SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit

SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit (known as Interfleet Technology or simply Interfleet prior to 2016) is an international rail consultancy company. It is headquartered in Derby, England.

SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit
IndustryRail Industry and business services
FoundedApril 1994
HeadquartersPride Park,
Derby
,
England
Key people
Richard George
ProductsRolling Stock, Infrastructure, Rail Control Systems, Transport Advisory
Number of employees
1,000+ (2015)
ParentSNC-Lavalin Group
Websitewww.snclavalin.com/en/rail-transit

Interfleet was established in April 1994 out of the former InterCity Fleet Engineering division of the British Rail engineering and technical headquarters. In March 1996, Interfleet was privatised by means of a Management and Employee Buy-Out. It pursued international consultancy opportunities, participating the technical analysis, certification, and provision of technical assistance to organisations such as rolling stock manufacturers, engineering companies, infrastructure owners, operators, and research institutes. The British government has contracted its services to act as an operator of last resort should any train operating company (TOC) forfeit their franchise mid-term.

By April 2011, Interfleet operated from 22 offices spread across the globe to serve its international customer base. During October 2011, the company was acquired by SNC-Lavalin; in January 2016, Interfleet was renamed SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit to better integrate the firm under the main SNC-Lavalin brand. Major regional subsidiaries have been setup in the United Kingdom, North America, Scandinavia and Australasia.

History

Formation and early years

Interfleet Technology was formed during April 1994 as part of the wider privatisation of British Rail. Interfleet originated from the former InterCity Fleet Engineering division of the British Rail engineering and technical headquarters, which managed the rolling stock operated by the then InterCity sector of British Rail.[1] Between April 1994 and March 1996, the company traded as a subsidiary of the British Railways Board; however, in March 1996, Interfleet was privatised by means of a Management and Employee Buy-Out, led by its directors.[2]

At the time of privatisation, Interfleet employed 99 staff and had one office in Derby; turnover was approximately £5 million.[2] Its first Managing Director, David Rollin, opted to organise its multi-disciplined resources into various different service groups to serve its three main markets: rolling stock, railway systems, and strategic solutions.[3] Having opted to pursue international clients, Interfleet established a series of regional offices for the purpose of supporting the individual needs of local markets, providing their services as consultants and subject experts.[1] Interlink's day-to-day operations emphasised the speed and effectiveness of communication with its varied client base.[3]

By April 2011, Interfleet had expanded considerably, totaling 22 offices spread across the globe, and was reportedly generating a turnover in excess of £50 million. According to Rollin, the company was engaged in excess of two thousand assignments per year on behalf of various clients at this time.[3]

Acquisition and rebranding as SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit

During October 2011, it was announced that Interfleet would be acquired by the Canadian engineering conglomerate SNC-Lavalin Group.[4][5][6]

During May 2013, it was announced that Interfleet had been appointed to provide various services for the Intercity Express Programme, including direct technical support to Hitachi, assessment and certification services for compliance to relevant European and British legislation, as well as inspections and a production quality management audit in both Britain and Japan.[7]

In January 2016, Interfleet Technology was re-branded as SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit. In conjunction with this rebranding, it was also integrated with other entities, including SNC-Lavalin's Transit Engineers in Vancouver and Toronto along with the Transport Systems team in Montreal; these became a single organisation that operated under the new brand.[8][9]

The company logo for Interfleet has also changed throughout its history as shown below.

Original Logo
Most recent Logo

Organisational structure and regional offices

The international SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit divisional unit has regional subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, North America, Scandinavia and Australasia. The divisional unit has offices in Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney), Canada (Burlington, Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Norway (Oslo), Sweden (8 locations including Gothenburg, Malmö and Stockholm), the United Kingdom (Derby (HQ)), Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, London and Manchester) and the United States (Philadelphia & New York City) and 1,000 staff.

