Around seven million passengers a year use the Glasgow to Edinburgh line, one of the UK’s busiest rail routes. As such, the Christmas holiday period provided a much-needed opportunity for renewals and enhancements. In Scotland there was a further opportunity as, with Scotland taking its Hogmanay seriously, there were no trains on New Year’s Day.
Over the recent festive season, work done between Edinburgh and Glasgow included a six point-end renewal, demolition of three bridges, digging mast foundations, installing tunnel conductor rail fixings and commissioning a new junction that will temporarily add ten miles to the route.
This involved some diversionary arrangements. A tweet from @ NetworkRailEGIP advised that “We have a no fly zone over #Xmas work sites but well signposted #Santa diversion routes in place. #Santa will get through.”
Anniesland’s new route
Over Christmas, a new junction was commissioned at Anniesland. Up to then, there was no rail connection at the station between its service from Glasgow Queen Street Low Level, using the Glasgow North Electric line, and the one from Queen Street High level which was opened as recently as 2005 following the construction of a one-mile spur from the Maryhill line to a new bay platform at Anniesland. On 29 March, Queen Street High Level station will be shut for 20 weeks to renew slab track in the station’s one kilometre long tunnel. The new junction at Anniesland is part of the complex diversionary arrangements for this closure, as it will allow trains on the main route from Edinburgh to reach Glasgow via a continuous route through Anniesland, Queen Street Low Level and Springburn.
The new junction at Anniesland was constructed specifically for this diversion after which, although there are no plans for continuing services, it will remain a useful additional diversionary route. Costing £15 million, the project was completed within a year of its initial development and provided a single lead junction, 350 metres of new track and its connection to the existing bay platform line. The main contractor was EGIP Alliance partner Morgan Sindall, for whom Babcock provided rail services.
After civil clearance works in the summer, the connection to the bay platform line was installed in September. An upgraded signalling power supply was installed in October and the single lead junction on the Glasgow North Electric line was laid in a 56- hour disruptive possession in November. The junction incorporates a maintenance lock out.
EGIP programme engineering manager Scott Wardrop advised that commissioning this new layout over Christmas was not straightforward. The junction forms a new boundary between two signalling centres as the Queen Street High Level services are controlled by Edinburgh and the North electrics by Yoker, so requiring a new fringe between the SSIs at Hyndland and Eastfield.
Furthermore, the Yoker Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC) was one of the first to be commissioned, in 1989. Scott explained that contingency arrangements were required against the risk of the new junction’s software alterations degrading this first generation IECC. However, by 07:00 on Christmas Day, it was established that there had been no adverse impact.
Haymarket renewal
Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, a £7 million renewal requiring 700 man-shifts was replacing three sets of points at Haymarket East Junction. These provide a route from the Up South line, across the Down North and Up North lines, to the Thru Sidings and the Haymarket depot entrance. The possession for this S&C renewal was from 22:00 on 24 December to 06:00 on 27 December, with an associated renewal of 520 metres of plain line track on the Up and Down North lines carried out between 22:00 on 31 December and 10:00 on 2 January.
AmeySersa’s senior project engineer, Eddie McLoone, informed Rail Engineer that 44 separate panels, which would make up the new S&C, had been delivered to site in advance using Network Rail’s tilting wagons and had been stored in the cess. The demand for these wagons was such that they would not be available during the time of the Haymarket work itself.
The S&C was laid up to 10.5 metres east of its original position. This required an additional headspan, which was installed beforehand. There was a six-hour window for the required overhead line equipment (OLE) wiring alterations during the possession.
Two Kirow 250 tonne cranes, supplied by Swietelsky Babcock, placed these panels in position. Also on site were two S&C tampers, two laser bulldozers, six road rail machines and mobile elevating working platforms (MEPS) for OLE work. Eddie explains that there were two concurrent sets of work. First one workgroup replaced adjacent switches on the Down North, whilst the other did the same on the Up North. The two groups then simultaneously replaced the remaining point ends on the Up South and Thru Sidings.
After dropping ballast and tamping, the plan required the new layout to be ready by 16:00 on 26 December for wheels-free testing and welding, for which eight hours was allowed. With a further one hour for OLE proving, there was a four-hour float before the possession had to be given up at 05:00. In the event, the work went to plan. The continuous torrential rain on 26 December did not affect the work but was far from pleasant for those on site.
Hogmanay fireworks
New Year’s Day saw the renewal of 310 metres of track on the Down North Line and 205 metres on the Up North line. The wet weather had an indirect effect as planned ballast trains were unable to reach site due to flood damage to Lamington viaduct as a result of storm Frank. As New Year’s Day offered a rare opportunity to undertake this work, the AmeySersa/ Network Rail Alliance took the decision to re-scope the work to reduce the dig and use scarified ballast.
