Rail Engineer July 2015

Engineer

by rail engineers for rail engineers

JULY 2015 - ISSUE 129

And the winner is...

The Network Rail Partnership Awards

BACK TO BOND STREET

UK RAILWAY TELECOMS

RAILTEX REVIEW

Chris Parker reports on the progress that has been made since his last visit in July 2013.

Providing the rail industry with telecoms services is complex and often misunderstood. Clive Kessell reports.

The UK's largest railway indoor exhibition, held at the NEC in Birmingham was a great success.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

3

Contents

Back to Bond Street Chris Parker returns to the scene of an earlier article.

Taking Britain’s Stations Forward Mike Goggin gives his Opinion.

7

And The Winner Is… Who had success at the Network Rail Partnership Awards?

24 Final Push

30 The Train Now Arriving Graeme Bickerdike reports on new stations in Yorkshire

34 Vive les Differences

14

Under Cover 40 Station canopy reconstruction in Scotland catches Marc Johnson’s eye.

Developing a Future Vision 44 Mike Arthur tells us why planning a station’s layout can improve profitability.

Reducing the Gap Replacing a platform surface while the station remains open.

46

Westermo Mobile Training & Technology Centre Paul Darlington explores the latest vehicle in the Rail Media car park.

53

Walsall to Rugeley Electrification Peter Stanton delves into the work on the Chase line.

54

UK Railway Telecommunications Clive Kessell gives us a 2015 update on this Network Rail business.

60

Compass - Degraded Mode Recovery How do you kick-start the railway if the signalling system fails?

64

Interoperability - A Necessary Complication Paul Darlington explains what it is, why we need it, and the benefits.

68

Grange Sidings Demonstrations Polly Rivers discovers a roller with rail wheels, and a new excavator.

74

Window Sampling Made Simple A new rig for site investigations.

77

Modelling the Future 78 Combining new surveys with old plans to better understand Liverpool St. Location Location Location The RILA system delivers new angles on data collection.

80

No Longer Just Railway Suppliers 84 The editor visits Railtex and finds several non-railway companies there.

48

Railtex Review Keynotes, seminars, stands, networking, awards – and golf.

We’re looking to highlight the latest projects and innovations in

Signalling & Telecommunications

Innovation

in the September issue of Rail Engineer.

Got a fantastic innovation? Working on a great project? Call Nigel on 01530 816 445 NOW!

86

photography competition Send in your smartphone photos to photocomp@railengineer.uk Entries must be sent before midnight on 30th September 2015.

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‘ You don‘ t take a photograph, You make it.‘

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Action Stations!

Editor Grahame Taylor

5

GRAHAME TAYLOR

grahame.taylor@railengineer.uk

This month we’re looking in detail at stations and lead off with an opinion piece by Mike Goggin who, as international director with Steer Davies Gleave, wrote it for us whilst in Mexico!

Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel.wordsworth@railengineer.uk

Production and design Adam O’Connor adam@rail-media.com Matthew Stokes matt@rail-media.com

Engineering writers chris.parker@railengineer.uk clive.kessell@railengineer.uk collin.carr@railengineer.uk david.bickell@railengineer.uk david.shirres@railengineer.uk graeme.bickerdike@railengineer.uk mungo.stacy@railengineer.uk paul.darlington@railengineer.uk peter.stanton@railengineer.uk stuart.marsh@railengineer.uk

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Stations are now closely linked with surveying and the emerging use of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and other technologies. Using a cocktail of nineteenthcentury record drawings of Liverpool Street station, combined with modern laser scanning techniques, Bridgeway has produced a 3D digital model with data sets as big as the station itself. Up in Scotland, Story and Twinfix used a 3D printer to create a plastic model of a new glazing bar so it won’t be long before a whole station roof is built the same way.

There were plenty of snags to contend with in the construction of two new stations on the Caldervale route - sandstone cuttings and suspected, but unrecorded, mine workings for a start. Graeme Bickerdike has been to see the successful end result of almost 20 years of planning.

For those of you who can’t wait to go to the new John Lewis in/around Birmingham New Street there’s a chance to experience it all with an app and some cardboard glasses. Marc Johnson has had a preview of the real thing and is mightily impressed.

If you ever thought that Birmingham New Street has been a little cramped then just keep in mind it was originally built to cater for 40,000 to 60,000 passengers a day. The daily total is now 175,000.

This is about the same as London’s Bond Street which, just to put it all in context, is getting close to the number that pass through Heathrow every day!

The complexities of the work at Bond Street are extraordinary. Apart from engineering precision, there are areas of foreign territory to avoid. Chris Parker, complete with CD plates, has safely filed his report in his diplomatic bag.

Trevor Burton and Mark Thomas of Fugro give us their view of the futuristic present in the field of surveying concepts. But will we ever be able to find all the drain runs, along with their depths and outfalls?

At the Network Rail partnership awards, Mark Carne alluded to the opening of Birmingham’s John Lewis but hastened to add that he would probably give it a miss.

He could resort to those glasses perhaps?

However, he was full of praise for the project and many others in the event reviewed by Nigel Wordsworth. Among the great and good of the award recipients were……. the Football League Trust - twice.

Paul Darlington takes us through the labyrinthine web of interoperability. But it’s not just trains that have to function across borders, the paperwork has to be joined up as well - extending to different owners as well as countries.

Clive Kessell has always been clear about the role of railway telecoms. If the telecom systems fail, the trains

stop. In the end, SPTs and GSM-R may well be the only means of moving trains when the signals are at red.

But now there’s much more than phones involved. With a blizzard of telecoms acronyms we find out how our railway is really entering the digital era.

Here’s a fascinating concept. How about bringing together all the data and information out there that’s used for a whole range of separate tasks and combine it all into a skeletal signalling system that can at least get trains moving when the ‘real’ signalling system has sat down? Clive is on the case.

With such an intense programme of network electrification it is not surprising that lessons are being learnt - and not forgotten until the next time. Peter Stanton looks at how the North West electrification programme has reduced the infrastructure costs of the Chase Line programme.

We’ve a lesson in French phonetics in our look at the first ‘combined’ high-speed railway in France; that is, it has been designed to carry both freight and passenger traffic. Fans of bridge slides will be impressed.

OK, a new route to Cornwall might not wipe its face in narrow economics, but widen the scope of the effect of such a new route on the community and the picture starts to change. Who knows, we’ll soon be off to Cornwall via Tavistock and Okehampton.

Over (or up or down) in Stoke this month something moved - ... very... precisely. Polly Rivers had a sneak preview of two bits of kit that might just keep all our trackbeds clinically smooth and uniformly compacted.

The Rail Engineer recently had an unusual van appear in its car park. Not the local chippy or even the mobile library, it was Westermo’s custom-built vehicle containing an array of demonstrations and displays showing how IP, Ethernet and legacy communication technologies can be combined for railway applications.

Nigel Wordsworth and I prowled round Railtex this year asking the question, “What brought all the new exhibitors to the Birmingham NEC? What did they think of this new alien world? What made them spend all that money?” Much of it stemmed from a completely new phenomenon, their belief that their skills and products were transferable across industry. Shrewd cookies!

6

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Keep on snapping!

L

ast month, Rail Engineer launched a photographic competition to find the best railway photograph taken on a smartphone.

The rules are simple. Take a photo of your work on the railway, or the railway around you, and send it to photocomp@railengineer.uk stating where and when it was taken, what phone it was taken on, and what the subject is. We need your entry by 30 September 2015 and you can win a KAZAM Tornado 350 smartphone - with a 13 megapixel camera.

To assist you, last month’s issue contained the complete rules and an article by professional photographer Paul Bigland to help you take better photos.

Entries have already started to pour in, so here are a few to give you some ideas. These are just selected entries - inclusion in this feature in no way implies that the photo will or will not win the competition as the judging process is completely separate.

OPINION

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Moving forward with determination:

7

MIKE GOGGIN

taking Britain’s stations forward An untapped gold mine? An operational interface? A community space? A passenger’s gateway? A city’s identifier? A complex and historic asset to manage?

Whatever your view, it’s fair to recognise that the nation’s stations often prove a great catalyst for debate. So what is the issue?

Multiple voices and expectations There are increased voices in regard to the contribution that stations need to make: » Civic leaders want a station that helps demonstrate the vibrancy and strength of their City/town and one fully integrated into their local transport network and civic infrastructure. In Steer Davies Gleave’s research for Network Rail we consistently heard from local decision makers of the contribution that a revitalised station had made as a catalyst (or at least not an embarrassment) to more positive conversations with potential investors. » The station’s neighbours and local community want a convenient railway/transport interchange and a quiet life protected from anti-social behaviour which includes the ‘hooded youths’, the impact of inappropriate car parking in side streets and congestion caused by kiss-n-ride commuters. » The train operator wants an easy to manage, resilient and secure estate which supports effective train performance. » The private sector and potential investor want a flexible approach and an asset which can evolve and adapt to new consumer expectations and products. » The taxpayer wants a low cost station estate that contributes where it can to other goals but otherwise does not represent a poor value asset that needs to be maintained and operated. » And finally, but not least, the passengers. They want a hasslefree and easy to use experience

that might offer added value but which provides for an informed, safe and comfortable place to wait.

Meeting those expectations is not always going to be easy but it is a worthy and realistic challenge for the industry’s station managers.

However, the apparent divergence of the expectations is fuelling the debate for a change of control of the nation’s stations. Recent press reports place Network Rail’s managed stations into the firing line.

Time to get serious The expectations are different but they’re not wholly mutually exclusive. All too often the conversation starts pulling organisations into their respective camps unable to recognise that, ultimately, a good station performs well for the passenger, railway, local community and taxpayer.

The good news is that Rail Delivery Group has developed, supported by Steer Davies Gleave, its vision for stations (due to be launched this summer) which recognises the need for a holistic, creative and informed approach to station design, development and management.

I believe that the RDG vision for stations invites the industry’s funders, stakeholders and operators to resolve some longstanding questions once and for all. We need to stop the distraction of debate and get on with the delivery of better performing stations.

When I was at Network Rail I led the company’s response to the Government’s proposals for Full Repairing Insuring Leases now deployed on three franchises. It made me painfully aware that informed debate needs to start early and be grounded in the reality of industry and its stations.

Informed debate required As we rightly consider the merits of potential devolution of stations, we need to help decision makers to recognise the implications of the realities of Britain’s stations. For example: » Stations are not a driver of passenger satisfaction or rail demand. Well-managed, comfortable and attractive stations help to mitigate passenger frustrations when things go wrong and the ‘excellent station’ may just make a statement and encourage rail’s competitiveness over other modes. Poor stations are a driver of dissatisfaction and potentially an inhibitor of some demand. » ORR annual footfall metrics indicate that over 10% of stations probably have less than 20 people using the station on a daily basis and a third have less than 200 people. » In our national review of retailing opportunities for Rail Delivery Group, we concluded that most stations do not represent potential generators of significant income. Working with retailing strategists we identified around 270 stations with potential of material commercial trading activity and worthy of further investigation - that’s less than 11% of the estate.

» The industry has a distracting bureaucracy, for example, the station classification system now has little value and relates to footfall and platforms in the late 1990s. » Quality of asset information remains a live issue, not least because of the historic nature of the estate and the split responsibilities between landlord and station operator. » The 2,537 stations (or whatever number you quote since it depends on who counts them within the industry!) are not homogenous. There are bound to be some whose role and contribution needs to be reviewed and others whose potential may remain not fully tapped.

With an objective and considered assessment, I am confident that we should be able to make meaningful progress on stations which deliver for the industry and its stakeholders.

We need to provide a clearer, more consistent and sustained approach and an investment framework to deliver within. This may just come from outside the ‘traditional railway’, but whoever it is needs to take informed steps forward.

Mike Goggin is a director with Steer Davies Gleave and was previously Network Rail’s director of stations and customer service.

8

NEWS

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Celebrating women Tuesday 23 June was Women in Engineering Day. Set up by the Women’s Engineering Society, the national day is designed to raise the profile of engineering and to encourage more women to join the industry.

At the moment, not many do. Only 7% of the engineering workforce is female. So there is a big job to do in attracting women and girls into the engineering profession. They need to be convinced it's not all heavy labour, hairy chests and rude language but

a skilled job for which they will be well rewarded.

In rail it’s even worse - just 4.4%.

In a recent interview with Rail Engineer, Mark Carne - Network Rail’s chief executive - has set a goal of having women make up 30% of the graduate intake by

2019. That’s a big increase and his target will be difficult to achieve.

But we must not forget that there are women in the industry already. 14% of Network Rail’s total workforce is female.

So it should be no surprise that 32 employees of Network Rail’s south east region, the Thameslink programme and its contractors gathered at the site of the Bermondsey Dive Under to

celebrate Women in Engineering Day. Network Rail’s director of diversity and inclusion, Loraine Martins, said: “The railway industry is a great place to work and I encourage all women, and particularly those young women who are choosing their topics to study, to see the railway and engineering as exciting and rewarding environments.”

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Network Rail falls behind The ORR (Office of Rail and Road) has published its latest Network Rail performance statistics, and in part they make sorry reading.

Network Rail has agreed targets to meet for CP5, which runs from 1 April 2014 until 31 March 2019.

These are to make sure it delivers value for money, punctuality and reliability, reduces disruption for today’s passengers while improving the railway for the future, and safeguards the sustainability of the rail infrastructure.

ORR’s report shows that Network Rail has not met a number of its enhancements programme delivery targets, with some projects facing delays, and it has also delivered far less work than it planned for the upkeep of the rail network.

In detail, at the end 2014-15, Network Rail had missed 30 out of its 84 planned milestones with some projects facing delays or cost escalations. Track renewal is 7% behind plan, signalling renewals are 63% behind schedule and overhead line renewals are 77%

behind target.

While performance on the East Coast main line and freight sector has been good, overall punctuality of train service performance remains at 89.6% - 2.9 percentage points lower than the 92.5% target.

ORR chief executive Richard Price said: “Network Rail has made a slow start in delivering on its enhancements and performance targets for CP5 and we have asked it to demonstrate how it plans to get back on schedule to deliver on its commitments to 2019.”

As a consequence of all this, Secretary of State Patrick McLoughlin made a statement to the House of Commons. "Since joining Network Rail in 2014, the chief executive Mark Carne has reviewed the organisation’s structure, performance and accountability. He has strengthened his team. He has a structure for

improvement. I want to see him drive that forward.

"But there are still challenges - important aspects of Network Rail’s investment programme are costing more and taking longer.

Electrification is difficult. The UK supply chain for the complex signalling works needs to be stronger.

Construction rates have been slow. It has taken longer to obtain planning consents from some local authorities than expected.

"But that is no excuse. All of these problems could and should have been foreseen by Network Rail.”

He then announced four major changes. When Richard Parry Jones steps down as chairman in July he will be replaced by Sir Peter Hendy, the current Transport Commissioner in London. Secondly, the Secretary of State has appointed Richard Brown as a special director of Network Rail with immediate effect to update

him directly on progress. Thirdly, no Network Rail executive director will receive a bonus for the past year and the role of the Public Members has been abolished. Fourthly, Dame Colette Bowe, an experienced economist and regulator, will look at lessons learned and make recommendations in the autumn for better investment planning in future.

Confirming that the Great Western electrification programme was a top priority, he then announced that some work would be ‘paused’ - the electrification of the Midland main line and of the TransPennine route. But the Government remains committed to most of the current workbank.

He finished by stating: “Passengers want a railway that is better, faster and more reliable than today powered by a huge increase in investment and ambition right across the country. That is what they will get."

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NEWS

Rail Engineer • July 2015

120 amendments to HS2 hybrid bill The seemingly never-ending series of changes to the HS2 route and design continue. As a result of discussions between HS2 Ltd and communities along the London-Birmingham route, a motion has been laid in Parliament instructing the HS2 Select Committee to consider more than 120 changes the government wishes to make to the HS2 hybrid Bill.

Among the amendments to be put to the Select Committee are: - Changes to the HS2 route near Lichfield, which mean the railway will now pass under the A38, the

West Coast main line and the South Staffordshire line rather than run over them on viaducts; - Altering the proposals for the relocation of the existing Heathrow

Express depot at Old Oak Common to Langley near Slough, instead of the North Pole East depot site currently proposed in the Bill; - The construction of sidings to the west of the Old Oak Common station, which could facilitate a future connection between Crossrail and the West Coast Main Line, if needed; - The construction of a bypass for Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire, which will be

of particular benefit to parents and pupils of the Chipping Warden Primary School on the A361 Byfield Road.

However, an HS2 spokesperson confirmed that there will be no change in overall costs to HS2.

Many of these amendments have no additional cost, or cost less than the original scheme. The hybrid Bill remains on track to achieve Royal Assent by the end of 2016 so that work can start in 2017 as planned.

Yet more orders for Bombardier Derby In a boost for its Derby plant, Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Bombardier a £260 million contract for 45 new Overground trains.

The new stock, which will start to arrive on the network from 2018, will replace the Class 315 and Class 317 trains TfL inherited when it took over some of the West Anglia Main Line services out of Liverpool Street last month.

Thirty-one of the new trains will operate on the Overground West Anglia and Romford to Upminster routes, eight four-car trains will serve the existing route between Gospel Oak and Barking

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and another six will be used to “bolster services” on other routes.

Mike Brown MVO, managing director of London Rail, said: “Some of the trains we have inherited along the West Anglia route are over 30 years old and have not been in use for some time.

“We’re now working hard to overhaul these trains to make them more reliable until the new trains come into service from 2018.”

NEWS

Rail Engineer • July 2015

11

Trains are like albatrosses They are perfectly suited to their environment, but are ungainly once taken out of it.

Two recent examples included the delivery of the 100th Bombardier M5000 tram to Manchester. One of 120 new trams that will both replace the old T68 trams and serve an enlarged network, the order will be complete by 2017.

But the trams designers in Vienna never envisaged it having to negotiate the roads of a Manchester trading estate.

Similarly, when GWR Pannier Tank Engine No. 5764 was built in Swindon

in 1929, it was designed to operate in sidings and freight yards, not in the narrow streets around Worcester Racecourse. She was being taken there to be displayed to help raise funds for the Severn Valley Railway.

They should have gone by rail!

12

NEWS

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Meldon Viaduct.

Remember Dawlish? February 2014 gave us headlines such as “Cornwall cut off after rail collapse” (The Telegraph) and “Restore rail link plea after storm leaves Cornwall cut off from network” (Cornish Guardian).

Although the rebuilding of the line was hailed as a tremendous achievement at the time, it still meant that the solitary rail connection with Cornwall, as well as Summer most 2014 of Devon west of Exeter, was closed from 5 February until 4 April.

The cost of the rebuild itself was around £35 million while a report by the Devon Maritime Forum claimed

that the total economic impact could have been as high as £1.2 billion.

Understandably, the population of the UK west of Dawlish is worried in case it happens again.

Route selection Network Rail reacted to the problem by publishing the snappily-named “West of Exeter

Route Resilience Study” in July 2014. This looked at a variety of alternative routes that could be built to bypass Dawlish and so offer a more ‘secure’ route to the West.

Option A was to rebuild the former London & South Western Railway route from Exeter to Network Rail – Westvia of Exeter Route ResilienceOption Study 04 Plymouth Okehampton.

B would construct a modern double-track railway on the alignment of the former Teign Valley branch line from Exeter

Figure 1: Options 3, 4 and 5 (Alternative Routes A, B and C1 to C5) Coleford

The various alternative routes that were considered

Crediton

Newton St Cyres

Yeoford

Okehampton

Cowley Bridge

Meldon Perridge Tunnel

Exeter

Route B Bridestowe Route A

Alphington Exminster

Bridford

Key Lydford Existing Line

Brentor

St Thomas

Ide

Route C1

Christow

Route C2

Route C3

Proposed New Railway

Mary Tavy

Route C4

Chudleigh

Chudleigh Knighton

Dawlish Warren

Wringworthy

Tavistock

Route C5

Heathfield

Shillamill

Leygreen Bishopsteignton

Newton Abbot

Ware Barton

Bere Alston Bere Ferrers Ernesettle St Budeaux Plymouth

© Crown copyright and database rights 2014 Ordnance Survey AL100017326 2014 0

1

2

4

6

8

Miles

to Newton Abbot. Five different versions of option C would be new lines from Exeter to Newton Abbot.

Costs were estimated to range from £470 million for option B to £3.1 billion for the most expensive of the options C. Business cases for all of the alternatives were regarded as ‘poor’, with the commercial return not justifying the cost of construction.

Now, however, a new report has been published which looks at the first of Network Rail’s alternatives, the rebuilding of the Okehampton line. Prepared by Greengauge 21, the report looks at the additional benefits of reopening the route for local services, rather than solely as a diversionary route.

Interestingly, the report was prepared for the Campaign to Protect Rural England. Although many might think that this organisation would reject talk of further railway development on the grounds that it would “ruin the countryside”, that’s actually not the case.

The foreword states: “As train travel grows in importance, so places that are cut off from the rail network face growing disadvantages. This applies mostly to rural areas.

“This report sets out why better railways are essential if we want to protect and enhance our countryside, and get more people visiting and enjoying it. It shows that reopening is not an

PHOTO: NILFANION

Alternative route to the West

exercise in nostalgia, but vital both to unlocking the potential of rural areas and securing a resilient transport network.”

Political return So the report looks at a wider justification for adding a second route to Cornwall, not just a strictlyrailway investment payback. It concludes: “Creating a second route to connect Cornwall and Plymouth with the rest of the national rail network needs to be assessed in terms of the impact on the wider economy, rather than simply the financial costs to the rail sector.

The impact of the rail service will be to strengthen demand - including for housing - in Tavistock and Okehampton.

“Project appraisal methodologies need to reflect this type of effect and recognise that the alternative - a near totally car-based way of life and dispersed development patterns - is a less sustainable alternative. The potential to improve rail freight prospects also needs to be considered, and so too does

the economic value of enlarging Plymouth’s and Exeter’s journey-towork catchments.”

At the end of the day, it will be a political decision, not an economic one. What will be the political fallout of having the West of England cut off for another couple of months if it happens again? What will be the political benefits of spending £1 billion on Devon and Cornwall’s railways when £40 billion is being spent between London and Birmingham (HS2) and £33 billion in London itself (Crossrail £27 billion and Thameslink £6.5 billion)?

Likening the rebuilding of the Tavistock - Okehampton line with the reinstatement of the Borders railway between Edinburgh and Galashiels, the report states that it is timely to consider now whether there are also places where the role of railways in rural areas can be usefully expanded.

Technically feasible Most of the railway alignment is intact. The survey confirmed that The Okehampton - Coleford Junction

Rail Engineer • July 2015

PHOTO: TINA CORDON

NEWS

(just west of Yeoford) line remains in the ownership of British American Railways, although its function as a means of accessing Meldon Quarry ceased in 2011, when the quarry was mothballed by its owner Bardon Aggregates. A local heritage railway uses Okehampton station (owned by Devon County Council) as the base for a limited seasonal service in recent years.

The line between Meldon Quarry and Lydford has been converted into the Granite Way - a cycle route - by Devon County Council which owns it. There are various land ownerships between Lydford and Bere Alston.

Devon County Council is leading a plan to re-open the Tavistock Bere Alston section and owns the

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relevant track bed.

A large number of previous railway structures still exist, and many could be reused. The most imposing is the iron viaduct at Meldon which, however, probably can’t be.

Costings assume that a new, parallel structure will be needed leaving the heritage bridge untouched.

There are a few new dwellings on the line of the route in Tavistock which will need to be demolished as no alternative route is feasible, and the cycle way will need to be realigned if that route is taken back for the railway.

But all of this is achievable. It just needs political will and a budget, and then Network Rail can add it to its job list for CP6 from 2019.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

And the winner is...

