Issue No: 83 September October
2011 THE SPECIALIST MAGAZINE FOR THE RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY
News
■ Babcock contract win
■ Spencer contract wins
Network Rail has awarded Babcock a multimillion pound contract to deliver the track renewal works part of the Great Northern Great Eastern (GNGE) capacity improvement project. The project covers the upgrading of the route between Peterborough and Doncaster via Spalding and Lincoln. The two-year contract, which will become one of the first Network Rail contracts to be delivered in an alliance with fully integrated management teams, will start in January 2012 and run until December 2013. The track work includes 67km of plain line renewal and the installation of 44 S&C units.
Spencer has been awarded the following contracts by Network Rail: ■ An £11 million contract for the construction of a new station at Dalmarnock which will be completed in time for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The station will be a key transport hub for those travelling to and from many of the Games’ events. ■ A £2.1 million contract for the rebuilding of Cosford Station. The work includes the building of new platforms, waiting shelters, lighting, fencing and access stairs. ■ Work at Northfield and Selly Oak stations to provide step-free access as part of a £5 million project covering Northfield, Selly Oak and Sutton Coldfield stations on the Birmingham cross-city line. ■ A £15.3 million contract for the design and construction of a new railway operating centre at Three Bridges. ■ A £29.6 million contract for the lengthening of station platforms across the Wessex area to allow the operation of longer trains.
■ London Bridge Station contracts awarded Network Rail has awarded the final two major contracts for the redevelopment of the London Bridge area as part of Thameslink Programme Key Output 2. Costain will undertake the £400 million station redevelopment covering the detail design and delivery. Work includes a new concourse at street level. Balfour Beatty Rail will deliver the £50 million track remodelling work which is a vital part of the Thameslink programme and is needed to allow more and longer trains to operate. The new, simplified, track layout will also improve reliability for other train services. Under the contract, Balfour Beatty Rail will provide detailed design, installation, testing and commissioning of the track work. Costain and Balfour Beatty Rail will select three delivery partners to form the London Bridge Area Partnership and work with Network Rail to reconstruct the station and surrounding infrastructure. Work is due to be fully underway in 2013 and scheduled to be completed in 2018. Network Rail has awarded Osborne the £10 million contract for the enabling works at London Bridge Station as part of the Thameslink Programme Key Output 2. The work involves removing and transferring key station services and assets, such as telecoms cabling, around the station by 2013 to ensure that the main works contract for the station starts on time.
■ Reading depot contract Network Rail has awarded a £36.2 million contract to VolkerFitzpatrick for the construction of a new train depot at Reading. The new facility will be built to modern standards and be capable of maintaining and servicing the existing DMU rolling stock as well as providing future capacity for EMU rolling stock. Network Rail has donated King's Cross Station’s Handyside Bridge, which was removed over Christmas 2009 as part of the current redevelopment project at the station, to the Mid-Hants Railway. It has been moved to Eastleigh where it is being shot blasted and painted before being installed at the Mid-Hants.
■ Birse Rail contract win Birse Rail has been awarded a £3.2 million contract by Network Rail for improvement works at Slough Station. The design and build contract includes the installation of a new two-span footbridge with three new lifts, associated shafts and plant rooms. The scope of works also includes cycle shelters, lighting, platform surfacing, ramps, drainage modifications, cable and service diversions, together with alterations to the existing station ticket office and toilets.
■ GB Railfreight Lackenby steel plant contract win GB Railfreight (GBRf) has been awarded a contract to transport molten iron and steel slab in Sahaviriya Steel Industries’ newly reopened steelworks at Lackenby. The 10-year contract will see GBRf operating all the internal rail activities at the Lackenby plant. It also involves the maintenance of track and equipment at the site, along with the construction of new unloading bays. The contract will mean the recruitment of 35 staff and the purchase of eight locomotives for use internally at the plant.
■ Crossrail station contracts Crossrail has awarded the main construction contracts for Farringdon and Whitechapel stations as follows: ■ C435 Farringdon Station - BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) & Kier Construction JV. ■ C512 Whitechapel Station - Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, Morgan Sindall & Vinci Construction UK JV. The remaining central London Crossrail station contracts, for C412 Bond Street, C422 Tottenham Court Road and C502 Liverpool Street, are due to be awarded in 2012.
■ Lafarge contract win Network Rail has awarded a five-year framework contract to Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK for the provision of ballast and other crushed rock material. Supplied from Lafarge’s Mountsorrel Quarry - as well as conventional track ballast - other aggregates include sands, gravels and civil grade stone. In addition, specialised Stoneblower aggregate, which has to be produced to a very exacting specification, will also be supplied.
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■ North-West Electrification Phase 1 contract awarded Network Rail has awarded the North-West Electrification Phase 1 contract to Balfour Beatty Rail. Phase 1 of the Programme comprises electrification of the route from Newton-le-Willows to Castlefield Junction, Manchester. Connecting into existing overhead electrification at both ends of the work, and covering a distance of 30km of twin track line, it also includes some minor signalling works. The multi-phase programme is being implemented in four stages: Liverpool to Manchester ■ Phase 1 - complete by December 2013. ■ Phase 2 - complete by December 2014. Lancashire Triangle ■ Phase 3 - complete by December 2015. ■ Phase 4 - complete by December 2016.
