Cascade & Planning Management

Through effective planning, train companies can provide a prompt service that caters for all its customers. With fewer delays and expanded capacity through additional carriages, the rail experience becomes more comfortable, increasing the likelihood of customer satisfaction and repeat business.

Whether you are looking for long or short-term cover or you are introducing new trains onto the network, our experienced planners can support you on a variety of levels – from timetable planning to unit and train crew diagramming and rostering, and cascade planning.

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Planning Management

We understand the daily struggles involved in navigating the requirements of introducing new fleets – including driver and train crew training. We recognise that these factors only compound the already challenging task of maintaining a consistently reliable routine timetable.

In times of high activity, whether short or long-term, we can provide the support you need to overcome these challenges and strengthen your team.

Our services include:

  • Exam planning
  • Driver training planning
  • Project planning
  • Storage optimisation and planning
  • Vehicle movement planning

Cascade Planning and Management

Introducing new and established trains onto the network and across various locations poses unique challenges. From managing the quality of the rail units, identifying and rectifying open work orders, or even managing the training and familiarisation of the rail units.

That’s where we come in. Our expertise lies in cascade planning and management. We’re here to help operators like you successfully navigate these challenges when integrating rail units into their network.

Our fully customisable and comprehensive cascade planning and management services ensure that every detail is carefully taken care of, giving you the confidence that the entire process is in expert hands – from the very beginning to the end.

Our services include:

  • Quality audit and inspection of incoming rolling stock
  • Open work order review
  • Capacity planning and the new Home Depot
  • Project Management
  • Modification review and Management
  • Engineering change analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

Cascade and planning management are essential for effectively managing projects, ensuring that they are completed on time, within budget, and according to specifications. It helps optimise resource utilisation, minimise risks, and maximise the chances of project success.
The benefits include improved project coordination, enhanced resource allocation, better risk management, increased efficiency, reduced delays, and improved project outcomes. It also helps stakeholders stay informed and aligned throughout the project lifecycle.
By mapping out dependencies between tasks and identifying critical paths, cascade, pathing, and planning management techniques enable project managers to anticipate potential risks and develop contingency plans to mitigate them. This proactive approach helps minimise the impact of unforeseen events on project timelines and budgets.

Case Studies

Planning support for operational testing

West Midlands Trains introduced a new fleet of class 196 units to replace their oldest diesel trains.

They required additional planning support to facilitate the operational testing of these new units, so they engaged Encompass Engineering to help.

Read more

Testimonials

We were looking for additional timetable planning resources to support us with the planning of operational testing paths for our new train fleets. The engineer Encompass provided had the skills and experience that fitted the bill perfectly. As a result, we successfully planned testing paths across the west coast and west midlands routes, supporting the entry into service of our new fleets.

— Mike Hoptroff, Head of Planning, Access & Timetable Strategy, West Midlands Trains

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