The Network Rail Partnership Awards

E

very year, Network Rail brings its top suppliers and collaborators together to celebrate the very best of the previous year’s achievements. This year, the Partnership Awards moved out of London back to Birmingham - to the Hilton Metropole Hotel at the NEC. The great and the good of the railway industry gathered, resplendent in black ties (and red ties, and spotty ties, and even the occasional evening dress) to discover which projects and programmes Network Rail felt had stood out from the myriad of others over the past year.

Having gathered at a drinks reception, nearly 500 of the industry’s top movers and shakers took their seats for the evening.

Mark Carne welcomed his guests. “Our Partnership Awards are a really important part of our calendar,” he told them. “They are a celebration of collaboration giving us a chance to step back and take stock of what we in the industry together are achieving.

“We’ve had a huge number of entries again this year, and I really want to personally congratulate everyone who has been shortlisted because it was a really tough

job for the judges to decide who the winners were going to be. I know we always say that but absolutely this year it certainly was the case.

“Today, the railways are extraordinarily successful in this country. More people than ever before are travelling by rail today and more people wish to travel by rail. Wherever I go in the country, no matter where it is - in Scotland or Wales or anywhere - there is an insatiable desire for people to have more trains, faster trains, more platforms.

Nobody says to me ‘Oh shut that railway - we don’t need this’. People want more railways and that’s why today we are investing in Britain’s railways more than we ever have done in the past.

“We are opening new railways, like the Borders railway we’ll be opening later this year - a new domestic railway for the first time in a hundred years. We’re electrifying some of the main arteries in our country, for example the Great Western electrification project - a huge project that will bring new trains, faster trains, higher standards of comfort for the passengers who want to travel. And that will bring more passengers - the demand will continue to grow.

“We will reduce congestion - the new Reading Flyover is just one example of how we can separate different lines and different routes and create less congestion for passengers.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Richard Hardy (left) and Marcus Brigstocke present the Rail Safety Award to the Football League Trust.

“And of course we are building some extraordinary new stations. Here in Birmingham in a couple of months’ time we’re going to have the opening of John Lewis in a station. 270,000 people are expected in the first weekend of John Lewis. I know where I am not going to be that weekend! But it’s going to be a fantastic station and there are many others of these iconic stations that we’re opening from London to Edinburgh transforming the passengers’ experience.

And that’s before you even start to talk about these megaprojects like Crossrail and, of course, Thameslink.

“But the projects we are celebrating today are not just the megaprojects, these huge projects which attract so much attention. We have two thousand small projects going on across the network - improving safety by building better level crossings, increasing capacity with platform extensions and improving the accessibility for people at our stations with Access for All. “You all know that this is difficult stuff. It’s really hard to do what you all do every single day and every single night. The way I describe the industry to people who don’t understand is it’s like rebuilding your house while you are still living in it undisturbed because that’s what we do together. And it’s an extraordinary testament to you that I think we do it so well together. It takes huge dedication and tonight is our opportunity to thank you and your colleagues for the huge efforts that you put in to building a better railway for Britain.”

Mark then left everyone to enjoy their dinner.

Safety and sustainability Once everyone had dined, broadcast personality Marcus Brigstocke took the stage. Having apologised that he didn’t know many jokes about trains, he nevertheless entertained the audience for a while with tales of his experiences with other forms of transport.

Following that, it was time for the important part of the evening, the awards themselves. The first award of the night was for Safety, and to present the award Marcus introduced Richard Hardy, managing director of built environment consultancy BRE Global.

“Safety is paramount to everything we do, Richard stated. “It should be at the heart of every project, from planning through to commissioning. This award recognises teams and projects that have shown a

continuous improvement towards improving safety within the workplace and on - or near - the railway.”

The shortlisted entries were Amey Rail for tackling Driver safety and fatigue, Atkins for its work on level crossings, Balfour Beatty for the Crossrail West Outer programme, Mission Room Limited for SWL 360 ‘See More, Save Time, Stay Safe’ and the Football League Trust for its Rail Safety programme.

After opening the obligatory envelope, Richard announced that the winner was the Football League Trust. The Rail Safety programme is a partnership with Network Rail which sees the charities attached to 10 Football League clubs use the power of football to deliver rail safety messages to young people in areas identified as ‘hotspots’. A mixture of football, fun games and educational workshops are used to engage with thousands of young people and improve their understanding of rail safety. Young people at each of the clubs also plan and run their own rail safety event and create new learning materials. Boys and girls also have the chance to compete in a national 5-a-side tournament.

In addition, the judges highly commended Atkins and Balfour Beatty for their significant contribution to safety.

Richard Harding stayed on the stage for the second award, for sustainable excellence. “With record growth and investment in the rail network comes ever greater pressure to deliver outstanding value for money and service and to achieve the highest levels of both safety and sustainable development,” Richard stated by way of introduction. “This award recognises exactly that organisations that clearly demonstrate sustainable and responsible ways of working.”

There were only four companies on the shortlist this time - Balfour Beatty for its Crossrail West Outer track infrastructure project, Carillion Rail for work on the

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

(Left) Carillion Rail received the Sustainable Excellence Award.

(Below) The Football League Trust returned to the stage to collect the Community Engagement Award from Lisa Cunningham.

Thameslink programme - outer areas, HS1 Limited for a high speed approach to sustainable excellence and Skanska for the Bermondsey Dive Under.

The award went to Carillion Rail for achieving several initiatives which, in turn, created volunteering positions for socially disadvantaged members of the community. In the judges’ opinion, by embedding a culture for delivering sustainable outcomes, the Thameslink team has helped raise the bar on sustainability and enhanced the reputation of the railway.

HS1 and Skanska were both highly commended in this category.

Community engagement and heritage Lisa Cunningham, programme director for business in the community, was invited to the stage by Marcus Brigstocke to present the award for community engagement.

Explaining the background to this award, Lisa told the audience: “The rail industry’s work impacts on more than 20 million people in communities around Great Britain. The need to be mindful of the impact of work on lineside neighbours is paramount. This award recognises those partnerships that have made a conscious effort to work with these communities and in doing so help build relationships with Britain’s rail industry.”

On the judges’ shortlist were the Construction Youth Trust for the Budding Brunel’s rail programme (a three day industry-led careers guidance workshop); East Yorkshire Villagers at War Community Group - a community project to commemorate soldiers who lost their lives in World War One, especially soldiers that used to be employed by the Railway; J Murphy & Sons for the demolition and reconstruction of the School Hill Road bridge which, being situated between two parts of the Earl Danby’s Primary School, presented the project team with some significant community engagement challenges; Kier which is constructing a new £11.4 million station complex at Port Talbot and the Football League Trust’s Rail Safety programme.

To the surprise of many in the room, who perhaps weren’t aware of the project, the Football League Trust won again. This excellent initiative, by working at the very heart of their local communities, provides a service that

can help young people at risk turn their lives around through providing initial engagement activities.

The judges also chose to highly commend Construction Youth Trust for Budding Brunel’s Rail and also J Murphy & Sons for the School Hill Road bridge reconstruction.

Marcus then thanked Lisa for presenting the Community Engagement award and invited Andy Savage, executive director of the Railway Heritage Trust, to join him at the lectern.

“We’re lucky in Britain to have one of the most historic railways in the world,” Andy enthused on his favourite topic. “Sensitivity to this rich railway heritage is an important factor for those undertaking projects. This award celebrates the conservation, restoration and promotion of this heritage, recognising the particular regard shown to Network Rail’s buildings and structures of national importance.”

The shortlist contained several projects well known to Rail Engineer readers. AMCO Rail for the repair and refurbishment of Hawarden swing bridge, Amey Rail for its work on Chorley Flying Arches, Carillion Rail (Scotland) for the Ballochmyle Viaduct strengthening project, Groundwork Wakefield and the work at Wakefield Kirkgate station and Siemens Rail Automation’ work to improve capacity at Whitby station.

All five were excellent choices, but one project had to win and the award went to Amey Rail and the Chorley Flying Arches.

Those who recall Graeme Bickerdike’s report in issue 120 (October 2014), or who have seen his excellent video (look for it on YouTube), will know that Amey worked collaboratively with English Heritage and other key stakeholders to ensure the Grade II listed ‘Flying Arches’ were preserved. Research into historical construction methods, design work to maintain the aesthetics of the arches and strong project management, along with bespoke development of modelling software, ensured that not only was a key part of rail heritage protected, but

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

the works were completed and handed back ahead of schedule.

AMCO Rail was highly commended for Hawarden swing bridge (issue 124, February 2015) as was Groundwork Wakefield for Wakefield Kirkgate station (issue 105, July 2013).

Technology, innovation and people

(Left) Francis Paonessa awarded Amey Rail for Investing in People.

(Right) Another team from Amey Rail collected the award for Driving Efficencies from Richard Threlfall.

(Bottom right) Richard Parry-Jones centre with the Innovation Award winners EY/CSC.

Network Rail chairman Richard Parry-Jones is well known for his enthusiasm about introducing innovation onto the railways. He spoke on the topic recently at Railtex in the Rail Engineer seminar theatre. Tonight, he was in his element presenting the award for the Best Use of Technology & Innovation.

He was quickly in the groove. “Investing in innovation and technology will help transform our knowledge of the railway making us better at targeting when, where and how we improve it. It will enable us to increase the number of faster, better trains we can run on our network.”

The nominations for this award were AmeyColas for safety innovations in track renewals, Balfour Beatty’s new Stove Pipe Lifter attachment. EY/CSC for the ORBIS programme, Fugro RailData and its implementation of a new measurement technology mounted on regular service trains: The Rail Infrastructure ALignment Acquisition (RILA) system, and the University of Birmingham which had undertaken state-of-the-art computer modelling to facilitate track bed stabilisation.

To several in the room, the choice was obvious. Offering Rail Better Information Services, known as ORBIS, was launched to modernise the way Network Rail works through the delivery of intelligent apps and decision support tools. To deliver this, Network Rail has partnered with EY as business change integrator, to manage the end-to-end delivery of the solution to customers, and CSC as systems integrator to manage the integration and implementation of the technology.

Rail Engineer reported on the RINM Asset Viewer, a sub-system of ORBIS, in March 2015 (issue 125) while sister magazine RailStaff reported on My Work, one of the first and most successful apps developed and delivered to frontline teams, in April 2015.

Two other projects were highly commended - Balfour Beatty for its new Stove Pipe Lifter attachment and the University of Birmingham for its computer modelling to facilitate track bed stabilisation.

Innovation is nothing without people, and Francis Paonessa - managing director of Infrastructure Projects was next up to present the award for Investing in People.

Francis recognised the role that the railway’s people play. “This industry is responsible for 20,000 miles of track, enabling 1.3 billion journeys and transporting 100 million tonnes of freight every year but it will only ever be as good as its people. This award recognises projects and partnerships that promote accountability, opportunity and diversity.”

Shortlisted were Amey Plc for its Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award/Amey Apprenticeship scheme, Amey Rail for the Great Western Electrification programme, Carillion Rail’s Young Peoples’ Training Schemes, Skanska for Bermondsey Dive Under and TSP Learn for the Learn:IT programme which supports individuals within Network Rail to develop capability and skills in IT and communication.

The award went to Amey Rail for the Great Western Electrification programme. The judges felt that Amey Rail is creating a sustainable legacy in electrification by investing in people strategies that develop a highly skilled and technically efficient workforce from a variety of backgrounds and training the future generation of engineers in OLE at their new facility in Swindon.

Throughout the contract, Amey has invested in an international graduate programme, recruited ex-military personnel, encouraged more women into engineering and used international collaboration to increase capacity and enhance skills in the UK, all of which justified the company winning this award.

Carillion Rail and Skanska were both highly commended for their work in investing in people.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Efficiencies and collaboration Investing in people helps to drive efficiency, so it was logical that the next award was for just that. After a short break - the awards ceremony was now half-way through - Richard Threlfall, partner at KPMG, joined Marcus as he read out the nominations.

This category was closely-contested and six projects had been short listed, although there were only four companies involved: Amey Rail for Craigentinny, Amey Co 0las for high output track renewals - production process improvements, Amey Rail again for production process improvements on the Great Western electrification programme, Atkins for Midland main line electrification New Overhead Line Structures, Carillion Rail - Red Light Safety Equipment and HS1 Limited - Control Period 2 Agreed Settlement - A New Approach.

Before announcing the winner, Richard commented: “With record passenger numbers, the drive for efficiency across the industry has never been more important. This award recognises organisations that have made real strides in their work to help create a more efficient railway for all those who work on it, and all who use it.”

He then presented the award to Amey Rail for production process improvement on the Great Western electrification programme. The judges felt that Amey had continuously optimised the piling value stream whilst building LEAN capability through training, coaching, and mentoring. The project has resulted in a dramatic reduction in piling cycle times, made large cost savings, as well as training 48 personnel in both Sigma yellow and green belts.

Another Amey Rail project, at Craigentinny, and the Atkins work on the Midland main line, were highly commended.

Collaboration is everywhere these days. Some collaborations are forced marriages to undertake a particular project, other companies choose to collaborate on a semi-permanent basis. Introducing the Best Collaboration award, Peter Loosley - policy director of the Rail Industry Association - stated: “Proper collaboration is critical to the successful delivery of projects, which makes this award so important. This was an extremely strong field with some excellent examples of what collaboration can achieve. But one project did stand out because of its complexity, the benefits of its outputs, the large number of stakeholders involved, and measures taken to establish an obvious one team ethic.”

The strength of the field which Peter mentioned was

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Peter Loosley of RIA left presented the Collaboration award to Carillion Construction Services.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Alistair Godbold presented the Best Medium Contract Award to Carillion for Chipping Camden left and that for Small Contract to Story Contracting for Pleasington Golf Course right.

borne out by the short list seven projects were named, more than for any other category so far. Some of them we already knew.

The list was: Abellio Greater Anglia for Great Eastern overhead line renewals, Carillion Construction Services for Reading Station Area Redevelopment (RSAR), Costain’s Kent multi-Functional framework, Groundwork Wakefield and Wakefield Kirkgate station, Tata Steel and its HPrail / HP335 rail grade introduction, the Football League Trust’s Rail Safety programme and Transport for Greater Manchester with its Irlam station redevelopment project.

Would the Football League win a third award?

The answer was no. Instead, Carillion won its second for helping to transform Reading station which now provides more reliable services, increased capacity and has reduced journey times. Thousands of passengers and freight users are benefiting from one of the biggest new infrastructure investment programmes carried out on the Western route. Safety is at the centre of everything from planning, value management, design and delivery, achieved by close collaboration of all parties involved around a set of shared goals.

Abellio Greater Anglia and Costain were highly commended for their work in this field.

Small, medium and large Now it was time for the project awards. Alistair Godbold, honorary fellow and deputy chairman of the Association for Project Management had the task of presenting all three project awards.

He started with the award for small projects, valued at under £3 million. The nominations were Construction Marine for coping with the major landslip at Unstone on the Midland main line, Costain which is delivering the Samphire Hoe rockfall mitigation as part of its Kent multi-functional framework, Dyer & Butler for emergency repairs at Teignmouth Station and Smugglers Cove near Dawlish, J Murphy & Sons for Harrowden Road overbridge and Story Contracting for Pleasington Golf Course level crossing bridge construction.

It was a good entry of interesting projects - all essential to the running of the railway despite their small price tags.

The winner was Story Contracting, last year’s Supplier of the Year, making a welcome return to the podium. Network Rail is investing significantly in the improvement or closure of hundreds of crossings during CP5. Pleasington Golf Course in Lancashire was identified by Network Rail as being in the top ten high-risk crossings in the North. Story Contracting developed an innovative solution for the construction of a new overbridge to remove the exposure and risk of public interface. The solution was formed from pre-cast concrete FlexiArch which was installed during a standard rules of the route possession. This project was a first for the rail environment. This method has gone on to be considered for use by other regions.

Costain’s Samphire Hoe rockfall mitigation project was highly commended this time.

Medium projects are defined as being valued between £3 million and £20 million. There were five projects shortlisted: AMCO Rail for the construction of Dawlish Lower Sea Wall, Atkins’ work for EGIP (Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme) at Cumbernauld, Buckingham Group Contracting - Redditch Branch enhancements, Carillion for dealing with a landslip at Chipping Campden and Kier’s Chelsea Bridge refurbishment.

In the opinion of the judges, the best medium-sized project this year was the way in which Carillion is delivering a sustainable, safe and cost-effective solution to remediate the landslip in Gloucestershire to prevent materials from falling on the railway and stabilise the slope.

On Good Friday, Easter 2013, a large land-slip occurred on a railway cutting near the village of Mickleton, Gloucestershire. The slip created a huge amount of unstable earth which threatened the operational railway.

The railway remained open but Network Rail instructed Carillion to commence 24/7 slip watch to ensure the safety of the operational railway.

Carillion was engaged by Network Rail, as a local BCDP (Building and Civils Delivery Partnership) framework contractor, to deliver a sustainable, safe and cost effective solution to remediate the landslip to prevent materials from going on the railway and to stabilise the slope. The works, designed by Arup, were successfully completed allowing the railway to remain open. Additional works to the tunnel portal and drainage works were identified and

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Network Rail instructed Carillion to carry out these works as they were on site, to provide efficiency to Network Rail. These additional works are due to be completed in summer 2016.

Atkins, for EGIP at Cumbernauld, and Buckingham Group Contracting for Reddich Branch enhancements were highly commended.

Now came the big-hitters - the best large project valued over £20 million. Five major projects were on the list: Buckingham Group Contracting for the Huyton & Roby capacity improvement scheme, Carillion Rail - Doncaster to Water Orton gauge enhancements, J Murphy & Sons - National Electrification Programme Bridges Framework, London Overground, Transport for London - London Overground Capacity Improvement Programme - East London Line, and Siemens Rail Automation for London Bridge Station Redevelopment Phase 1.

As Alistair Godbold said: “Each of these projects represents a huge boost to Britain’s rail network and all are rightful winners.” However, there could be only one on the night and that was - Buckingham Group Contracting for the Huyton & Roby capacity improvement scheme.

The Huyton & Roby Capacity Project, part of the Northern Hub Programme, provided value for money train service improvements to facilitate economic growth across the North of England. The integrated BIM project enables non-stopping trains to pass stopping passenger services between Liverpool and Manchester and has provided lasting benefits for the rail network.

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The team from Buckingham Group Contracting was naturally delighted with this result, while J Murphy & Sons had to be satisfied with being highly commended.

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Buckingham Group Contracting won Best Large Contract for Huyton & Roby.

The BIG one So that just left one award to go - the big one Network Rail’s supplier of the year. For the last two years, a ‘smaller’ contractor had won this award - Story Contracting in 2014 and NG Bailey in 2013. Before that it had been the major contractors - Babcock (2012), Invensys Rail (now Siemens Rail Automation - 2011), BAM Nuttall (2010) and Balfour Beatty (2009). Which way would Network Rail swing this year?

27/01/2015 27/01/2015 14:23 14:23

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Mark Carne presents the Supplier of the Year Award to "a company that plays to its strengths" - Buckingham Group Contracting.

Mark Carne came back to the stage for this one. He thanked Marcus Brigstocke for hosting the evening, he thanked all the suppliers which had made entries into the awards competition, and he thanked everyone for their hard work which has helped to build a better railway for a better Britain.

Then he turned to the business at hand.

“When choosing the Supplier of the Year,” he said, “it is easy to be attracted by the huge scale of some of the projects that we do and the breadth of capability.

“But what is really important for us is safety, customer focus and the ability to be responsive and collaborative.

And that is why we have decided to award the Supplier of the Year 2015 to this company that has set high standards, a company that plays to its strengths.

The Supplier of the Year 2015 is Buckingham Group Contracting.

The room erupted. Once again Network Rail had chosen one of its smaller contractors as Supplier of the Year, recognising the important work that they all do to keep the railway running and to drive the efficiencies that the industry so badly needs.

Buckingham Group managing director Mike Kempley and rail director Simon Walkley spoke with Rail Engineer outside the main room shortly afterwards.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for us as a business,” said a delighted Mike Kempley, “and more importantly for the guys who are working for us. The team on Huyton & Roby - a fantastic team. But it works together because it is a joint team with us and Network Rail - great supplier, great client and a great interface with the rest of the stakeholders. We’re part of that and we’re glad to be recognised that it really is a full team effort, which is what tonight’s all about anyway.”

Simon Walkley agreed. “It’s fantastic for our people.

We’re only the sum of our parts and its about their attitude, their commitment and we’re absolutely delighted for them. It’s a prize for those guys who come to work every day, focus on what the customer wants and deliver.”

Network rail chief executive Mark Carne joined Rail Engineer for the final word.

“I think it’s been a marvellous event. It’s our opportunity to really say thank you to the thousands of people who make this industry the huge success that it is. We can only have a few people represented in the room but they really are representing those thousands of people and it’s wonderful for us to have that chance to say thank you.”

The audience had been a good mix of large companies and smaller concerns. “I think it’s important to reflect the range of different companies that we have in our industry.

Of course we rely very heavily on the major players and its lovely to see them being rewarded by success at events like this. But also it’s important to recognise that smaller companies sometimes bring something special. They bring new ideas and innovation to the industry and we want to encourage that and show our appreciation for their efforts as well.”

Mark was asked about the emphasis placed on topics such as heritage and sustainable excellence in the awards, not just engineering. “We try to mix it up as there are so many dimensions to what is a successful partnership. This year we have community engagement which I think is hugely important, really showing how we think about the impact we have on the lives of people who live near our railways and I was particularly pleased to see the Football League Trust win that award as they work on improving safety awareness of the railway amongst young people.

“We must remember that we are an industry team.

We thrive and succeed together and the closer that we collaborate together the more successful we’ll be. Of course there’s a time for competition but actually there’s also a time for really close collaboration driving the passenger experience up, and that’s what we all have to try and do.”

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Back to Bond Street M

uch has been written about the importance and complexity of the Crossrail works in London, but it is easy to overlook the London Underground upgrade works that are going on alongside them.

A typical example is Bond Street, which opened in 1900 and today sees over 173,000 people/day travelling through. To put it in context, this comes close to the 200,000 a day using Heathrow. When Crossrail is completed in 2018, this figure is expected to rise to about 225,000/day. The station is already stretched by the current numbers, as are its regular users! As with many other busy Underground stations, the concourse and circulation areas get overcrowded and there is restricted access to the platforms, with only one way in and out for some.

London Underground intends to remedy this through a scheme which began in 2010 and is now well advanced. Rail Engineer last visited

the site in July 2013 (issue 105) so it was interesting to take up an offer from Miles Ashley, London Underground’s programme director for Crossrail, to see the progress that has been made since then.

The key improvements being delivered include a new station entrance on Marylebone Lane to the north of Oxford Street, a new ticket hall accessed from this entrance, new escalators to serve the Jubilee line, new lifts providing stepfree access from street level to all platforms and, finally, facilities within the station for interchange with Crossrail. With the exception of the Crossrail interchange, which will go live when the new line opens, these facilities are all due to open in 2017.

CHRIS PARKER

Four measures of success London Underground and its suppliers are justifiably proud of this project. Miles Ashley described four key reasons for this. The project has an excellent safety record, and has won a RoSPA safety award four years in succession.

This has not been achieved by throwing money at safety, indeed the project team would argue that conversely, the good safety achievements have led to reduced costs.

That leads to the second reason for pride, cost.

The cost of this project as measured in relation to the extra capacity provided is around one third lower than the European average for similar schemes.

These good results owe a great deal to the third reason, the excellent team spirit within the project team. All of the project representatives spoken to confirmed that the level of co-operation between client and JV members was exceptional at every level. The truth of this seemed to be clear during the visit to the underground works, when it was hard to distinguish which company employed which individual. A really important element of this teamwork has been the inclusion of London Underground operations staff in the team.

This has really helped to ensure the smooth progress of the project and the minimisation of disruption to the live railway network, a feature which has been further confirmed by the fact that the team won the 2015 Team of the Year Award at the London Transport Awards, and has been shortlisted for the BCI Team of the Year Award.