Service areas

SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit provides services across the railway system, the major elements of which include rolling stock, infrastructure, signalling, communications, testing, and software development. The company works throughout all stages of the asset lifecycle, from feasibility, specification and procurement, through operations, maintenance and renewal. Services offered range from strategic railway management through to engineering and detail technical services.[10][2]

Clients and assignments

SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit works throughout the international rail industry. Clients include governmental and regulatory agencies and private clients including manufacturers and maintainers, operators and owners as well as banks, investors and international development agencies. Assignments undertaken range from day-to-day engineering and technical support, through to management of major projects such as new train procurement and strategic support to bidders for passenger rail franchises.[10][2]

During the early 2000s, the company provided testing in conjunction with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology into the design of high speed freight wagons suitable for speeds of up to 160km/h.[11] Around the same timeframe, Interfleet also shaped the bogie design of the new British Rail Class 185 diesel multiple unit;[12] roughly one decade later, it designed the modifications for the mid-life refreshes of the similar British Rail Class 444 and British Rail Class 450 electric multiple units.[13]

During September 2010, Interfleet was appointed to perform technical and safety analysis in support of the design of envisioned high speed railways being planned in Norway.[14]

During November 2015, SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit, in partnership with Arup Group and Ernst & Young, was appointed by the Department for Transport as its operator of last resort to takeover the operations of any train operating company in the United Kingdom at short notice should it be required. This function had previously been handled by Directly Operated Railways.[15][16][17] In June 2018, the partnership trading as London North Eastern Railway took over the InterCity East Coast franchise from Virgin Trains East Coast.[18][19]

During the late 2010s and early 2020s, SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit has been heavily involved in Australia's Inland Rail programme; activities have included project management and the production of a framework for information management, contract compliance and resource management.[20]

By late 2021, the company had secured a key role in European Train Control System (ETCS) deployment in Britain, providing both consultancy and signalling systems integrator functions; it has also been appointed as the Railway Systems Integration Partner for the East Coast Digital Programme as well as to deliver and operate the National ETCS Test Verification Validation and Integration Laboratory.[21]

References
  1. "Professional services for 21st century railways". globalrailwayreview.com. 29 December 2006.
  2. Stacy, Mungo (28 December 2016). "From TESCO to SNC-Lavalin". railengineer.co.uk.
  3. "Interfleet Technology celebrates milestone at the forefront of the industry". globalrailwayreview.com. 20 April 2011.
  4. "SNC-Lavalin acquires Interfleet Technology" (Press release). Montréal, Canada: SNC-Lavalin. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  5. "Derby rail firm Interfleet bought by Canadian company". BBC News. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  6. "Last ex-BR team sells out". The Railway Magazine. No. 1328. December 2011. p. 11.
  7. "Interfleet appointed as Notified Body for Hitachi Rail Europe's fleet of Super Express trains for the IEP". globalrailwayreview.com. 16 May 2013.
  8. "Interfleet Rebrands". Derby Telegraph. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  9. "From Interfleet to SNC-Lavalin – Steered not shaken". railstaff.co.uk. 10 May 2016.
  10. "Rail & Transit" (PDF). SNC-Lavalin. September 2018.
  11. "Development of freight wagons". globalrailwayreview.com. 31 May 2005.
  12. "The bogies for Desiro DMU UK Class 185". globalrailwayreview.com. 23 August 2005.
  13. "Siemens receive rolling stock design refurbishment from SNC-Lavalin". globalrailwayreview.com. 13 December 2017.
  14. "Norwegian High-Speed Study has awarded the first contracts". globalrailwayreview.com. 30 September 2010.
  15. Leftly, Mark (18 January 2016). "Government accused of 'contracting out' emergency train franchises to private firms". The Independent.
  16. Claire Louise Perry, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport) (25 January 2016). "Railways: Franchises
    Question for Department for Transport"    . Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
  17. "Southern on borrowed time?". Rail Magazine. No. 805. 20 January 2016. p. 71.
  18. "Virgin Trains East Coast franchise to end within months". Railway Gazette International. 6 February 2018.
  19. "East Coast train line to be put into public control". BBC News. 16 May 2018.
  20. Pretorius, Robbie (22 January 2022). "How better Information Management is helping Inland Rail to stay on track". globalrailwayreview.com.
  21. "SNC-Lavalin appointed to deliver and operate the UK's most advanced rail signalling test facility". 14 September 2021.
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