Rail Services
We have over 65 years of experience working with rail industry primes.
Pennant has over 65 years of experience working with rail industry primes and their supply chain, adding value through their skills and versatile experience within the sector. The addition of Track Access Services and Track Access Productions to the Group has further strengthened our capabilities and offering to the rail sector.
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Pennant has been involved in numerous rail projects, showcasing extensive experience and expertise. Successful manuals and training contracts across the world have included the design, production, and development of Operator and Maintenance Manuals, Work Instructions, Illustrated Parts Catalogues, Training Courseware, and the delivery of both classroom and practical training. View our case studies to see our work in action.
Expanding Pennant Rail
In 2019, Pennant completed the acquisition of Track Access Services and in 2023, Track Access Productions.
Both have an established reputation within the industry for Driver Briefing and Route Learning, building on the combined expertise within Pennant Rail. Our new structure utilises the wealth of skills and knowledge in creating clear Driver Briefing Packs of footage, with additional Virtual Reality where required and maps to communicate changes to the Network prior to the launch of the project. As well as using in cab footage and Maps created in-house by our specialist team. All materials are delivered through the online portals.
Rail Memberships
Pennant are recognised members of the Rail Industry Association (RIA), are ISO 9001 accredited, and are a verified supplier on the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS).
Driver Training
Pennant’s Driver Briefing has been an industry-standard package for driver route learning and training for over 15 years.
Network change projects, where significant track and signalling changes are made, require TOC’s and FOC’s to be supplied with training material to brief all drivers in a sufficient time before commissioning.
Driver’s Eye Video Footage is used widely in the industry for familiarisation and driver route learning. It is in cab HD route filming that is collected from the driver’s cab of in-service trains.
Driver Briefing packages are supported by professional commentary and on-screen information graphics. Maps contain a standardised format of track layout, detailing all items of key interest for operational training. The map can be included in a booklet which also contains scheme construction information, new signalling information and route tables.
Delivery of the Driver Briefing & Training packages can also be provided using the online rail portals, which provide unlimited access for tablets and mobile devices on any web browser. Driver maps are presented as a printed booklet as well as a computer PDF and may contain special instructions, briefing notes, and signal aspect tables.
Key features include:
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Augmented with new signalling and signs
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Full VR modelling for new infrastructure, on-screen information graphics
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Professional script and recorded commentary
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Delivery via widely used online portal and/or physical media
What our Customer’s say:
Paul Spence, Project Engineer at Durham Coast Resignalling, Network Rail
“I found the experience working with you and the Pennant – Track Access team, from arranging the video capture through to the final versions of the driver training material, extremely straightforward and efficient. Which resulted in a quality product at the end. All that despite COVID-19 causing disruption throughout most of that period!”
Route Learning
Delivery of the Driver Briefing & Training packages can also be provided using the online rail portals, which provide unlimited access for tablets and mobile devices on any web browser. Driver maps are presented as a printed booklet as well as a computer PDF and may contain special instructions, briefing notes, and signal aspect tables.
Training Videos
Pennant Rail create Safety and Training Films for the Railway Industry as a part of their wider offering of safety centric services.
Our in-house Railway focused team, creates Safety and Training Films for the Railway Industry to ensure all our customers safety needs are covered. Each film is managed in-house, scripted, and filmed by the team with the use of overlain graphics where required to ensure training and safety critical information can be communicated in an engaging and memorable way. The training videos cover everything from large-scale productions to short informational pieces.
Training videos offer a variety of benefits including; visual learning, activate engagement with content, consistency across materials students or employees are taking in, the flexibility to access wherever and whenever, and cost-effectiveness, as once created, training videos can be used to repeatedly, until the content requires an update.
Railway Survey & Signal Sighting Support
Our Laser Positional Video Survey offers Network Rail and their contractors a simple route to acquisition of comprehensive video and Pointcloud survey data. The survey specification is based on a new configuration of data gathering equipment which collects high quality HD video and accurate positional data as well as high accuracy laser scan Pointcloud. Our LPVS is a complete end to end service, where we plan, organise and complete surveys providing comprehensive scheme coverage over complex areas including stations, yards, loops and sidings.
Our survey data output is supplied according to the specific requirements of individual projects which can be used to create high quality 3D Modelling. We have developed a direct feed for our survey and video data into Bentley MicroStation CAD and Bentley Rail Track Applications, which enables the survey data to form a video backdrop over CAD for 3D design and enables fully Interactive Desktop Signal Sighting and OLE design.
Signal Sighting is carried out to ensure that signals are placed in the best position possible for drivers to have the optimum reading time and a clear and unambiguous message relating to the signal aspect that is displayed subject to the constraints of legal requirements and Railway Group Standards. Signal Sighting using Desktop Tools allows a complete and accurate signal sighting solution using a combination of video footage and virtual modelling.
Case Studies
Pennant has been involved in numerous rail projects, working with many companies across the globe. Read the Track Access, Govia Thameslink Railway and Translink case studies below.