With no midweek Rule of Route (RoR) possession opportunities, engineering access opportunities at this location are severely limited. This is because its points are used for trains into Haymarket depot. As a result, engineering work can only be undertaken between 01:00 and 06:00 on Sunday mornings. This presented significant difficulties for the required preparation and follow-up work.
The S&C and plain line renewal at Haymarket required careful planning both to ensure that full opportunity was taken of the festive season’s engineering access at one of the Scottish rail network’s busiest junctions and to ensure it did not overrun. The work was delivered to plan, despite the foul weather experienced by those on site on Boxing Day. However, with the work taking place in sight of Edinburgh Castle, those on site at Hogmanay had a grandstand view of Edinburgh’s fireworks.
Linlithgow’s tight fit
Unlike the major alterations at Haymarket and Anniesland, the EGIP electrification work undertaken over the festive period was that generally done during short, midweek possessions. Freed from those demanding constraints, full advantage was taken of the 59-hour Christmas possession and the 30-hour New Year’s Day possession.
This included work in the four- kilometre Winchburgh cutting, which only has one access point and needs scaffolding for edge protection as many foundations are on the cutting slope above retaining walls.
The historic town of Linlithgow was well established when the railway was driven through it in the late 1830s, so land taken here was minimised. West of the station, the railway is sandwiched between two roads and their respective boundary retaining walls above and below the line. The north retaining wall is a listed structure. The result is that this location is a particularly tight fit for foundations.
Senior project engineer Brian Sweeney explained that, as there is not space for foundations on both sides of the track, twin track cantilever structures are being used here. These have the minimum possible offset which required track monitoring. The Christmas possession was used to dig three bespoke concrete foundations, up to 5.9 metres deep, for these structures as piled foundations could have disturbed the adjacent retaining wall and the adjacent St Peter’s church. However, the Christmas work here was timed so as not disturb Morning Eucharist.
Linlithgow’s tight boundary walls also required signal EL624 to be moved around 100 metres closer to Edinburgh to maintain signal sighting once OLE masts were erected. The new signal was commissioned on New Year’s Day and is the only signal requiring relocation for EGIP. Everywhere else, it has been possible to design OLE so as not to interfere with signal sighting.
In its tunnels, EGIP is installing the Furrer+Frey rigid overhead conductor-rail system (ROCS), which is relatively new to Britain. ROCS was developed to solve space constraints so has a low overall height with no contact wire uplift. It also has a lower maintenance cost. Its installation required a dedicated precision drilling rig, which was imported from Switzerland and spent Christmas in Falkirk High tunnel installing the ROCS fixings. This conductor-rail system is also being installed by EGIP in Winchburgh and Queen Street tunnels.
Electrics next December
Costain is the EGIP alliance contractor for the installation of electrification equipment, with ABC as delivery partner, a joint venture made up of Alstom, Babcock and Costain. The other EGIP alliance contractor is Morgan Sindall, which manages the civils works.
Over the festive period, Morgan Sindall’s demolition team removed three bridges between Linlithgow and Winchburgh as part of the electrification clearance work.
The team took down a bridge at Philipstoun in the early hours of Christmas Day and then moved to start the Park Farm bridge demolition the next day. On New Year’s Day, an accommodation bridge immediately south of Winchburgh tunnel was demolished.
The EGIP Alliance certainly took full advantage of Christmas and New Year to get as much work done as possible. The project is on schedule to energise the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh in August so that, by December, electric trains will be running on the line. They won’t be running on Christmas Day though. Instead engineers will, no doubt, again be taking best use of this rare opportunity to work for longer than a few hours on this busy line.
Doncaster punches above its weight. From some angles, it looks like a dozen other Yorkshire towns – Rotherham, Castleford, Pontefract – but its position is significantly elevated by its strategic importance as a railway hub. It’s Crewe, but the right side of the Pennines.
With six routes converging, Doncaster’s population can fluctuate by several hundred every few minutes as a plethora of operators make transient appearances, not least on the East Coast main line. And this places a heavy burden on project and engineering teams: getting it wrong here will cause far-reaching disruption, courtesy of the ripple effect.
Time and place
Fulfilled by the S&C North Alliance – a collaboration between Network Rail and AmeySersa – the town’s Christmas track renewals were extensive and logistically complex, spanning two sites. One, immediately south of Doncaster station’s east-side platforms, encompassed crossovers between the Up Fast and Up East Slow, as well as three turnouts into Platforms 1 and 2 and carriage sidings. The other, half-a-mile further north at Marshgate Junction, involved three more turnouts and a crossover with the Up Fast, Up Slow and Thorne lines being affected. Both were like-for-like replacements of existing layouts, mostly dating from the late 1970s.
