Stockholm on Citybanan, early conversations with partners can help ensure progress is made despite disruption to pre-planned timelines.
The new Old Oak Common depot centre also offers an opportunity for closer collaboration with Bombardier, which is also based at the centre, as MTR Crossrail prepares for the introduction of the May timetable between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 4.
Lessons learned: With an increased focus from government on encouraging greater collaboration between train and track, such examples of partnership are invaluable for upcoming rail projects seeking to introduce new lines and services. And TfL Rail continues to offer learning opportunities for the industry, as steps are taken towards the introduction of the Elizabeth Line.
In the coming year, ahead of the full introduction of the Elizabeth Line, MTR Crossrail and its partners are working on a further series of key milestones, both internally and externally - from the introduction of the new full-length Class 345 trains to driver training at the new simulator facilities in Old Oak Common.
These developments will help facilitate the next operational phase, as MTR Crossrail looks to take over existing services from Paddington to Heathrow and Hayes & Harlington.
And as the next Class 345 trains are introduced to the line, the results from the many hours of communication and collaboration are being realised. As the next stages for introduction of the eventual full Elizabeth Line service continue to be reached, the lessons learned by all partners involved on the line will continue to be taken - not only to ensure MTR itself promotes continuous improvement, but also to be transferred to the next wave of rail projects on the horizon, ensuring that the rail sector is as collaborative and co-ordinated as possible.
Dedicated performance teams and customer experience teams worked closely together to analyse various measures, such as station dwell time, in order to identify solutions and improve Right Time statistics.