■ Invensys contract win Network Rail has awarded a £28 million signalling contract for the Reading Western Main Lines programme to Invensys Rail. Over the four-year contract period, Invensys will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the signalling works, including new LED signals, gantries and posts and new lineside equipment. The first major commissioning of the project will deliver increased capacity at Reading Station and will take place over Easter 2013. The final commissioning is scheduled for August 2015.
■ Balfour Beatty Rail contract win Network Rail has awarded a £18.9 million contract to Balfour Beatty Rail for the design and build of station modifications and associated rail works at Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace stations to improve their performance and capacity.
■ Birmingham Gateway Project contract awarded Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £16 million contract to refurbish and reconstruct Platforms 2 to 11 at Birmingham New Street Station as part of the Birmingham Gateway project. The works will be carried out by two Balfour Beatty companies, Birse Rail and Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering and comprise civil engineering and building works in connection with lifts, escalators and platform finishes. Work has already commenced with completion due in September 2013.
■ Railway Heritage Trust grants awarded The Railway Heritage Trust, which is sponsored by Network Rail and the British Railways Board (Residuary), has awarded grants of £1.86 million to 60 projects in 2010/11. Its annual repor t, which was published in October, showed that partnership funding of £2.47 million was attracted from organisations including the Train Operating Companies, the Department for Transport and County Councils, as well as a number of voluntary groups. Projects ranged from the floodlighting of the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed to the restoration and conversion of the building at Llandovery Station for community use.
News ■ Nigel Rouse has been appointed as a Principal Design Engineer in Inter fleet Te c h n o l o g y ’ s Rolling Stock Enhancements team, based in its Derby office. He has over 30 years’ rail sector experience, including project engineering and project management. Nigel has worked in mechanical design engineering for BRB DM&EE, Regional Railways, The engineering link, AEA Technology Rail and latterly Network Rail. ■ Spencer has made the following appointments: ■ P e t e r Lawrence has been appointed as Regional Director South for the company’s Rail Division. Peter will report to Managing Director of Rail, Raj Sinha. His responsibilities include managing the MAFA projects Spencer will undertake in that region. Peter has sat on various MAFA boards and steering groups. Through the 1990s and mid-2000s he was part of the management team on a number of rail projects, including GE Resignalling, WARM and the WCRM. ■ Matt Simpson has been appointed as Commercial Manager. As part of the Rail Team South, he will repor t to Peter Lawrence. Mark has had 17 years’ experience in the rail industr y, working both directly for companies and as a consultant. Among the companies he has worked for are Network Rail and London Underground. ■ VolkerRail has appointed Stuart Birch as Major Projects Director. He joins from Birch Rail with over 15 years’ experience in the railway industry. Stuar t has delivered a number of high profile projects in the West Coast Main Line upgrade programme and more recently Evergreen3. He will be responsible for fur ther developing VolkerRail’s major projects expertise in the areas of track, signalling and electrification.
■ Babcock has appointed Phil Allanson as Plant Development Manager. A career railwayman with over 30 years’ experience, Phil has been involved in a wide range of rail vehicle disciplines from fleet introduction to national contract management. He has been closely involved in the management of high output equipment since it was first introduced into the UK rail industry in 2000. Prior to joining Babcock, Phil occupied the position of Maintenance and Engineering Assurance Manager at AmeyColas with responsibility for Network Rail’s high output fleet. ■ GB Railfreight (GBRf) has made the following appointments: ■ Mike Higgins has been appointed as Head of Business Development. Mike joins GBRf from DB Schenker where, for the past three years, he has been working on the London 2012 Olympic Project. He was the Commercial Manager responsible for marketing and supporting the rail logistics in and out of the Olympic Park. Before joining the rail industry, Mike was Director of Europe, The Middle East and Africa for NetDimensions, a Hong Kongbased organisation. ■ Phil Webster has been appointed Head of Contract Management. He moved to that position from his previous role as Head of Coal, a post he had held since 2009. Phil has worked in the rail industry for 35 years in a variety of operating and commercial roles and has spent five years with GBRf. ■ Neil Richardson has been appointed Head of Bulk Services. Neil has joined from OnTrak, where he was a freelance consultant. His job will see him looking after the commer cial aspects of several large contracts, including Sim Metals, Tata Steel and Petrochem Carless. ■ Julie Hayden has been appointed as Contract Pricing and Administration Manager. She joins from DB Schenker where she worked in a variety of contract administration and finance roles.