Much of the work was programmed for an all-lines- blocked period with accompanying OLE isolation, booked from 23:00 on Thursday 24 December until 09:00 on Sunday 27th. Thereafter, the Up and Down Fast and Up and Down Doncaster would be handed back, together with lines serving the west-side platforms, allowing the resumption of services to/from York and Leeds using Platforms 4-8. The Up Fast was blocked again for 8 hours overnight Sunday- into-Monday and possession retaken, with the Down Fast, through the early hours of Tuesday 29th. All lines were due to be given back at 06:00 on Tuesday. This track access regime shaped the phasing of the works.
What ifs
We all know – at least we should – that key to the successful delivery of any such project is thorough planning; it’s also widely recognised that, historically, the railway has not been particularly good at it. Things have improved hugely since the overruns of Christmas 2007 with the introduction of better processes, although critics seem reluctant to acknowledge this.
Of course, the cause was not helped by the scenes – and subsequent spleen-venting – that resulted from the failures at King’s Cross and Holloway Junction during Christmas track renewals a year ago. This, you will recall, resulted in several hundred passengers queuing on the road outside Finsbury Park Station on 27 December 2014, in some cases for three hours. They then had to contend with seriously overcrowded trains. It was an unfortunate episode and inflicted reputational damage on Network Rail. Broadcasters still wheel-out the pictures periodically as a stick with which to beat it.
Primarily, the problems there arose from plant/ equipment failures associated with the removal of scrap materials, the resulting misalignment of the physical works with the logistics plan, and the impact this had on train crew availability. As you’d expect, Doncaster shared many of the same challenges, sometimes on a larger scale: 7,500 tonnes of ballast to replace, 6,000 tonnes at Holloway; 23 engineering trains to manage, 14 at Holloway. But lessons have been learned in the past 12 months, bringing more robust contingency arrangements and mitigation measures. Network Rail standard NR/L3/ INI/CP0064 (Delivering Work Within Possessions) provides a framework for these, stipulating, for example, the duration of floats (periods of unallocated time) that must be built into the programme so delays can be clawed back.
Step by step
Across the two Doncaster sites, the work encompassed an effective renewal length of 1,535 metres, with 52 plain-line panels – arriving on Salmons – nine spine panels and 35 S&C panels. Of the latter, 18 were brought to site on tilting wagons, the remainder being pre-delivered by HGV and positioned optimally as part of the preparatory works. They were all manufactured, in modular form, by Vossloh Cogifer in Scunthorpe.
At Marshgate, progress was made in three distinct phases, driven by the staged handbacks. Phase 1 incorporated turnouts and a linking 120-metre plain-line section on the Up Slow, but in sharpest focus was 2481 points on the Up Fast (Phase 2) which was planned to be tamped, commissioned and clamped by 04:15 on Sunday morning. This included six hours wheels-free for signal testing by TICS Global and left 4 hours 45 minutes as a float and for handback. From 09:00, the line would reopen with a 50mph TSR imposed. In the event of significant delays, a cut-and-run option was available whereby the points would have been plain-lined using six standby panels to allow implementation of the planned Christmas timetable.
Being a 70mph turnout, the G-switch panel for 2481 points exceeded 30 metres in length and delivery required an abnormal loads movement order, as well as the temporary widening of a site access gate and provision of a 500-tonne mobile crane to offload and position the panel in Marshgate Sidings. Installing it involved meticulous planning between the project team and the VolkerRail Kirow team to undertake the required lifts using two KRC250 Kirow cranes in tandem lift mode which necessitated bridge loading checks on UB332 over the river Don.
Completion of the crossover between the Up Slow and Down Thorne (Phase 3) took place overnight Sunday-into-Monday as it required a spoil train to be loaded on the Up Slow with the adjacent Up Fast blocked, the site being protected under Any Line Open arrangements.
Another phased methodology was established for the station site. Here, all of the old track was scraped out and reballasting completed before any relaying took place, beginning with the platform lines and working outwards. The panel installation started on the Up Fast (Phase 1), then the Up East Slow (Phase 2) to finish the crossovers, and finally the platform/carriage siding turnouts (Phase 3). Again, this involved the Kirows working in tandem due to the typically 16-tonne panel weight and 12-tonne modular lifting beam.
Generally, the formation treatment was for 300mm new ballast depth with a geotextile PW4 separator and geogrid, but the contingency plan allowed for this to be reduced to 200mm on the Slow/platform lines or skim as a last resort.
