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Monday 14 Nov 2016

Warrington MP trains with Network Rail staff

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

Network Rail has opened the doors of its training facility in Warrington to show the local MP how the orange army learns to maintain and improve the railway.

On Friday (11 November), David Mowat MP, Member of Parliament for Warrington South, visited the facility on Haydock Street and as well as finding out how the railway is maintained, also took part in a safety demonstration on how trains are stopped if they pass a red danger signal. This widely used technology called ‘train protection warning system’ (TPWS) automatically applies the brakes to keep passengers and staff safe.

The centre has two classrooms where Network Rail’s engineers are trained on safe working practices and learn the skills necessary to maintain a safe railway. There is an indoor railway track complete with signals and electricity units to give the workforce a realistic experience on how to manage the complex challenges that arise on both high-speed and non-electrified railway lines.

The building is one of Network Rail’s three training facilities in north west England and annually delivers the equivalent of approximately 7,000 days of training, where up to 250 different training sessions are delivered to both apprentices and experienced staff who work on the railway between North Wales and Carlisle.

David Mowat, MP for Warrington South said: “I was delighted to be able to visit Network Rail’s training centre in Dallam today and see for myself what an excellent facility we have, right here in Warrington. Keeping our trains running smoothly is a highly skilled job and this facility is teaching our young people to do that swiftly and safely.”

Stuart Macmillan, training centre manager at Network Rail said: “At our training centres, we train a wide range of staff about track safety, welding, engineering, plant and signalling maintenance. Our priority is to ensure that our engineers feel confident working safely on the railway and to do that we need to provide them with the right skills so that they can continue to deliver a reliable railway for passenger and freight services.

“David Mowat MP’s visit to our training centre was a great way to showcase the often unseen and intricate work of our staff who maintain the railway throughout the year.”

ENDS