■ Network Rail has made the following appointments: ■ Further to Rail Infrastructure Issue No: 83, Phil Verster has been appointed Route Managing Director for London North Eastern. Phil was previously Deputy CEO and Chief Engineer at Irish Rail. Other roles in the UK rail industry include Fleet Director of South Eastern Trains and Production Director at Bombardier Services UK. ■ Mark Southwell has been appointed Programme Director - Signalling. Mark will be responsible for the delivery of all major signalling projects in CP4 and thereafter. This involves programme and project management, signal project engineering and design. He reports to Simon Kirby, Managing Director, Investment Projects. Mark joins from Atkins where he was Managing Director of Projects looking after its signalling business. He has also worked for Metronet, Amey and started as a graduate with British Rail. ■ Suzanne Wise, General Counsel for Premier Foods, will join as General Counsel in the New Year. She takes over from Hazel Walker, Group Company Secretary, who left at the end of September. Suzanne will report to Patrick Butcher, Group Finance Director, and will be a member of the company’s group executive. The new title of General Counsel reflects a broader scope to the role encompassing a new department transparency, covering data protection, business ethics and access to information. ■ LS Rail has made the following appointments: ■ J o e r g S c h n a b e l , Technical Director of Swietelsky’s UK business, has been appointed D i r e c t o r , Swietelsky Rail, Australia, the company set up to operate in joint venture with Leighton Contractors. The joint venture will operate as LS Rail. Swietelsky and Leighton have started building up an on-track machine fleet for operations in the busy Australian rail market. Joerg has worked in railways for 29 years having started with Deutsche Bahn. Since joining Swietelsky in 2001 he has worked all over Europe and latterly in the UK. ■ Craig Goldie, D i r e c t o r , Swietelsky International, has also taken up the role of Director in Swietelsky’s new rail business in Australia and will work within the LS Rail joint venture.
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New Equipment
New on-track plant Roger Butcher reviews the latest developments in, and purchases of, on-track plant. Network Rail flash-butt welder order Network Rail has placed a contract with Holland and Co, in conjunction with GOS Tool & Engineering Services, for the initial supply of four upgraded versions of the Doosan DX170 excavator-based all-terrain mobile flash-butt welder. The machines will include features already in use worldwide on similar examples (see Rail Infrastructure Issue No: 81), which include: ■ An offset knuckle boom - allowing the machine to significantly increase the number of welding operations that can be performed alongside the line or on an adjacent line, without its tailswing fouling. ■ A mini dipper - fitting a short dipper provides additional operational flexibility and more accurate final positioning of the welding head. ■ GKD 3rci RCI system - specifically developed for use with the offset knuckle boom, the RCI also incorporates GKD’s SpaceGuard dual redundancy-based function, allowing the machine to work in live OLE and ‘adjacent line open’ situations. In addition, there will also be new features specific to these four machines including: ■ Hydrostatic rail wheel drive and braking - a major development on a Type 9b RRV. The system will provide enhanced drive and braking capabilities, especially in adverse weather conditions. ■ Outrigger systems - providing greater stability during welding operations, resulting in a significantly lighter machine. The strategy for the introduction of these groundbreaking machines has been developed by Network Rail’s National Delivery Service (NDS), who are also responsible for delivery of the project and the deployment of the machines into the field. The principal customer will be track renewals and, in particular, the two high output track relaying squadrons. Martin Elwood, Director NDS, commented: ‘It has been an ambition for some time to offer our customers a factory quality flash-butt weld delivered in the field by a truly mobile machine. The development work we have undertaken over the last 30 months has really paid off and I am pleased to say we have got there.’ Further to pages 62 and 63, one of the two Cowans Sheldon twin jib track relayers purchased by Colas Rail has been overhauled, as pictured below.
Geismar Pictured above is a unit in a push-pull formation equipped for fire service rescue, prior to delivery to the Geismar group in France. An original mini series unit featured on French TV during TGV rescue simulation trials (see Rail Infrastructure Issue No: 62). A further 14 Mini 4-4 motorised trolleys have been delivered to Network Rail since the last issue of Rail Infrastructure. The trolleys, complete with a mix of trailer options, have been delivered to Croydon (4), Derby (1), Guildford (1), Havant (1), Ipswich (3), Nottingham (1), Romford (2) and Woking (1).
LH Access Technology Network Rail has awarded a £1.3 million contract to LH Access Technology for the design and manufacture of 13 road/rail general purpose maintenance vehicles. They will be used primarily for the movement of materials and staff to site along with tools and equipment. Based on the Iveco Eco Daily 4x4 55S17DW crew cab, the vehicles will be configured as follows: ■ Seven - Messing facility with tail lift. ■ Five - Messing facility with mini Hiab crane. ■ One - Messing facility with tail lift and mini Hiab crane. Work commenced on the first vehicle in September which will be completed in December. This will then be followed by a production run of the remaining vehicles early next year.
High Speed 1 contract SB Rail, the joint venture between Babcock and Swietelsky, has started work on a new contract with Network Rail HS1 to provide survey, design and on-track machines for HS1 track maintenance works. A Plasser & Theurer 09-32/4S Dynamic high performance plain line/S&C tamper and a Plasser & Theurer SSP 110 ballast regulator will be provided from Austria for periodic tamping campaigns and a UKbased Plasser & Theurer 08 Compact for spot work. The contract duration will be five years with an option to extend further.