Breathing space
In terms of plant and manpower, the two worksites were largely independent, with separate train plans able to accommodate a deviation from schedule of between two hours ahead and four hours behind. An emergency light engine was located at each site, a number of trains topped- and-tailed with drivers both ends, and mostly local crews sourced. Further redundancy was built-in to account for machine breakdowns, with a spare dozer and RRVs available.
The two Kirows were shared, first completing Phases 1 and 2 at Marshgate before transiting to the station to relay Phases 1 and 2 there.
An 81⁄2-hour float was built-in between these activities. One crane then returned to Marshgate for Phase 3 (the float being five hours) whilst the other completed the station works. Two VolkerRail Matisa B41 Tamping Machines serviced both sites to a similar pattern, completing in excess of 3,200 metres and 16 switches of tamping.
To guard against failure of a Kirow crane, which would have severely impacted the overall plan, the project team arranged for two additional Kirows – being used on the S&C renewal at Haymarket, west of Edinburgh Waverley – to be routed to site for contingency purposes, ready to start lifting from midnight on the 27th. The interim handback had been assessed to ensure the Christmas timetable could operate even in this event.
One key advantage Doncaster had over Holloway was the track layout, offering more routing options and thus reducing any overrun impact. Beyond this, no other major works were ongoing within the possession, so there was no need to stack trains on site. Nevertheless, the criticality of this project was not under-estimated and a 95% probability for on-time handback had to be achieved based on a Quantitative Schedule Risk Analysis; this was greater than the 90% demanded by the Standard. Network Rail also recognised the need for a greater level of senior managerial support on site than had previously been allocated.
So, that’s the theory outlined. What about the practice?
Boots and shovels
With the possession taken on time at 23:00 on Saturday, excavation and reballasting at the station ran broadly in sync with the planned timeline. However, a late Form C and machine problem at Marshgate caused a delay of around two hours, resulting in a contingency option being invoked at one of the hold points; this reduced the Phase 1A (2476B, 2465B, 2480 points) dig from 300mm to 200mm, saving two hours. Phase 1B also fell behind due largely to access constraints whilst panels were being laid behind.
Work on the critical 2481 points got underway 13⁄4 hours late. This had become 21⁄2 hours by the time all the panels had been installed, but that was pulled back when the top-stone was dropped and during tamping. However, the signal testing took longer than expected, a result of welder trolley movements dropping track circuits and the running-out of a weld on the River Don underbridge which required a closure rail to be installed. “That’s what the float’s for,” asserted Steve Varley, Network Rail’s senior responsible engineer (track). It did, however, cause some nervousness as the signalling was not signed back in until 08:00, but still with an hour in hand.
The Kirows then moved to the station site and the relay there got underway. Again, things essentially followed the expected timeline from start to finish during daylight on Sunday. Back at Marshgate, the Down Thorne was uplifted early but excavation and reballasting had to wait until overnight possession was retaken of the Up Fast; this was delayed 40 minutes by late-running flood-affected trains. Relaying continued following handback at 06:00 on Monday, with wheels-free testing being carried out in stages across the two sites, including confirmation of detection on 2481 points after unclamping. This process again suffered delays but final handback was ahead of the booked time at 06:00 on Tuesday.
What the Dickens
For those involved at the trackface, this could be described as just another job. It went more-or-less to plan, notwithstanding the occasional – and inevitable – hiccup. That’s the real world for you. Much was achieved during the floats, flooding the site with welders to complete 222 welds, rather than relying on temporary clamps as would normally be the case. This enabled the 50mph TSRs to be removed after only one week, rather than four; seven stresses were also completed.
Steve Varley made the point that the good relationship nurtured by the Alliance with Network Rail Ops, the TOCs and FOCs, paid considerable dividends. Their understanding of the plan – and buy-in – ensured help was given with the likes of late train policies to ensure possessions were granted on time. And the signallers in Doncaster PSB are also singled out for praise, assisting with route setting and line blockages when needed. This all contributed to the project’s success story.
It’s not unreasonable for the media to highlight the railway’s occasional shortcomings when it comes to delivering its engineering works. They can negatively impact on people’s lives and it should be held accountable for that. But the industry can and does routinely get it right; Doncaster is testament to that. Trouble is, good news is no news. We can, though, hope that the Ghost of Christmas Past has now been put to rest.
King’s Cross is renowned for the volume of passengers it sees on a daily basis, but Immingham rivals Kings Cross as the busiest part of the London North Eastern Route of Network Rail due to its movement of freight. Each week, Immingham port’s rail infrastructure handles more than 260 rail freight movements.
