AARC Professional Services Limited

AARCPS specialises in the following areas:

• Rail Operations including network operations, maintenance operations and train operations. Our team of associates are able to provide support across all aspects of rail operations, covering both short-term tactical rail operational requirements, as well as more strategically focused rail operational issues
• Projects & Engineering including bid management, change management, programme/project management and engineering management. AARCPS covers the complete project lifecycle, from pre-feasibility and bid management through to implementation and project close-out. Our rail engineering associates can also provide support in everything from asset strategy through to standards review and interface management services
• Safety & Assurance including risk management, safety management and assurance management. All of AARCPS’s associates have worked directly in a safety conscious environment and fully understand and appreciate the importance of a strong safety culture. With extensive rail safety and assurance experience, we support our clients to meet their core safety requirements, be it undertaking a review or becoming directly involved in a rail risk, safety or assurance related project or workstream
• Rail Training including training development and training delivery. Our associates are experienced in the design and delivery of skills/bespoke rail training, tailored to suit each client’s specific needs and can also carry out assessments and assist in the verification process where required.

When working with AARCPS, clients can expect us to directly interface with them across every stage of the project, working collaboratively to provide early identification and mitigation of issues, making sure outputs meet expectations and undertaking continuous quality control to deliver excellent results.

AARCPS’s strength also lies in the depth of experience of our associates – all time served, long term railway professionals, most having worked together previously and all sharing the same passion for the industry. It’s this experience that enables us to focus exclusively on rail, providing support at all levels, from frontline operations through to the boardroom. Though based in the Midlands, we also have a national reach, providing a fast, flexible and sustainable service throughout the UK, with clients in England, Scotland and Wales. Add a collective commitment to providing outstanding outcomes for all of our clients and we believe all of this helps to make us ‘stand out from the crowd’ when it comes to choosing a railway consultancy.

Below are a few examples of the projects AARCPS has been successfully involved in. 

Signaller training for Network Rail, Scotland. NR Scotland’s Operations Strategy Manager engaged AARCPS to help develop training and supporting materials for bespoke signalling systems including RETB (Radio Electronic Token Block.) Through the provision of signalling and training specialists, AARCPS helped identify and prioritise the practical training priorities, as well as producing a set of ‘off the shelf’ training modules and associated materials (including videos). A training and competency plan addressing the necessary approvals issues was also produced, along with supporting document control. 

Transitional support for SPL Powerlines UK. Prior to its appointment in 2018 as standalone supplier for the delivery of electrification projects to Network Rail, SPL Powerlines UK turned to AARCPS when it needed help with the transition process. Working with SPL’s Transition Director, AARCPS led on the safety verification and assurance work, helping secure SPL’s position as prime supplier – one it continues to hold, delivering electrification projects for Network Rail across the country. As a result, SPL continues to turn to AARCPS for support with its assurance processes. 

Electrical Control Operator (ECO) Training for Amey Infrastructure Wales. AARCPS has been providing operational training for AIW, which was appointed by Transport for Wales (TfW) as the managing agent for its extensive programme of electrification, signalling recontrol and upgrade, track doubling and station improvements. Following the successful provision of signaller training, AARCPS was also retained by AIW to conduct ECO training – directly linked to TfW’s upgrade of the Core Valley Lines’ upgrade, which includes provision of 25Kv OLE electrification and the siting of an electrical control room (ECR) at a new integrated control centre (ICC) at Taffs Well. This assignment has involved the recruitment, training and assessment of an ECO resource to manage electrical supply and emergency response for the newly-installed OLE and associated infrastructure, with eight new AIW staff taking part in a bespoke training package.

Updates to Health and Safety Management System for Network Rail. AARCPS was commissioned to help Network Rail remodel its overarching health and safety management system into an accessible tool for continuous improvement in risk management, which is integrated with its wider management systems and operating model and which recognises the need for devolved, customer focused decision making. The remodeled system follows the RM³ Risk Management Maturity Model and has been informed by a gap analysis of current processes, identification of best practice and stakeholder engagement. It recognises Network Rail’s safety certification and authorisation commitments and other requirements of the Railways & Other Guided Transport Systems Regulations (ROGS) and Railways Interoperability Regulations, while covering all Network Rail’s business activities, not just railway operations.

Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) on the Elizabeth Line. AARCPS was initially engaged by RfLI’s Head of Maintenance for the Elizabeth line (London’s East to West railway) to provide a report on each maintenance business areas’ readiness for taking over the railway at ROGS. The assignment was extended to support Crossrail’s hand-over of stations, portals and rail wide systems by assuring the necessary information and training was sufficient to enable the maintainer to mobilise. As sponsor’s representative, the business benefits were achieved by project delivering a fault reporting system link between operational control systems and Maximo (the maintenance work bank system), which enabled operators to initiate a response team directly from the control system. Since entering revenue service, AARCPS has also been working with the heads of departments to improve the concept of the RTIM (Real Time Infrastructure Manager) working 24/7 on the control floor, as well as continuing to support the Elizabeth line’s Infrastructure Manager.