Stolen vehicle - can you help?
Pictured below at Rexquote’s factory, Bishop’s Lydeard, prior to delivery to Total Rail Solutions, is a Rexquote Accessrailer 17.
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Further to Rail Infrastructure Issue No: 80, a SRS/Volvo FL7 flat bed with crane, registration number G921 SGP (pictured below), was stolen at 9pm on 21st August from the SRS Rail System depot at Bolsover. If anyone has any information or sightings of the road/rail vehicle, please contact SRS Rail System on: 01246 241312.
Associations
Rail Plant Association Update The professional association for road/rail plant owners reports on its current initiatives. By the time you read this article, the RPA Management Committee will have gathered for the 100th time. The Association only remains professional by virtue of its members and particularly those who are currently active. Members of the Association are encouraged to put nominations forward for the Management Committee ahead of the AGM on 22nd February 2012 and continue this good work. Christmas has come around so very quickly again. The RPA Management Committee wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. We hope you have just as much holiday season work as you can cope with. The New Year will bring some changes with the introduction of the duplex radio system within infrastructure maintenance by the end of January and the rest of the industry by the end of March. This should be seen as a very positive step towards segregating personnel and plant. Who knows, perhaps Santa will give you a helping hand by bringing you your own headset. You are also reminded that those of you who undertake COSS duties with hand trolleys, or Machine/Crane Controllers and competent persons undertaking worksite and possession sweeps, will need to have received a Line Clear Verification brief and successfully passed the associated knowledge test. There are various go-live dates around the country and this is effective immediately. The year 2012 and beyond does look bright with some major electrification investment in the pipeline which can only lead to greater opportunities for the rail plant supply chain. The RPA has already been approached by Network Rail to openly discuss potential future project plant requirements including the Great Western electrification. Watch this space.
Hearing and vision standards The long-awaited consultation report has been completed and was reviewed late November and early this month by a panel of occupational health professionals including general practitioners. The results of this review will determine the level of change to the existing hearing and vision arrangements. Network Rail’s earlier invitation to the industry to challenge the existing standard where necessary, supported by risk assessment, has been met with enthusiasm from some quarters and, to date, it has received four such risk assessments which are being considered.
Duplex radio communication Since our last update, Network Rail has released a contractor’s brief to the industry providing an overview of how the DECT ii system will work. In addition, the first of several briefing sessions for interested parties has been held, enabling attendees to go back to their companies and train their personnel on the use of the system. Network Rail has made clear it is the responsibility of the principal contractor to purchase, lease or hire radio equipment and make it available to plant operators, Machine/Crane Controllers and other parties involved. A contract for the supply of the DECT ii radio equipment has been awarded to Cromwell. This is an employer’s facilitated contract ensuring that all purchasers will enjoy the same rate negotiated by Network Rail. The compliance date remains 31st March 2012.
RRV braking and 9b machines At the time of writing, and since the announcement that Allan J Hargreaves, GOS Tool & Engineering Services and Rexquote had been awarded contracts to provide RRV rail wheel brake modifications to type 9b machines, two core machines have been modified, tested and passed out. These are a Liebherr (Rexquote conversion) and a Colmar (Allan J Hargreaves conversion). Further first of type testing will be undertaken on different weight categories of type 9b RRVs. There is approximately six weeks slippage on the original dates given by Network Rail. It is understood that the next issue of RIS1530-PLT will address modified machines.
Duty charts In the past the industry had to deal with an array of hard copy duty chart types and styles. This has changed now all RCI manufacturers supply electronic duty charts for lift planning. These are accessible on a PC in the office, on a laptop on-site and the RCI in the machine’s cab. Work is currently being carried out to standardise the format and content of the paper duty charts supplied on each machine across all manufacturers. The aim is to provide only ‘emergency’ duty charts in the future which will make it easier for amended plans to be drawn up when required. There is agreement between the manufacturers on the need for this change. More will be reported on this next year.
Rail plant company audit Talk to anyone in the industry who is exposed to the Link-up audit and they will tell you that it is one of many audits which their company faces each year and is regarded by some as a necessar y evil. Network Rail is currently working to ease the burden of audit on the plant company whilst maintaining the integrity of the plant supply chain. It is expected that plant companies will be exposed to a Link-up audit one year to cover their product group 1701 commitments and the following year a Network Rail technical audit. It is anticipated that some form of audit repor t will be available for both audits (as it is currently for a Link-up audit) for client companies to consider as part of their supply chain checks.