Immingham is the UK’s largest port by tonnage and handles up to 55 million tonnes a year. It can handle up to 10 million tonnes of coal a year and is able to accommodate vessels carrying cargoes up to 130,000 tonnes. The port also handles large volumes of biomass, animal feed, salt and grain and has two in-dock container terminals with around 15 container vessel calls per week.
There are four specialist liquid-bulk terminals, incorporating 18 berths and around 25 percent of the country’s oil- refinery capacity is located adjacent to the port.
The demand for rail freight is set to increase and, therefore, it is important that investment and renewals are delivered to future proof the railway by introducing efficiencies while reducing the need for heavy maintenance and the associated delay to services.
A 17-day closure over the Christmas and New Year holiday season saw the renewal and re-control of the mechanical signalling between Immingham, Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes with new colour light signalling. This included the re-signalling and re-control of 11 signal box control areas, two gate boxes, along with the conversion of 16 road crossings to remote operation with obstacle detection. The new location of the control point would be the York Rail Operating Centre (ROC), enabling the signal boxes and gate boxes to be decommissioned. The overall project area covered almost 91km of railway and was an immense project to plan and deliver.
The area is not electrified, although the project would provide passive provision for future electrification. The project area was largely two track unidirectional although there was a three track section, single line section, a number of sidings throughout the area and the large, complex, freight yard at Immingham with some areas of bi-directional working, token and telephone working.
The principal fringe signal boxes would be Scunthorpe SB, Holton- le-Moor SB, Great Coates No.1 SB, Goxhill SB and Brigg SB. Immingham East SB interlocking would fringe to Immingham Reception Sidings SB and Pyewipe Road SB, with Pyewipe Road SB operating on an ‘on demand’ basis.
Contracting strategy
Siemens Rail Automation was appointed the principal contractor, delivering the core resignalling and telecommunications scope, with support contracts which included Linbrooke Services for electrical supply works, QTS and VGC Rail Projects for civil engineering, Kingfisher Rail for insulated rail joints and pway works. At the peak, there were 700 people working on the site.
The programme manager was very appreciative of the Network Rail in-house works delivery group which delivered approximately 40km of sub surface cable route, with some sections of protected elevated route, before Siemens commenced on site.
Being a mechanical signalling area, there were no exiting cable routes and, while expensive, a sub-surface cable route mitigates against theft and vandalism. 25 full-depth undertrack cable crossings have been installed as further mitigation against theft and because this is a very heavy freight route.
Blockade
The signalling projects group of Network Rail was tasked with creating a larger integrated programme for the delivery of other work within the blockade. This started in 2012 with stakeholder consultation on whether other disciplinary work could be delivered within the resignalling blockade.
The ports, refineries, and local councils were canvassed to determine what their requirements and constraints were if the railway were to be unavailable for a length of time. This ultimately resulted in the delivery of two bridge renewals, one steel and one concrete deck, an outside party underbridge for a much needed dual carriageway link road to the port, platform extensions at New Holland, bridge inspections and plain line renewals, together with extensive heavy maintenance.
Freyssinet, working for Highways England principal contractor Costain Construction along with earthworks sub-contractor Walters, successfully slid a concrete bridge underneath the Immingham to Ulceby railway line, just off Rosper Road in South Killingholme. This was critical to the A160/A180 Port of Immingham Improvement Scheme which will enhance road access into the port and which will have a massive benefit to the local economy.
The reinforced concrete bridge box measured 39x18x11 metres high, weighed approximately 3,750 tonnes, and had been constructed next to the railway in the months leading up to the slide. Ten days before the slide, Freyssinet commenced installation of the four 1000-tonne jacks and associated hydraulic equipment needed to move the structure.
The system was tested 48 hours before the main slide by moving the structure 450mm towards the railway embankment.
The slide commenced at 21:00 on Christmas Day and finished at 08:45 on Boxing Day, which was one hour earlier than programmed. The bridge was positioned within 50mm of notional intended position and the backfilling and rail reinstatement completed. The possession was handed back at 03:35 on 28 December, within the timescales agreed with the blockade team.
To deliver an acceptable train service for the busy port, the resignalling was split in two, with a red route and a blue route.
The red route from Immingham, through Barnetby and across to Scunthorpe, had a possession of no more than five days which needed to be handed back for operational use no later than 05:00 on 30 December.
The blue route consisted of passenger services from Cleethorpes via Stallingborough through to Barnetby Junction, together with passenger services from Barton on Humber through Gaxhill down to Ulceby. This needed to be handed back into operation by 4.30 on 11 January with the blue route needing additional time due to having the majority of the renewed level crossings. Both blockades were successfully handed back within the agreed timescales.
