Heavy duty…

The age-old concern regarding what happens when there are delays is also a problem for FLHH.

Explains Israel: “We would be looped, which causes delays. That needs to change. For instance, half of the rural passenger trains have low numbers, and yet we are looped. There has to be a deal done with train operating companies.” He adds that freight is already barred from operating in some peak period areas. 

With NR increasingly introducing Alliances, where does this leave the freight operators?

Israel believes that a balance needs to be found, although FLHH is already working with NR, in its National Delivery Centre deal that includes moving the High Output Ballast Cleaner (HOBC).

“We have done very well for volume,” he says. “We do all the HOBC work. There are six pieces of kit.”

At the time of our meeting with Israel, two were at Tyne Yard, one was at Toton, one at Willesden, one at Crewe, and one at Taunton. The Taunton equipment has since moved to Harwich Parkeston Quay to work on the Anglia renewals scheme.

Another key area for FLHH is Basford Hall - a strategic area for the operator with increased throughput from NR. It is as vital to FLHH as a major port is to intermodal traffic.

More than three million tonnes of ballast pass through the yard each year, which is sufficient to employ a Class 66 for shunting. However, this is a resource that FLHH could do with on the main line. As a result, FLHH will hire a Class 56 from UK Rail Leasing to provide the shunting, releasing the ‘66’ onto main line flows.

As a barometer of how demanding the NR contract is on resources, Israel says FLHH recently provided 53 Class 66s to NR for one weekend. That included hiring from the intermodal business if required. This particular weekend also required significant planning of drivers.

“We had to get that right, and the whole system worked well,” says Israel. “I remembered from my days at EWS when we had problems, and so I was thinking that there would be problems with this. But there wasn’t. The customer was happy and it was all very pleasing.”

The operator is keen to develop its staff and currently runs six training schemes. “We have strong recruitment schemes and are also developing our current staff,” says Israel.

He says that strong candidates have been employed, and are now learning in the classrooms before they start the practical work, before admitting: “There is a shortage of drivers.” He suggests driver training takes around nine months, and points out that it is a highly skilled profession.

Within the wider Freightliner Group, Israel says that Freightliner Maintenance is recruiting more fitters, which will help the business. “It’s not just FLHH - each of the Freightliner subsidiaries are supported to ensure the successful running of a 24/7 operation,” he says.

Where does Israel see the business growing?

“Aggregates is buoyant,” he replies. This is despite work with Aggregates Industries in the Midlands transferring to GB Railfreight, which has led to resources from that contract being deployed elsewhere. Israel highlights that there is more work available that FLHH is looking at to replace this, but is coy when asked what that work is.

Assets need to be considered, he explains. “Locomotives can go anywhere. There are one or two flows that have started. There is a Tunstead-Elstow which is new to rail, and we have the Brentford flow that GBRf no longer operates.” He adds that other work is lined up: “It is something we are looking at.”

Israel draws attention to forthcoming changes within the aggregates sector that could have an effect, such as the potential sale of Lafarge Tarmac. “There is a little bit more consolidation,” he says of the market.

There is also a niche market for rail services: “We hire drivers to First TransPennine Express. That is something we have done for many years. We supply up to 14 for eight duties. They operate in the North and are Mossend-based drivers. That works very well.

“When there were Reading blockades and First Great Western diverted via Salisbury and Banbury, we conducted the diversions.”

He adds that diversions over the same route in April will again feature FLHH men conducting FGW drivers.

Elsewhere, Class 387/1s built by Bombardier for Govia Thameslink Railway are being tested by FLHH staff, having been delivered to Bletchley by FLHH. Israel says that work came about as a result of a phone call from the manufacturer, and is a business that is “starting to pick up”.

However, one area that has partly stalled is biomass. “There is a lot of effort needed. It certainly ticks the green boxes, but is subject to constraints by lack of subsidy to generators.”

Israel adds that coal is busy at the moment, but highlights a concern: “The carbon tax kicks in in April, so that will be a quiet spell.”

Meanwhile, the cement market is booming, and changes of ownership within the industry may create opportunities here.

“It’s flat out,” says Israel. “We also haul all cement from Earles Sidings, and I have never seen that busier. This all indicates that we will get even busier as cement volumes continue to grow.” He says that longer trains are being investigated.

Indeed, longer trains are already being used elsewhere, with 90-tonne HIA aggregate hoppers now running in 27-wagon formations. But like the cement flows, this presents challenges, of which terminals are again a major one: “We can split trains, but the loops need to be longer, too. We need support for that.”

Israel says FLHH is always seeking ways to improve and innovate the business. One such element is the Freight Performance Measure, introduced to monitor freight train performance in a similar vein to the Public Performance Measure for passenger trains.

“It is still early days and needs review. There seems to be a focus, rightly so, on terminal departures, and Network Rail has certainly upped its game on monitoring.

“We are focused on getting to the point of departure, and the team is monitoring that daily. We needed to beef it up and the team is doing a great job.

“On the ground the message has gone out that if there is an issue, then report it. We need Network Rail to help, and they are engaging.”

Regarding rolling stock, Israel says: “We are looking for wagons and we are assessing electric traction. There is nothing hard and fast - we know we have the time to look.”

The signs are positive from FLHH. Since the business was established in 1999 it has enjoyed remarkable growth. It has come through the recession and business is now booming, and seemingly growing at a fast pace.

It’s Israel’s job to ensure that FLHH can keep up with the market. It’s a challenge he is more than happy to face. 

• This feature was published in RAIL 769 on March 4 2015