CPA Bulletin

44 CPA Bulletin > February 2023 www.cpa.uk.net rail plant association RAIL PLANT ASSOCIATION: 1 Steve Featherstone - RPA Consultant The way in which the railway has evolved over the last 30 years means that railway plant and machines are the workhorses of the railway. These are operated by private companies providing services to Network Rail, regional transport authorities and principal contractors. When all the privately-owned machines are added together, they have a value of around £1 billion and a workforce of about 5,000 people. The RPA provides a means for these individual companies to talk with a collective voice. As the industry has become increasingly devolved over the last few years, the rail plant community has struggled to discuss its issues and concerns at the highest levels with their clients. As we approached Christmas, the RPA identified a collective concern that there may not be enough machine operators and Machine Controllers to service all the work. As I have now left Network Rail and am working independently, the RPA asked if I could help to escalate their concerns on behalf of the whole supply chain. The reason for this whole supply chain approach is that individual companies are reluctant to raise issues as this may reflect negatively on their organisations in the future. In late November 2022, I met with Network Rail to discuss the rail plant communities concerns in regards to providing resources for the peak demand at Christmas. Network Rail responded by making machine operators and machine controllers into named resources as part of their Delivering Work Within Possessions (DWWP) process, bringing them into line with overhead line resources and signal testers. My thanks to TomMale and his DWWP team for their swift response. As promised in the last article, the RPA is now able to update you all on the appointment of the RPA Consultant. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Steve Featherstone , formerly of Network Rail, has accepted the challenge. Steve, who many of you will know, brings a vast amount of experience and a wealth of knowledge of the RRV community. As you read on, it will be apparent that this work has already begun. Rail is key to the UK’s economic stability and growth. A collaborative strategic approach is imperative for our supply chain. On that note, I will hand over to Steve to provide an overview of his progression thus far.