The flooding of York added to the problems over the Christmas period with the main BT exchange being put out of action due to water ingress. This resulted in a number of key BT numbers being unavailable in the ROC and loss of communications to the Siemens design office.
The flooding in York also affected the Siemens office and took out its servers. This impacted on some data design changes which were required, but a solution was found, illustrating just how difficult it is to plan for the unplanned on such large projects as North Lincolnshire.
New signalling equipment
The re-controlled area was the first to go live in the new York ROC. A Siemens Westcad control system has been provided, with two workstations. The computer-based interlockings are also installed centrally at the York ROC. Each trackside interface (TIF) communicates with the trackside data links via long distance terminals (LDT), with a maximum of 63 trackside functional modules (TFM) on each link.
Westrace solid-state interlockings have been provided for the level crossings housed in Modular Equipment Housings (MEH). The equipment is fully networked with remote diagnostics and alarms so the maintenance strategy has moved from spanner and hammer to laptop and mouse!
Train detection is via a combination of 241 Frauscher axle counters and medium-voltage DC track circuits. 97 new VMS Lightweight LED signals have been provided. These are the raise-and-lower design which require no working at height for maintenance and repair. This is a welcome change for the area which was previously signalled by very tall semaphore signals.
85 advanced warning system (AWS), 35 train protection and warning system (TPWS), 181 equipment housings, 45 insulated rail joints and 246 hollow sleepers were also provided. There were 31 mechanical- to-electrical point conversions, together with 20 point machine renewals and two sets of points plain-lined.
The fringe working, including interfacing with SSI and absolute block signalling at 16 different points, and the design and changeover strategy had to be detailed and well- rehearsed in order to be undertaken with the resources available.
A new Power Supply Point (PSP) was installed at Wrawby along with various Auxiliary Supply Points (ASP) and feeders throughout the area with automatic reconfiguration system to work around failures.
At Wrawby Junction, near Barnetby, the line speed has been raised from 30mph to 50mph through the curve into the junction which will greatly assist fully laden freight traffic.
Level crossings
There were in the region of 100 level crossings within the project area consisting of manual closed barriers, manual closed barriers with CCTV, automatic barriers, manual gates, and many user-worked or footpath crossings. While sixteen of the protected-type crossings fell within the scope of the project for renewal, a number required telecoms facilities to connect them to the ROC.
The manual gates and barrier crossings have all been converted to controlled barriers with obstacle detection (CB-OD) with solidstate interlockings.
The 16 road level crossings included six within Grimsby town centre. These required a complex signalling architecture and a carefully planned strategy of road closures with North East Lincolnshire Council to prevent the town centre becoming land locked.
One key decision, which was identified as a learning point for future projects, was the delivery of the majority of the level crossing civil engineering works ahead of the resignalling commissioning. This was carried out within rules of route rail possessions and road closures. The work had been ongoing throughout the last six months and thus minimised the signalling work and risk within the blockade.
Telecoms requirements
The telecoms scope of work for the project included the splicing, testing and commissioning of new 24-fibre optical cable, new copper trunk cables (50/30/10-pair), the redirection of all new lineside operational circuits and the migration of existing ones within the re-signalling area to York ROC, new lineside telephones, new exchange lines for new Relocatable Equipment Buildings (REB) and Power Supply Points (PSP), provision of signalling data link circuits over the network back to York ROC, and the identification, disconnection and recovery of telecoms assets made redundant by the project.
The concentrator deployed for the operational voice services introduced the MXone telephony server to the ROC with a Northgate Call touch user interface. This provided continuity from a user perspective with the current IECC solution. The concentrator was pre commissioned weeks in advance of the blockade works and the Fixed Telecom Network (FTN) network testing and circuits provisioning by NRT with the services tested by Siemens.
19 existing FTN access node sites were used with Ethernet interfaces to the circuit switched FTN transmission equipment. There were seven additional FTN nodes added and the introduction of additional fibre cable to provide full network resilience and physical diversity, which was not present prior to the project works, in the areas of Wraby to Harrough and Great Coates to Grimsby Docks.
As an FTN designed solution, the area operates as an STM1 SDH network with the 64kbit/s signalling circuits conforming to the ITU-T G.703 contra direction interface. Two diversely routed links ensure the required service availability figures are met. The topology provides both point-to-point and point-to- multipoint connectivity.
However, this is likely to be one of the last signalling schemes to deploy this type of FTN solution for the telecoms bearer network. With much of the FTN hardware now out of manufacture, the use of Ethernet ISA cards for the IP interface is becoming unsustainable. Subsequent re-control projects will probably deploy the next generation of full IP network FTNx architecture.