Rail Engineer • July 2015 The fourth success has been the relationship with the neighbours.

Westminster City Council normally only issues ‘Section 61’ approvals to big projects six months at a time, but here it has been so pleased with the project’s attitude that it has granted 12 months at a time. Given the tiny site, which has only one access, abuts a foreign embassy and a five-star hotel, and is surrounded by some of the most expensive retail and commercial sites in the world, it is clear that the project team has excelled in managing the external stakeholders around them. Oh yes, and of course, it’s in a conservation area too!

An unusual project achievement has been to encourage schoolchildren to get a close-up view of the tunnelling works. This has been possible because of the construction of one of the new access connections between existing and new in such a way that school parties can be taken to this point through the operational station and shown the new tunnel via an access gate in the hoardings.

Grouting and concreting Grouting played a key role in limiting damage to neighbouring properties on this project, as with many of the other current London Underground and Crossrail sites in central London. In this case the grouting was all carried out from one grout shaft by Bachy Soletanche using ‘tubes á manchette’ (essentially grout tubes with means to control grout distribution along their length). 93 of these were driven from the shaft approximately horizontally on three levels under the surrounding structures. They were used to pregrout and strengthen the ground, and later to permit compensation grouting to correct any settlement after tunnelling. This element of the project has been successfully completed and demobilised.

A key innovation by the project has been the early erection of a steel and pre-cast concrete-framed structure that is destined to form the skeleton of the permanent over-site development once the station works are done. On a small site it might seem odd to erect this structure early, but it is not so daft as it might appear.

The innovation has been to use the frame to create site space above the works, so that plant such as the

ventilation and concrete machinery is installed here, out of the way of the tunnelling and construction down below. The exterior of the frame is clad with panels with high sound-attenuation properties. The single street-level access already mentioned comes into this structure right next to the five-star hotel.

The access is fitted with sound insulating doors so that, at night, the hotel residents can be spared any interruption to their sleep.

There are two shafts within the site that give access to the different levels down below. Innovation has been applied here too, as one of the shafts is fitted with a heavy steel horizontal door which may be closed over all or part of the shaft to provide extra working space for activities at ground level when needed.

Further working space was released by mining below a listed eighteenthcentury building adjoining the site. The cellars of the building were removed after piled supports had been installed and a heavily reinforced concrete slab had been constructed to transfer the loads from the building into these.

Monitoring apparently showed that the building moved a maximum of about 13mm out of vertical during this massive underpinning exercise, but by its completion it had returned to exactly where it was originally.

Another neighbouring building had to be treated totally differently as it is a foreign embassy. As such, it is legally foreign territory and could

not be touched. Consequently, down below ground, a tunnel has had to be constructed right round three sides of this structure to gain access to the parts of the site on the far side.

This tunnel is not required for the permanent works at all, but it is now intended to make use of it as a service duct once construction uses cease.

Underground, the shafts and tunnels have been constructed using a fibre-reinforced SCL (sprayed concrete lined) technique. Most of the construction has been in London Clay, which is easily dug and, provided that

25

Access to the operational station used to allow schoolchildren to see into the works.

Construction of the new sprayed concrete lining (SCL) tunnels.

26

Rail Engineer • July 2015

its moisture content is not altered, remains quite stable after excavation. The moisture issue is critical though, and so the general rule has been to excavate one metre and then spray concrete to seal the surface before advancing the excavation again. The final lining goes on later, in two layers. The first of these is structural, again steel fibre reinforced SCL, the second is a smoothing coat that prevents injury from the rough surface of the FRC. The dry SCL mix is delivered by road tanker in a similar fashion to that commonly used for mortar on building sites. It goes into large silos within the site, from which it is delivered to the mixing and pumping plant lower down the building frame. Here water is added before the wet concrete is pumped through a network of tubes to the spraying plant at the work site.

Connecting with earlier tunnels One of the more fascinating aspects of the works was the construction of the interfaces with the existing rail tunnels and platforms.

The natural reaction, on seeing the outside of a tunnel lining, is to worry. In the past, that was not something that one would expect to see unless there had been a serious problem like a collapse. On this site, there were many places where it was possible to see, and indeed to touch, the exterior of a tunnel lining. In most instances there were trains running or people on a platform only a few feet away on the other side of the tunnel rings.

Stairway tunnel between existing platforms for new platform accesses.

This was all a part of the plan here, of course, for the project is all about new connections to the existing railways. In some instances, the new works were to connect into existing ones to provide access directly from stairs, escalators or lifts. In other cases, the need was to cross over or under an existing tunnel or pair of tunnels.

So, what happens at these interfaces between old and new? Well, all of these places on this site involve spherical graphite cast iron tunnel (SGI) rings. Engineers will understand that one doesn’t just hack a hole in these to make an aperture!

Not even when the railway inside is closed, as it may then have to remain closed much longer than planned.

Where the intention is to make a new connection into the existing tunnel, say to access a platform, then it is necessary to construct a frame around the intended aperture that will carry the loads that are currently carried by the bits of SGI that are going to be removed. This

means bolting a large horizontal beam into the SGI lining above the top of the required hole, bolting a second such beam across the bottom, and then interconnecting these down each side of the planned hole with further steel frame members. The side members, of course, need to be curved to fit around the circular tunnel lining profile. Once this rectangular frame has been erected and secured in place, the disc cutters can come out and the opening can be cut in the lining. Always supposing, naturally, that the other side of the lining has been hoarded out and made secure.

When there is the need to bridge over an existing tunnel it gets more complicated still.

The tunnel lining cannot be used to carry any of the bridge loadings, and so suitable bridge abutments have to be constructed on appropriate foundations parallel to the tunnel on each side. As with the side entrance aperture construction, the next stage is to reinforce the

Constructing a bridge over existing operational tunnel.

28

Rail Engineer • July 2015

LU staff employing hand tunnelling techniques due to the close proximity to the operational Central line.

Stairway tunnel.

tunnel lining so that it may be safely cut open where the bridge deck is to span over the railway below.

The approach to this on the Bond Street site involves the construction of heavily-reinforced concrete walls parallel to the planned bridge, one each side of it. These sit on the tunnel lining and are tied into it and the new bridge abutments. Once again, after the SGI lining has been stabilised by these works, and with the railway below closed off, the tunnel lining can be cut out to permit the bridge deck beams to be placed across between the abutments and secured.

It is important to seal the bridge deck to prevent things from falling into the tunnel below once the bridge is brought into use but, even so, there were prominent signs beside the bridges on this site forbidding ‘washing out’ on or near the bridge deck.

Working conditions It is worth mentioning here how hot it gets in these working conditions. On the day of the site visit, it was initially quite a relief to get underground as it was windy, cold and wet outside.

However, it soon became apparent how warm it was in the workings.

When visiting one of the stairway tunnels, which was rectangular in section rather than a circular tunnel, one really felt the heat. The walls, floor and roof of this were all of thick, heavily reinforced concrete, and the concrete had been poured relatively recently.

The heat from the reaction of the setting concrete was strong but, according to the team members working there, it was nothing.

Apparently, just after the pour, it had been so hot that the concrete was unpleasant to touch. Working there must have been very hard to bear.

One of the most noticeable aspects of the work, in common with many similar ones going on in London now, are the temporary works and services - very-

prominent tubes, ducts and pipes. The big flexible ducts seen are the air supply ducts, bringing fresh air pumped into the tunnels to ensure safe breathing conditions for men and machines.

The Costain/Laing O’Rourke joint venture is using diesel plant down in the tunnels, so without this air provision the atmosphere would quickly become unpleasant and potentially unsafe. Other supplies piped in include water, concrete and compressed air. Managing all these services is a critical aspect of the job. As the tasks being undertaken change, it is necessary to move ducts and pipes around to ensure that they don’t obstruct the work.

Despite the air supply, and even though all critical plant is duplicated (or more), there is still a risk of plant failure, fire or another cause of foul air in the tunnels. For this reason, everyone on site is required to wear, and be able to use, a re-breather.

Journalists are no exception, and so I was issued with one of these devices and trained in its use before being allowed onto site. For those not familiar with these devices, they are a bit like large stainless steel lunch boxes worn on a belt round the waist. Inside this is a thing rather like a WW1 gas mask.

In an emergency, the device is worn on the chest and one breathes through a mouthpiece rather like that of a snorkel. The bag on the chest contains chemicals and has to be inflated when initially donned.

After that, one breathes out into it and breathes in from it. Chemicals within the apparatus strip the carbon off the carbon dioxide breathed out, so releasing free oxygen for one to breathe. This process generates a lot of heat, so the bag on the chest gets quite hot. I’m pleased never to have needed to use one of these in earnest so far! However, just wearing the thing in its box all day every day in confined workspaces must get pretty annoying.

However, the men and women working on the site seem to be well able to grin and bear it. Despite the heat and the gas masks, the team constructing Bond Street’s enlarged underground station seem to be dedicated to getting it ready on time for its 2017 opening. Rail Engineer will be there to see the finished result.

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30

Rail Engineer • July 2015

MARC JOHNSON

FINAL PUSH

W

hen New Street’s £600 million overhaul is completed in September, passengers alighting in Birmingham will discover a much brighter, much bigger, much more modern station. There will be lifts and escalators linking all platforms to concourse level for the first time, significantly improving accessibility and passenger flows.

It won’t just be passengers who will spot the difference. Frontline staff will arrive to work to find a station that bears little resemblance to the one which has sat in the centre of England’s second city since the 1960s.

New Street station was only designed to cope with around 40,000 to 60,000 passengers a day. Currently the station receives somewhere in the region of 175,000 passengers 35,000 more than when Network Rail started the refurbishment six years ago. Reconfiguring New Street to cope with this has required an enormous civils programme - all of which has been carried out above an operational railway.

The original concourse is being replaced by one five times bigger than London Euston’s. A mirrored cladding

now hugs the exterior, pulling the existing station buildings together.

And inside, the layout of the upper level has changed completely.

Passengers were given their first glimpse of what the new station will look like in April 2013 when the project reached its halfway point.

The completion of phase one allowed the closure of the old concourse and work to start on the project’s standout feature - its central atrium.

The project is now entering a critical phase, as the team races to get it completed. Rail Engineer was invited to see how far the project had come before the media was locked out ahead of the grand unveiling.

To help the transition, down the road at Network Rail’s Meridian House office, one of the project’s apprentices has developed a virtual

solution from the same computer modelling software used to plan the construction. Using a pair of cardboard goggles, which you can buy off the internet for less than £5, the programme can be run on a smart phone. It is allowing station staff to tour their new environment as it will look when it’s finished, rather than as a building site. Taking it further, Network Rail is using the software to create short films showing passengers how to use the new station.

Logistical challenge The former New Street station was built in 1967. At the time, British Rail sold the air rights above the station which led to the construction of the Pallasades Shopping Centre. With little room to manoeuvre, the station remained virtually unchanged for the next 40 years while passenger numbers continued to rise.

The new station has a 60-year design life, and, other than widening some of the platforms, there is little

Rail Engineer • July 2015

room for further expansion. A renewal of the signalling system around New Street will begin once the station redevelopment is complete but, ultimately, that is it for generating additional capacity. This time, they have got to get it right.

The main engineering challenges have now been solved and the project becomes about logistics. Around 1,200 people are currently working on the sprawling New Street site.

Work is underway in all corners of the station - theatre-style rigging has been installed to allow work to be carried out on the roof and the floor simultaneously. As contractors begin to move in to fit out the station’s retail units, the number of people will almost triple to 3,500.

“There’s one big milestone opening in September. Everything is focused towards that,” said Network Rail project director Chris Montgomery.

Like being a dentist Led by Network Rail and principal contractor Mace, New Street has often been described as the largest refurbishment project in Europe.

Building a modern station around the skeleton of a 1960s concrete box has not been a simple task.

A huge amount of demolition work had to be carried out to create the new atrium space beneath the ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) bubble atrium roof. The question was whether the structure would be able to support the weight of the steelwork being lowered onto it.

The careful balancing act was successfully done but any additional weight has had to be carefully considered, from the glass fronts of the retail units, which have had to be suspended from the steelwork, to the weight of the equipment which will be used to clean the station once it’s open.

Chris said: “I can’t underestimate just how big a piece of engineering that was, taking out all that concrete above a live operational station. The contractors had to come up with methods that were pretty innovative but also safe.”

Quoting a colleague, he said: “The challenge we’ve had is making the pieces of kit work on this concrete slab that’s got the strength of a Ryvita.”

Adding: “A 1960s-built building; one it was built to different design codes, secondly the quality of workmanship was nowhere like you’d get today.

31

32

Rail Engineer • July 2015

(Above) This intricate steel framework will support the mirror-finish cladding.

“A crack in the concrete ordinarily wouldn’t be such a problem in a multi-storey car park. With de-icing salts on it, those de-icing salts get in the crack, attack the reinforcement, the reinforcement expands, it cracks.

Effectively the concrete’s useless and we’ve come across that time and time again.”

The quality - or lack of it - of the former station building presented issues throughout the programme.

The new New Street is wrapped in a ‘living’ mirrored facade which includes three eye-shaped screens above the entrances. Fixing it to the existing station building wasn’t as simple as drilling a hole and screwing it on. They found that some of the concrete and steel reinforcement had been shaved back which meant care had to be taken so as not to risk damaging the integrity of the building any further.

Chris Montgomery said that it was like being a dentist. X-rays had to be taken before each hole could be drilled to check for reinforcements.

Once all the holes had been drilled, an impression was taken which could be used by the manufacturer to create a bespoke base plate that the facade could be fitted to. This process had to be carried out for every section.

Recycled fishing nets An effort has been made to make New Street a leading light when it comes to retro-fitting existing stations with sustainable technologies and systems. New Street will be the first Network Rail station to get its power from a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, which will feed waste heat through a 1.5-kilometre system of pipes into offices and shops around the station.

But they’re not all hi-tech solutions, some are quite simple, a little unusual even. Floor tiles made from recycled fishing nets, for example, as well as 98% of concrete removed being recycled Fundamentally though, the project is about capacity and accessibility. Better access will stop the station being a barrier between the northern and southern parts of the city centre.

This aim will be helped further by the extension of the Midland Metro tram network. When September comes, New Street will be a central part of the city for the first time in over 40 years.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

APPERLEY BRIDGE

KIRKSTALL FORGE

The train now Photography: Four by Three

GRAEME BICKERDIKE

SKIPTON

KEIGHLEY

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Y

orkshire is a county blessed with many great things, not least wrinkled stockings and the Chuckle Brothers. It also enjoys some uniquely characterful place names: Upperthong, Mankinholes, Wetwang, Crackpot.

A little more mundane is Idle, three miles north of Bradford, but this name - with its obvious connotations - has brought it global notoriety as home to the Idle Working Men’s Club which boasts amongst its honorary membership such luminaries as retired jockey Lester Piggott, spoon-bender Uri Geller and Tom O’Connor, the former host of cheap game shows. Now there’s a reality programme begging to be made.

But Idle has another claim to fame - one of the country’s shortest-lived railway stations which retained its operational status for just a year. Indeed, since it opened in 1846, the line along the Aire valley between Leeds and Bradford Market Street (now Forster Square) has been served by 11 intermediate stations, most of them closing at the peak of the railway’s retrenchment in 1965. Today there are just two, at Shipley and Frizinghall, the latter being an Eighties replacement for another Beeching-era loss.

Fifty years on, the resurgent railway has become something of a victim of its own success. More than 66 million train journeys were made across the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2013/14, an increase of 2.8% on the previous year. The mission now is to tackle overcrowding and attract new passengers by introducing more trains, longer trains, faster trains, better trains.

Around £600 million is being invested under the Northern Hub banner in an effort to ease network constraints, many of which can be traced back to those Sixties decision makers whose vantage point allowed them only to see a future based largely around the motor car. History is being unpicked. But there’s aspirational work too, reconnecting people with the railway who currently have no practical access to it. Driving that process forward here has been the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), its predecessors and partners, amongst them Network Rail.

35

Hoops and hurdles Coming to fruition this year are three new stations - two on the Airedale line between Leeds and Shipley and a third on the Caldervale route south of Bradford. All have been a long time coming - it’s getting on for 20 years since the radar first blipped - such is the tangled pathway that has to be navigated: finding locations with suitable catchments and supportive local

infrastructure; assessing their engineering fit in terms of track alignment, signalling and structures; determining whether existing services have sufficient loading capacity and no detrimental impact on train paths will arise; ensuring the stations will attract new revenue to the railway and bring real journey-time benefits. Everything gets looked at in meticulous detail.

When the coalition government came to power in 2010, development work on the Airedale line’s Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge stations was well advanced, having reached the end of GRIP stage 4. Planning permission was in place as well as a positive business case, although neither had obtained Programme Entry status

Apperley Bridge’s Down (Bradfordbound) platform is in a cutting. To accommodate the access ramps, 5,000 tonnes of sandstone has had to be excavated.

from the Department for Transport prior to the 2010 General Election. This was only achieved in December 2011 after a 12-month hiatus during which new bids were formulated for DfT funding.

With outline designs having to be revisited to reflect evolving standards, it was not until May 2014 that everything was eventually tied up and authority to proceed granted.

Apperley Bridge will be a Park & Ride station, aiming to relieve the traffic burden on key arteries into Leeds and Bradford. Offering 297 parking spaces, it is located on a green-field site adjacent to the A658 which runs northwards from Bradford towards Harrogate, passing Yorkshire’s main airport. In contrast, Kirkstall Forge station is to

ILKLEY

APPERLEY BRIDGE BRADFORD FORSTER SQ

KIRKSTALL FORGE

LEEDS

36

Rail Engineer • July 2015

APPERLEY BRIDGE

PHOTOS: MULHOLLAND MEDIA

form the cornerstone of a huge new residential, retail and business community destined to occupy a 56-acre former industrial site to the west of Leeds, six minutes by train from the city centre. Behind the £400 million development is the Commercial Estates Group (CEG) which is contributing more than £5 million towards the station’s construction costs.

Network Rail engaged Spencer Group as its design contractor for the two sites late in 2012, the firm subsequently being awarded a separate implementation contract on confirmation of the funding. The Apperley Bridge car park and 300-metre approach road was designed by the City of Bradford Council, a reality which has

Pouring the pile cap which will support the rear part of the Up (Leeds-bound) platform and its access ramps.

created additional management interfaces.

Kirkstall Forge has brought similar challenges: the adoptable highway serving the station will be built on land privately owned by CEG but the contract is being managed by Leeds City Council with I & H Brown.

Digging deep Of the two, Apperley Bridge has arguably proved the more straightforward, all things being relative.

The site was mobilised in October 2014, with the project team providing temporary access for construction traffic across the field from the A658 whilst using an existing weight-restricted rail overbridge for other vehicles. An immediate

priority was to make progress with the permanent link road to ease the logistical constraints; this involved excavating a 7m-deep cutting through the underlying rock. A connection between the compound - located on the Down (Bradford-

bound) side - and a trackside maintenance route was also created by demolishing part of a retaining wall. This has proved invaluable to Spencer as the nearest pre-existing access was two miles away.

Constructed in blockwork, the two platforms are offset but linked by the overbridge which spans the railway between them. As both are located in a cutting, considerable excavation work has been demanded to accommodate the step-free access ramps. On the Down side, this has involved around 5,000 tonnes of sandstone being laboriously removed.

On the Up (Leeds-bound) side, a temporary ramp was constructed on land leased from Yorkshire Water, enabling heavy plant to reach the platform site. Ground investigations carried out by Van Elle during the detailed design phase identified a substantial void here, the result of stone being extracted for the overbridge in the 1840s; this had then been backfilled with material from Thackley Tunnel, half-a-mile further west. As a result, 130 piles have had to be sunk up to 18m to support the ramps and rear part of the platform.

Whilst most of the work has been delivered under Adjacent Line Open arrangements, with no effect on railway operations, Rules of the Route possessions on a Saturday night have enabled progress on those elements within three metres of the running lines: re-siting of signalling equipment, TOWS (Train Operated Warning System) alarms and overhead line structures, a minor track realignment and construction work on the front parts of the platforms.

Given its proximity to housing, much attention has been paid to reducing the station’s visual and environmental impact. Three cascading basins have been installed to collect and manage the expected high volume of surface water that will drain off the car park. These are being landscaped as part of a scheme which will see more than 20 different species of tree being planted, as well as the retention of several mature oaks. Overall, the works have generated significant arisings, but these have all been recertified and reused, either on site or elsewhere. Nothing has gone to waste.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Forging ahead Over the years, the vast Kirkstall Forge site had evolved into a wasteland as the works that once occupied it gradually expired. But that doesn’t diminish its place at the heart of Leeds’ industrial history, the site having first been colonised by metal-working monks from the nearby Cistercian abbey in 1147. CEG’s development plans, backed enthusiastically by the Council, will bring a regeneration of enormous potential.

The railway forms the site’s southern boundary, running over an island between the River Aire - which it crosses at both ends - and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. An early challenge for Spencer in establishing its compound and starting work on the station car park was to build up the ground by one metre, thus mitigating the typical flood risk.

It became clear during detailed design that a significant track realignment was demanded in order to deliver standard-compliant platforms, a function of the reverse curves negotiated by the railway here. Involved is a maximum 200mm lift and 150mm slew over a 700-metre section of line. On top of this came the requirement to relocate a pair of insulated block joints and associated location cabinet, as well as the existing OLE stanchions and TOWS. Not surprisingly then, the project’s track access need was greatly

increased and, in consultation with Network Rail, this prompted Spencer to adopt a staged approach to construction.

As at Apperley Bridge, ground conditions were such that a considerable piling operation had to be undertaken to support the footbridge and platform foundations. Due to time pressures, the structures themselves are being built off-site in modular form and installed during overnight possessions, ensuring rapid progress once out of the ground.

Supplying the precast concrete platform units are Poundfield and SpanWright.

Due to time pressures, the structures at Kirkstall Forge are being built off-site in modular form and installed overnight. Here, the first of the precast platform units is lifted into position.

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38

Rail Engineer • July 2015

KIRKSTALL FORGE

CEG’s desire that Kirkstall Forge station should stand out as bespoke will be reflected in the choice of colours, materials and furniture. West Yorkshire ‘standard’ it is not. The footbridge, for example, has the sort of landmark design more commonly seen at bigger stations; Cambridge provides the model in this case. Manufactured

by Miller Fabrications, the structure will arrive fully dressed in five main sections - two staircases, two lift shafts and the railway span and be craned into position during a single week of night shifts.

Curvature quandary Go back a hundred years and Low Moor, three miles south of Bradford Interchange on the Caldervale line, was awash with railway: four through platforms, vast goods and stabling yards, a triangular junction off the Spen Valley line and a connection up to Dudley Hill. By 1981, only the main line remained.

Reopening a station here to serve a collection of residential and industrial areas has been a longstanding ambition, but development work has twice been stopped in its tracks.

On the first occasion, it was found that there was insufficient capacity to accommodate stopping services, an issue that was resolved through trackwork improvements and a new timetable. More recently, the additional cost of extensively realigning the track to comply with the requirements of GI/RT7016 (Interface between Station Platforms, Track and Trains) emerged as unaffordable. This standard prohibits the building of platforms on curves with a radius of less than 1,000 metres; it’s 730-800 metres at Low Moor.

An application was made to RSSB for a Deviation which, as stepping distances remain compliant, received authorisation in November 2013. Further complicating this issue has been the intention to increase both linespeed and route loading gauge as part of the Northern Hub scheme.

Network Rail is delivering the station on behalf of WYCA, with funding coming from local sources.

The Buckingham Group has been appointed as principal contractor and is currently finalising the detailed design; City of Bradford Council retains responsibility for the associated highway works.

