SLC Operations - Britain's newest operator - SLC Operations
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SLC Operations –
Britain’s newest operator
SLC Operations is Britain’s newest train to obtain a station licence from the ORR and Why become an operator?
operator, having operated its first trains a year support the recent takeover of the operation of SLC Rail has had aspirations of setting up
ago. It has since grown slowly but steadily with Horwich Parkway station. an operational arm of the company for some
a number of new contracts and plans for further The company also supports the reopening time. The opportunity to achieve this aim
expansion. Robert Pritchard chats to Managing of new railways and there are potentially a arose in February 2020 when Cath Bellamy
Director Cath Bellamy about how the company lot of projects to come to fruition following was recruited to the team. Ms Bellamy has
first started and its future plans. the Government’s reversing Beeching plans. 28 years of experience on the railways, most
SLC is involved with the design contract for recently working with Vintage Trains where,
SLC Operations is one of a number of the proposed new Northumberland Line and as Managing Director, she successfully
companies with the prefix “SLC”, also the plans to reintroduce a passenger service secured a passenger charter licence to enable
including SLC Rail, SLC Investments and between Ashington and central Newcastle, the company to operate trains, including
SLC Property. SLC stands for Sable Leigh including upgrading 18 miles of track. It is steam, on the main line from September
Consultancy Ltd. All of the companies are also discussing supporting smaller railway 2018. VT had previously operated under West
independent limited organisations. operators in terms of their operations – it Coast Railway Company’s operating licence.
SLC Rail has been in operation for could be difficult for a very small operator Ms Bellamy had previously held senior jobs
more than ten years as an independent rail to fund its own operating licence, whilst at the Department for Transport, and was
consultancy firm, developing the skills, team applying for such a licence can also be a very Managing Director of both Chiltern Railways
and track record to help largely public sector time consuming affair, so sub-contracting and Hull Trains. In fact a number of SLC
organisations like local authorities make public the operation to another company like SLC Operations staff have come from Chiltern
transport projects happen. This includes work Operations would be one option. Railways and former Chiltern boss Adrian
on the design and construction of new stations The other companies within the SLC group Shooter is a shareholder.
and working with authorities to obtain station are SLC Investments, which is an investment Ms Bellamy wanted to set up an operating
operating licences. Lots of these projects have company which supports local authorities company when she left VT and that is where
been close to SLC Rail’s base in the Midlands and developers and property company SLC SLC Operations was born.
(its head offices are in Birmingham). Examples Property, which was set up specifically to help The company was established to do two
the company has been involved with include the organisations that are delivering projects on things. The first side of the business is about
new Worcestershire Parkway and Kenilworth or near to the railway. delivering operations. SLC Operations
stations, the Coventry–Nuneaton line upgrade,
the current Wolverhampton station rebuild and Below: SLC Operations tests the Transport for Wales Class 230s on behalf of Vivarail. The last-built
the recently rebuilt Kidderminster station. In unit, 230 010, is seen crossing the River Avon at Evesham marina with a test run from Honeybourne
the north of England Transport for Greater to Evesham West Junction on 15 April. This unit has since been sent to Birkenhead for mileage
Manchester worked with SLC Rail to help it accumulation on the Wrexham–Bidston line. Anders Beavis Berry
22 TODAY’S RAILWAYS UK 232
received a non passenger train operating
licence in September 2020 which allowed it
to finalise its own track access agreement
with Net work Rail. Before that it had
been operating trains in partnership with
Rail Operations Group and under ROG’s
safety case. Since then the two companies
have worked closely together on a number
of other projects and ROG still provides
control support.
Having operated its first train in April
2020, SLC’s two biggest clients at the moment
are Vivarail and Balfour Beatty. SLC is
working with Vivarail to introduce its five
Class 484s onto the Island Line on the Isle
of Wight later this summer (having been
delayed by software issues). The 484s are
initially delivered from one of the Vivarail Above: Sister company SLC Rail was involved in securing funding and developing and managing
sites to Eastleigh East Yard by road and then the new Worcestershire Parkway station, which opened on 23 February 2020. Dave Gommersall
hauled into Eastleigh depot by SLC using
two Class 20s, 20007 and 20142, hired from
Class 20189 Ltd (Michael Owen). Overnight then carried out on the Bidston–Wrexham Balfour Beatty about similar work in other
mileage accumulation runs then take place line, which is the route on which the units parts of the country. It also provides route
between Eastleigh and Fareham via Botley will be introduced in June. At the same time conductors for Balfour Beatty and is talking
operated by SLC drivers – the two 20s were training material has also been prepared for about training work and supporting activities
initially used to provide route learning on training TfW drivers on the class. such as stoneblowing and maintenance and
this line. The company is also in the process Closer to home, SLC has secured a 4-year engineering.