Delivery and collection of plant Our colleague involved in the accident at Hither Green maintenance depot continues to make good progress whilst recovering for which we are all immensely grateful. The risk associated with the delivery and collection of plant, and the potential exposure of delivery personnel, members of the public and others involved, continues to be of grave concern to the RPA. In addition to the Management Committee offering to work with Network Rail to implement a formal arrangement to control the risk associated with the delivery and collection of plant, we continue to develop our own thoughts with the aim of implementing an industry-led initiative to allocate responsibility for risk control and provide guidance on how this might be best achieved. To this end, the RPA Management Committee would like to hear from anybody who would like to be involved in this initiative who could add some further experience to the
process. We will report back on progress of this initiative in the New Year. As was stated in Rail Infrastructure Issue No: 83, those of you responsible for delivering and collecting plant on a day-to-day basis, please ensure that sufficient liaison has taken place between client and plant supplier to assess and control the risk, specifically that of the working environment and working alone. At the time of writing, it is very nice not to bring a report of a new serious plant injury within the rail industry. However, a trend is becoming more obvious in the Health & Safety Executive’s and the court’s attitudes towards the individual who is operating an item of plant at the time of an injury to another person. Courts are increasingly finding the plant operator guilty of a statutory breach and, as a result, are fining and, in some cases, imprisoning them. In one example, an individual found themselves having to cope with a custodial sentence having been responsible for the death of their friend. It cannot be stressed strongly enough how important it is to ensure that plant is operated in a safe manner at all times. Complacency, over/under familiarity, time constraints and fatigue can all hamper our ability to operate plant safely with sometimes fatal consequences. In closing, it has been noted through recent industry failures that the mode in which an item of plant had failed in is not necessarily checked for during routine maintenance. Our practical checks undertaken on completion of a repair or routine maintenance tend to test that the plant performs properly when operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s and converter’s instructions. Recent minor issues have brought to mind that unknown failures of system components can also lead to failures of the plant to operate as expected when operated incorrectly. As an example, you might ordinarily expect no movement if two opposing controls are operated together. However, if there is a fault, the machine’s movements may be unpredictable and consequently dangerous. Perhaps we should be checking for incorrect operation and not just being satisfied as soon as we detect correct operation. Has the can of worms just been opened?
Need to know more? Further information on the above topics, or anything of concern, can be sought from committee members. Further information is available from the RPA website: http://www.cpa.uk.net/p/Join-RPA/
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New Equipment
Balfour Beatty Rail’s new Matisa tampers update
Balfour Beatty Rail has taken delivery at the Old Dalby test facility of its first Matisa B 66 UC tamping machine. First of type tests were conducted to ensure final compliance with signalling standards and operator training commenced on 19th September. The machine, DR 75501, left Old Dalby in early October for operational duties for Network Rail commencing on the Wessex Route. The second and final B 66 UC tamper, DR 75502, left Matisa’s works in Crissier, Switzerland, on 20th September. Once at Old Dalby, fur ther operator training will be undertaken and it will also be used to verify the first major update of the Computer Aided Track Tamping (CATT) alignment system. This update will enable reverse measurement to take place as well as a number of other minor operator screen updates. The B 66 UC is the first third rail compliant, continuous action, plain line and switch and crossing tamping machine to be introduced into the UK. It will be ideal for routine track maintenance as well as track renewals work. It has excellent operator visibility and will mark a major shift forward in track maintenance for Network Rail. Productivity of more than 800 metres per hour is possible in plain line, fully
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automatic, continuous mode. Tamping a single lead takes less time than with any presently available principal switch and crossing machine. Balfour Beatty Rail’s four recently delivered Matisa B 41 UE tamping machines are now all in contract with Network Rail. Their current Route work programmes are DR 75408 in Anglia, DR 75409 on Midlands and Continental,
DR 75410 in Kent and DR 75411 on Wessex. As pictured below, DR 75410 was used for tamping work on the site at Northfleet which is being redeveloped as a temporary tunnelling logistics facility for Crossrail - see Rail Infrastructure Issue No: 82. Photographs: Alex Hall, unless otherwise credited. Photograph: Balfour Beatty Rail.
Signalling
Under control across the UK Report on Invensys Rail’s control centre solution that is in operation with Network Rail across the country. WESTCAD, Invensys Rail’s control centre solution, is in successful operation across a range of projects throughout the UK. A highly effective computer-based control and display system, WESTCAD is easily configured, has a familiar user interface and is capable of working in a wide variety of railway applications. Building on the company’s success, both in the UK and overseas, an evolution of the system has recently been launched following the development of a new hardware platform. This new generation WESTCAD delivers the same high levels of per formance, safety and functionality, but at a fraction of the size of the current system - reducing the size of a standard WESTCAD unit from a full cubicle to that of a normal microwave oven.
