Asset Management Improvement Program

GHD is assisting Merseyrail, the UK urban train operator for Liverpool and surrounding areas, with a major business change program to update the management systems for its fleet.

The Asset Management Improvement Program (AMI P) is being delivered in partnership with Merseyrail. It follows an asset management maturity assessment undertaken in 2008 using GHD’s proprietary Total Enterprise Asset Management Quality Framework (TEAM QF) assessment model. The assessment process is aligned to BSI PAS 55 (a publicly available asset management specification) and provided Merseyrail with a roadmap for achieving its strategic asset management objectives for fleet reliability, availability and efficiency set out in its asset management strategy published in 2007.

The assessment considered the full lifecycle of the fleet assets and looked at processes and practices, data and information, information systems, people, organisation and commercial issues.

The improvement projects include the development of the asset register, which will inform defect management and work management systems currently being implemented. Current processes and practices are being developed to meet the full requirements of an asset management system. GHD is also currently undertaking a program of awareness training to communicate the benefits of asset management and support the delivery of the improvement program throughout the organisation.

As part of the delivery partner role, GHD is providing program management services and acting as both technical advisor and delivery support to the Merseyrail AMIP team.

Kevin Thomas, Engineering Director of Merseyrail and Program Director for AMI P said, "AMI P is a critical program for Merseyrail. Without it, we cannot introduce the service capacity changes needed on the Merseyrail network. This program gives us the ability to develop Merseyrail into a world-class train operator."

AMI P will run for two years, with annual reviews undertaken by GHD as part of the delivery partner role and supporting Merseyrail’s commitment to continuous improvement.