of finalising training materials for training contract with infrastructure company Balfour SLC also specialises in ad-hoc rolling stock
South Western Railway drivers and guards on Beatty to undertake a number of tasks. Last moves and has been approached by a number
484s. This will use 484 001 which has already autumn SLC operated two water jetting of companies to provide these, sometimes at
been delivered to the Isle of Wight. circuits around the West Midlands and is now short notice. On 5 April one such move that
SLC is similarly working with Vivarail on bidding for a third circuit (there are four in really turned heads, and also boasted an SLC
the introduction of the five diesel/battery total in the West Midlands). Balfour Beatty Operations headboard, was the movement of
Class 230s for Transport for Wales. Initial sub-contracts the operation of these trains the London Underground Class 438 4TC set
testing of the units takes place from Long on behalf of Network Rail and SLC operates from Eastleigh Works following attention,
Marston and they are then delivered to the trains with Balfour Beatty providing along with former LMS inspection saloon
Birkenhead depot. Mileage accumulation, the RHTT operatives. SLC has also bid for 45029 which had been overhauled. This saloon
usually 2000 miles of fault free running, is weedkilling contracts and is talking with was built at Wolverton in 1942 and is named
“Florence Nightingale” after the Metropolitan
electric loco No. 17, scrapped in 1943.
The five vehicles were taken to the LUL
depot at West Ruislip using its two Class
20s, much to the delight of enthusiasts who
lined the route on the Easter Bank Holiday
Monday! The Class 20s are hired as they
are versatile, flexible and generally reliable
machines. 20142 is notable as carrying LUL
maroon livery whilst 20007 is the oldest
loco still in regular service on the national
network. 20007 was new as D8007, entering
traffic at Devons Road (Bow) in September
1957. After working for the LMR, Scottish
and Eastern regions it was withdrawn in
1993. In preservation it was based at the
Churnet Valley Railway and later Butterley
and Ruddington. Now it is based at Butterley
but on hire to SLC. Last year it had a spell
on the main line (along with 20205) operated
by LORAM. 20142, new in 1966, is similarly
owned by Michael Owen and in the care
of the Class 20 Locomotive Society. It was
also originally withdrawn in 1993 before
being based at Llangollen and then involved
in work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
construction before moving to Butterley.
SLC Operations is happy to hire in locos at
required at the current time, and has no plans
to acquire any of its own locos at the moment.
Above: Before night-time mileage accumulation commenced with the SWR Class 484s between
Eastleigh and Fareham a number of route learning trips operated using 20142 and 20007. Here Getting the operating licence
the duo accelerate past Botley aggregates terminal on this rarely illustrated route, running as a In terms of obtaining the operating licence,
0Z26 15.43 Fareham–Eastleigh depot on 30 March. George Browning after 28 years on the railway Cath Bellamy
TODAY’S RAILWAYS UK 232 23
Above: It is just one small part of its portfolio, but this was the movement that got SLC Operations a lot of publicity, particularly on social media.
On 5 April 20142 and 20007 were used to haul former Class 438 4TC unit 76324+70823+71163+76297 (these days used as hauled stock) and
former LMS inspection saloon 45029/17 “Florence Nightingale” from Eastleigh Works to West Ruislip LUL depot. Running as 5Q20, 09.53 from
Eastleigh this was also notably the first Class 20 hauled train over the Bicester Village–Bicester South Junction spur running via Basingstoke,
the Reading west curve, Oxford, Bicester Village and High Wycombe. The train is seen here passing the remains of the old Haddenham station
platforms – with Haddenham & Thame Parkway station just visible under the bridge. Haddenham station closed in 1963 and its replacement
opened in 1987. Mark Beal
Staff
knew exactly what needed to be done. Even SLC Operations currently has 23 staff on its payroll, of which 15 are drivers – a mix of
during the first coronavirus lockdown the full and part time staff. Five of these are also driver instructors. They have been drawn
company managed to get the new licence and from different sectors of the industry and include ex-Chiltern, TfW, Colas Rail and
safety management system defined, finalised and CrossCountry drivers. Most are based in the Birmingham or East Midlands areas, but
approved in about six months, which Ms Bellamy some will be seconded to work on other projects, for example the work currently taking
thinks could be a record! She said a lot of this place at Eastleigh or on the Isle of Wight. The company is also now mounting a new
work could fortunately be done from home, so recruitment campaign as it looks to expand – it is currently advertising for 12 further
was not affected by the lockdowns. driver instructors. It is also providing a unique opportunity for drivers with at least five
She explained that the process has two parts, years’ experience who wish to become driver instructors but don’t have the opportunity
the first half is absolutely focussed on the safety within their current employment to do so. SLC will fund the training needed and then
aspects and about demonstrating to the rail after this training the drivers will continue to be employed by SLC as driver instructors.
regulator that not only do you understand the Speaking of the plan to recruit 12 more staff Cath Bellamy said: “At a difficult time for
imperative of safety but have a real working the industry, we are really proud to be creating new jobs. As well as getting the chance to
safety management system that can be relied on drive different types of rolling stock on a variety of routes and work with fantastic clients,
and trusted to keep your trains safe. She added our instructors will be helping the rail industry solve unprecedented training challenges.”