The system The new system has been developed by Invensys Rail’s control systems team which is headed by Mike Lewis. He explained the thinking behind this latest development. ‘With this dramatic reduction in size come some obvious benefits,’ said Mike. ‘The unit is more portable and features much simplified cabling and drawings - consequently design, installation and testing are all easier and significantly faster. ‘With a range of diagnostic tools and hotswap standby features, the system is also incredibly reliable and easy to maintain. All of which adds great value to our customers and keeps WESTCAD at the cutting edge of technology, delivering a high quality solution that may be configured to meet each customer’s individual needs.’ WESTCAD is part of a suite of products that share the same hardware package - with the WESTRONIC 1024 data transmission unit and WESTCAD Automatic Route Setting (ARS) module offering similar benefits to rail operators. WESTRONIC not only provides an
emergency alarm function, but also the ability to monitor power equipment and signalling equipment rooms, transmitting all the alarm information back to one central point. The span of control includes such things as power loss, over-temperature aler t and airconditioning failure. An additional analogue input card enables remote conditioning monitoring of temperatures and voltages of other equipment. The move away from industrial PCs to a more reliable Euro card CPCI hardware allows any of the cards or the power supply to be hotswapped and for everything to be fully
duplicated. Consequently, the system can ‘lose’ a card and it automatically switches to another whilst the faulty one is repaired and replaced. Mike continued: ‘We are using a super back plane to do all the interconnections and that has reduced the wiring down from a very thick block to a small wire. The small housing has its own EMC certification and so we no longer need the heavy and expensive cubicles.’ Using a suitable communications link, WESTCAD can drive most types of interlocking, including Solid State Interlocking (SSI), WESTLOCK, Ebilock, WESTRACE and relay interlockings. In addition, its compact size means the unit can be situated on a desk in the control centre, or it can be 200 metres away in a separate location. In the event of unexpected damage to a control centre, WESTCAD functions could be taken over at another location anywhere in the UK.
In operation The scope of WESTCAD allows it to be used as par t of recontrol projects where existing interlockings are being retained - the rear panels of the product being changed to suit the site instead of an extensive programme of rewiring. Changeover times are, therefore, significantly reduced and route closures minimised. Mike said: ‘We change the product to fit what is there already and that allows us such quick changeovers that installation and testing can be carried out in a very small window. We are currently changing all of the Doncaster signalling area, replacing the TDM69 equipment built and designed by Westinghouse in 1969. We have made the rear of the WESTRONIC interface the same as the TDM69 so we can change the system over in an hour or two - whereas previously it would have taken eight days and nights to complete the stage wiring. This development is very
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Signalling
much in keeping with Network Rail’s requirement for a 24/7 railway.’ The simplicity of the system is also proving to be a major advantage at Leicester where control of nine interlockings is to be transferred to the East Midlands Control Centre (EMCC) in Derby at Christmas. Invensys Rail’s engineers are currently working at Leicester every Saturday night. They are able to unplug the old equipment, connect the WESTRONIC with its new interface cards, test it and then switch back. Mike explained: ‘When we are ready for commissioning at Christmas, much of the work will already have been carried out. Pretesting will be complete and a straightforward plug in and switch operation will complete the process. We will then carry
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out a confidence check of the nine interlockings and transfer control to Derby.’ The company is currently delivering a range of projects including Manchester Piccadilly, Water Orton, Walsall, Thameslink, Doncaster, Robin Hood Line recontrol, Leicester, Stourbridge, Thrumpton and Hertford loop.
Latest installation Over the weekend of 10th-11th September, the Robin Hood Line project was successfully commissioned, with the new WESTCAD Mansfield Work Station signed in to operation at the EMCC. Invensys Rail’s works involved the transfer of control of the line from Trent PSB and Kirkby Summit Signal Box to the EMCC and involved the recontrol of mixed interlocking technology, both SSI and relay,
with the WESTRONIC system used to interface to the relay circuitr y. The project also represented a first for the WESTRONIC system, this being the first time it has been used to control level crossings on the line. WESTRONIC is also being used for the box-tobox emergency alarms and for the monitoring of both signalling and power alarms in the relocatable equipment buildings and the PSPs back to the fault control desk in the EMCC. Commenting on the programme, Mike said: ‘This was a really challenging project, particularly as the timescales for completion were squeezed by five months - February 2012 being the original commissioning date. Despite that, the whole project team came together to deliver a WESTCAD and WESTRONIC solution which really demonstrates the power and flexibility of our control centre solutions.’ The following weekend saw another installation completed, with Ashburys Signal Box being closed and the control of its route relay interlocking and Electronic Route Setting Equipment (ERSE) transferred to the new Manchester East Signalling Control Centre (MESCC) at Stockport on 19th September. Invensys commissioned a dual WESTCAD workstation at the MESCC, which provides control for the Ashburys area as well as capacity for future phases of work. Control of the Ashbur ys interlocking and the ERSE functionality is now provided by WESTCAD in conjunction with a WESTRONIC 1024 system which also provides train describer and emergency alarm functionality to four fringe signal boxes. As part of the project, the company also upgraded the local telecommunications infrastructure to provide the necessary transmission paths. Mike said: ‘This was a tough programme and a tight timetable, which followed closely behind other phases of the Manchester Piccadilly processor renewals work. Our project team is now moving on to the next stage which will see Guide Bridge and Stalybridge control added to the MESCC within a year.’
