Building on these values, the Project SPEED team has developed an approach to guide our day-to-day working, so we can all play our part in building a modern and efficient railway that we can be proud of. After being approved in November 2020, PACE has been applied to projects since January 2021. PACE/GRIP Timetabling One-team culture Railway Interoperability Regulation (RIR) Standards Challenge Procurement strategy Access and possession Capability and Culture Contact us Please contact SPEED@networkrail.co.uk to gain access to more information on the SPEED Hub. So what is PACE, and how does it differ from its predecessor? We now need to work with our industry partners to drive the required changes to ensure we work as one team to deliver value for money outcomes for our customers and benefits for our passengers. Able to undertake the NR/L2/INI/02009 roles of Contractors Responsible Engineer (CRE) or equivalent. The workshop will look at the PACE (Project . <> Description used where a station consists of multiple layers of tracks the low-level line runs below the high-level line. It will remove layers of process and bureaucracy that add little value, while freeing up time to focus on doing the things that matter, safely. He retired from Network Rail in 2009 after a 37-year railway career. He felt that rail is well placed to be a key part of the recovery from the Covid crisis and to decarbonise transport, but stressed that the required investment cannot be taken for granted. PACE has replaced GRIP as the government looks to speed up the delivery of rail projects. Its requirements are also based on a similar matrix derived from the project Level of Control. Keith was sure that Project SPEED was absolutely the right approach and that effective partnerships between Network Rail, suppliers and operators were essential. PACE is a new approach that will make it easier for Network Rail to integrate and respond to operational challenges. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. endobj Jobs | SRC Infrastructure When RMT union members closed the London Underground last March, Transport for London assumed a similar role to health chiefs during the coronavirus pandemic. endobj The 2017 plans consisted of a new high-speed line connecting Phase One (London to the West Midlands) to Leeds, serving an interchange at Toton (in the East Midlands) and with connections to Sheffield and the East Coast Main Line, to access destinations including York and Newcastle. There is a lot more to the change than a new name and Network Rail programme director (capital investment) Mike Wright believes the impact will be seen in less than 12 months. ProjectSPEED(Swift, Pragmatic and Efficient Enhancement Delivery) is a joint initiative between the Department for Transport and Network Rail. This requires some double-tracking, level crossing enhancements, linespeed improvements and signalling upgrades. This standard is part of the Capital Delivery Core Process and relates to the Capital Investment and Delivery Policy. Assurance has to remain a really important part of project delivery to avoid throwing the baby out with bath water. 200TH EDITION Rail Engineer January / February 2023 200 Issues & 2,900 articles later, Are passengers getting a good ride? Learn how your comment data is processed. /Resources <> Network Rails standard NR/L2/P3M/201, Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment (PACE), started to be applied to new projects on 4th January and will progressively be applied to live projects unless there is a reason not to do so. For Grip we looked at where it wasnt working and the opportunities to improve.. Your email address will not be published. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Amanda felt one problem was that, over time, processes that were intended to make things work have increasingly been used dogmatically rather than pragmatically. The Eastern Leg (EL) of HS2, originally part of HS2 Phase 2b. He has also been awarded a Diploma in Engineering Management by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here. PACE has been created from Project SPEED (Swift, Pragmatic and Efficient Enhancement Delivery), itself part of the governments Covid-19 recovery plan to deliver public investment projects faster and for less money. Gate reviews were held to consider relevant documentation to confirm completion of the required activities. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. However, the key requirement is a change in culture. Experience of working in the UK rail industry with good working knowledge of Network Rail GRIP / PACE process / standards and approval processes. This could be due to the train completing its journey and beginning a new journey or due to the train needing to turn around during its journey to access the necessary route. Previous delivery of projects through Network Rail Grip stages 1-3. <> In addition, the new PACE process will give individual projects a better trade-off between time, cost and scope of work. /Resources 1021 0 R Please contact SPEED@networkrail.co.uk to gain access to more information on the SPEED Hub. . However, given rising inflation and other costs, even a flat budget is likely to equate to a real-terms cut of at least 10% in available expenditure. 21/29 PACE programme (the transition from GRIP) Stuart Calvert joined the meeting. Backed by $255,000 of his own money, Casper has raised $333,000 for the race while Carlson has brought in nearly $110,000, still a large sum for a City Council contest. endobj At Gatwick Airport, the station improvement project had been delayed by two months due to the Covid lockdown. The Restoring Your Railway (RYR) policy aims to reinstate axed local rail services and restore closed stations. The production of estimates, for example, in terms of cost, in a range, producing both a low and higher estimated outcome. /ExtGState <> Keith also gave examples of how GTR had accelerated the design and delivery of station projects. Wright adds: I have one project that under Pace will save up to 75% on the time needed on running through the Grip 1 to Grip 3 process.. So what is PACE, and how does it differ from its predecessor? Stockport Rail Station Regeneration Update 1. Introduction and Purpose Wright and his team have spent the early months of this year rolling out the Pace concept to Network Rail staff and its supply chain. Putting the engineering decision-making into the hands of the delivery team can only help the project delivery, the costs and time scales. According to Wright, Grip was much more than a project lifecycle and there are hundreds of other processes, policies and governance controls across Network Rail that were affected by the Grip process. Its aim is to secure rail investment by demonstrating that the industry can become more competitive by significantly reducing costs and halving the time it takes to complete projects. SPEED and PACE - what does it mean for rail projects? Stuart emphasised that the centre is there to support and work with the regions. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 19 0 obj PACE was applied to the Okehampton project which we were a part of. From the start of this year the Governance for Rail Investment Projects (Grip) process, which has been in place for more than a decade, is being replaced with Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment (Pace). The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) is the governments centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects, supporting the successful delivery of all types of major projects. 