Many thanks for the opportunity to give evidence to your inquiry into rail safety on 14 November 2016. During the session, there were a couple of issues that we undertook to provide further information to the committee on. Please find this information below.
There were approximately 850 signal boxes five years ago, compared to approximately 680 now. This reduction is a result of level crossing closures and of ‘re-control’ projects, which move the control of signalling from individual boxes to rail operating centres (ROCs).
ROCs have more advanced signalling tools and technology that help reduce delays, improve performance, increase capacity, provide better information to passengers and offer better value for money for passengers and tax payers. They also allow for more effective direct supervision of signallers and their operational decisions (being based in one location rather than working alone in geographically remote signal boxes) and this, along with the features of the electronic signalling systems employed in ROCs, help reduce the risk of human error.
There is no specific maximum number of crossings. As part of any plan to re-control signalling to a ROC, we assess the workload implications for signallers. Our workload assessment tools have been developed by specialists in this field, including ergonomists, and conclusions are reviewed by an internal panel to ensure an appropriate number of signallers are assigned to any line planned for re-control.
We do not record specific spend on this area – it would be combined with other work undertaken. We can say that our maintenance teams have undertaken over 650 jobs since January 2005 to control rabbit infestations on the infrastructure. In terms of comparisons over time, 47 jobs were undertaken in 2005/06, 61 in 2010/11 and 24 in 2015/16.