Success!
The integrated programme, which included the renewal of other assets with the signalling project leading, has been a great success. Stakeholder management involved local councils and authorities with a large number of road closures and diversions. A number of cross-industry reviews were held with train operators, local industries, power stations and freight operators to discuss, in effect, the closure of the county for 17 days, and to ensure that everyone was aware of what was happening and the contingency plans that were in place.
Communication with all affected parties was excellent and this included the establishment of a dedicated website to provide everyone with greater visibility of the plans.
Jim Hogg, project manager for Network Rail, said: “By working together, Network Rail, Siemens and their subcontractors have successfully achieved one of the largest most complex re-signalling schemes in the UK. The many months of careful planning ensured that we were able to deliver the project on time and on budget, to allow the railway to reopen as expected on 11 January.”
Thanks to Ben Lynch, Jim Hogg and Fraser Allan of Network Rail for their assistance with this article.
Over the recent Christmas and New Year period, over 20,000 members of the Orange Army (Network Rail and its contractors) were out and about on the railway network, on 8,300 worksites in 2,600 possessions within 524 unique projects, undertaking work valued at almost £150 million. And that’s just on the mainline network. There were more men and women working on London Underground, tram systems and local metros around the country.
So far as Network Rail was concerned, there were two main workstreams. 824 of the worksites related to work by Infrastructure Projects, conducting major enhancements to the network that couldn’t otherwise be carried out overnight through the rest of the year. Significant bridge replacements, extensive trackwork alterations or renewals, major work at stations. It all took days, and the Christmas and New Year break was just the time to do it.
The other worksites belonged to Network Operations, the railway’s maintenance team. This year, routine work on switches and crossings, overhead wiring, signalling and telecommunications was made more onerous by the need to pull in repairs to infrastructure damaged by severe weather. Flooded track, damaged bridges, collapsed embankments – they all had to be repaired ready for train services to recommence on 4 January (in the main).
At least Infrastructure Projects (IP) had been given the luxury of planning its work in advance. That planning had been done with more care this year, and with more oversight, following the embarrassingly poor performance by Network Rail in 2014. To be honest, it hadn’t actually been that bad. Only a handful of possessions had overrun, delaying the return of parts of the railway to passenger service. However, two of those had shut King’s Cross and Paddington stations and inconvenienced a great many passengers. These were very public failures and the senior management of Network Rail had been held to account – very publicly.
There was naturally no appetite to have that repeated. So all the planning was conducted according to Delivering Work Within Possessions (DWWP). The likelihood of any job to overrun was assessed, and those sites carrying a greater risk of overrun and/or a more significant impact in the event of overrun were classed as RED sites. It total, there were 80 of them, spread across 30 projects.
The result of all that planning was a success. No parliamentary enquiries this year as, despite the bad weather, only 14 possessions overran slightly, four of them IP ones, and the total train delays for the entire period amounted to less than 400 minutes.
That’s not to say there were no problems – there were. However, contingency planning allowed project managers to alter their programmes to make sure that the railway was handed back on time. For example, a couple of track renewals that were planned as having 300mm of ballast depth replaced only had 200mm skimmed off, saving time although the sites may need revisiting in ten years time rather than twenty. But the priority was to ensure train delays were minimised, and in that the robust contingency planning worked well.
Only one RED job was cancelled completely, when the winds got up and prevented an old bridge being removed, and a new one installed, at Old Lodge Lane. However, the railway remained intact, preparatory works were undone, and everyone will have to go back on another, hopefully calmer, day.
Some of the more significant works over the holiday period have their own articles in this issue. However, one mustn’t forget the sheer volume of work carried out around the country.
Photo:Nick Mann.Central England
Teams around the region successfully completed 280 worksites within 127 possessions, including bridge and culvert reconstructions, signalling renewals and works on Northern Hub and by the Staffordshire Alliance. All work was completed in full and handed back on time with no accidents.
On the Northern Hub, work took place over New Year (00:40 on 2 Jan to 04:40 on 4 January) to strengthen bridge arches and install signal gantry foundations. Plain line renewal on the Middlewood Viaduct, 180 metres on the Up Chat Moss line, took the alignment to almost its final position. At Stafford, as part of the £250 million improvement programme, two underbridges were demolished and reconstructed on the West Coast main line during a 102-hour possession. This has allowed the line speed to be increased on this stretch of line as the new structures can withstand the higher loads imposed on them.
A little further north, signalling sighting has been causing a problem with several SPADs (signals passed at danger) having taken place. Two signals were converted to LED and the signal heads were lowered. This involved renewal of part of the signal gantry structure and the installation of a new cable route.
