Network Rail to accelerate digital-enablement of Britain’s railway

The digitisation of the railway is essential if we are to manage the year on year growth in rail freight and passengers, says Arnab Dutt. 

Better time tabling from the “digital railway “– will improve efficiency across the UK where signalling is outdated and insufficient to cope with increasing demand.

Being part the corporate governance of NR gives me a hands on opportunity to scrutinize the Board as they lay out their plans for the future.

The simple fact is, if we don’t invest in new technology and regular maintenance, our network grinds to a halt in 2030. There will simply not be enough capacity for the huge growth in passengers and rail freight. Passenger growth numbers are double what were predicted 10 years ago.

Presently we are operating a Victorian legacy railway network with 21st century demands placed upon it. Without thinking 50 years ahead and taking action, our transport infrastructure becomes a slow motion national train disaster. We want to encourage more freight to disappear off our congested roads and switch to the greener alternative of rail. We need to believe in progress and a legacy that future generations can be proud of. We need to understand and plan for huge demographic change and population increase.

Despite much uninformed criticism, we should note the UK rail network is not only one of the busiest in the world, it’s just about the safest. Something to be proud of, and worth bearing in mind.

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Leicester Mercury | Time to tap into this county's diverse talent

When it comes to awarding contracts, businesses take all manner of things into consideration, including price, quality of the product, and customer relations. But what about ethnicity?

There is a target set by Government for 25 per cent of all public sector contracts to go out to small and medium-sized firms such as Texane, but there is currently no emphasis on ensuring these targets are inclusive to black and minority ethnic (BME) firms. I believe there should be.

BME businesses are successful drivers for our economy. The Government should be making sure they get a fair slice of the public sector pie.

While many start-ups fail, 70 per cent of BME businesses are still here after five years, and they grow 20 per cent faster than other small firms.

Read the full article on the Leicester Mercury online here.

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Gearing up for growth

SMEs are ready to push on after years in survival mode. Insider's round table discussed the challenges facing them as they progress and poses the question 'What can help SMEs grow?'

Arnab Dutt, managing director of Texane, said his business used innovation in the last few years to protect margins. Growing turnover was not a priority for the polyurethane components manufacturer and it instead targeted work with the highest growth margins.

"It meant a lot of investment in new technology and development which is difficult because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't," said Dutt.

Read the full article by buying a copy of Midlands Business Insider here.

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

UK Internet Speeds Inadequate For Business

According to a recent study, as many as 45,000 UK firms are still using dial-up Internet connections.

That’s shocking, but the truth is the majority of firms with broadband access are still lagging behind competitors in better connected places.

Broadband speeds and coverage across our country are woefully inadequate. It’s about time the government saw sense and started taking notice of the importance of the “need for speed” for all businesses, especially smaller firms.

How big business bullies its suppliers into lending

Late payment is a major problem for freelancers and small firms and it seems to be getting worse. Big businesses are effectively banking with their suppliers’ money - so will government step in?

Arnab Dutt, owner of manufacturing company Texane, is scathing of government measures to date. "So far, nothing the government has done in terms of legislation has seriously impacted this disgraceful scenario."

Read the full article on Contributoria here.

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Zero hours contracts: 'Bad for morale – bad for business'

Business owner Arnab Dutt says zero hours contracts are harming the economy and should be scrapped.

It has been claimed that zero hours contracts make the UK more competitive by providing labour market flexibility.

The evidence challenges this. In reality, the widespread abuse of these contracts has harmed the economy and the fabric of our society.

Read the full article on the Leicester Mercury here

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Busting Myths | Future Rail

The strength of feeling amongst the British public about HS2 is palpable but Texane managing director Arnab Dutt believes people are missing key information about the project.

"As a public member of Network Rail, a group of around 40 people who oversee the organisation's secondary governance scrutinising the effectiveness of the board, it's fair to say I'm more up to speed on the rail investment programme than the average traveller.

But if you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the HS2 project, you should expect to hear some very ill-informed opinions."

To read the article in full, check out the digital edition here.

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Small businesses need more competitive banks

I was recently invited along with a number of other small business owners to the Office of Fair Trading, which is writing a report on competition in the banking sector. The OFT wanted to consult with smaller firms about the banks. 

Had we seen their behaviour change since the crisis of 2008? Were they providing the small business sector with the service they needed?

This is not the first time there has been an investigation into competition in the banking sector. Back in 2000, the Cruickshank report identified a lack of it, and the truth is there has been little progress since then. The way the UK banking industry is structured impacts on the ability of small and medium firms to get the very best service compared with their international competitors. That is of great concern.

The financial crisis and the subsequent banking scandals have demonstrated that we are a long way from an effective system. The old problems that work against a competitive environment remain, such as the inability for businesses to switch bank accounts quickly and easily.

