London, 2014-May-09
Siemens and South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance apprentices at Swanage Railway
A team of over twenty apprentices from Siemens and the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance took part in a two-day team-building event at Swanage Railway, dismantling a Class 101 DMU (diesel multiple unit) before it is scrapped.
The ex-British Rail unit from the 1950s last saw service in 2000. Salvaged parts will form a valuable source of spares for the main line upgraded and certificated DMUs that will be used on future train services between Swanage and the main line at Wareham from next year.
Project Wareham Project Manager Frank Roberts – who has been a Swanage Railway volunteer since the 1980s – explained: "The project to reinstate a train service to Wareham is really accelerating and, while there is a lot of work to do, the implementation of many years of detailed and challenging planning is about to pay dividends. We are extremely grateful to the Siemens and South West Trains apprentices for their work in stripping the old DMUs of components.”
Siemens apprentice and Director at The Swanage Railway Trust, Nathan Au, initiated the idea with his fellow colleagues; “We are lucky enough to learn about and work with modern fleets such as the Class 444 and 450 Desiro units for South West Trains in our apprenticeships, and this gave us a chance to practice our mechanical skills and techniques on older rolling stock while also helping towards a bigger railway project.”
After spending two days removing everything they could including doors, engines and a speedometer, the mix of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year apprentices also had the opportunity to see behind the scenes of the iconic steam railway at Swanage.
Matt Jolly, one of the twelve Siemens apprentices that volunteered said; “We’ve not been able to do anything like this before. It was a good experience and I’ve been able to help out some of the other apprentices which helps my own development.“
Shannon Fox, 1st year apprentice at South West Trains added “I only joined in August last year and so this has been a lot to take in but it’s been good getting to work with Siemens and also see behind the scenes.”
By popular demand, an event of this nature will now be organised annually between Siemens and South West Trains apprentices.
Contact for journalists:
Siemens Rail Systems
Laurie Waugh
Tel: 07921 242074
Email: laurie.waugh@siemens.com
Hannah Buckley
Tel: 020 3128 8539
Email: Siemens@mhpc.com
South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance
South West Trains press office 01738 442111
email media@stagecoachgroup.com
Network Rail press office 020 3356 9166/9164
email mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk.
Please note, a joint response will be given to media enquiries.
Swanage Railway
Peter Sills
Swanage Railway Company Chairman
Tel: 07976 437467
For further information and press pictures, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
Please credit Andrew PM Wright if used.
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About Siemens
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 170 years ago and now employs 13,760 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £3.36 billion*. As the world’s largest engineering company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports
Siemens Rail Systems
Siemens Rail Systems Division provides expertise and technology in the full range of rail vehicles – from heavy rail to metros to trams and light-rail vehicles. In the UK, the Division employs around 750 people and maintains over 360 Siemens passenger trains for First TransPennine Express, South West Trains, Heathrow Express, Greater Anglia Franchise (Abellio), Northern Rail, London Midland and ScotRail. In addition to manufacturing the new trains for Thameslink, the company will also be supplying Eurostar with its new high speed fleet of trains.
South West Trains / Network Rail Alliance
The South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance was formed on 29 April 2012 with the aim of delivering an improved service for passengers with faster, more customer-focused decision-making. It is also a step towards delivering a more efficient and cost effective railway for the long term.
- A single joint management team now look after train services and infrastructure across the South West Trains / Wessex route.
- The Alliance is the first of its kind in the UK.
- Train services operated by the Alliance are some of the busiest commuter train services in the UK. Over 2,000 passenger and freight services run on the network every day and the route covers 643 miles of track, with 1375 sets of points and 4394 signals.
Swanage Railway
- Opened in 1885, the ten-mile branch line from Wareham to Corfe Castle and Swanage was controversially closed by British Rail in January, 1972, with six and a half miles of track from east of Furzebrook to Swanage lifted during 1972.
- With 4,000 members, the Swanage Railway has been rebuilt from nothing since 1976 and is run by a regular team of 500 volunteers supported by a team of paid staff.
- The award-winning five and a half mile heritage railway now carries more than 210,000 passengers a year.
- Parts from the stripped Class 101 DMU (diesel multiple unit) will be able to be used in the main line upgraded and certificated DMUs that it is planned will be used in a trial train service from Swanage and Corfe Castle to the main line at Wareham in 2015 and 2016.
- The trial train service will start in September, 2015, and run for 140 selected days over the following two years.
- The Swanage Railway has received a £1.47 million grant from the Government's Coastal Communities Fund to enable the trial train service to take place.
- The money will also be used to upgrade more than three miles of single line – currently owned by Network Rail – between Worgret Junction (on the main London to Weymouth line) and Motala which is the start of the Swanage Railway.
- That stretch of line was last used in the summer of 2005 when the last gas train ran from the BP Wytch Farm oil field gas terminal at Furzebrook.
- Since 2009, the line has only been used for occasional excursion trains to the Swanage Railway as well as the movement of locomotives for Swanage Railway special events.
The Swanage Railway hopes to acquire a lease of the three mile Motala to Worgret Junction line in the next few months. Some 1,500 wooden sleepers will have to be replaced.
