Reference
Guidance
Condensed from the EM RE(S) Autumn Working Guidance 2026 v1.1, the 2026 season pack (sites, circuits, crossings) and the EM Adhesion Working Arrangements. Search everything, or browse by topic.
TC failure classifications
High / Low / Negligible definitions, the full hazard-index table and the poster discrepancy.
WSTCF management process
Report → FMS → classification flow, Appendix C scenarios, sign-back levels, restoration and withdrawal.
Triggers & thresholds
GBW, GSM-R, high-risk definitions, 30-minute and 90-minute rules, extension/cessation criteria and more.
Roles & responsibilities
Autumn Controller duties, TRC, signallers, MOMs, staff welfare and the conference schedule.
Daily production rhythm
The fixed timetable the desk works to in season.
| Time | Output | Producer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 | AM Adhesion Wire | Autumn Controller / Train Running Controller (overnight) | MetDesk forecast issued by 03:00 (wire header issue time 02:50). Zone adhesion indices (East Midlands North / East Midlands South / London – Luton / Lincolnshire), missed RHTT sites past 24h, defective TGAs, safety KPIs past 24h, hazard summary. Next notice 15:00. |
| 09:00 | Service Delivery call (weekdays) | SDS or Autumn Controller | Verbal report on the daily conference call covering overnight adhesion issues and the day's outlook. |
| 10:00 | RHTT conference call (Mon/Wed/Fri) | Autumn Control with SCO + GBRf | Review of RHTT circuit delivery vs plan, missed sites and recovery, schedule variations. |
| 10:30 | Autumn Conference (Mon/Wed/Fri) | SDS | Teams conference, PowerBI-driven. Attendance: NR Control, NR Ops (Lincoln/Derby/Bedford/Leicester), S&T, Off Track, SCO, EMR Control, EMR Drivers, Seasons Delivery/Performance; GTR/XC/Northern/freight compulsory after a safety incident. |
| 12:00 | Autumn Message (drum-beat) | Seasonal / Autumn Controller | WhatsApp/Teams update — operational status, season-to-date KPIs, forecast summary per zone, RHTT circuit RAG, special working changes since the last update per DU (automatic from the Special Working register). |
| 15:00 | PM Adhesion Wire | Autumn Controller | Same structure as the AM wire with the afternoon forecast; 'Next notice at 0300'. |
| 18:00 | Autumn Control Log | Autumn Controller | Full daily log — KPI counters (24h + season, EM | Lincolnshire), incidents, forecast + 7-day lookahead across the four MetDesk zones, leaves-remaining % per zone (with last year's figure), temperatures, RHTT delivery vs VO plan, missed sites with mitigation, defective TGAs (automatic from Sites & Assets), special working changes, MOM inspections, RHTT circuit summary. Route distribution email @1800. |
| Ad hoc | Missed Sites Wire / Treatment Failure Advice | Autumn Controller (TRC out of hours) | Issued ASAP after an RHTT treatment failure — sites missed (tick-sheet range, * marks high-risk), reason, time since last treatment + RAG, mitigation. |
| Ad hoc | CCIL entries (ROLA / WSTCF) | Incident / Autumn Controller | Per incident. 'Autumn Related' box ticked, incident type Weather Management. Daily 'Autumn Suspect WSTCF' log created 00:01 for 24h; confirmed entries transfer to the per-DU Master Log (open all season). |
Season key dates
- Leaf-fall season1 October – 13 December (NR-defined autumn period)
- RHTT programmeEM circuits 4 October – 12 December (Appendix D calendar, weeks 27–36); EC04 1 October – 15 December; Central / WCS phased 5–11 October, full base plan 12 October – 13 December
- EM circuit weeksEM53 (Kettering first, 3J88RB) Mon–Fri wks 27–29 & 32–35; EM52 (Matlock first, 3J87EH) Mon–Fri wks 30, 31, 36; EM51 Tue/Thu/Fri + Sundays, via Corby in wk 32 only; EM02 Mondays. Week 27 = 3–9 October on the EM calendar
- Adhesion signageCommissioning from 1 September, complete by 15 September
- TGAsCommissioned in September by MOM teams, operational by 1 October; refilled and checked through the season
- RHTT extension requestTo SCO before the end of November
- Forms A/B to NOCBy 18:00 (high risk) / close of play
Contacts
No contacts recorded.