Company Profile
Renown Rail Welding Services Renown Railway Services opens a brand new depot to supply specialist welding services to the rail industry. Renown’s new Doncaster rail welding depot is now open and fully operational. It has already completed successful welds for Network Rail at Watford, Birmingham, Manchester, Crewe, Preston and Leeds.
Experience and competence The new department specialises in providing highly competent and experienced rail welding teams. Each team is extremely flexible and willing to undertake projects of any size throughout the UK. All are qualified in Personal Track Safety, Controller of Site Safety, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness and Abrasive Wheels, as well as the relevant Powered Plant and RT3 and TW4 Welding Competencies. All welds are fully recorded in line with specific client requirements, alongside Renown’s own comprehensive records which are managed by the company to ensure complete traceability of all services supplied.
Flexibility The company prides itself on its flexible approach which enables it to offer a range of welding options from single welders to twoman teams, as well as one or two-man burner
teams. A highly focused, ser vice-driven philosophy explains Renown’s strong track record in the supply of safety-critical staff and skilled trackworkers, especially in the NorthWest, Midlands, South-West, Wales and Western areas.
Customer focused Renown is BS EN ISO 9001:2008 and BS EN ISO 14001:2004 accredited as well as being Link-up approved. The company constantly monitors its performance in line with industry requirements and invests heavily in training and IT. This ensures the company remains focused on satisfying customer needs, offering
flexible services and continually developing alternative solutions as new legislation and working practices are introduced. For further information, please contact: Renown Rail Welding Services, Unit 5, M&M Business Park, Gunhills Lane, Armthorpe, Doncaster, DN3 3EB. John Beard, tel: 07766 721542 Lee Howard, tel: 07766 721891 or the Doncaster depot: 01302 302030. E-mail: enquiries@renownrailway.co.uk Website: www.renownrailwelding.co.uk
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Projects Profile
Record-breaking track renewals Babcock’s recent record-breaking track renewals delivery on the Boston to Skegness Project. The Boston to Skegness campaign in Lincolnshire is unique - it is the largest conventionally delivered track renewals project (by volume) in the UK this year. Babcock, working in partnership with Network Rail, has so far delivered 22 track miles of new railway in 86 core possessions during the Phase 2 work in 2011. This equates to over 33 track miles for the overall project when the 2009 work is also included.
Record-breaker On 19th May, Babcock’s LNE Track Renewals team delivered an outstanding 1,002 yards of track which were renewed in nine hours and 36 minutes. This record performance level was the result of a tremendous team effort with Network Rail, Babcock and key stakeholders working together to maximise output in short possessions. This was part of the second phase of the £21 million track improvement project on the Boston to Skegness line which in total will see 43,000 yards of jointed track replaced with CWR, almost eliminating jointed track on this route. The majority of rail installed has been directly cascaded from the Great Western Main Line, providing a further cost reduction and contributing to Network Rail’s sustainability commitments. The new track will provide improved train performance and passenger ride quality, minimise future maintenance requirements and disruptive possessions, whilst also reducing disturbance to lineside neighbours.
Teamwork Before work commenced, the team undertook a workshop with Babcock’s Preston Depot to learn the lessons from its successfully delivered Settle to Carlisle campaign renewals and Phase 1 of the Boston-Skegness works delivered by Jarvis Rail. The most important lesson was that the successful deliver y required all people in the team to play their part. As well as Network Rail and Babcock, the team included Balfour Beatty Rail, DB Schenker, Hydrex, SES and VolkerRail. If everyone in the team understood their role and the key part they play, the chance of success was high. The key message was ‘a 15 minute hold-up on any night is equivalent to a one-hour shutdown on a weekend shift’. The message
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was understood as the results demonstrated. Given the required outputs, the team
challenged conventional deliver y methodologies and an optimum solution was
Projects Profile
developed. This included: ■ Use of a New Track Construction (NTC) machine to accelerate the programme by 13 weeks. Simplified CAT4 methodologies were employed with production line philosophies being adopted, allowing numerous activities to run concurrently. ■ Delivery of sleepers to site by road. ■ Using dedicated staff and contractors’ staff to give consistency through repetitive tasks. ■ A locally sourced team giving resident knowledge, landowner familiarity and previous experience of the route. The team also prepared a full and detailed risk log with required actions covering: ■ Daily servicing of the NTC with experienced fitters on-site during relaying operations. ■ Rail transport of personnel to site to minimise walking times. ■ Setting up of mobile site cabins as work progressed. ■ Site deliverability reviews through the shifts, detailing options and control measures to be implemented in the event of a late start, therefore minimising a delayed handback. The location of these works was particularly challenging due to three sections of single line and no suitable run-round
facilities. In addition, the worksites involved long travel times from the nearest Local Distribution Centres (LDCs) for the supply of materials. The project also involved a large number of level crossing closures while works were being undertaken.