The site is perfectly located from a catchment perspective but is testing in terms of space, with roads on two sides, industrial units on two others and a high-pressure gas main at its western end. A number of land ownership issues have driven delay into the programme, but these are now resolved. The late introduction of lifts - as opposed to ramps - has eased some of the space constraints and provides better access for users of the Spen Valley Greenway, a well-used local cycle path passing the site. One unwelcome construction risk accompanies the 131-space car park which overlies an area with suspected disused mine shafts. Despite exhaustive surveys, their precise location - if they exist - has proven difficult to verify.

What next?

The reverse curves through the Kirkstall Forge site have been straightened to ensure the platforms are standard-compliant.

History tells us that transport plans have a tendency to evolve as they are exposed to the vagaries of shifting political and funding priorities. There is though now a vision of how Yorkshire’s rail network might develop to better serve the county. In October 2014, a feasibility study commissioned by WYCA identified 15 potential new station sites, recommending further investigations at four of them - Elland, Haxby, Crosshills and East Leeds, the latter being a Parkway station with a substantial annual demand forecast of 468,000 trips.

Of the three stations currently under construction, the pair on the Airedale line will be welcoming passengers by October, served by two trains per hour in the peak; Low Moor is intended to become operational during the December 2015 timetable period. Whilst much remains to be done, each emerging challenge has been overcome with focus and commitment. The working men and women involved have been far from idle.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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40

Rail Engineer • July 2015

C r o e v d e n r U

MARC JOHNSON

T

he Victorian heritage of Britain’s rail network is revered and detested in equal measure. We’re proud to be the country that gave birth to the railway, but when trains are cancelled or complex projects overrun, it’s the ageing infrastructure that gets much of the blame.

Take station roofs, for example.

The grand nineteenth-century glass and wrought iron train sheds are an architectural triumph but, after a hundred years or so, the cost and effort of maintaining them is mounting. A bucket and mop have become all too common on station platforms and concourses.

In 2014, Story Contracting was awarded one of four major Network Rail building and civils framework contracts covering Scotland. Several months on from that win, the company is now in the middle of a programme to replace old and damaged glazed canopy roofs at Scottish stations with self-cleaning polycarbonate panels.

In February, John MacArthur joined Story Contracting’s rail division as head of region for Scotland, having spent the past 18 years with Balfour Beatty. He spoke to Rail Engineer about the station schemes Story is delivering over the next few years.

“There’s a lot of the stations that have glazed canopy roofs,” he commented. “What they’ve been finding is that some of these panels are working loose just through age and a lack of maintenance over the years, and there has been a couple of reported instances of glazing falling out, which is of concern.”

So far the company has completed a platform refurbishment scheme at High Street in Glasgow and has

just finished a canopy replacement scheme at Inverness. This latter has involved replacing the glazed canopies with a polycarbonate system over platforms 5, 6 and 7.

Supplied by Twinfix, the panels are more hard-wearing and require little maintenance.

“It’s a clever system,” said John.

“Each panel interlocks to the adjacent one with a fixing in the corners but it’s a very quick system to install which is the key benefit. It reduces the amount of time that you’re working at height, so from a health and safety perspective it significantly reduces the risk.”

The work was delivered over a series of nightshift possessions which not only had to take into account the role Inverness plays as a train stabling facility but also the impact that noise from the work would have on the Royal Highland Hotel which adjoins the station concourse.

Story is currently planning a project at Stirling station to deliver a modified version of the same system. Unlike Inverness, Stirling is a listed building; its protected status has required the manufacturer to get creative with its off-the-shelf design. Planners insisted that the new glazing bar had the same dimensions as the existing one.

Working together, Story and Twinfix used a 3D printer to create a plastic model of the new glazing bar; this will be taken to the planners to help expedite the approval process. The model also provided Twinfix with an inexpensive way of checking the dimensional tolerances of the glazing bar before going into full production.

Station schemes Major hub stations such as Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley have tended to be the focus for investment in Scotland. Within the framework agreement, Story has also carried out a goods access feasibility study at Edinburgh Waverley, another station with significant planning constraints.

In order to extend platforms at Edinburgh Waverley for EGIP

Multi-Link-Panels: non-fragile Rooflights Twinfix is a family run business, celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. As experienced innovators they offer a range of well-engineered glazing products, many of which are fitted on the roofs of Rail Stations and Depots.

The Multi-Link-Panel that is being installed by Story Contracting in Scotland is an aluminium-framed, modular rooflight system, designed with a unique fixing method that results in incredibly quick installation times.

In order to drive efficiencies within their work in rail Twinfix have utilised up-to-date 3D printing to aid product innovation and development, employing this new technology to view a 3D model of a revised Multi-Link bar design for use in future rail applications.

• Safe in use: All Multi-Link-Panels pass the ACR[M]001:2014 drop test, in accordance with HSE recommendations, with a ‘B’ designation.

• The Twinfix Georgian wired grade solid polycarbonate is particularly popular as it mimics Georgian wired glass.

• Polycarbonate absorbs vibrations without cracking, crazing or breaking.

• The aluminium framework can be powder coated to a RAL colour to suit your project.

• The light weight of the finished product results in less stress to the fabric of original buildings.

• Sleek in-line access hatches (developed at the request of Network Rail) offer unobtrusive and safe access through the glazing for maintenance purposes.

• Factory manufactured rooflight panels means no costly mistakes on site.

For more information contact us on:

Tel: 01925 811311

Email: enquiries@twinfix.co.uk

www.twinfix.co.uk

42

Rail Engineer • July 2015

A 3D printer was used to create plastic models of the new glazing bars.

The roof of Inverness station.

(Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme), the station has to lose one of its goods entrances. One solution being considered by Story and the scheme’s designer, Arup, involves a new bridge and conveyer system fitted around the existing platforms.

“It is an unusual one,” said John.

“We’re used to going in and doing glazing systems and new bridges with passenger lifts, but I can’t imagine there are many stations in the UK where they’re having to consider an automated conveyer system to get goods into the station.”

More money is now being spent on other parts of the network as well. Projects like phase two of the

Highland main line upgrade will see journey times cut between Perth and Inverness. Story is currently on the ground at Aberdeen and is planning works at eight more stations.

New and longer trains due on the network mean that, in total, 27 stations will undergo platform extension works in CP5. In August, Story Contracting hopes to begin a platform extension project at North Berwick station.

Alliance The schemes are being delivered against the backdrop of a new operating structure in Scotland.

The new ScotRail franchise has seen the creation of

an alliance between Network Rail and Abellio. The franchise has made its own commitment to station improvements, primarily improving retail, adding customer information screens and improving ticketing facilities.

This closer working relationship has also seen Story build stronger ties with Network Rail, quite literally - the two share an office in Uddingston just outside of Glasgow. It’s a working arrangement which is conducive to completing quality projects, said John.

“Every scheme you develop, you begin to see the pros and cons of the options being considered.

Traditionally the contractor would have focused primarily on buildability.

However, in the shared office environment, we have constant dialogue with the Network Rail team and much better visibility of their operational concerns. These are then put into the mix which means we reach the correct solution much earlier in the process.

“It also means that collectively we can speak to Abellio, the principal train operator in Scotland. It’s important that we all take a step back and remember that Story, Network Rail and ScotRail all have the same shared goal of providing a safe and efficient railway for the travelling public. We firmly believe that the framework puts us in a much better place to deliver this.”

Rail Engineer • July 2015

MIKE ARTHUR

Developing a future vision

44

W

hile category ‘A’ stations have generally received large amounts of investment and are the absolute pinnacle of the industry, many midrange stations are not maximising their revenue potential. This is partly due to the fragmented way development is implemented, but also due to the lack of ability to create an optimised layout.

Currently, a fragmented investment process is in place. It is obvious that there is an enormous amount of work to do and not everything can be fixed at once. So the temptation is to fix it in part, to form individual project task teams covering revenue protection, or gating, or waiting facilities, or CIS installations, or cycle shelters - the list is endless.

This solo working means that only the individual task at hand is implemented with specialists who deal with that singular discipline. The solutions they create are very credible but the wider picture is not being controlled effectively and a certain amount of ‘tripping up’ occurs. This can be detrimental to station development, but the main impact occurs to bottom line potential revenue.

Common faults So what is meant by ‘tripping-up’, and how does this occur?

It is when an engineering or improvement scheme, although perfectly executed, prevents further development due to poor planning and a lack of joined-up thinking. For example, gating schemes have blocked prime ‘grab & go’ retail expansion, cycle shelters have been placed in valuable development areas, and elements of plant often occupy the centre of rooms, wasting potential staff facility space.

The most common offenders are the blank facades of staff or storage facilities placed on prime passenger routes.

The potential value in railway stations is phenomenal, but the issue is not just the odd square foot being wasted. Design Mad recently carried out a study on a number of category C stations. Taking one particular example, through a careful re-planning exercise within the existing station foot-print, the retail area was increased by some 24%, and passenger facilities by 28%. Then, with a new-build extension, the retail space was enlarged again from 24% up to a 38% increase in lettable area.

High street retail is all about customer manipulation. Fractions of margins translate into serious revenue, merchandising is highly controlled and every square foot of retail space has a value. In stations, the future is not just about finding and creating space - that’s easy - it’s about how the spaces interact, their hierarchy, the facility placement and finetuning to provide maximum total returns.

Stations are more complex than high street retail and the design strategy is moving to the next level of sophistication. Yes, retail tenants pay turnover rent, which in itself is an incentive, but there are also direct passenger revenues to consider; there is a lot more scope to come in passenger revenues and feeding the fare box.

Customers, not passengers However, a very different attitude is required to achieve maximum revenue. The word ‘passenger’ (a person who is travelling) needs to be replaced by the word ‘customer’

Rail Engineer • July 2015

(a person who purchases goods or services). This shift in thinking will help to create an optimised facility. That doesn’t mean a pressure selling environment, more of a structured environment into which an ordered process is implemented, placing facilities at the exact point of need in the customer journey or process. The more logical the process, the more relaxed customers are and the more inclined they are to enjoy the experience, spend and repeat their visit.

Consideration needs to be given also to the two types of customer journey, a ‘fast journey’ and a ‘slow journey’ through the station environment. This may sound overly simplistic, but the station has to be structured to cater for both types of journey - one time rich, the other time poor - and respond to the revenue opportunities these create. Facilities have to be in the right place as defined by a hierarchal order, customers don’t want to buy a coffee before they get their ticket.

Careful placement of a facility at the exact point of need will ensure customers are enticed and the returns are maximised. This is not just about providing spaces for retail or customer facilities to be retained within, it’s about ensuring a sophisticated web of placement or grouping of facilities is as optimised as it can be.

So how can a coordinated approach succeed when work is implemented in a cellular way?

There is an enormous amount of good work being already achieved in rail, but it is important to formulate a ‘master plan strategy’ for the more important stations. An overview - a future vision that provides a framework for controlling the development - is essential to ensure investment is optimised. With so much financial potential at stake, this piece of work has to be a sound business investment.

Mike Arthur is a director of specialist rail and transport design agency Design MAD.

45

(Left) Before - facilities are fragmented - the green areas are passenger facilities.

(Right) After - all frontages are given a use and facilities are grouped for maximum effect.

46

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Reducing the gap T

he biggest challenge for any platform replacement or refurbishment is to carry out works without causing major passenger disruption and sticking to the agreed schedule.

This was the case at London’s Elephant & Castle station. Platform 4, which is used by southbound trains, is on a curve and there were many signs warning passengers to take extra care because of the height difference between the train and the platform. Infrastructure owner Network Rail decided to address this by constructing a gently sloping surface from the back of the platform rising up to reduce the gap between the edge and the train doors.

This would follow on from a similar scheme that had been completed at Tulse Hill station a few months earlier.

Network Rail appointed Hammond (ECS) as principal contractor, with Dura Composites manufacturing and supplying the platform surface.

Resolving excessive stepping distances Hammond and Dura worked together to develop the Mountbridge® system that allowed a stepping distance adjustment of up to 200mm to deal with the varying heights along the platform. Although traditional platform material solutions could have been employed, they were ruled out on the basis that significant platform closures and line possessions would be required; a process that would have led to many months of passenger disruptions.

The composite Dura Platform system was far less disruptive and quicker to install; the innovative solution not only removes the cost and disruption of the concrete option but also stands the test of time because it’s adjustable to suit future rolling stock and has a design life in excess of 50 years.

Learning from the successful installation of a similar composite fibreglass platform system solution at Tulse Hill, a number of technical innovations were made for the Elephant & Castle system to drive further efficiencies throughout the supply chain, most notably during installation.

Dura Composite’s specific aim was to reduce the stepping distance from the platform to the train and make it consistent to ensure that platform 4 conformed to Network Rail’s standards for height and distance X-Y dimensions.

Anchors and plates substructure The construction of the existing platform was pre-cast concrete with deep tarmac overlay, meaning it was not realistic for Dura to utilise the concrete ground beam solution as at Tulse Hill.

Research into this problem led to the adoption of a new chemical fixing that was suitable for anchoring the substructure into the existing deep tarmac. The anchor fixing was tested independently, and also by the manufacturer, to ensure its effectiveness in its intended application.

Another lesson learned from the Tulse Hill installation was that, rather than strip the foundations, a galvanised steel pedestal mounting plate was fixed directly to the tarmac surface with the tarmac anchors. The plate could then be pre-assembled with the requisite amount of adjustable pedestals. These plates were arranged at suitable centres, forming the primary support for the fibreglass substructure. This improved system allowed preparation work to begin during engineering hours, which resulted in less passenger disruption and more efficient use of possession times.

Installing the overlay platform Due to the nature of lightweight modular composite flooring panels versus traditional concrete and tarmac and their associated equipment, the majority of the installation of the overlay system was conducted within engineering hours under line block arrangements. Passenger safe access was provided with a minimum of a 2,500mm wide clearance from the platform edge at all times. Pedestal mounting plate assemblies were fixed to the existing platform with the preinstalled tarmac anchors.

The initial setting out of the coper line was undertaken using a suitable calibrated platform gauging tool, set off the running rail to accurately set the X and Y axis.

Working from the front to back of the platforms, the team would correctly level the pedestals to the coper, subsequently setting pedestals to allow a 1 in 40 back fall. Once the adjustable pedestals were installed, the team fixed the fibreglass substructure c-channels into position and the levels/falls were adjusted. Additional time was taken on panels that required a tapered cut to coincide with the curvature of the existing platform.

Expansion bolts were used to fix the fibreglass panels to the fibreglass substructure using 30mm holes. Each fixing point was capped with a circular disc of matching fibreglass material to the anti-slip deck, neatly concealing the fixings. This was a safety critical issue which removed any possible tripping hazards but which also complemented the decorative finish.

The Elephant & Castle installation also required door thresholds be accommodated to account for the platform height adjustment of 50100mm, which was achieved by laying panels and substructures to suitable cross falls in two directions.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Ongoing benefits With two applications now in situ, the use of composite technology to adjust stepping distances on platforms has been proven to significantly reduce disruption to passenger services, due to the works being quicker and more accommodating to customers. Most significantly, station platforms do not need to be closed under normal circumstances as simple ramps can be used to easily smooth out the transition between old and new platforms during the construction phase.

The particular solution developed for Elephant & Castle comprised heightadjustable pods secured along the platform on which fibreglass beams are positioned, providing support for the Dura Platform fibreglass station platform deck system.

The walking surface features an anti-slip finish reducing the likelihood of slips, trips and falls. Also incorporated into the platform is a flush-mounted bright yellow tactile that serves to replace the traditional painted yellow Dura Platform 190x130mm ad.qxd:Layout 1 23/06/2015 22:08 Page 1

safety line, creating a larger visual and tactile identification of the platform edge and practically eliminating the ongoing cost of maintaining the platform painting.

The works at Elephant & Castle saw significant benefits in terms of cost, flexibility and efficiency. Compared with a traditional station rebuild, Dura’s solution is around 25 per cent cheaper with fewer possessions needed to complete the work. Following the success of this scheme, further discussions are underway to install similar systems up and down the country at locations where traditional build systems are not suitable due to limited access, restricted possession times and/or passenger disruption concerns.

Passengers certainly seem to be pleased with the result at Elephant & Castle. “The new platform surface has made boarding and exiting trains much easier for passengers,” commented Roger Perkins at Govia Thameslink Railway. “Our older and less able passengers have particularly benefited from these improvements.”

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Vive les differences GRAHAME TAYLOR

T

he sky is a cloudless blue. The sunlight is strong really strong - reflecting off the baked dry earth.

It makes any Brit, used to higher latitudes, squint through watering eyes, reach for the sunglasses and head for the nearest shade. This is early summer in the south of France and the temperature is... decidedly cool.

There’s a strong north-westerly wind - a chilly wind at this time of year. It’s Le Mistral. It howls through construction sites kicking up the dust. For all the appearance of balmy Mediterranean weather, this is just one example of the contrasts encountered in the Languedoc Roussillon region.

Forming part of the Mediterranean coastline, the area has its share of smart villas and estates. It’s not out of reach of the rest of France or indeed Paris which, as we’ll see later on, will soon be less than three hours away. And yet, despite the signs of extreme wealth, this is a region with one of the highest unemployment and deprivation levels in the country.

The landscape, too, is deceptive. There are miles and miles of near-flat fertile fields. Acres and acres of vineyards. This is where the renowned Languedoc red wine comes from - and the white is just as good. The soil scars easily with yet more dust flying in long plumes in the strong Mistral. And yet, every ten years or so there are massive floods with the whole area being inundated. Storms and river surges from the mountains inland send huge quantities of water down to the sea and the whole area becomes a flooded plain.

So this is an area of contrasts and contradictions, which is why the new high-speed railway bypass to Montpellier in the department of Herault and the neighbouring town of Nimes in Gard has had to contend with more challenges than would be apparent at first glance.

Even the departments have their differences. Gard paints its structures yellow whilst Hérault’s favourite colour is blue.

Joint venture Montpellier is a relatively small district with a population of 430,000. Its railway network, built back in 1839, is now a bottleneck struggling to cope with the increasing demands of freight and passenger traffic.

In May 2005 a public declaration of a proposed bypass route was made and, during the intervening years, detailed designs, studies, consultations and land acquisitions were made.

The new route joins the existing Mediterranean high speed line at Redessan just to the south of Nimes and connects with the route near Lattes on to southern France and Spain. There will be a connecting spur to the old route near Nimes.

PHOTO: Y.BROSSAD

Vidourie Viaduct.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

49

50

Rail Engineer • July 2015 PHOTO: Y.BROSSAD

For a start, the ‘B’ is almost silent as is the ‘G’. Everything that follows the ‘G’ can be ignored. This just leaves two familiar vowel sounds - the ‘ou’ pronounced as a clipped ‘oo’ and the ‘y’ pronounced ‘ee’ - or maybe ‘i’, equally clipped. So you end up with something approaching “Boo-eeg”.

With the name mastered it is appropriate to look at the company’s history, which gives a clue to its considerable influence.

Bouygues was founded by Francis Bouygues in 1952 and was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1970. During the 1980s, the company acquired road construction groups Screg, Sacer and Colas, and started operating the television channel TF1. In 1996 the company launched Bouygues Télécom, and this was followed in 2006 by the acquisition of 23.26% of Alstom. Bouygues entered the UK construction market in 1997.

‘Combined’ high-speed railway

Equipment base.

After a bidding period, a public private partnership (PPP) contract to build the line and maintain it for 25 years was awarded by Réseau Ferré de France (RFF - which has since become SNCF Réseau since 1 January 2015) to Oc’Via. This is a joint venture involving financial partners Meridiam and Fideppp and industrial companies Colas and Colas Rail (both Bouygues Construction subsidiaries), Alstom and Spie Batignolles. It includes also Systra and Setec, in charge of preliminary design and project control during the detailed design stage.

The size of the project, in monetary terms, is considerable. Of the €1.8 billion, 66% is provided by Oc’Via with the remainder coming from local authorities. The Oc’Via finance comes from loans from a dozen commercial banks backed by the European Investment Bank and Institutional Saving Funds augmented by contributions from other stakeholders.

Pronunciation help With finance of this scale it is worth looking at one of the major players, Bouygues.

It must be admitted though that they are not a household name in the UK. In fact, the first stumbling block in any description of what they are and what they do is the very pronunciation of their name. The average Anglo Saxon is likely to make a toe-curlingly embarrassing attempt which will involve trying to pronounce every letter - loudly - using the phonetic blunderbuss approach. This is not the way. Only French facial muscles will enable a faultless pronunciation, although it is possible for Brits to make a reasonable stab it.

The statistics of the bypass project are impressive, but this is to be expected for a new line that is 80km long. There are 177 bridges and 11 major viaducts. Most of the construction is on embankment, which has meant that borrow-pits have been dug to supply much of the fill material. As the route crosses the active flood plain, it has to cater for an eight metre rise in water levels. There are multiple culverts and spans just to cater for the flooding. Most of the time the railway is high and dry.

This is the first ‘combined’ high-speed railway in France. That is, it has been designed to carry both freight and passenger traffic. Thus it will relieve the pressure on the local networks, allowing more metro-style services for the surrounding areas.

Freight traffic will no longer pass through the many villages on the old route.

Included in those early studies were comprehensive environmental and archaeological investigations. The habitat was diverse and over 126 species were deemed worthy of protective measures. One plant in particular, a species of Lythrum, even warranted a slight adjustment to the alignment of the new line.

This being an area of high unemployment, it was important that the project brought benefit to the local workforce rather than just importing skilled workers who would then depart on completion. There has been a specific focus on using local suppliers and businesses and on setting-up apprenticeship schemes so as to enhance the skills base of the region in the long term.

Major viaduct launches Almost completed is the railhead complex that will receive all of the track infrastructure including rails, sleepers and ballast.

This huge expanse of sidings and workshops is located at the lower level of the existing railway on which the materials will arrive. To get to the high-speed line, a long spiral loop has been constructed around the site, gradually winding up to the upper level.

Six of the viaducts are major steelwork structures - a mix of plate girder, warren truss and bowstring constructions.

Fabrication has been subcontracted to Matière, Baudin and ZM. Most of them cross rivers, and one also spans a busy dual carriageway and tram line. All of them have been, or will be, launched. That is, they are assembled on the track alignment, fitted with a detachable temporary ‘nose’ and pulled across

16 -17 SEPTEMBER 2015 An event that will showcase the best range of products and services that meet the increasingly challenging needs of the rail sector with particular emphasis on best practice, ingenuity and the application of innovation.

Limited indoor pitches available for Rail Alliance members Prices for an outdoor pitch start at £300 for 4m x 4m (space only) Additionally, there will a set-up period taking place on the 14 and 15 Sept prior to the event and a subsequent break-down taking place on 18 Sept. The event will be open from 10am–4pm each day. Postcode for the location of the event is CV37 8RP.

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TOCs, FOCs, main line infrastructure operators, government

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representatives/agencies, rail regulation and safety,

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52

Rail Engineer • July 2015

the void into position, sliding on Teflon bearings. High up on the embankments, the Le Mistral screams through the structural steelwork making the operations appear to be insurmountable but, in fact, it takes just a day or so to complete each launch.

The view from the air reveals that there is activity going on throughout the 80km site with the western end nearing completion of base formation. By the end of 2015, the railway infrastructure will start to be installed, and completion and commissioning of the whole project will take place towards the end of 2017.

Vistre Viaduct.

Compare and contrast At the start of this article there were allusions to comparisons and contrasts. With an eye across La Manche (translates literally as ‘the sleeve’) - the English Channel - Bouygues is looking at what HS2 has to offer. ‘Align’ is a joint venture involving BouyguesTP, Volker Fitzpatrick and Sir Robert MacAlpine, bringing together all the skills needed for the construction of new high speed railways in the UK. It may be worth looking at the contrasts between the Montpellier Nimes bypass line and the sort of environment likely to be encountered in the UK. The first difference that is obvious to anyone from the UK is the elbow room available in France. Need to build a bridge off-line?

