Case Studies - Rail

As part of its drive to improve railway performance, the UK government adopted a PFI approach to a franchise in the south of England. This involved a joint venture (SPV - Special Purpose Vehicle) between Railtrack, the train operating company and an international civil engineering company. The SPV was tasked with creating an investment case (for around £500m) that would result in external financial backing for the venture. It would then undertake major enhancements to the infrastructure (track, bridges, etc) to allow improved services (more/faster trains) using modern, replacement rolling stock.

The SPV faced a number of challenges. Many stakeholders for the work existed and it was not clear how the infrastructure changes would meet their various success criteria. The changes were being made to a number of different lines and there was the possibility of undesired and unexpected interaction between these different activities. Major modifications were being made to a complex existing set of interacting systems. Other changes (eg to buildings) that impacted on the work were being made outside the control of the SPV. Addressing all these issues was crucial if the risks were to be understood and the required return on investment achieved.

QinetiQ set up a small team to work closely with the SVP at its premises and assist it with the key system engineering aspects of its work. It helped the SVP to establish the appropriate organisational structure to address system engineering across the project. A major strand of QinetiQ's approach was the use of ISO 15288, the latest international standard on system engineering, whose editor is employed by QinetiQ. ISO 15288 provides a valuable framework within which to address system issues.

Following an assessment by QinetiQ, it was agreed which were the priority areas for attention, based on current status and risk. The joint SPV/QinetiQ team then performed stakeholder analysis to ensure all key stakeholders were identified, and their role and expectations clear. Almost fifty stakeholders were covered in this way.

Some infrastructure changes were already committed to, and for these the team ensured that there was a clear understanding of how they interacted with each other and with existing and/or external systems. This system architecture encompassed track, rolling stock, power supplies, signalling, communications, stations and depots, etc. This insight helped ensure that unexpected interactions did not occur, necessitating expensive rework, and that optimal subcontracting packages could be identified.

Crucially, the team also addressed the hierarchy of requirements, such as improving the service between A and B, or removing a conflict at C to build a flyover at C. Understanding and validating each step in this hierarchy was crucial to ensuring that stakeholder needs would be met, and in the most appropriate way.

Through these activities, the SPV/QinetiQ team ensured that a clear picture was obtained of how the infrastructure work was meeting stakeholder goals, and how complex interactions existed and should be managed. These were key to achieving return on investment and avoiding wasteful rework.