A 1990s office block at DB Cargo UK’s Knottingley depot is being demolished and replaced with a more energy-efficient structure built from modular cabins which will include offices, a messroom and toilets. ‘The office block at Knottingley is no longer fit for purpose and it now costs a small fortune to maintain and run’, said Safety & Compliance Manager Chris Pickerden, ‘As much as we all love its iconic design with its balcony and balustrades, we can no longer justify the expense of keeping it open.’
HS2 Ltd is introducing a digital Health & Safety Passport System developed with Biosite. This will initially be used by all main works civils contractors to share information across multiple sites and multiple contracts. As well as ensuring only operatives with the correct credentials and skills can access sites, it will allow HS2 to track competency, health and safety assessments and fatigue management, and de-duplicate worker profiles to establish a single record for each operative.
Crossrail’s digital team has produced a virtual tour of the future Farringdon Elizabeth Line station. The custom interface developed by 3 Deep Media, is made up of 21 panoramic 360º images and includes 41 pop-ups which tell the story of the design and build of the station. It also includes more than 100 pictures detailing construction.
TransPennine Express has invited applications for grants of up to £5 000 from its £50 000 Transform fund for community and environmental projects.
Greater investment in rail research could be used to help level up the economy in the north of England, according to the Rail Innovation Eco-System: Understanding the Region’s Research & Innovation Capacity, Capabilities & Potential report commissioned by the universities of Leeds and Huddersfield from economics and policy analysts Perspective Economics.
Depot equipment specialist Mechan has recruited Tudor Litoiu as senior mechanical design engineer, and Andrew Kennedy as control systems engineer.