No problem. Construction gear, accommodation, storage, roads? Plenty of room. And none of it is fenced at all. Trespassers? No problem. Just put up a notice saying keep off. If they get hurt then it’s their fault.

What about the neighbours? Some were not happy with the line or its construction, but most were glad that it was being built. Yes, glad!

The project put on open days to show the public what was going on and people flocked to the events expressing genuine interest.

Compare and contrast with what is likely to be encountered in the UK. Well, suffice to say, things could be just a little different!

PHOTO: Y.BROSSAD

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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PAUL DARLINGTON

Westermo Mobile Training & Technology Centre

E

ngineers, asset and project managers are busy people. However, to enable them to implement any project, they have to keep up to date with new technology and systems. This is especially important with the very fast-moving and relatively-new area of Ethernet and IP data communications for signalling, telecoms and traction control.

It is often difficult to find time in a very busy diary to visit an exhibition, supplier or training event. Wouldn’t it be so much better if the show could come to your office?

Even then, if space can be found in the diary to enable the specialists to come to you, it can be difficult to find an appropriate meeting room, and it takes time to get equipment into a meeting room or site. Then, of course, the equipment all has to be set up and tested to make sure it is working correctly.

This is where Westermo can help with its Mobile Training & Technology Centre (MTTC). A self-contained display and demonstration vehicle, it delivers a wealth of technology, demonstrations and new information directly to organisations. The MTTC provides a comfortable and feature packed area in which engineers and managers can find out more about the latest communications technologies and solutions available to their project. This could be particularly useful for a re-signalling project with an on-site portacabin presence, or a busy train depot with space at a premium.

Or even Rail Engineer’s car park, where the Westermo team brought the MTTC recently to meet some customers and also show off the vehicle.

Training and demonstrations brought to your site The custom-built vehicle is finished to a high standard and contains an array of demonstrations and displays that will help provide ideas on how IP, Ethernet and legacy communication technologies can be combined for railway applications. The available space offers a compact training environment where Westermo products can be investigated, as well as a workspace to facilitate design solutions. The interactive whiteboard and screen allows drawings to be created and saved as an ongoing process for translation to full network schematics.

The MTTC provides 27m2 of accommodation and has its own internal 5kV generator as well as an electric hook up. It is light, modern and air-conditioned and has the majority of Westermo products on display. It has facilities for live running demonstrations of systems and video presentations.

This is an easy way to meet the Westermo team, see the products and to find out how they can fill the vital data communications link for your project. This may include how legacy serial communications can be supported with modern Ethernet switching and routing technology, using resilient network structures, while providing cyber security and encryption.

Westermo was established in 1975. The head office is located in Eskilstuna, 150km south-west of Stockholm, Sweden. However, the company has engineers and support staff based in the UK to help its customers with technical support and consultancy. They are specialists in industrial data communications solutions using Ethernet, IP, copper, fibre and wireless, and in particular for the difficult ‘local loop’ area of lineside and on-train communications, so a solution for most problems can be found in the company’s range, and in the MTTC.

54

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Walsall to Rugeley electrification The Chase Line

PETER STANTON

W

ith electrification being high on everybody’s consciousness, the schemes to electrify the Great Western and Midland main lines have been getting all the attention. Similarly, the works in the North West and Scotland have been proceeding apace and gaining publicity but the scheme to electrify the railway from Walsall to Rugeley has managed to stay ‘under the radar’.

STAFFORD

RUGELEY TRENT VALLEY RUGELEY TOWN

HEDNESFORD

CANNOCK

CHASE LINE (NEWLY ELECTRIFIED) PRE-EXISTING ELECTRIFIED LINE NON-ELECTRIFIED LINE ELECTRIFIED TRAM LINE

WALSALL

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET

The scheme is, in fact, a significant step in the direction of developing the public transport system in the West Midlands by improving services on what was a relatively-forgotten part of the network. Due to be completed

by December 2017, the project will allow electric trains to run between Birmingham New Street and Rugeley via the Cannock lines, providing passengers with a more reliable, efficient and greener service.

In fact, the scheme will revitalise a line which, not so many years ago, had no regular passenger services at all.

Stafford route being shut for Sunday or late evening engineering work.

Passenger services returned to the route in stages: » 10 April 1989 — Walsall to Hednesford » 2 June 1997 — Hednesford to Rugeley Town » 25 May 1998 — Rugeley Town to Stafford.

However, from the 12 December 2008, Chase line trains were withdrawn from running through to Stafford and were cut back to Rugeley Trent Valley on the West Coast main line.

Closure and reopening

The lines between Birmingham New Street and Walsall were electrified in 1966 as a part of the West Coast main line electrification, together with the Walsall to Wolverhampton line.

Electrification of the Chase line was first discussed in the early 1960s, but funding was not secured until February 2013.

In July 2013, the government announced electrification of the line between Rugeley Trent Valley and Walsall, the work scheduled to take place from 2014, with a completion date of December 2017.

Electrification of the line will be accompanied by a speed increase from the historical 45mph to 75mph. The line will also be cleared to W10 loading gauge, allowing flexible use of the line for freight container traffic. As it is intended to run longer trains on the route, station platforms will need to be extended to accommodate them.

The line from Birmingham to Walsall (sometimes referred to as the Walsall line) has two alternative routes, both electrified at 25 kV AC overhead. One leaves New Street to the east, following the CrossCity Line as far as Aston, where it diverges to the west. The other leaves to the west, and travels via Soho. Beyond Walsall, the line was not electrified, and continues north to Hednesford and Rugeley. This is sometimes called the Chase line, referring to the Cannock Chase area through which it runs at its northern end.

Beyond Walsall, the line to Rugeley Trent Valley closed to passengers in 1965, although it remained open to freight. Despite this, the route was occasionally used as a diversionary route for Inter-City passenger services from Birmingham to Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow in the event of the Wolverhampton-

Electrification

TOGETHER WE MAKE IT HAPPEN

ABC Electrification Limited Dedicated to delivering electrification projects that will transform the UK’s railways.

Founded on collaboration, innovation and agility ABC Electrification prides itself on its ethical delivery principles, ensuring that every project is delivered on time, in full and with zero harm.

www.abcel.co.uk

Together we make it happen

collaborative | ethical | agile | innovative an Alstom, Babcock, Costain company

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Track lower at Forest Canal, Bloxwich.

Prior to the electrification work, resignalling of the route has been undertaken with the closure of three manual signal boxes at Bloxwich, Hednesford and Brereton Sidings, together with the panel boxes at Walsall and Bescot. Control of the area passed to the West Midlands Signalling Control Centre at Saltley. The resignalling has incorporated renewal of signalling power supplies and associated electrical works.

Service pattern changes will reduce both journey times and overcrowding to Birmingham as journeys will be up to 15 minutes shorter and there will be four trains per hour. Additionally, new services may be introduced to Birmingham International (two trains per hour), Coventry (two trains per hour) and Liverpool Lime Street. Even a direct service to London Euston has been mooted.

The project team

Walsall Tunnel track lower.

Although primarily an electrification scheme, the project is also about civil engineering work - not only to facilitate that electrification, but also to obtain the linespeed improvements, to enhance the gauge to W10 and to close a few level crossings.

Adhering to the principles of collaborative working, the project team and the contractor are in one office, effecively ‘one team, joint processes’. The scheme is being overseen by senior programme manager Katie Ferrier on behalf of the central electrification team.

This integration supports a joint approach to access planning across the route and the integration of engineering assurance within the Network Rail standards.

A fortnightly meeting is held to ensure engineering coordination.

Design meets the philosophy of ‘safe by design’ and is in compliance with the current set of applicable European technical standards for interoperability (TSIs).

Electrification The core project covers 51 single track kilometres of electrification including foundations, structures, the contact system and steelwork. The main electrification works are being managed by Sam Evans who joined Network Rail as a graduate five years ago and has been a project manager within the electrification and plant renewals team since 2012.

Design of the new system is being undertaken by Atkins whilst construction is in the hands of the holders of the framework agreement, the ABC consortium of Alstom, Babcock and Costain.

The new electrification is keyed into the existing electrification infrastructure and an early project design and construction challenge is to abut the new autotensioned Series 2 OLE system into the 1960s fixedtension equipment at Pleck Junction, some of which may need to be replaced.

@StobartRailLtd WALSALL TO RUGELEY TRACK LOWERING Stobart Rail were contracted to provide a ‘Design and Construct’ track lowering solution for 10 structures to enable future electrification.

The electrified railway line will provide a cleaner, greener and more regular service for passengers using the Chase Line.

Proposed as part of the Department for Transport’s ‘High Level Output Statement’ published in 2012, 25kV AC overhead line electrification is now being installed between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley in the West Midlands. The project will deliver the output requirements to run passenger and freight hauled units powered by electric traction supplies on the lines.

Project overview Network Rail selected Stobart Rail as the contractor to deliver the track lowering between Walsall and Rugeley.

Adopting a partnership approach from contract award, the Network Rail team supported the experienced Stobart Rail team.

The project delivery strategy was developed utilising in-house expertise, including resources and innovative plant such as the Ballast Undercutter, ensuring value engineering delivery throughout each section of the project. The Ballast Undercutter was deployed at Hednesford and provided a solution whereby the track was lowered without removing any components, thereby reducing risk and increasing productivity.

Collaboration with all delivery partners, and third parties that worked on the project, was efficiently co-ordinated to minimise disruption and negate possession over-run risks.

This was undertaken with a ‘plan-do’ attitude, ensuring that deliverability reviews gave the required confidence to the Network Rail team.

This project was successfully completed, with its objectives delivered safely and on time, within budget and exceeding the expectations of the Network Rail team who were overseeing the activities.

Our Key Project Achievements:

•

6000 metres of track successfully lowered

•

1500 metres of track drainage successfully renewed

•

The deepest track lowered was 550mm

•

Combined 650 hours of disruptive possession access

•

Zero train delay minutes, with all possession access handed back early

•

25,000 man hours worked by Stobart Rail

•

No reportable safety incidents occurred throughout the entire project

•

In excess of 40,000 tonnes of new ballast installed

•

80,000 tonnes of spoil removed for recycling.

Matthew Taylor Project Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. matt.taylor@stobartrail.com Andrew Sumner Business Development and Stakeholder Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. andrew.sumner@stobartrail.com Dave Richardson Plant Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. david.richardson@stobartrail.com Gary Newton Contracts and Estimating Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. gary.newton@stobartrail.com

Date completed: April 2015

stobartrail.com

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

The new equipment will deal with the raised speeds proposed in the parallel linespeed improvement project; the OLE being designed to meet the 75 mph running.

Configuration of the Series 2 equipment will be a boosterless classic system with a 12kA fault level. As a novel configuration, this will be the subject of a specific safety case analysis. Cable theft in the area is a significant concern and some novel defence against this crime is proposed.

The distribution side of the project is taken care of by three substations, new installations at Walsall Pleck Junction and Hednesford with modifications to the substation at Brereton.

There is a telecommunications aspect to the works, including a dedicated fibre-optic route for accelerated distance electrical fault protection within the electrical distribution which is allied to the national telecommunications strategy and the national SCADA (system control and data acquisition) project.

Structural foundations will, for the northern end of the line, be of a piled format taking advantage of the productivity of the piling train. However, there is a long history of mining at the southern end and there is a gap of eighty years of missing mining records. To allow robust concrete OLE foundation installation, there is a significant survey workload involving ground proving radar and other relevant methods.

The piling train is provided by ABC and consists of a Kirov crane with ABC’s own piling rig attached; it is anticipated that a rate of three piled foundations an hour may be achieved. Structural erection can be undertaken using a mechanical manipulator, reducing the need for staff to be

placed at risk by being close to the worksite and allowing maximum flexibility of construction. Final erection of the contact system wiring will be by the ABC group’s own wiring train and skilled teams.

The Series 2 equipment has proved to be very adaptable to high-productivity erection. Advanced techniques allow the positioning of structures to be fed back to the designer in the office ensuring a level of design accuracy that allows steelwork to be pre-assembled before final erection on the foundation. Auto-tensioning will be of the Tensorex arrangement, avoiding the use of traditional balance weights and bringing live equipment within the curtilage of the OLE structures.

Much emphasis has been placed on productivity and safety during maintenance, and the system will incorporate motorised three postion switches to facilitate isolations and alternative feeding. It is anticipated that the whole line may be safely isolated within half an hour of taking the route.

Civil engineering A separate civil engineering team is managed by Matt Brown, who has a background in bridge reconstruction and became involved with the project in 2013 at GRIP stage 1 (output definition).

The works are composed of four packages: 1.

Early works took place in Control Period 4 with three bridge reconstructions undertaken by the contractor Amalgamated Construction (AMCO).

2.

There are two sub-packages. Firstly 2A which encompasses Walsall tunnel - undertaken again by AMCO. This work includes the partial reconstruction of a covered way around a main shopping area.

Major changes to the track layout are taking place which has rendered the option of track lowering unavailable. It was emphasised that there was no gauging information for the infrastructure at the site.

These particular works are being dealt with in three phases to minimise disruption to the service and the stakeholders. Secondly 2B is being undertaken

by Murphy covering the two bridges at Walsall and commencing spring / summer 2015.

3.

A package of track lowering at eleven sites; the works in this case being undertaken by Stobart Rail.

4. A package covering parapet height upgrades driven by the need for TSI compliance. Construction of this parapet work also being undertaken by AMCO.

Rail Engineer • July 2015 The total project scope includes nineteen major interventions with 30 parapet extensions. These latter works tend to arise from a change in emphasis within the Technical Specifications for Interoperability where the specification for parapet height over electrified lines has increased from the traditional United Kingdom norm.

The initial scope of the work included a high percentage of bridge reconstructions, but careful analysis of the requirements and integrated planning with the electrification function allowed a revised view.

Experience on the North West electrification programme showed that taking advantage of track lowering opportunities could significantly reduce the need for total bridge reconstruction and this lesson was brought to the Walsall - Rugeley project. As a result, 11 bridge reconstructions were deemed unnecessary and there are now only two in the final scope. This lesson has usefully spread across other electrification schemes, although the specifics of permanent way drainage and contact system gradients have to be taken into account in each case.

The electrification works carry the usual challenge of the United Kingdom where a restricted Victorian infrastructure is being adapted to modern railway use; clearances being very restrictive and the need to observe TSIs influencing clearances and compliance works. Behind the decisions to undertake track lowering were the robust condition of most bridges suggesting excessive works would be wasteful of scarce investment funds. There has been no intention to use the alternative of bridge jacking within the scope.

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A separate but related project is in progress to close Bloxwich level crossing to motorised traffic, accompanied by one of the retained bridge reconstructions, enabling the current 20mph line speed limit to be lifted.

In Matt’s view, the greatest challenge is “the best fit between bridge reconstructions and track lowering and selling the solution to the infrastructure managers in the route.” Consultation has resulted in a positive and productive relationship with the route asset managers’ teams and a real understanding of the whole life cost issues.

The electrification of this West Midlands route has emerged as a positive illustration of the new electrification design and construction methodologies.

The experience gained will be fed into the many similar schemes now being proposed to expand the electrified portion of the United Kingdom rail network.

Delivering Excellence in Railway Engineering Providing multi-disciplinary multi-disciplinary Providing railway engineering solutions railway engineering solutions across the UK rail network across the UK rail network

Safety | Professionalism | Innovation | Respect | Integrity | Teamwork www.amco-construction.co.uk | T: 01226 243413 | E: info@amco.co.uk

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

UK Railway Telecommunications 2015 UPDATE

CLIVE KESSELL

P

roviding the rail industry with telecommunications services is complex and often misunderstood. The uninitiated think of it as just another commodity that can be bought along with water, gas and electricity.

In reality it is very different to this perception as not only does it cover much more than office telephones and data devices, it is a core service to the operational railway. In short, if the telecom systems fail, the trains stop.

The UK history of rail telecommunications over the past twenty years has been somewhat traumatic. From the earliest days, the railways were permitted to run their own telegraph systems by the then Post Office monopoly because of the operational necessity that these provided. This status quo existed for around 150 years until the Thatcher government sought to liberalise telecoms firstly with the duopoly (BT and Mercury) and latterly to any company that could provide the right credentials.

Under rail privatisation plans, the extensive railway telecom network was formed into a separate grouping - British Rail Telecoms (BRT) - and sold firstly to Racal Electronics and from there to either Global Crossing (now Level 3) for the main networks or to Thales for everything else.

None of these private companies really understood what they were buying and became increasingly nervous when the performance and safety requirements plus some embarrassing failures invoked penalties that questioned the value of the services they now owned.

At the same time, the privatised Train Companies were tempted to acquire telecom services from orderhungry sales people in a myriad of companies intent on cherry-picking the easy bits and ignoring the more important operational comms. The result was communication chaos with ignorance as to who was responsible for what and with serious doubts as to the integrity of the services being supplied.

In parallel, the need to roll out GSM-R as a replacement for the ageing National Radio Network (NRN) and Cab Secure Radio (CSR) and as

a bearer for ERTMS was becoming paramount and Network Rail took the brave step in agreeing the investment for a new fibre-based nationwide transmission network, the FTN (Fixed Telecom Network), coupled with the provision of GSM-R infrastructure.

This would largely replicate, in modern form, what had been sold off in the mid 1990s. It was not cheap but has delivered high-bandwidth resilient capacity to virtually the whole of the rail network.

The creation of NRT Recent changes to de-centralise the Network Rail maintenance and operational structure into Routes did not fit a national telecommunications service, hence the need to create a new organisation - Network Rail Telecoms (NRT) - which was formed in mid 2011. This was reported on at the time in issue 89 (March 2012) when Andy Hudson, the then head of NRT, was interviewed. The vision for the company was to become the national provider of telecom services for the whole of the rail industry.

So how has it progressed in the intervening three years? Rail Engineer went to see Craig Ellis, the head of technology and engineering at NRT’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, to get an update.

NRT has grown to just over 500 staff and now assumes responsibility for all telecommunications assets within Network Rail as well as supplying limited services to the TOCs/FOCs. In addition to the Milton Keynes HQ, it has regional offices at Paddington, York, Edinburgh and Glasgow plus network management centres (NMC) at Stoke and Doncaster, the latter being managed

by Catherine Warren. Andy Hudson

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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has since departed from Network Rail and Simon Atterwell, with senior experience in the telecommunications industry, has become the new director. So how does NRT operate and what is its forward vision?

The asset portfolio and operation At the core of all NRT activities are its networks including FTN and FTNx. This transmission capacity is based around a fibre cable network laid alongside all main and secondary routes and including some remote branch lines. The fibre is capable of carrying vast bandwidth that will support every type of telecommunications application. The fibre architecture has been carefully designed to allow the creation of hundreds of rings that interconnect nationally.

The associated transmission technology borne on the rings at the time of introduction was SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) capable of yielding high bit rate data streaming structured around a number of STM-16 rings of 2.5Gbit capacity dropping down to STM4 and STM1 (155Mbit) to serve the various railway centres and depots in the country.

Break out points exist at regular intervals so as to permit local circuit connections to be accessed. These operate using PDH (Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy) technology, it having become the norm for lower order circuits since the introduction of digital transmission systems (PCM) in the 1960s. A 2Mbit bandwidth is a break out capacity that will support a reasonable video application. Sub dividing down to 64kbit is sufficient for a typical voice circuit and many other low speed applications.

The FTN was finally completed nationwide by March 2013 with 823 nodes around the country thus enabling a ‘digital pipe’ to be available for all the many downstream applications.

The telecom assets on Network Rail are many and varied and include: » Fibre and copper cable backbones - 16,000km and 22,000km respectively and carrying over 200,000 circuits; » Operational telephones such as SPTs and signalling centre concentrators; » Level crossing telephone systems; » Bearers for rail signalling system control distribution including future ETCS; » Transmission links for the control of the electric traction power supply including the bearers for the forthcoming national SCADA system; » GSM-R radio - in excess of 2,800 base stations and 55,000 mobile devices; » The RailNet telephone network (formerly known as the ETD); » Customer Information Systems including some 35,000 public address loudspeakers plus departure/arrival screens at Network Rail stations as part of SISS (Station Information

and Surveillance Services), » CCTV networks for station management and security - circa 16,000 cameras; » Data networks to support a multitude of Network Rail-owned and other rail IT applications.

The traditional separation of operational telecoms and business telecoms is now much more difficult to distinguish with many systems being used for both purposes. Outside telecom providers invariably fail to understand this crossover. A classic example is the RailNet service that not only provides a locationorientated emergency call service but also carries the access to electrical control rooms for voice communication messages associated with isolations and power-off situations. RailNet connections using DPNSS (Digital Private Network Signalling System) links, provided by Level 3, are a leftover from BRT days and its subsequent sale.

NRT has full responsibility for all these systems along with the architecture, design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the associated equipment. A pragmatic approach to maintenance and faulting is adopted whereby NRT operates help desks as a first port of call, with many customer problems being resolved simply by talking through the symptoms and giving the necessary advice. It is not realistic to provide first-line faulting at ground level across the country with its own staff and thus technicians from the S&T areas are used for this task by mutual agreement.

For more difficult faults that require specialist expertise, NRT will despatch its own people, this being termed second-line maintenance. Thirdline support, normally associated with the repair/ resolution of equipment, is either performed by a small, bespoke team in the NMC or sent out to vendor partners with some in-house reference networks available to them. Increasing reliance on remote monitoring and diagnostics is the order of the day with the NMCs being able to reroute traffic so as to maintain connectivity in all but the most catastrophic circumstances.

NRT does not just serve Network Rail since TOCs, FOCs and ROSCOs also use its services.

Whilst such organisations will generally use

public telecom providers for their commercial interface to the customer base, the railway has by necessity become a single entity when it comes to the running of trains. NRT therefore extends its RailNet telephone service and transmission facilities to these companies such that control rooms, signalling centres, depots and stations are all connected by a single network. This facilitates maximum co-operation for day-to-day running and especially during periods of disruption.

FTNx With SDH being a waning technology, it was only a matter of time before plans were emerging to create an IP-based national network. This, in part, follows the trend of most other telecom network companies but fits very well with the declared intention of Network Rail to move to ‘The Digital Railway’.

FTNx is not just a proposal, it is a reality.

Pioneered by NRT up in Scotland, issue 119 (September 2014) included an article on the first FTNx rings to be commissioned in support of the Edinburgh - Glasgow resignalling project (EGIP) and other associated schemes in the area. This employed a 10Gbit access layer with 20 router nodes such that access to VoIP telephones and remote control of interlockings could be achieved.

NRT has now built a core FTNx network centred around a number of 100Gbit IP rings, the main elements of which were in place by October 2014. The creation of intermediate 10Gbit multiples to get to the existing lowerorder SDH nodal points is ongoing within the CP5 programmes.

FTNx uses IP/MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) technology running over DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) fibre application and has a core of 52 nodes, sited primarily at the main railway centres and from where lower-order connections can be made.

As with all IP networks, addressing has to be carefully controlled and NRT has its own address group in IPv4 with provision for this to encompass IPv6 in due course. The design of the network has been entrusted to Infinera primarily for the optical elements and Cisco for the IP

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

elements, both of whom are market leaders in the application of this technology. The potential capacity of data on a pair of fibres is mind blowing: around 80 x 100Gbits!

Safety and security Although NRT is heavily involved with the supply of communications for the operational railway, it has wisely decided not to enter the SIL jungle (Safety Integrity Level). This does not mean that the impact of NRT service provision is entirely without safety implications, indeed many of the circuits / facilities provided are safety related and some might even be judged safety critical. The provision of SPTs and GSM-R may well be the only means of moving trains when the signals are at red.

The use of IP technology and networks to connect up the elements of a rail signalling system is increasing all the time and in some European countries (for example in Germany), IP object controllers are now located adjacent to signal heads and point machines such that an IP command changes the status of the trackside device.

It is only a matter of time before such networking becomes commonplace everywhere.