that if you don’t have background or experience SLC’s drivers will cover a huge variety of work and be training on a variety of different
of working in a high hazard industry like the rail traction and routes. Instructors will do some remote training and end point assessments,
industry you can never fully appreciate what a as well as classroom instructing.
challenge this task is – but it is in the blood of
people who have been working on the railway Training and development
for many years. The second side of the business is very much focussed on training and development and
The second part is the licensing process – you specifically providing a choice in train driver and guard safety critical professional training.
cannot get a train licence without first being This is very much an area that SLC sees great potential for growth.
granted a safety certificate by the Office of Rail SLC knew that train driver training had not really changed in many years – there are
and Road, but it is as much about proving that some good reasons for that – train driving is very much a craft that has to be learnt in
you are a trustworthy applicant and will use the layers, historically the structure has always been about promotion up through the ranks.
licence in the right way as proving your company SLC Operations has now established “The Rail Academy” (www.therailacademy.com)
is a sustainable and financially sound business. which has achieved approval by the ORR to be a train driver training and examination
When those two halves come together you can centre. SLC was the first company to achieve this accreditation before getting a licence.
legally operate trains under your own name. The company can train individuals from “street to seat”.
24 TODAY’S RAILWAYS UK 232
now SLC Operations. SLC is also talking to a number of train operators
and freight companies about carrying out End Point Assessments for
trainee drivers and is already supporting one London TOC with End
Point Assessments for its apprentice drivers.
The company is also developing remote learning and training materials
to support route learning and traction refresher courses. These have
been developed using virtual reality computer generated imagery to
provide an online library of resources: although SLC is not an advocate
of signing a driver off without them ever having physically demonstrated
that they have travelled on the route, it does mean that it is not essential
for a driver to sit in a train or drive over a route for every element of an
assessment or retraining exercise and also gives drivers the chance to
remind themselves on a more frequent basis of certain routes and help
make them more confident and more competent.
Kings Norton base
SLC Operations’ current operational base is at the Network Rail depot at
Kings Norton, south of Birmingham – alongside the main cross-country
route. A training school has been set up at Kings Norton depot, with two
purpose-built classrooms. The company also has access to the depot so
can do low speed driver training, shunting training using for example an
MPV, and can carry out training for Personal Track Safety (PTS) courses –
SLC Operations is working towards the final stages of becoming a verified
provider of Sentinel PTS training.
As can be seen SLC Operations is a company that has set out its
aims as both an operator and a training company. Ms Bellamy is very
keen to grow the company incrementally. She was wary about growing
too quickly as that can result in standards dropping or starting to let
customers down: SLC wants its customers to rely on them always to
do a really good job.
Ms Bellamy is very proud of her team, and on its achievements during the
first year of operations said: “An operating licence, Train Driver Training
and Examination Credentials and End Point Assessment approval are not
at all easy to achieve and the SLC Ops team has done all three in one year!
And that’s on top of setting up our great new base, creating 23 jobs, coping
with Covid-19 and supporting three very important rail operations for
Balfour Beatty and Vivarail. Frankly only a really professional, committed
The different aspects and talented team could do that. My team at SLC Ops tick all those boxes
of the SLC Operations and I am very proud of them. Looking forward, our customers are telling
business explained on the us that they like what we offer and specifically our reliability, customer
company website. care and professional safety and operational standards. 2021 looks like it
could be another big year, so we are again recruiting for some exceptional
drivers, guards and trainers to help us with that growth and make sure our customers
SLC expects this side of the business to grow in the remain delighted with what we do for them.”
next few years: a significant training backlog was caused It was fascinating last month reporting on Rail Operations Group’s rise over the
by the pandemic putting a particular burden on driver last few years to becoming a major player in the UK rail scene and we wish SLC
instructors, and SLC is getting more and more inquiries Operations well in its endeavours to win new contracts and expand and develop its
asking whether it can either train drivers for companies driver training programme – with the aim of making it a much better experience
or provide driver instructors to support elements of for people who wish to join the railway and to help them achieve their ambitions
driver training to release their own driver instructors. of becoming train drivers or train driver instructors.
It is also an End Point Assessment
organisation. A well-established train
driver apprenticeship scheme has been put
in place as part of a recent Government
initiative and most young drivers coming
into the industry are now joining after
apprenticeships. When would-be drivers
have completed the apprenticeship, which
typically takes around 18 months, they have
to go through a final exam which is called
an End Point Assessment. This can only be
carried out by an organisation independent
of their employer. Only two organisations
are approved to do the assessments – the
Institution of Rail Operators (IRO) and
Right: Testing and mileage accumulation
with the Class 484s is ongoing between
Eastleigh and Fareham overnight. In the
early hours of 2 April 484 002 and 484 003
pass Hedge End with the 23.53 Eastleigh–
Fareham. Chris Addoo
TODAY’S RAILWAYS UK 232 25
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