12 0 obj >> It does not store any personal data. EGIS - Project Manager Assistant - Rail Division Emma Osborn, Commercial Director, Network Rail Wales & Western, made the point that her company does not have all the answers and needs the humility to accept that suppliers can offer solutions if they are engaged early enough in a project. High Speed 2 (HS2) is a new high-speed railway linking London, the Midlands and the North, with services continuing to Scotland via the West Coast Main Line. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. It is about being bold, curious and challenging. LOVE, POVERTY, WAR AND Also by Christopher Hitchens BLOOD, CLASS AND EMPIRE: The Enduring Anglo-American Relationship A LONG SHORT WAR: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq WHY ORWELL MATTERS LEFT HOOKS, RIGHT CROSSES: A Decade of Political Writing (edited with Christopher Caldwell) LETTERS TO A YOUNG CONTRARIAN THE TRIAL OF HENRY KISSINGER BLAMING THE VICTIMS: Spurious Scholarship and the . 30 0 obj What are the differences between PACE vs GRIP? The first phase was about client requirements, the business case and customer need; the second was technical and financial feasibility and optioneering; and the final phase was delivery of the work and handover. D; Not e Grip 3. Phase 2a will open by 2033. The full, robust engineering design is produced along with the detailed costings and time estimates that go with the project delivery. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. As described later, this required the development of a new project management process, PACE (Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment), addressing ten key themes and the provision of a Rail Investment Centre of Excellence to provide support and share lessons learnt. This approach can lead to an irregular service pattern, with services timetabled together leaving longer waits for passengers in between these groups. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3, Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP). endobj It is then tested to ensure that everything is working as it should be and then commissioned into use. The DfT 's new unit brings together transport experts, ministers, businesses, local government and other specialists to inspire fresh ideas, getting to grips with opportunities to improve. Grip was very much about how you got from A to B and it told you how to get there, says Wright. 10 0 obj For the past 12 months, this has been considering new ways of delivering projects and trying these out on pilot schemes. Working with DfT, Network Rail identified six infrastructure projects of differing scale and stages of development, and asked them to consider past and current constraints, and what was needed to unblock them. Network Rail and RIBA announce railway station design competition winner Their Regional Rail Director, Simon Middleton, described how the project had been involved with Project SPEED since summer last year and had since reduced capital costs by 25% and accelerated completion by ten months to the end of 2023. Detailed oriented self starter and finisher. . The Midland Main Line (MML) is one of the UKs core rail lines, running between London, Sheffield and Nottingham, via Leicester. Able to undertake the NR/L2/INI/02009 roles of Contractors Responsible Engineer (CRE) or equivalent. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. And that is why it is not fit. The one-team approach dovetails into the Williams Review which will require the different parts of the railway to work much more closely together. <> To do so, the centre is providing a knowledge hub, assessing best practice with the supply chain, providing professional development, supporting project assurance and acting as a point of contact with the DfT for the Railway Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) process. endobj <> GRIP replaced by PACE GRIP, which has been in use for the last 10 years, is being evolved into PACE (Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment). Rail Project SPEED: Introduction and PACE - 20 May 2021 The time slot required to operate one train on any given line based on the characteristics of that line (such as top speed). Network Rails GRIP process was developed to minimise delivery risk by dividing a project into eight distinct stages for which there was a defined set of activities which had to be completed before starting the next stage. Phase 2b WL will open between 2035 and the early 2040s. A form of risk analysis applied to engineering projects that considers the impact and likelihood of risks and quantifies them numerically. You have rejected additional cookies. Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands: glossary This is distinguished from high speed lines and stations which are exclusive to high-speed services and/or are specified to operate at high speeds (>125mph). It will also encourage greater collaboration between teams working on different projects by allowing them to share lessons learned from previous work in order to improve delivery. Interview | Mike Wright of Network Rail on setting a new tone for The benefits of PACE are said to include: A simpler project management structure, which can be followed by all departments working on projects at any one time; Improved delegation of authority up the chain of command; A greater focus on risk management across all levels of the organisation; More effective use of key performance indicators (KPIs); A more coherent approach to procurement and contracting processes across different disciplines (including civil engineering works). To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. The construction of the new railway is split into phases: Phase One (linking London to the West Midlands), which received royal assent in 2017; Phase 2a (West Midlands and the North via Crewe) in 2021 and Phase 2b. The changes to the law proposed by a hybrid bill would affect the general public but would also have a significant impact for specific individuals or groups. 27 0 obj AECOM produced the Strategic Outline Business Case and are providing project management services. Network Rail joins the public sector: but don't call it With strikes paralysing Britain, bosses have lost their grip on where we work . Jobs | SRC Infrastructure GRIP Process - Proposed Railway Schemes It consists of 5 stages, including project initiation, development and project selection, project design, project delivery and project close. endobj Within Pace we are trying to create a framework with a delegated authority of decision making, he explains. His experience of investment panels was that they had the required flexibility, although commercial panels sometimes delayed contracts. The most-liked question at the event was from a project manager who wanted to reduce bureaucracy but found himself going to more and more panels to jump through more hoops. To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here. This reduces the issues associated with timetabling fast and slow trains on the same tracks, which become particularly prominent when the speeds differential of such services is greater, or when a greater frequency of trains operates. <> Wright explains: The problem is that Grip has become a paint by numbers process.