This demands a high level of safety competence in the telecom provider and the network has to be designed from the outset to include safety considerations. It often includes the preparation of a safety case and NRT has the in house expertise to do this, aided on occasions by external safety verifiers such as Ricardo Rail for an independent assessment.

Security is of equal importance and a proactive management approach to network protection is taken. Firewalls and operational support systems are in place with the two NMCs being duplicates of each other such that the failure of one site will not result in a loss of control. Cyber security is a concern for many parts of Network Rail, and NRT’s involvement in the co-ordinated approach is headed up by Darren Hepburn, the chief information security officer.

Future prospects and aims From the foregoing, it must be obvious that NRT is an essential part of Network Rail and key to the running of a successful train service.

BR and other railways (notably Germany) have tested the feasibility of outsourcing the telecom operation and have had to back pedal quickly.

There is a growing dependence on the FTN and FTNx for the distribution of critical information for rail signalling and electrification control, and this will mean a higher status on the safety ladder.

However, it does not mean that NRT is lacking imagination to improve communications facilities on the railway so as to take advantage of current day social media technology.

A typical example might be level crossing safety, which in the future could be further advanced by enhanced warnings to smartphones that provide the status of level crossings in the mobile coverage area, such that any pedestrian, cyclist or motorist approaching a crossing would be alerted to oncoming trains and warned accordingly.

Similar technology could well aid the protection of trackside workers and the R&D group within NRT is looking at exciting opportunities around fibre sensing, cyber security analytics and a connected railway, running over a next-generation network.

NRT must be wished well with its endeavours since they are intrinsic to the railway.

IP design for FTNx NRT chose Cisco, via its partner TelefĂłnica, to design and deliver FTNx. The use of commercial, off-the-shelf products (COTS) is creating a standardsbased, IP MPLS network capable of delivering reliable mission-critical, operational and commercial services.

As part of the Cisco Connected Rail solution, Cisco ASR 9922 routers, distributed throughout the country, provide core routing functions, while the distribution layer of the network relies on ASR 9010 series routers. Meanwhile, Cisco ASR 903 routers manage local, point-of-presence (POP) connectivity in hundreds of REBs alongside the tracks.

All products comply with relevant railway standards and the network design meets the requirements necessary to connect interlockings and handle both traffic management communications and SCADA for electrification. The network also currently transmits lineside telephony.

With the capacity to support future services, FTNx can deliver commercial telecoms into stations, connect to sensors that monitor Network Rail assets, and provide backhaul train-to-wayside communications in areas where 3G/LTE coverage is insufficient.

Cisco Connected Rail Safety - Mobility - Security - Efficiency

With the Internet of Everything, rail and mass transit systems can converge and connect all of your disparate systems over IP to enable information sharing and common communications, whether it is for passengers, crew, executives or control center operations. Our flexible and secure networking solutions connect people, processes, data, and things from onboard trains to trackside and in stations.

The Cisco速 Connected Rail architecture and validated network designs are built on open standards, which lower total cost of ownership and implementation risks and increase application enablement.

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Learn how Cisco is creating safer, smarter railways

www.cisco.com/go/connectedrail

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COMPASS

Rail Engineer • July 2015

CLIVE KESSELL

Degraded Mode Recovery

S

tatistics show that signalling systems are becoming more reliable and this trend will continue as ongoing investment gradually transfers control to the new Railway Operating Centres (ROCs) being built in the UK.

That’s the good news, but with the increasing centralisation of control, failures can have a much greater impact than hitherto. Trains can be stopped for extended periods of time before permission is granted for them to move under temporary working arrangements.

With the railway now busier than ever before, the impact of stranded trains affects far more people than in the past and the build up of trains stopped at successive signals is a major concern for both Network Rail and the TOCS. Something has to be done to alleviate this situation.

getting someone to site to clip and scotch points and/or to have a person to manually control road / pedestrian movements at a level crossing.

Putting these arrangements in place can take a long time, typically up to two hours, and with the larger area of control provided by the ROCs, this time is likely to get longer. There has to be a way of streamlining the process.

COMPASS The Combined Positioning Alternative Signalling System (COMPASS) seeks to take advantage of all the modern forms of communication that enable train position, direction and speed to be determined in real time for safety critical commands and information update requirements. These are then combined into a single data package that can reliably inform a signaller where trains are located should the primary signalling system have failed.

The scale of the problem

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

Signalling failures can take many forms. Track circuit or train detection problems causing loss of train position information tend to dominate but power supply loss, points out of detection, level crossing malfunction and other failures all occur periodically. In recent times, vandalism and theft have been major causes with cable theft being a particular menace that accounted for 16% of all failures in 2011. With increased legislation to regulate the scrap industry and new initiatives from both the cable supply industry and the BT Police, this has now reduced to below 5%.

Delays of around two million minutes per year are caused by signalling failures. This has remained the statistic for some time for, whilst signalling technology has become more resilient, this is offset by the greater number of trains.

Arrangements within the Rule Book have been in place for many years to allow trains past a failed auto signal (i.e. a signal not protecting a set of points or level crossing) with the driver permitted to ‘drive on sight’ at low speed so as to be able to stop safely should any obstruction be observed.

However, a control signal that routes trains over a set of points or through a controlled level crossing cannot be passed until the route is proved to be in the correct position with points locked accordingly and a verbal instruction given to the driver by the signaller. This can mean

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Sources of position information range from traditional track circuits and train detection through to GPS as needed for DAS (Driver Advisory Systems), train mounted camera devices used for track condition monitoring, RFIB (radio frequency identification), TMS (Traffic Management System) and maybe other technologies that will emerge over time. Not many of these are as yet standard fitments on trains and some will be slower to emerge than others.

DAS is, however, being fitted to an increasing number of routes and trains and the first TMS systems will be in operation from 2016 at Cardiff and Romford ROCs. COMPASS will not require every source of positional information to be available, but must be assured beyond reasonable doubt that a specific train is in the location that the data indicates.

This is fine but how does it help?

To minimise delay, the system must know the position of points and status of level crossings for an ongoing movement instruction to be given. This is achieved by the development of points monitoring units located at the lineside or in relay rooms to eavesdrop the position of points and report this back to the signaller using the public mobile 3G and 4G radio networks. Once this positional and status information is confirmed, a movement authority can be given for a train to proceed.

The time to validate the data is estimated at 10 minutes after which a movement authority can be given such that a train can move forward at speeds of 30 to 40mph.

The authority may only extend to the next signal, also possibly at red, or it may be for a much longer block section. In the latter case, since train position information is constantly available, it is envisaged that COMPASS will permit a convoy of trains into the section under controlled conditions. In most cases where the extent of the failure affects only one signal section, the train will resume normal running if the next signal is at green. The timesavings are expected to be significant and should enable the railway to operate much more efficiently even though still in degraded mode.

The technology An initial design, produced in house by the Network Rail Technical Services team, has now been manufactured as a pre-prototype by CHG Group in Sheffield. Essentially, the design embraces both a signaller’s unit, which will be installed alongside the normal work station screen, and a train borne unit to be installed in the driver’s cab. The signaller’s screen will normally be blank and will only be turned on when needed.

The point monitoring unit installed adjacent to the set of points has a SIM card to effectively make it a mobile phone. For the moment, this will just monitor the set of points and, every time they are moved, a call is initiated to the signaller to show the new position on his/her

control screen. An integration unit will be at the heart of the COMPASS system that constantly collects all the train movement and direction data from whatever source is available and uses this data should a signalling failure occur.

This early design will be deployed in the summer of 2015 on the Stoke Summit to Doncaster section of the East Coast main line (ECML), covering three sites at Ranskill, Retford and Carlton on Trent - all under the control of Doncaster power signal box. It is primarily to test the feasibility and integrity of the concept rather than overcoming any particular problem of signalling failures on that part of the line although, should such an incident occur, the practicality of the system will also be tested.

Wider system roll-out In parallel to the ECML trial, Network Rail has carried out a number of feasibility studies as to how a wider deployment might be achieved and has issued an Invitation to Tender for industry to develop a commercial Compass Integration Unit and support elements. The specification for this is deliberately non-technical in order not to constrain tenderers from being innovative in their approach. It sets out the broad order requirements and the architecture that is foreseen. To date 13 bids have been received involving 58 companies including organisations from within academia.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

A key requirement is the use of COTS (commercial off the shelf) products, not only to keep costs down but also to prevent bespoke developments locking Network Rail into a single supplier. From the 13 bids, it is anticipated that four will be shortlisted for feasibility studies and subsequently two companies will be invited to build and test a model system.

One of these will be chosen to implement a wider trial on a nominated section of railway. The trial area will be carefully chosen to test degraded mode operation in a location where signalling failures are known to cause major disruption to train service performance. From this the specification can be refined to allow a greater number of companies to produce products in due course.

The level of interoperability needed to ensure effective interworking between different pieces of equipment will be one of the factors to be examined. Once proven, it is anticipated that a wider roll out will be with a number of suppliers.

Longer-term deployment will need to be where benefits can be maximised, and this means a combination of dense traffic movements and complex junctions with many points and crossings. As such, it is envisaged that busy areas within the ROCs will be equipped but, in the medium term, many larger power boxes will also be provided with COMPASS to control critical sections of railway.

Future vision It must be emphasised that COMPASS is not a substitute signalling system; it is there to enable degraded operation to be implemented in a much quicker timescale whilst maintaining the necessary level of safety for the movement of passenger and freight trains. However, with such a system in place, there could be many other applications where it would add value. Âť Whilst initially it will only monitor and prove that points and barriers are in a certain position, use of the communications link is envisaged to command a movement of these elements such that the intended route can be established as part of the degraded movement process. Âť Since COMPASS will provide a constant monitoring of all train movements in an area, supplying this information to lineside lookouts equipped with iPads or suchlike would be a great improvement compared to eyesight and horns/flags.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Signal and SPTs at Thorpe-le-Soker, Essex.

» User worked crossings are an ever present safety concern and the provision of a local display device giving a ‘tactical picture’ of approaching trains and minimum safety distances would be a big advance compared to the present information provided by signallers that ‘a train is somewhere in the block section’. » Deployment of ERTMS will be totally dependent on GSM-R to communicate the movement authorities associated with ETCS. If the GSM-R system goes down, communication is lost and the trains will stop. Having a means of moving trains in this hopefully very rare situation will be important and COMPASS can provide this vital back up.

All these are for the future and one must not be carried away with too many ‘what if?’ possibilities. The adage of eating the elephant a leg at a time must be the way forward.

COMPASS is a 50:50 partnership between Network Rail and Future Railways (a sub set of RSSB) and the project has now become a part of the ‘Digital Railway’ concept. It has a budget

of £3.9 million for the initial development and is expected to cost around a further £6 million for the operational trials installation and subsequent refinement. Points Monitoring has a safety case in place and has been put through the Safety Review Panel.

This is a classic example of ‘thinking outside the box’. New operating rules may be required but it must not be constrained by traditional

signalling philosophy. Degraded mode operation has been a challenge for many years and overzealous safety has made the problem more difficult. This is an opportunity to redress the balance for the benefit of all.

Thanks to John Collins, the project sponsor within Network Rail, for sparing the time to explain what COMPASS is all about.

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Interoperability Rail Engineer • July 2015

a necessary complication

PAUL DARLINGTON

T

he concept of interoperability amongst European railways may seem to some to be a bit of a moot point so far as the UK is concerned. There is just one rail link with the rest of the continent, through the Channel Tunnel. The Shuttle and Eurostar trains which operate through it go only to the tunnel terminal near Folkestone or to St Pancras, both of which are dedicated railways built to European standards.

There are no plans to operate any other trains into Europe, and even the proposed link with HS2 has been scrapped.

So why do British railways need to be interoperable at all?

The most important point is one of economics and goes back to the Treaty of Rome. Ensuring that systems are interoperable, and standard, results in economy of scale and reduces cost. Once a system is certified as interoperable it opens the door to new markets, and not just in Europe. Railways have always needed to conform to standards and with an assurance regime to certify that products and systems comply. The EU interoperability regulations provide a common system for verification and approval across all of Europe.

Many people believe that the HS2/HS1 link will get reinstated at some point. And, even inside the UK, signalling and other systems need to be interoperable around the country so using a common system for verification and approval makes sense.

EU Requirements The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011 (RIR) implement European Community (EC) Directive 2008/57/ EC on the interoperability of the UK rail system. They apply to new, major, upgraded or renewed infrastructure and rolling stock. Applicants have to follow a framework and seek an authorisation from the recently renamed Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to place infrastructure or rolling stock into service.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

NoBos, DeBos, NTRs, TSIs and the TF!

The Directive sets out the conditions to be met to achieve interoperability within the Community rail system. These conditions are met through the processes of: design, construction, placing in service, upgrading, renewing, and operation and maintenance of parts in the system.

The regulations can seem complex and daunting. It is sometimes more straightforward for rolling stock items to receive verification and approval for interoperability, compared to some types of fixed infrastructure. Controlcommand and signalling subsystems that interface across different infrastructure managers can face difficulties.

Following its recent acquisition of Lloyd’s Register Rail, Ricardo Rail is now a global rail business which provides independent assurance, technical consulting and engineering services to a range of organisations across the industry - operators, manufacturers, maintenance companies, infrastructure managers, investors and regulators.

Rail Engineer recently met up with Martin Westerman, head of telecoms and systems at Ricardo Rail, to find out more about the issues that can arise with the verification and approvals process, and to throw some light onto the subject.

The verification procedure is split in two parts: an EC verification procedure by a Notified Body (NoBo) and a verification procedure in the case of national rules by a Designated Body (DeBo). The directives aim to ensure that common Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) are applied across Europe’s railways and to establish a common European verification and authorisation process.

A NoBo is an independent organisation accredited by government to undertake conformity assessment of a project against relevant TSIs. In the UK, the Department for Transport (DfT) appoints NoBos and assesses them as meeting certain criteria, including competence, independence and integrity as required by the regulations.

DeBos are independent third parties appointed by the DfT to assess and verify conformity of projects with National Technical Rules (NTRs). DeBos operate in tandem with NoBos. TSIs define the technical standards required to satisfy the essential requirements to achieve interoperability.

The requirements include safety, reliability and availability, health, environmental protection and technical compatibility. NTRs are those standards which the directive requires each member state to notify to the commission where it contains an identified ‘open point’ or where derogation from a TSI has been notified. In the UK, these are normally railway group standards.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) is responsible, on behalf of the rail industry, for proposing to the DfT any NTRs that should be notified against each of the TSIs for use on the British mainline. The purpose of the notified NTRs (NNTRs) is to provide additional controls to make sure that the requirements specified in the directive are met.

A project must seek an authorisation from the ORR before placing an interoperable subsystem into service.

The application to the ORR must be in writing and accompanied by both the technical file (TF) and the verification declaration. There is no mandatory time limit for the ORR to determine an application or authorisation, although projects are advised to build a minimum of four months into their timescales.

The structure and content of a technical file is well defined, although there is some flexibility. However, it must include the following: general and detailed electrical and control-circuit diagrams; description of data-processing and automatic systems; list of interoperability constituents or copies of the EC declarations of conformity; conditions limits and characteristics of the project subsystem; manuals and instructions relating to the servicing, constant or routine monitoring; adjustment, maintenance and configuration controls; and documentation or records demonstrating compliance with the NNTRs.

The verification process The first step in the process for any project implementing a system which falls into the scope of interoperability and the regulations is to define the scope of authorisation required and the extent of the TSIs and NNTRs to be applied with the agreement of the DfT. Early discussion and engagement with all stakeholders is important.

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A NoBo and DeBo must be engaged to assess compliance against the TSIs and NTRs. Evidence must be presented to the Nobo/DeBo which, after assessment, will produce certificates of compliance for the TF. The project submits the TF and any necessary declarations to the ORR which grants the authorisation for placing into service (APIS) There are different ways a NoBo/DeBo can carry out their assessments using combinations of assessment modules and these can be selected to minimise project cost and risk.

The NoBo can only issue full certification if the system is compliant with all the relevant TSIs in force at the time. This can cause problems with assessing systems which interface with those managed by different infrastructure managers or with projects which may have been installed to earlier versions of the TSIs. In such circumstances, derogations may be required which can only be granted by the DfT. Similarly, the ORR can only provide the APIS if the project is fully compliant with current TSIs or derogations are in place.

Experience gained with GSM-R Through Lloyd’s Register, Ricardo Rail has gained many years’ experience as both DeBo and NoBo throughout Europe on a variety of complex projects.

One of these is the national GSM-R project on which it was first engaged in 2004. Options on how the assessment could be carried out were considered and agreement was obtained from the DfT to assess against the 2006 TSI. Verification of conformity with TSIs is carried out using several defined modules.

To complete module SB, a NoBo examines the technical design of a subsystem and verifies and provides clear evidence that the design of the subsystem meets the requirements of the relevant TSI(s).

Module SF is based on product verification whereby the applicant fulfils the obligations of manufacture and declaration of verification. The applicant must ensure and declare that the subsystem is in conformity with the type described in the ECtype examination certificate, and satisfies the requirements of the relevant TSI(s).

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Verification using module SD is based on a quality management system of the production process. The applicant ensures and declares that the subsystem is in conformity with the type described in the EC-type examination certificate, and satisfies the requirements of the relevant TSI(s).

For the GSM-R project, it was decided to use module SB supplemented with modules SD and SF. The initial completion area, known as the Strathclyde pilot, was assessed using module SB and SF. GSM-R national deployment commenced after the NoBo assessed the project's quality management system (QMS) and issued an interim module SD certification. This allowed the project to continue deployment of the GSM-R system under their approved QMS with periodic surveillance audits carried out by the NoBo. Once the national rollout was completed a full SD certificate was issued.

The TF was compiled in two parts. Volume 1 was compiled by the NoBo, representing a snapshot at the time of the assessment. Volume 2 was compiled by Network Rail recording details of the rollout under the approved QMS plus minor changes.

Lessons for ETCS and other interoperable projects Unlike GSM-R, there will not be the same concept of a national core network which each subsequent implementation has relied upon. GSM-R infrastructure has used modules SB, plus either SF or SD. ETCS may be more difficult with possible use of further modules (particularly quality-based ones such as SH1 under which EC verification is based on a full quality management system plus design examination). There may be further issues with interoperable constituents, such as balises and radio block centres, which are certified in their own right.

There may be added complication at interface points where the NoBo has to consider technical compatibility and safe integration. This may be more challenging to demonstrate where the other side of the interface has been certified using a different assessment approach.

The choice of appropriate assessment modules, such as SB, SF, SD and SH1, and / or the establishment of a robust quality management system is an early consideration for projects. Different modules have implications on time and resources which may impact on the risk to the project.

Key messages The first important point with complex systems requiring verification, and in particular for systems which may operate across multiple infrastructure managers, is the importance of planning the initial and long term compliance. TSIs will evolve and change, and projects need to recognise this, and plan to accommodate change as best they can throughout a project lifecycle.

The transition from SB plus SF to SB and SD has been a useful method of assessment, allowing the quality processes to develop and mature as part of the project deployment programme and roll out.

Difficulties and issues have arisen with having to revisit and extend the certification against later TSIs for different project entities and infrastructure managers. The TF has also had to be restructured where more than one party has been involved for contractual reasons.

The DfT derogation letter was issued to the GSM-R project responsible for the national roll out. However it was not transferable to other parties (within Network Rail or otherwise) leading to the risk of other projects not receiving authorisation. The directive is very strict in that authorisation can only be against the current TSIs. In a scenario of, say, additional GSM-R radio sites being added to a GSM-R core operated by a different infrastructure manager, the project installing the additional GSM-R sites has to be assessed against the latest TSIs. However, the core they are connected to may have been assessed against earlier TSIs. This can lead to problems unless it is managed carefully and all parties co-operate, make sure their TF is up to date, and share information openly.

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Adopting later versions of TSI and mandatory specifications may be driven by interfacing systems connected to different infrastructure managers, and there may be multiple authorising applicants and technical file owners. Projects must recognise that there are strict criteria governing derogation against TSIs in force at the time of seeking authorisation.

Selecting, choosing and agreeing with all parties the appropriate assessment module(s) is vital to achieve a balance between project risk and efficiency. A robust maintenance and management process for the TF must be established at an early stage, recognising that compliance evidence gathered will be important to any NoBo needing the evidence to support a verification submission.

The maintenance and management process for the TF must be transferred seamlessly into the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the system.

A ‘minor change’ reconfiguration to the system may become very important when another verification submission is required. Failure to gather evidence that compliance has been maintained may result in difficulties and delays when any update to the NoBo certificate is required. The process must recognise that there may well be multiple owners of the TF. Early planning is vital, not just for initial certification and authorisation, but a strategy must be in place to accommodate how maintenance and upgrades will be carried out. Projects must engage early with the DfT and ORR to agree an achievable scope, together with a pragmatic approach to authorisation. When seeking authorisation from the DfT, projects need to be very clear about the scope of any derogation being sought and the party and organisation it applies to.

A robust, but flexible, contracting strategy with suppliers will be required. The procurement contract will need to accommodate changes to the TSIs during the course of the project, together with providing a framework and base for any subsequent upgrades, additions or connections to other subsystems.

So interoperability is a complex area but, like all successful projects, early planning and using the experience and lessons learned from previous projects is the key to success.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

POLLY RIVERS

Grange Sidings demonstrations

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G

lorious in the June sunshine, Grange Sidings in Stoke-on-Trent was the location for a recent demonstration, staged by Network Rail, of two of the industry’s latest plant powerhouses.

The Komatsu PC210LCi-10 excavator and the newly rail-modified Bomag Variomatic Roller took centre stage in front of 50 ‘movers and shakers’ (or should that be high rollers?) from across the industry, as part of a live trial, showcasing innovation in the plant sector.

However, before the trial could commence, the first job of the day was the removal of two 30ft concrete track panels. The task was undertaken by plant supplier AP Webb. A pair of RA400RR Rail-Max tracked excavators, fitted with panel grab attachments, performed a tandem lift on each panel.

The short jibs on the rail-wheeled 45-tonne excavators helped make easy work of moving the panels and they soon had the site clear and ready for excavation.

Digging for victory Site clear, the Komatsu excavator was moved into position. Experienced operator Mark Fletcher of Quattro Plant, who received two additional days training from Komatsu on the market’s most technically advanced excavator, had a 45-minute window to dig a trench 40 metres long by 3.5 metres wide to a depth of 300mm. With the

eyes of the industry upon his and the excavator’s performance, the result was highly anticipated.

Mark needn’t have been concerned though. The Komatsu’s traditional global navigation satellite system (GNSS), combined with stroke measuring sensors, inertial measuring capacity and bespoke electronics and control systems, help create a machine that not only creates an accurate dig but is also a very user friendly experience.

Previously, in order to achieve an accurate dig grade, a level of trust must be put in the operator’s ability, and any

additional systems for guidance are after-market ‘bolt-ons’, often subject to damage or theft. The Komatsu changes that, with fully integrated machine control helping prevent over-digging and maintaining grade automatically using only 'arm in lever' - the boom raises automatically keeping the bucket edge perfectly on grade.

The excavator’s system was set in a semi-automatic mode, so any movement of the arm from within the cab resulted in automatic boom height adjustment and tracing of the target surface, thus minimising the risk of over-digging “I was responsible for the majority of the dig, but used the laser to check when there was about 100mm to go,” Mark explained. “This worked brilliantly and the machine came into its own, taking over just at the right time and providing a ‘safety net’ to prevent overdigging.”

With working tolerances of between 20-30mm (depending on the surface material), there was no need for a banksman on hand to be continually checking that the dig depth was still within the correct boundaries. From a safety point of view, there was therefore one fewer person within the danger zone of the working machine, and less time was lost by stopping digging for checks. Using the machine’s built-in technologies, the team was able to complete the dig quickly, safely and effectively, allowing the next stage of works to commence.