Success Babcock commenced delivery of the Phase 2 campaign in January with the majority of the works being delivered during midweek night shifts, allowing most traffic to run as normal during the daytime. In addition, eight 30-hour weekend possessions were undertaken to deliver the larger track renewal works. This was completed in May and Phase 3 will commence in the autumn once summer traffic levels have decreased. The core track renewals activity has been completed early due to East Midlands Trains supporting extended midweek access on the route, resulting in higher outputs per shift. The project has shown the benefits of repeatable midweek campaign working. The next challenge for Babcock and its partners is to keep this highly motivated team together and deliver similar conventional plain line renewals on busier parts of the rail network.
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Technology Introduction
Network Rail product acceptance Network Rail Engineering Function’s Andrew Feben updates its latest products to be accepted.
Latest products accepted for use on Network Rail’s infrastructure Professional head Product name Electrical power
Plant
Telecommunications
Track
Manufacturer
300A booster transformer type: KYRU 52 HM 185 Smoke toxicity fire fume universal electrical joint protector Point heating temperature probe Isolating transformer range 1-50kVA single-phase or three-phase LET63 battery charger Protecting cover for overhead wire PVC conductor rail shroud ramp end arc shield Raychem 72KV EHVS -72H joints, both continuous and sectionalised Transient overvoltage protection units 80-NET series uninterruptible power supplies Concrete sleeper lifting spacer Mercedes-Benz lorry with crane-fed chipper Axle counters for North London Line Eurobalise and Vortok fixings LEM PointSenz PCM 20 and 30 Railway signalling cable Range of SLA battery packs Relay Stainless steel location cases Catalyst 3750 metro Base station central controller CCU0203 GRP Terra-pit Shallow depth cable management sleeper EG53 Rail temperature monitor system
Reference Issue No: Notes
ABB
PA05/01977
2
1
3M UK
PA05/04396
1
2
Findlay Irvine Blakley Electrics
PA05/04284 PA05/04648
1 3
3 4
PE Systems Furrer & Frey Rehau
PA05/03230 PA05/04984 PA05/03018
1 1 3
5 6 7
Tyco Electronics (UK)
PA05/03998
2
8
PD Devices Chloride Power
PA05/00602 PA05/04932
5 1
9 10
GOS Engineering TRAC Engineering
PA05/02942 PA05/04769
3 1
11 12
Thales Alstom Ferroviaria LEM UK ELKA DD DMS Invensys Rail Tyrone Fabrication Cisco Systems Halton Communications
PA05/04941 PA05/01222 PA05/03455 PA05/00646 PA05/02858 PA05/04521 PA05/00648 PA05/04300 PA05/04617
2 6 4 4 3 1 2 1 1
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Marton Geotechnical Services PA05/03709 PA05/04592 Cemex Rail Products
1 2
22 23
PA05/04876
1
24
Yeltech
Notes to table General: Important conditions apply to a number of the products - please ask to see the Certificates of Acceptance. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
13 14
Update to existing certificate to include three additional items to the product configuration Joints in tunnels where low levels of smoke and fumes are a consideration Point heating Update to certificate to add a range of transformers to the product configuration For use as part of trackside substations. Site specific Protection of the contact wire from electrical flashover to earth due to bird strikes at bridges, etc Update to certificate to include a new version of the product Use on high voltage cables, up to 800mm2, on the 25KV electrification system incoming grid feeds Lightning protection of solid state interlocking equipment via the 650V power supply For signalling and general use on the railway infrastructure Request for certificate to be reissued by Network Rail Plant Engineering to amend its scope, conditions, configuration and assessed documentation For removal of vegetation. Vehicle has to be used with Bracke cutting head that is currently fitted to a road/rail excavator Request to change certificate conditions. Application of Thales axle counters on the North London Line Alstom type K Eurobalise and Vortok fixings - for trial use
15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22
23 24
only at the Speke-Ditton site as part of the selective door opening system For the measuring of point machine motor drive current Type C1, C2, C3, B1 and B2 signalling cables to NR/L2/SIG/00005 Issue 1 In general, standby supplies for signalling applications. Application for Gosberton is to maintain power to block instruments during switch over to generator power on DNO failure For use as a heavy duty contactor where additional signalling type front contacts are required Lineside equipment This product is used to provide the link between the RCM network and the IM infrastructure Merseyrail Fire and Civil Defence Authority subsurface radio renewal. Specific uses in the project Designed to fit in the six foot cess areas under direct track load. Lateral parts can be fitted on-site using the pack provided Additional changes to the certificate required by Network Rail Track Engineering The rail temperature monitoring unit is a low power device which monitors and records actual rail temperature data in order to predict potential heat speeds. The system also alarms and sends an alert when set thresholds have been exceeded
A list of accepted products shown in previous issues of Rail Infrastructure, and information on other accepted products, may be obtained by sending a request by email to: technologyintroduction@networkrail.co.uk For further information on technology introduction, please contact Andrew Feben on: Int: 085 79681 Ext: 0207 557 9681 E-mail: technologyintroduction@networkrail.co.uk
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Network Rail Technology Introduction, Engineering Function, Network Rail, 5th Floor, 40 Melton Street, London, NW1 2EE.