Time to invest in Transport | Railway Strategies

"If you ask anyone on a train today what they think of Britain’s railway network, you should expect to hear some ill-informed nonsense.

"As a public member of Network Rail, I am perhaps more up to speed than the average rail traveller, but it still surprises me how little people know about ongoing investment in the rail network. People know about HS2, of course, but they don’t realise that investment in existing lines and stations is going on at just as large a scale.

"Look at stations. Investment is having a hugely positive effect on commuter experience. You only have to spend time at two of the busiest stations in the country, namely King’s Cross and Birmingham New Street, to see how such physical transformations influence daily commutes. Investment in stations, including lengthening platforms, means fewer delays, increasing capacity throughout the timetable, and of course providing a more pleasant journey. It is done with passengers in mind.

"This is all great, but we need much more, and not just in the rail sector but in airports and the whole joined up business of transport infrastructure."

Read the full article on Railway Strategies magazine here.

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Still much to play for with HS2

The publication of the hybrid bill for HS2 hasn’t dampened arguments over whether we need it.

The 400-page hybrid bill - with an extra 50,000 page environmental statement - for first part of the HS2 rail plan was published last week. The hybrid bill, effectively the planning application for the scheme, will give the government the powers to construct and operate the railway.

It will also give those affected by the proposed line the opportunity to petition parliament, both for and against the proposals, and have their case heard by a committee of MPs.

Arnab Dutt, managing director of British manufacturer Texane and a public member of Network Rail, believes that the industry should get behind the project.

“It’s fair to say that I’m more up to speed on the investment programme than the average rail traveller, but if you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the rail network in Britain, you should expect to hear some ill-informed nonsense,” he says.

“People know about HS2 but instead of admiration and excitement, the project mainly attracts negativity from sceptics, who can’t believe Britain can do anything on this scale.

“There are important benefits for the economy, and major projects to increase capacity lead to demand for more materials and support services, and create jobs.”

Read the full article on Builder & Engineer here

Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Be Inspired by UK Export Success

Every firm should have an export strategy. It ought to be as mandatory as an HR or fire safety policy. Shareholders should berate executives who steer clear of exporting. They should harangue them and, if they don't change their ways, fire them. No excuses are valid.

“You have to be big to export” is instantly disprovable. As some wonderful British firms are proving, it is feasible for small, but ambitious, firms to go global.

Texane makes wheels that drive many of the world's subway and airport escalators and travelators. After a few years of selling direct to the US and France, managing director Arnab Dutt switched strategy and went in search of local distributors.

“If you’re a UK-based industrial products company, it is certainly possible to export from the UK without overseas representation or branches, but I would suggest it’s a lot easier if you have an agent or a distributor because they know the local market and have the contacts,” says Mr Dutt.

“Overseas offices and staff are a major investment. I don’t believe it makes sense to set up an office in another country until you have reached the point where the economies of scale kick in, when a market accounts for a third of your sales and there is growth of 25 per cent a year, for example.”

To read the full article on the Raconteur, a supplement in The Times, click here.

Is there a strong enough business case for HS2?

I think that the anti HS2 PR has engulfed everyone. The Government and Department for Transport haven’t been forceful enough in making the case for HS2. 

If we don’t invest in HS2, our network grinds to a halt in 2025. There will simply not be enough capacity for the huge growth in passengers and rail freight.
We are trying to operate a Victorian railway network minus the Beeching cuts in the 21st century, and that is obviously not going to be enough for our future needs, especially as we want to encourage more freight to get off the congested roads and switch to the greener alternative of rail.

In my view, they are taking far too long to implement HS2. We should be connecting London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Scotland now, not over the next 30 years.

I would also suggest that the Institute of Directors should not have come out against HS2 on the basis that its members are against it because its members are clearly ill informed to have reached that conclusion. They don’t understand the structural issues, that HS2 is fundamentally important. It is not about shaving 20 minutes off a journey to Birmingham. It’s about creating the rail capacity that the country needs as the economy grows. But that message isn’t getting across.

Arnab Dutt is the managing director of British exporter and manufacturer Texane, and is a public member of Network Rail. To see the full article on Elite Business, click here.

What the rail critics refuse to understand

It never ceases to amaze me how few people appreciate the fact that Britain's rail network needs a vast amount of investment to make it safer and better. 

As one of Network Rail's "watchdog" public members, it's fair to say I'm more up to speed on the investment programme than the average rail traveller.

If you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the rail network in Britain, you should expect to hear some ill-informed nonsense – yet Network Rail will spend £37 billion upgrading and improving our railway infrastructure over the next few years....

To read the whole article, visit the Leicestershire Mercury website.