Rolling out the new technology With a successful track bed dug to exacting measurements, the next vehicle up in front of the crowds was the newly converted Bomag Variomatic Roller. The single drum roller has been successful in the civils market for many

The BOMAG BW 213 BVC 4i roller compacts the track bed.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Removing track panels.

Komatsu PC210 LCi-10 in action.

years but, following a conversion by RRV specialist Rexquote, the vehicle was ready for its debut into the rail market.

The roller uses intelligent control (IC) technology to measure the status of the ballast it is travelling over, and optimises the force required to ensure a uniform stiffness across the entire bed. The driver was able to set the ‘compaction value’ and the highly sophisticated system took care of the rest.

Measurements were taken many times each second to ensure that the roller displaced a correct amount of force at any given time, with the compaction energy adjusted by a bespoke system designed to change the vibrating direction of the drum.

There were no concerns about missing a bit either - GPS signals taken from transmitters located inside the roller itself provided the driver with an on-board, comprehensive, real-time digital map, tracking his route to a distance of two inches, and showing when complete compaction had been achieved, helping ensure that he knew when no further passes needed to be carried out.

Topcon made checks of the levels, which proved to be exactly as they should be, leaving an end result of a perfectly compacted, smooth bed that was ready to receive new ballast.

Top grades for innovation Spectators having been suitably impressed by the Bomag’s rail capabilities, it was time for the new Komatsu machine to take centre stage again, this time to cover the track bed with a fresh layer of ballast.

The restoning and grading of the bed utilised many of the same technologies as the dig. Topcon GNSS helped ensure that ballast was delivered in precisely the right position whilst the cutting-edge Komatsu sensor technologies helped make short work of grading the delivered ballast, keeping the bucket accurate to profile.

“From an operator’s point of view, the machine does its job, and it does it really well,” said Quattro Plant’s Mark Fletcher who was once again demonstrating the excavator. “Every operator will use the technology differently, but I would suggest that it is especially good both for maintaining quality across a work site and for perfect finishing touches.”

The same technology that was controlling the dig was also helping keep the team safe, providing a failsafe ALO (adjacent line open) system. The machine, including the boom and bucket, know where they are at any given time to ±10mm. The testing site was a perfect location to showcase this - with spectators from across the industry watching the action, as well as an active line just metres away from the worksite.

Did they ‘pass’…?

With fresh ballast down, to exact requirements, the Bomag roller made its final appearance to ensure that the scene was set for the replacement of the track panels. Using the same IC quality control technology demonstrated earlier, the driver was able to make short work of the final pass. A compaction test was carried out to ensure that all levels were as they should be before the work was considered complete.

The demonstration finished an hour early, with all works completed and tested. Both vehicles performed perfectly, working speedily and efficiently, as well as ticking all the required boxes with regards to safety - both promoted less people on track, with less scope for accidents and injury.

“The overall aim for Network Rail at the event was to check whether traditional plant, such as a dozer, could be eliminated to save costs and avoid a longer line closure,” commented Malcolm McCoy, senior product manager at Komatsu. “The testing that took place during the event has proved the PC210Lci-10 to be exceptionally accurate, as well as being a versatile, intuitive rail vehicle designed to tackle the demanding requirements of today’s busy rail industry.”

So, with safety and efficiency the buzzwords for CP5, could Komatsu’s PC210LCi-10 excavator and Bomag’s Variomatic Roller be plant’s new superstars, set to break new ground in rail?

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Window sampling

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made simple N

etwork Rail’s target in Control Period 5 (CP5 2014-2019) is to do more for less. To achieve more renewals and replacements for less money, which can only be done by introducing innovation in all areas of its work.

Slope stabilisation is one of the hot topics. Recent landslips such as the one at Harbury have demonstrated the need for new ways both to repair damaged embankments and cuttings and to prevent future failures. This has identified a need in the market for innovative drilling equipment.

Versatile new rig The Lightweight Limited Access Modular Rig (LLAMR®) is a window sampling rig which overcomes the difficulty of site investigations in locations with limited space, headroom or problematic accesses and egresses, without compromising safety. It has the capability of carrying out site investigation and installations in virtually any environment or location, from housing basements and low-ceiling bridges to failing embankment cesses, toe, crests and mid-slopes. With a much smaller footprint, the LLAMR also minimises the risk of further damage/ destabilisation to the environment.

With most locations of the CP5 Earthworks project on steep and/ or unstable rail-side embankments with limited access, most standard window sampling rigs required expensive and problematic weekend possessions.

Topdrill, which was established in 2006 and has since become one of the UK’s leading geotechnical investigation (GI) sub-contractors specialising in the railway industry, introduced the LLAMR in 2014.

It can carry out geotechnical investigations in high-risk areas during midweek day shifts, thereby avoiding costly and time-limiting weekend night possessions.

The rig has consistently sampled to depths of 12 to 15 metres on CP5 earthworks projects.

Supplemented by calibrated in-situ testing, including SPT (standard penetration testing), dynamic probing and undisturbed sampling (U70s), as well as the installation of varied monitoring equipment, Topdrill is able to produce highquality results which greatly reduce the design risk.

These GI results, along with any laboratory testing undertaken, allow engineers to provide a client-specific report which can range from ‘basic factual’ through to fully interpretive.

Investigation and reporting Factual reporting can simply be the provision of the exploratory borehole records and laboratory test results or a formal presentation with full descriptions of the techniques and methodologies used, in accordance with Eurocode 7 EN 1997-2:2007 Annex E. Depending on the level of ‘consultancy’ required by the client, interpretive reports can range from a short paragraph added to the factual section where only a single parameter may be required (for example an allowable ground bearing pressure at a particular location), through to a fully interpretive report with desk study, in accordance with Eurocode 7. The latter would provide recommendations and geotechnical parameters in the context of the investigation and/or proposed development, such as retaining wall design parameters, discussion of foundation options, allowable ground bearing pressures and settlement estimates.

For example, interpretive reports for the North Lincolnshire Resignalling and South Kirkby and Wakefield Westgate projects required analysis and correlation of medium-weight dynamic probing (DPM) and borehole SPT to provide allowable bearing pressures for the gantries, signal bases and various other structures at several hundred locations.

Using this and other technologies, Topdrill provides an all-round, bespoke engineering service, including on-site and post-site

support and consultation for the client, and can also undertake an extensive range of environmental investigations, risk assessments and remediation audits.

78

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Modelling the Future N

etwork Rail recently commissioned a large-scale project to create a 3D digital model of Liverpool Street Station in London. The model was to be based largely on 3D laser scan data collected in the field by surveying teams, which would then be supplemented and cross-checked against existing asset records.

The logistics of producing such a model relied heavily on integrating data with some 29,000 legacy drawings from the archive in York, some of which dated back to the original construction of the station in the late 1800s.

Relying on these drawings alone would import a large element of risk when producing a current as-built record so, to supplement the model, over 600 fully-coordinated 3D HDS laser scans were produced of the entire station.

Large amounts of data The surveying teams worked in non-operational hours to minimise any impact on the general public. First, a fully-coordinated survey grid was created and then seven teams could conduct laser scan and reflectorless survey activities.

The post-processing of the data sets produced from the laser scanners is a sizeable task in itself due to the sheer volume of data collected. It was agreed that splitting the clouds was essential in order to reduce the files to a manageable size.

SIMON HATCH

Using Autodesk Recap, each cloud was converted into an Autodesk Revit 2015 native point cloud file format. It could then be linked into Revit in order to re-construct the station, making the process much more manageable.

Once the sections and plans were determined through the cloud, the modelling process could begin. As each scan has to be registered and cloudfitted to create a cohesive model, and there were many millions of surveyed points, powerful hardware was required to manage the data sets.

Enriching the data Whilst the point cloud gives a dimensionally-accurate 3D representation, from a BIM perspective it is still very much dumb data with little embedded information. In the spirit of BIM, and using the point cloud and legacy data as a base, a Revit model was created which contained data-rich components with built-in parameters to enable additional asset data to be introduced. This embedded data can then provide a wealth of information

for renovation, construction, facilities management and, indeed, the asset lifecycle of the station itself.

Of course, laser scanners can only capture points which can be seen from the scan position and will not identify what lies beneath the surface. Therefore additional GPR (ground penetrating radar) and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) surveys were carried out to build a fuller picture of the station and its components.

This project was undertaken by Bridgeway Consulting and utilised expertise from both the BIM and geomatics departments within the organisation. Should Network Rail need to capture more data in the future, Bridgeway can mobilise its in-house ground investigation, site investigation, and infrastructure services teams to carry out intrusive investigations and condition inspections. The additional data gathered from these works can then be linked, visualised and geo-coordinated to the BIM model, working to the principles of true BIM. Bridgeway’s service offering doesn’t end with the handover of the model.

Helping clients achieve their goals in information management is one of the core values to its BIM consultancy service. With this in mind, the company is engaging with its clients to help them understand how they can implement a ‘single source of truth’ from their common data environment through the use of BS1192 workflows. Bridgeway is also helping clients to standardise certain approaches regarding the flow of construction data within their projects.

Laser scan to model of platform areas.

Laser scanning surveyor undertaking 3D scanning.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Liverpool St. main concourse.

Laser Scan to model of platform areas A number of BIM workshops were set up in order to develop the model and maintain its manageable status, categorisation and zoning of spaces to aid the structure of information. Data from the model can be delivered in numerous ways and various formats to ensure interoperability.

Working from initial data collection through to data processing, modelling, management and consultancy, Bridgeway is building a platform to manage major projects and the ongoing monitoring and utilisation of intelligent data, bringing key benefits to public and private sector clients.

Simon Hatch is BIM manager at Bridgeway Consulting

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Location

Location Location

New angles on data collection

RILA track profiles are generated every 10cm or less with a relative accuracy of ±/-5mm over 200m.

S

urvey technology for rail infrastructure is gradually relocating.

Increasing automation is helping to remove survey personnel from the tracks. Data collection is moving from dedicated vehicles to passenger trains, working at faster speeds and with less disruption. New line speed train-mounted technologies are being introduced that will revolutionise the way that data and asset information is collected on the railway.

And further change is on the cards.

Network Rail is currently consulting with suppliers on new methods to improve future procurement of asset data, with an emphasis on health and safety, quality and efficiency.

Offering multiple benefits to the rail engineer, survey automation is certain to play a central role. It ticks the all-important safety box by reducing the risks (and costs) associated with people working on or near the line as well as avoiding the disruption of track possessions.

It also provides the potential to acquire more data more costeffectively for use in the latest design software.

Additionally, output from automated surveys is sufficiently repeatable to indicate change over time, and sufficiently comprehensive to guide maintenance and renewal planning.

Limited capacity on the network is fuelling demand for automation that can work on scheduled passenger and maintenance vehicles rather than dedicated trains to relieve an already congested system.

Track geometry New developments in track geometry measurement are already solving this problem. The RILA system, developed

by Fugro RailData in the Netherlands and recently adopted by Network Rail, measures the absolute position of the track in three dimensions at accuracy levels that support design whilst simultaneously capturing georeferenced forward facing video.

Crucially, RILA can be quickly and easily attached to any regular passenger train, taking measurements at normal operating speeds without expensive modifications to trains or changes in schedules or additional train-paths. Data collection is not just safer, but easier to plan and much more cost-effective.

This ease of use makes it possible to measure a large network as often as necessary without loss of track availability for train operators. The acquired data can be used as track survey data for (alignment) design, BIM-modelling, the calculation of track quality parameters, as well as vehicle behaviour and comfort parameters.

The system is connected to the train by a specifically-designed coupler adaptor in less than two minutes at any terminus station. It supplies absolute track position, gauge and cant at line speed with data collected in a fraction of the time of conventional ground based surveys.

Track profiles are collected using an integrated laser and imaging system that computes position and orientation from on-board GPS and inertial measurement systems. The system is currently cleared to operate at 100mph and at this speed will yield profiles at 10cm intervals with an absolute accuracy of ±10mm (plan) and ±15mm (height) and relative accuracies of 5mm over a 200 metre distance. Individual profiles have a relative accuracy of <1mm.

Additionally, the system captures simultaneous forward facing video during collection that can be used as a desktop tool for asset management and condition inspection.

With a high absolute accuracy, RILA is readily meeting the specifications of an increasing number of European rail operators. Network Rail is the latest, having approved the system for a range of engineering design applications. Acceptance followed stringent testing on a Colas Class 47 locomotive and then using the BSI coupler for Northern Rail Class 150, 156 and 142 passenger services.

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Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ July 2015 Imaging powers Since modular systems such as Fugro RailDataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RILA are so easy to deploy, they empower designers and asset managers by providing a suite of robust, reliable measurement information that would have previously been beyond the boundaries of most project budgets or programmes.

TREVOR BURTON & MARK THOMAS

RILA information is being used by designers working on electrification and route upgrades and is also proving attractive to High Output track renewal teams for optimising design and checking the finished product.

Whilst capable of impressive productivity, state-ofthe-art track renewal machines are expensive to run, requiring a sizeable labour force and mostly constrained to short overnight possessions. Any delays caused by quality issues, for example, take a heavy toll on budgets, programme time and ultimately customer service.

The Fugro RAIL-MAP system delivers point cloud asset information along the rail corridor and includes simultaneous capture of panoramic imagery.

Innovation to deliver safety, accuracy and efficiency Achieving high quality track installation and rail bed maintenance requires high accuracy and rapid verification of track geometry.

The Trimble GEDO Vorsys is a premeasurement system for tamper machines which provides that high level of accuracy required by the railway industry with operational speed and flexibility.

Imetrum Video Gauge is a non-contact precision measurement video monitoring system ideal for when you need to accurately measure dynamic deflection at a distance with real-time feedback, and under train loading, all with sub mm accuracy.

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2015 Rail Eng - January.indd 1

22/12/2014 17:08:28

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Screen grab from on-board RILA video.

(Right) RILA being installed.

Pre-renewal, RILA can be used to screen for any anomalies or stability issues with the existing track that can be addressed during reconstruction.

Post-renewal, it can deliver high accuracy data for all-important quality assurance - to check that any preexisting issues with the trackbed or geometry have been resolved, and to trouble-shoot any non-alignment or non-conformities.

Another area that can benefit is the pre-procurement survey, such as passing clearance analysis for introduction of new rolling stock.

RILA data can be used to ‘model’ the kinematic window and spatial footprint of trains through curves, taking into consideration the associated track geometry as well as checking clearances with structures and other potential obstructions within the existing track environment.

Screening like this is now increasingly viable while also becoming indispensable in managing the risks of major investments, in fleet as well as track assets.

For an even more expansive view of the entire rail corridor while still onboard, Fugro has developed a complementary system, RAIL-MAP. This can be mounted to the front or back of any buffered locomotive or train, offering similar logistical as well as data quality benefits to RILA. It incorporates twin 360º laser scanners and a panoramic imaging system to supply ultra-high-density LiDAR point cloud data of the route.

The position of the point cloud data can be referenced using the highly accurate RILA track position data, providing an overall level of accuracy and precision not normally possible with conventional mobile mapping platforms.

Sub-surface surveying Ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology provides a different but complementary view of track infrastructure. Imaging the subsurface to about a metre below the rails, GPR scanning is becoming a routine element in the asset data collection mix and the technology is getting quicker and more modular for use on a wide range of locomotives.

While it might not yet work at the speeds of RILA, it is certainly getting personnel off the lines, reducing track possession and ramping up productivity.

The picture provided by GPR allows asset managers to visualise the uniformity of ballast and foundation layers, highlighting places where further investigation or intervention may be needed. Users have found they can reduce the number of trial holes or window samples needed to characterise trackbed quality by targeting test locations from the GPR report. They have been able to pinpoint fouled ballast and hollow

pockets where soft ground has been displaced with deep ballast and have been able to relate track geometry or ride quality issues to conditions in or below the ballast layer. GPR can also help map buried services and obstructions to ballast renewal or construction.

Today’s train-mounted GPR systems routinely collect hundreds of kilometres of data per day using multi-channel systems that typically scan three positions along the track using different frequency antennas to capture information from different depth windows.

Whilst the geophysical landscape has changed significantly in the last five years, it is likely to change more in the next five. The new generation of array-based GPR systems with many more antennae makes it possible to build a 3D image of the entire trackbed.

The increased data density offers many benefits, such as the possibility to detect smaller targets including buried services and debris that could foul track renewal machinery.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

Bigger picture As the value inputs and financial returns of survey data become more evident in rail asset management, so there is even greater appetite to integrate both acquisition and reporting to harness the ‘bigger picture’ for greater control of resources.

In response, specialists with wider geoscience capabilities like Fugro are extending data catchment far beyond the ballast and track boundaries. With the addition of aerial imaging and remote sensing, as well as the latest 3D geophysical investigations, they are mapping and interrogating the wider rail corridor, above and below. Additional data-streams - on everything from ground strength and slope stability to the structural health of tunnels and bridges - can now be pooled for better decision-making across the asset life-cycle.

Remote imaging and measurement technology has enabled a step change in topographical mapping - with a growing range of outputs delivered more safely and cost effectively and generally without any ‘boots on the ground’.

Aerial imaging enables detailed digital mapping of topography, albeit to a lower accuracy and resolution to RAIL-MAP, whether as a discrete ‘one-off’ survey or on a repeated basis to detect landscape change. Information can be used to spot slope movement, encroachment of vegetation, flood patterns and even details as subtle as a tilt in a tree angle - all possible precursors to change that could pose risks to the rail corridor. Another key use is mapping inventory - overhead gantries, signalling systems, trackside assets, bridges, culverts which is essential for planning infrastructure upgrades and for general network management.

The UK rail network contains some of the oldest and most intensivelyutilised routes in the world. Asset managers face a perfect storm of pressures to grow capacity, save money and reduce risk. The inevitable outcome is demand for a constant supply of accurate, reliable data that can be acquired without delaying trains; it is clear that the survey industry is responding with a range of technologies that look set to improve decision-making and consign many of the dedicated survey trains to the sidings.

Trevor Burton and Mark Thomas are business development managers with Fugro.

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(Above) Ground penetrating radar system in use on the Dutch Pro Rail network.

(Background) Combined RILA (red) and RAIL-MAP datasets.

(Left inset) RILA rail profiles at nominal 7cm spacing along the track.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

No longer just railway suppliers An editor’s view of Railtex GRAHAME TAYLOR

GAI-Tronics.

N

ot exactly hidden away, but not a headline either.

In the catalogue introduction, Stephen Brooks of Mack Brooks Group welcomed all the exhibitors to Railtex 2015 - there were 461 of them apparently and extended a special welcome to over 100 who were exhibiting at Railtex for the first time.

So, more than 20% were newcomers. For an industry steeped in history and habit, that’s a huge proportion. It shows a massive change in culture and in expectations, and it should not go un-noticed.

In practice, what did it mean? What were they doing there and what did they expect to achieve because, make no mistake, setting up a stand at any trade show is not cheap. There’s hire of the space - obviously. There are the props and bits and pieces that go on show - again obviously. There are the extras that take you by surprise like power, and lighting. And there’s the investment of three days plus setup and take down for key members of staff, lodging, feeding, transporting. So, not a cheap exercise.

Transferable skills and products

Anamet.

Talking to several of these newcomers there were a number of common patterns that emerged.

For a start, many of them had never worked in the railway industry or, if they had, it was only a through glancing blow.

It was pretty obvious who they were, just by their stand design. They had very few images of trains or track or anything remotely to do with the industry they had just launched themselves into. Instead, there were bonny pictures of power stations, buses, ships, roads(!), yes roads…. anything except railways. In some quarters, Railtex was beginning to look more like a general engineering exhibition - with trains.

So what brought them all to the Birmingham NEC? What did they think of this new alien world? What made them spend all that money?

Much of it stemmed from a belief that their skills and products were transferable across industry. This is a completely new phenomenon. Can you not remember the scepticism in the railway industry at the very thought of transferable skills? After all, many of the characters airfreighted into the industry in the early days of privatisation had demonstrated admirably how inept they were and how they did not have transferable skills - or any skills at all for that matter.

But a generation has passed through the railway industry since then. Sure, much knowledge has been lost in the process, but on the other hand there is no longer a feeling that only railway suppliers can supply the railway.

Sounds familiar?

We all knew that many of the mechanical bits and bobs that power our locomotives and multiple units have a pedigree going back to marine and general heavy engineering. It was a delight to hear both Voight and ZF give presentations about their energy efficient transmission systems by eluding to the automotive components upon which they were based. So, DMUs are just buses with special gearboxes! Who’d have thought it!

No one blanches at such a concept these days.

MTU is looking at efficiency savings using its prototype hybrid power pack. Starting on batteries with diesel taking over, this sounds quite familiar.

Roaming round the exhibition there were numerous and obvious examples of technology that has been around for a while but in other environments. Ixthus Instrumentation

Rail Engineer • July 2015 specialises in non-contacting sensors.

Obscure bits of kit set up in front of a wrap-around backdrop of a cooling tower, in-flight aircraft refuelling, a space shuttle and a ferris wheel. No trains? Of course no trains. Why have a picture of a train when it is blindingly obvious that this kit can be fitted anywhere. Any rejoinder to assert that railways are safety critical can be countered by pointing at the aircraft refuelling picture.

Much the same goes for Contrinex which also supplies sensors to just about everyone for anything.

Embedded

It’s harsh out there

Safety-critical computer operating systems exist in the outside world, believe or not. Artesyn embedded technologies knows all about that and was keen to show its SIL4 computing platform. But, just as an aside, there is an amusing take on the different attitudes to fail-safe. The railway industry insists that if a vital bit of kit shows that it has malfunctioned then the best thing for a train to do is to stop. This philosophy doesn’t quite hit the mark in the aviation industry, where it is more desirable for a plane to keep flying - at least for a while rather than park up in the clouds. This minor difference apart, Artesyn knows that its products can be used in the railway industry.

The word embedded crops up again and again. It’s the term for a computer board that is embedded into a specialist bit of kit. Byte Snap, a small local company occupying one of the ‘compact’, but interesting, array of stands along the perimeter of the exhibition, is new to the railway industry although it’s had passing dealings with information displays.

It knows that it can transfer its skills and experience of a wide range of products including automotive and medical equipment into the rail sector. It can recognise when a product, developed 10 - 20 years ago, can benefit from the application of modern and more-appropriate technologies. Its stand featured a remote data logger which, in fact measured wind speed. But, having no wind in Railtex, the team had rigged up its own in the form of a fan. The other end of the kit seemed to be immersed in a bucket of water - to demonstrate durability.

This was not the only exhibit to be subjected to this sort of ignominy.

GAI-Tronics makes telephones.

One bright-yellow example sat in a Perspex cabinet in a torrent of running water, just to show that it could. And despite this, it still worked.

There was a general emphasis on rugged use, again with minimal railway imagery. Rugged Mobile Solutions had all sorts of electronic gizmos that are designed to cope with the kind of weather and abuse suffered in just about any industrial arena - not just rail.

Large and small WDS Ltd. is a “supplier of standard and machine parts to the aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, engineering, food processing, printing and packaging machinery industries”.

The company’s own words. No mention (yet) of railway, but that is obviously the current target Anamet Europe BV is a specialist in the field of flexible connection and protection systems and had a charming still life made of Hiprojacket hoses.

This was an exhibition where tiny sat alongside huge - even on the same stand. Schaltbau, which did at least acknowledge its railway credentials, had its CT contactor capable of handling 400A on the same desk as a limit switch no more than 25mm long.

Ferespe from Portugal produces bespoke steel castings. Having steel castings made within the UK in small quantities is difficult and expensive.

UK firms casting light alloy and iron are commonplace, but not many will tackle quality steel castings. Ferespe is exploring the rail industry, but it too has not been previously aligned to it.

Sound is everywhere, so it’s likely to be associated with railways. At that’s the hunch of Soundex which makes sound absorbent barriers.

