Northern Rail

Contract Duration and Performance

We have worked with Northern under contract since November 2016 and are now entering our fourth season. For the past three seasons we have delivered exceptional performance, including during extraordinary cold weather events such as the Beast from the East in 2018. Last year we attended 99.9% of sites within time, with zero inspection failures.

• Gritting visits: 2017/18 – 37,814; 2018/19 – 19,596
• Snow Clearance: 2017/18 – 1,622

A suite of performance reports is emailed daily to Northern staff to review performance against set KPIs. In the morning we provide pre-inspection work schedules per site for the day/night, with post-activation reports confirming attendance for the shift completed. Monthly summaries are also provided.

Tailored Service Delivery

Proactively working with Northern we recognised the need to de-ice raised platforms that ice over before other areas of the station. To ensure the safety of passengers, visitors and employees at all times, we grit Northern’s 80 raised platforms where the local forecasted surface temperature meets or drops below 0.5o Celsius, against a standard 0o Celsius.

Sites and Scope of Services

We service 476 sites covering 1,022,378m2. This encompasses rail station car parks, passenger platforms, pathways and overbridges, delivering a full scope of works:

• Mechanical gritting of car parks with white marine salt
• Manual gritting of pathways with white marine salt
• De-icing of platforms and overbridges using low corrosive solution Procoat
• Mechanical and manual snow clearance – snow is ploughed during our visit or under a call-out order.

Directly Employed Teams

We directly employ a team of twenty eight highly trained winter operators to service all sites, with additional operators called on should sustained severe weather conditions occur. All operators are locally-based across the counties to deliver a highly responsive service, working either as sole operators, or in two-man teams for larger stations. The operational team is managed by our regional director and his assistant regional managers, based out of our Leeds and York yards and 203 salt sites spread across the UK. Our dedicated
account manager and 24/7 helpdesk assists Northern staff should they wish to ask questions or request a call-out visit.

Service Window

A seven day service is operated between November and March, with activated visits undertaken between a 1600 hours – 0700 hours window. Call-out requests are also undertaken as and when requested.

Annual Value

Northern spends between £1.2 million – £2 million per winter season.