Approvals process And of course we mustn’t forget the revolution in power supply equipment. Class II has been featured several times in the Rail Engineer and ATL Transformers was one of the many companies encouraged by an enlightened approvals process to bring its products to market.

So, what has changed? There has been a shift by the major players towards encouraging innovation and a willingness to consider products from outside the railway that have their own and auspicious pedigree. The approvals process has moved on as well to keep pace.

Just to finish, it’s worth noting that one or two of the exhibitors seemed to have missed the point. Witness the stand with a lone table and a chair.

Nothing else. And then there was the handwritten note left on a table on a similarly deserted stand saying, “Back at 3pm” and this was midway through the busiest of the three days! Maybe jet lag had kicked in...

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86

Rail Engineer • July 2015 Keynotes The opening day’s keynote speech was given by Richard Parry-Jones, the chairman of Network Rail, who also participated in the opening ceremony alongside Railway Industry Association director general Jeremy Candfield and show organiser Mack Brooks’ chairman Stephen Brooks.

In his keynote address, Richard looked at some of the challenges that Network Rail faces in the current control period (CP5) and how it will deliver more work for less cost. He stressed the need for innovation on the railways, with not only new products but also new techniques being needed to bring about the efficiency improvements that the Government is demanding through the ORR (now the Office of Rail and Road, formerly the Office of Rail Regulation).

On the middle day, show attendees were addressed by Terence Watson, co-chairman of the Rail Supply Group. He explained the role of the RSG, a partnership between industry and government to strengthen the UK’s rail supply chain. It is doing this through various work streams and, having published its Vision in January, the RSG is now working on a Rail Industry Strategy which will be revealed by the end of the year.

Collaboration is here to stay on the railways, and the head of one of the earliest and most complete examples spoke to a full house on the last day of the show. Tim Shoveller is chief executive officer of the South Western Railway, the South West Trains / Network Rail deep alliance. He explained the organisational and financial structure of the alliance, spoke of the benefits that have become possible by this approach, and also recalled some of the pitfalls that he and the management team had encountered along the way.

All three keynote speakers were highly entertaining as well as informative. They all had a passion for their subjects and were roundly thanked by their audiences for their frankness and realism. All three attracted a queue of people wanting to question them on various aspects of their talks, and they spent some time on the nearby Rail Media stand in those private discussions.

Railtex review NIGEL WORDSWORTH

R

ailtex, the UK’s largest indoor railway industry exhibition, moved from London to Birmingham’s NEC for 2015 and was bigger than ever. 468 exhibitors were present, showing off their latest products and services to 7,449 trade visitors. With a further 2,700 people attending as exhibitors, many of whom were doing inter-stand trading, that made over ten thousand people going through the doors over the three days of the show.

As well as the stands themselves, there was the usual mix of presentations and discussions taking place around the hall as well as events in the evenings.

Highlight of the show, at least from Rail Engineer’s point of view, was the series of keynote speeches and seminar presentations arranged by your favourite railway engineering magazine. Situated on the floor of the exhibition, the Rail Engineer Seminar Theatre was often bulging at the seams with as many as 250 people filling the aisles round about as well as sitting in the theatre itself.

Technical seminars For the rest of the three days, twenty exhibitors used the seminar theatre to outline some of their latest developments. All of the presentations were technical, though to varying degrees, and covered a range of topics.

ZF’s Steve Brew got the ball rolling with an interesting look at the Repower project which has produced 17% fuel savings for Porterbook’s fleet of Class 158 DMUs in use with South West Trains.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Terence Watson delivering his keynote address.

labelling all of the cables in a wiring loom or telecommunications network if, the moment they get hot, all of the markings disappear? Nick Michaelson, chief executive officer of Silver Fox, explained how all labelling systems are not the same and that one should be wary of low-cost components which aren’t up to the job.

To round off the first day’s programme, Michael Chatteris, West Midlands chairman of Young Rail Professionals, explained how the organisation had doubled in size over the last year and how 2,000 young professionals in the first ten years of their railway careers were now networking and interfacing both with each other and with their employers.

Every young railwayman or woman should be a member of one of the seven regional centres which are helping to develop and inspire the next generation of railway talent.

Continuing the rolling stock theme, Niall Simmons of Bombardier Transportation looked at global trends in rail transportation and discussed how these affect both passengers and operators.

He outlined current thinking on automation and how this can both optimise journey times and reduce maintenance costs while improving the passenger experience.

Justin Southcombe of Perpetuum explained a fascinating method of condition monitoring for vehicle wheels and axles and how it can also be used to inspect the condition of the track in real time. And it’s all self-powered!

Condition-based monitoring and maintenance also featured in the presentation by Dirk Seckler of Knorr-Bremse Rail Services. The iCOM system optimises vehicle availability by identifying potential failures before they happen, facilitating pre-emptive action.

Pantographs, too, can be inspected and monitored automatically. Luca Ascari of the Camlin Group introduced ‘PantoBot’ a technique used on Italy’s high-speed lines that now uses high-resolution 3D. All of this monitoring is to bring about improved reliability. Art Couper of BMT Reliability Consultants asked the question: “Is it possible to improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs using Reliability Centred Maintenance?” and then proceeded to explain to his enthralled audience how it was - using PIPs (Performance Improvement Programmes) and SMRs (Strategic Maintenance Reviews).

In all of this strategic and high-tech engineering, one shouldn’t forget that some of the seemingly unimportant components can have a real impact on efficiency. What is the point of carefully

Varied topics

into a truly joined-up approach to railway engineering. From the Class 395 Javelin trains on SouthEastern, through the new Class 800/801 IEP trains now on test on the East Coast main line to traffic management systems and ETCS signalling, Hitachi delivers end-to-end solutions in rail.

There was more high-technology as David Collier of Pilz UK outlined the use of commercial off-the-shelf technology in the form of PLCs (programmable logic controllers) which have been used to control level crossings on the continent for some time and are now being introduced in the UK. This technology is now also starting to find its way into automated rolling stock applications in the UK and David discussed both the progress so far and the opportunities to come.

Mechan, the Sheffield-based specialist in equipment for depots and train maintenance facilities, discussed the topic of non-contact measurement of wheels and flanges. Adam Elliott introduced Manuel Haushofer of Calipri, manufacturer of non-contact hand-held devices, and Jeser Zalba of Visiona Control Industrial that produces the WheelPro system which measures wheel profiles automatically as the train passes through the system.

Today’s railway systems require broad computing support for varied needs, from rolling stock and fleet management to video surveillance, passenger Internet and ticketing or conductor/driver information. Kontron’s Robert Negre outlined the benefits from implementing

Following Terence Watson’s keynote, Thomas Kriegel of Voith Turbo started off the second day’s technical programme. Attention is now focusing on ways to improve and future-proof the drivelines of existing fleets. Thomas explained how Voith is able to design, manufacture, supply and integrate complete drivelines and individual driveline components from a single supply source, providing the complete driveline with fully integrated and optimised ‘ready to fit’ solutions.

The transition from the analogue to the digital age is giving customers service teams at stations freedom to move around, with station management and control at their fingertips.

Paul Dobbins of Telent Technology described how systems developers and integrators can make a vast difference to customer service, safety and security while enhancing the experience of the rail traveller.

There was more integration from Keith Jordan, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, as he reviewed the various elements of Mechan won an award for Rolling Stock Maintenance Equipment. the company’s offering and explained how these all combine

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

From rails to signalling

the unique, intelligent and autonomous health management capabilities of TRACe computing platforms. He explained how to go from simplyreactive to positively-proactive in managing application functionality and uptime.

Returning to infrastructure topics, Dura Composite’s’ Stuart Burns and Tom Bowman looked at the use of composite materials for station platforms, taking into account critical issues such as re-gauging and stepping distances to and from trains. Composites can provide a solution whereby existing standards are not compromised whilst allowing contractors to deliver cost savings and significant time savings within CP5 and beyond.

Weighing trains can be an effective, economic way to improve efficiency and safety at the same time. Charles Seccombe of Railweight explained how maximising loads, increasing network utilisation, safeguarding infrastructure and assets can all be achieved by integrating a train weighing system that seamlessly forms part of day-to-day freight handling operations.

Such a system can also help reduce excessive wear on wheels and bogies and, in extreme cases, derailments.

Safety is always in everyone’s mind, and the new European flammability standard EN 45545 means that, for the first time, a mandatory European requirement for the fire behavior of components and materials used in rail vehicles is now in place. Harting’s Mike Brookes described how, depending on the installation situation, the same requirements may be in effect for heavy connectors as for the switch cabinet on which they are mounted.

Following Tim Shoveller’s interesting look at deep alliances on the railway, Matthew Locke of Korec Group discussed the use of innovative video monitoring systems to better understand the behaviour of rail track and structures under dynamic loading. He explained how this ground-breaking technology has been used to good effect on a number of rail projects, including the 80mph handback at Wigan Springs on the West Coast main line, and also highlighted the complementary part this technology plays in the full process of 3D survey, design and installation.

Daniel Pyke of Tata Steel addressed the complexities of balancing track performance for a combination of higher traffic volumes, heavier axle loads and faster train speeds with commercial aspects such as cost and ease of maintenance. He provided a few examples to illustrate how appropriate rail grade selection can help minimise these issues, enabling rail engineers to extract more life from their assets and reduce their life cycle costs.

Daniel also gave some real-life examples of how to reduce rolling contact fatigue and minimise wear and corrugation, challenging rail engineers to think about lifetime performance when selecting rails for their next projects.

Ian Jones of Siemens Rail Automation rounded off the Rail Engineer seminar programme with a fascinating look at the rapid convergence of previously very different solutions for mainline and mass transit signalling and train control solutions.

An unmanned Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system architecture is very similar to a European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 or Level 3 system, often sharing platforms and sometimes operating systems.

As examples, Ian looked at current developments on the Thameslink project, including the use of Automatic Train Operation (ATO) with ERTMS Level 2 in a dense

urban environment, and the application of CBTC technology within the central section of Crossrail.

A rich panoply But of course it was the exhibition stands themselves that most visitors had come to see, and there were more of them than at any Railtex for the last 10 years. There were large stands and shell-scheme stands. Some exhibitors had obviously spent loads of money on their displays, others had a couple of pop-up banners. But they all drew a crowd, and they all had something interesting to show.

Rail Engineer was there, on the Rail Media stand, and visitors could try the iPad and new iPhone editions for themselves. Editor Grahame Taylor and several of the regular writers also attended the show and chatted with industry colleagues and new contacts.

At the same time, sister publication RailStaff’s editor was on hand, as were the organisers of the group’s many events including the RailStaff Awards, the Rail Exec Club and the Rail Safety Summit.

RailwayPeople.com personnel manned the Railtex Recruitment Wall, which was powered by the latest version of the RailwayPeople software and search engine. Director Asif Ahmed and his team were kept busy for the whole three days.

“We had a great mixture of visitors to the stand,” he said on the last day. “Recruiters, employers with vacancies to fill and rail professionals looking

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

and the stand reflected these changes and the enhanced systems and service offering.

Interactive touchscreen technology provided a clear overview of the complete range of systems and services with many visitors to the stand taking the opportunity to interact with the innovative tool and talk to the Knorr-Bremse team.

Also on show was the newlydeveloped iCOM system which provides powerful insights on the condition of a wide range of train systems to assist customers to manage fleet operations proactively through a predictive approach to equipment maintenance.

Old hands and first timers

for new career opportunities, all came along and talked with us and in most cases we were able to help them immediately either using our online system or by directing them straight to an appropriate exhibitor.”

Even visitors with an international query about their career could be assisted by referring them to the new GlobalRailJobs.com.

The larger stands were towards the centre and front of the exhibition. Siemens showed off the new Desiro Verve train, which will be the next train for the British market. A derivative of the Desiro City that the company is building for Thameslink, it is a more-general offering for main-line operation. The Verve features a more aerodynamic exterior design than the Class 700 and an interior more suited to intercity travel.

Hitachi was using a 3D virtual display to show off the interior of the new Class 800 train that is being built for use on the East Coast and Great Western main lines. The technology was impressive and visitors were rightfully impressed.

“The 3D concept was amazing - it really brought the rail industry into the modern age with the images and presentation,” commented one exhibition-goer afterwards.

Bombardier’s stand featured the Aventra train for Crossrail, due to start production in July. It also displayed a model of the latest Frecciarossa 100 high speed train for Italy and graphics of Blackpool tram.

The Knorr-Bremse Rail UK stand showcased not only some interesting new rail vehicle system technology but also the extensive overhaul, maintenance and upgrade portfolio of the specialist RailServices business. The UK operations of Knorr-Bremse have more than doubled in size since the last Railtex in 2013

“It was our first time at Railtex,” commented marketing specialist Ulrike Gollasch. “As an exhibitor we were very impressed by the openminded visitors and the positive feedback we got about our zedas® products, since we are a new company to the British market. Especially our Linear Asset Management Solution for railway infrastructure attracted great interest. One visitor called the track health prognosis the 3-MillionDollar-Question - which zedas® actually can answer.

“For us, the UK is a very sophisticated exciting market and will remain so in the future. With Railtex we were able to provide a vision of effective railway asset management to interested visitors.”

As well as being one of the speakers at the Rail Engineer Technical Seminars, Dave Collier of Pilz was on the company’s stand throughout the show. “From my point of view, Railtex was extremely worthwhile because we had very many Network Rail staff and associated signalling designers and contractor staff visit us,” he stated. “This confirmed that what we have been doing in the arena of PLC LX control (with some good coverage from Rail Media - thank you) for the past year has got their attention. We also had interesting conversations with one or two heritage railway signalling engineers needing to upgrade their level crossings.

“We also met quite a few system integrators who are involved in both railways and general factory / process automation so opportunities

As world-class leaders in LED signalling innovation, Railtex 2015 provided Unipart Dorman with the ideal opportunity to highlight its extensive capabilities in design and manufacturing and also to launch its new Spring Assisted Trunnion, the latest addition to the Lightweight Signalling range. Designed to increase safety and reduce installation and maintenance time, the new trunnion uses progressive rate spring technology and does not require the use of a winch, therefore eliminating the risks associated from working at height.

“We carried out a large number of demonstrations to highlight the benefits of the new trunnion, these were very well received by visitors and overall the feedback from the exhibition was extremely positive,” commented commercial manager Richard Flanagan.

LB Foster’s rail offering is expanding from its legacy services in wheel/ track friction management, track products such as Jeremy Candfield of RIA and Richard Parry-Jones visit Knorr-Bremse. the EKOS switch roller to signalling control, REBs and LOCS, customer information display, platform DOO CCTV and passenger information signage (OIS). All of this was on display, and there was also some terrific coffee from the company’s in-house barista.

While many of the exhibitors had been to previous Railtex exhibitions, for many this was the first time. One of these was German company PC-Soft GmbH.

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ July 2015

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To find out more about our work at Blackfriars visit railsignage.com

Creative Systems . . . Proven Ability With four major facilities located around the UK and over one thousand employees, Knorr-Bremse has the creative systems and service ability to equip trains and keep them running safely, reliably and economically. | www.knorr-bremse.co.uk |

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Camlin Rail's stand attracted interest.

other than railway were unearthed. Lastly we met with associated specialised technology suppliers, such as Frauscher, who are already in close contact with Pilz in Europe. All in all a good number of leads, and plenty of ongoing learning about the industry condensed into 3 days.”

Products and services A good example of the great variety of products on show was the range of high quality composite trench covers from Fibrelite. Technical director David Holmes said: “Visitors to our stand were often very knowledgeable about the multiple benefits of using composite covers rather than traditional metal or concrete but were still surprised by just how lightweight and easy to handle composite covers are, even at larger sizes and load ratings.

“Our new wider range of sizes and load ratings certainly proved a talking point and almost everyone wanted to try easy-lifting a composite cover using our ergonomically designed lifting aid.”

Mabey Hire had a great Railtex: the 2015 exhibition saw the launch of the newlyimplemented Monitoring and Control team, an industry first initiative that provides a comprehensive range of both structural and non-structural services. With applications including environmental monitoring, equipment calibration and product testing, the newlyformed team consists of highly experienced Geodetic, Geotechnic, Electronic Engineers, Civil/ Structural Engineers and Hydraulic specialists, providing access to a broad skill base which can support clients with efficient monitoring and measurement solutions.

Railtex saw the official launch of the new division, and there were a large number of visitors to the Mabey Hire stand, including several doctors and a professor, and some had travelled from as far afield as Scotland and Carlisle.

Many of the visiors were unaware of the breadth of services provided

by Mabey so Railtex provided a good opportunity to launch the new team.

Another company launching a new product was Zonegreen, the safe working solutions specialist. Its new Points Converter, designed to power manual hand points within depots and sidings, attracted a great deal of interest which has led to numerous feasibility meetings being arranged for the forthcoming weeks.

Railtex wasn’t all about products. A number of consultants in various fields attended as well.

One of these was staffing specialist Syntax.

“We had a fantastic show - the first time we had exhibited after numerous times attending,” operations manager Sarah Gibson enthused.

“We conducted a piece of research while we were on the stand to understand what were the top staffing challenges in the Rail industry in 2015. Top of the list was attracting STEM graduates, followed by how we get more women interested in working in the industry, and the ageing workforce. We will be releasing the full analysis paper after the show and will be sending out to all who met us.”

Andy Ridout, managing director of Advance Training and Recruitment Services, was similarly impressed with the show. “This year, we were again blown away by the enormity of the rail industry coming together at Railtex. Over the course of the exhibition we were able to meet up and speak with hundreds of clients and candidates, both old and new. We’ve heard stories from projects across the country showcasing just how world-class our railway infrastructure is becoming and we’re really enjoying being part of the rail revolution.”

Creactive Design’s stand also generated a lot of interest. Managing director Tony Hume confirmed they had a lot of leads, some of which they were still evaluating, but commented that everything “looks great so far”.

SCG Solutions, part of the Tinsley Bridge Group, launched FabBloc60A at Railtex 2015. This is a high performance, lightweight fire and insulation barrier system designed to protect railway carriage flooring, stops the transfer of heat from its source to the underside of the aluminium decking or floor. The company also unveiled a new aerial surveying service and demonstrated its Stretcher Bar delivered to Network Rail.

Kontron demonstrated the latest additions to its TRACe™ family of operational computers designed specifically for the transportation market. This offers a flexible baseline for integrators and system designers to easily customise and rapidly deploy specialised applications and new infrastructures. Already verified and in operation worldwide, the TRACe product line addresses the broad range of modern, connected rolling stock applications through easily customisable, EN50155 pre-certified (EMC, EMI, climatic, shock and vibrations), application-oriented computer profiles - allowing multiple applications to run on the same platform including video surveillance, passenger entertainment and communication, and train control.

LB Foster with TEW's stand won Judges' Choice.

Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

Rob Woodward.

Railtex Awards The middle (Wednesday) night of the Railtex show is traditionally the time for the Railtex Awards. A host of exhibitors and their guests assembled at the NEC’s Hilton Metropole Hotel for an evening of entertainment and those allimportant awards.

Sponsored this year by Rail Media, awards would be presented in twelve categories reflecting both product innovation and exhibition stand design.

But before all that was the entertainment for the evening. The drinks reception was sponsored

by Quattro Group, which also sponsors British Superbike rider Luke Mossey who was on hand with his bike answering questions about riding in the UK’s premier motorcycling championship.

Singer Harriet McDonnell entertained guests while they networked until it was time for dinner, when pianist Mark Bettis took her place in providing background music.

After dinner, comedian Rob Woodward took to the stage. Or, more strictly, he took the chair - he thought the stage was too far from his audience so he did his entire set standing on a chair close to the diners’ tables. The audience enjoyed his performance and were impressed that he didn’t fall off the chair once!

Well-loved TV presenter Roy Walker hosted the awards. Roy had spent dinner on Rail Media’s table playing Jelly Baby Catchphrase with events manager Karen Payne, sales manager Jolene Price and social media manager Susie O’Neill. But he

tore himself away from that excitement (thank you trainpassenger.com for the jelly babies) to say a few words and then to present the prizes once they had been announced by compere Colin Flack of the Rail Alliance.

The first award was for Innovation in Technology, sponsored by the TEW Group. Trainpassenger.com was the winner (it must have been down to the jelly babies) with Camlin and Perpetuum commended.

Trough-Tec Systems won the Innovation in Safety award, sponsored

by Eurosafe. Gary Elliott stepped forward to receive the award from Roy along with Eurosafe’s Janine Reid. Beck & Politzer International and Concrete Canvas were highly commended for this one.

Best New Rolling Stock Product was judged to be the new S-Stock trains from Bombardier working with London Underground. Martin Bright was pleased to accept the award from Mike Heneghan of GGR Rail, while B Hepworth and MTU Friedrichshafen got a mention.

Rolling Stock Maintenance Equipment had its own award. Mechan won this one, with close competition from ASL and Houghton International.

Rail Engineer had to step forward to present the award for best New Track or Infrastructure Product. Tom Bowman and Stuart Burns, the same team that had presented a technical seminar earlier in the day, were the lucky recipients for Dura Composites with Hilti and Perpetuum being the less lucky runners-up.

The Rail Alliance sponsored a Newcomer to Railtex award, won by B Hepworth, and the Judges’ Choice, as they walked around the show seeing what caught their eye, was won by the TEW Group and LB Foster.

That just left the two awards for best stands, both sponsored by exhibition organiser Mack Brooks. Space Only was won by Dura Composites, their second success of the evening so well done to them, while MPI won for the best shell scheme.

So that wrapped up the awards. That only left the band Smooth Criminal to entertain diners, many of whom disappeared to the bar to ‘network’. It had been an entertaining evening, some deserving winners had been recognised, and everyone had to be back on their stands at 10:00 the following morning!

And there’s more…

As well as the exhibition itself, the Rail Engineer Technical seminars and the Railtex Awards, there were other benefits for both visitors and exhibitors. There was the Networking event on Tuesday evening, open to all exhibitors, followed by a reception for Railway Industry Association (RIA) members.

A second seminar theatre - the Knowledge Hub - hosted presentations on major projects as well as the Platform panel discussions. So visitors had access to experts on the Rail Supply Group, Digital Railway, the National Electrification Programme and HS2.

There was a meet-the-buyer event, organised

by UK Trade & investment and RIA, a breakfast meeting of the Rail Alliance and a break-out session on the Rail Supply Group.

All in all, it was an excellent way to spend three days. Next year is an Infrarail year, and the UK’s national railway infrastructure show moves to the ExCeL Centre in London’s Docklands. It will be open from 12-14 April, so the Rail Engineer preview will be in the April issue with a review in June. Come and say hello on our stand.

Roy Walker.

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Rail Engineer • July 2015

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Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ July 2015

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We have immediate requirements for Site Agents to join our Rail Infrastructure teams working on The Minor Works Framework and various rail projects for Network Rail.

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We are recruiting for PTS Operatives & Labourers to work on our Rail Maintenance Framework contract, repairing and maintaining drainage, earthworks and structures on behalf of Network Rail in the Western Region. Based from our Swindon or Exeter offices, this role will involve travel as we cover a large geographical area from Paddington Station in the East to Bristol in the West, Birmingham to the North. A full driving licence is essential.

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Join the Specialist Team Knorr-Bremse Rail UK, part of the global Knorr-Bremse Group, operates four major facilities in the UK: Burton-upon-Trent, Melksham in Wiltshire, Springburn near Glasgow and Wolverton near Milton Keynes. Knorr-Bremse Rail UK is experiencing major growth and following recent contract wins which include Crossrail, Intercity Express and Thameslink, we are now looking for a wide range of rail professionals to join our specialist teams.

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To find out more information about the featured roles above and the many other opportunities that Knorr-Bremse Rail UK currently has to offer please visit the careers section on the Knorr-Bremse UK website or e-mail us on: railrecruitmentuk@knorr-bremse.com www.knorr-bremse.co.uk

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