Work is underway to provide an increased frequency of train services into Birmingham for those passengers using the new Bromsgrove station, installing 4.5 miles of new OLE and undertaking significant track remodelling. A culvert (underbridge 94), one of many running beneath the construction area, was in poor condition and had partially collapsed in 2011.
IP Central, in collaboration with its CP5 framework supplier VolkerRail, replaced 23 metres of this culvert during the Christmas period (59-hour possession of the main lines). This involved the removal of three sections of track (Up, Down and Down Goods) and one set of points, the excavation and removal of the old culvert and installation of 20 new precast concrete sections. The new culvert was then backfilled, the track re-instated and tamped.
In Northamptonshire, based on future passenger and freight requirements, the minimum future timetable requirement over the Kettering-Corby-Manton route is for two passenger trains and one freight train per hour in each direction, with the potential for one additional passenger train path and two additional intermodal train paths also being considered. Working with Carillion (track) and Siemens (signalling) one pair of existing points were replaced and a new crossover installed, with new SPX MkII Clamp Locks. New point detection for the newly installed Fast to Slow crossover was cut into existing track circuit indications.
A £76 million project at Banbury (see page 32) will remove the poor asset condition of older signalling equipment installed in the 1970s through a remodelling/rationalisation of the track and signalling layout. The Christmas works formed stage 17 out of 24 and were carried out during a 57-hour possession, including track renewals through platform 2, a 330-metre relay north of Banbury Ladder and a 550-metre track realignment.
The track renewals team completed a relay at Langley on the East Coast main line and opened at line speed (125mph). In addition, the team started ‘short shift’ plain line works at Stallingborough, achieving 200 yards of relay that had been planned to take eight hours in six and a half. How Mill plain line relay was also delivered on the New Year weekend – 868 yards in 31.5 hours.
Western & Wales
The Cardiff Area Signalling Renewals scheme includes a series of multi-funded enhancements, such as significant station improvements, track renewals and remodelling. It is being delivered in five distinct phases, four of which are now complete, and is required for the Great Western main line electrification programme.
Over a 76.5-hour possession, track contractors installed two point ends at the east end of Cardiff Central station, as well as new ballast retention over the underbridges. Panel installation works were significantly slower than anticipated due to unforeseen buried services within the station area and time taken to pass panels under gantry structures and over underbridge structures. Non-critical welding was curtailed, in line with an agreed mitigation plan, to allow all other works to be completed and the possession to be handed back on time.
Signalling contractors supported these works as well as undertaking an MCS equipment firmware changeover, Westlock data change and ARS data change. These corrected a number of testlogs from previous commissionings and uploaded new data in readiness for CASR Phase 5.
Great Western and Crossrail
A large programme of work was carried out over the holidays on 372 worksites within 107 possessions which included some for the Crossrail project. There were no lost time injuries although there were three engineering train derailments and six points run-throughs, which are under investigation.
The first stage of bridgeworks at Parson Street, for construction (by others) of a dual carriageway road under the railway for the South Bristol Link Metrobus project, took place over the holidays on behalf of North Somerset Council. This work included the installation of permanent structural steel sheet pile abutment walls perpendicular to the railway lines and
the installation of two sacrificial steel slide rail girders. High winds and uncharted cables caused problems, but these possibilities had been considered at the planning stage and contingency actions were implemented.
Work continued at Stockley viaduct to remove the conflict between the main lines and Heathrow airport lines through grade separation and to increase capacity on the airport and relief lines. The second phase of the flyover will be commissioned in Xmas 2016. A full report of this work can be found on (see page 54).
A new footbridge at Ealing Broadway (see page 42) formed part of the work completed at three stations, the other two being Southall and Hayes and Harlington. At Southall, removal of the mainline span and heritage siding spur of the Merrick Road footbridge will enable a future track slew which will improve the track geometry and allow adjustments to the platform widths.
Cut back and construction of a new riser wall to Platform 4 at Hayes and Harlington will enable the future track slew, demolition, reconstruction and extension to the new bay line Platform 5.
Following the well-publicised improvements to Reading station, track and civils work at Maidenhead form part of the Crossrail programme to transform travel into the capital from the West. The track through Platform 5 was repositioned while the passenger and luggage subway slabs were realigned, as were the Platform 5 coper stones (to suit the new track alignment). A 120-metre piled retaining wall was constructed to the east of the station.
Paddington station was the venue for a ground breaking collaboration between Network Rail and London Underground (see page XXX). Network Rail worked on Platform 14 using a London Underground work train parked in Platform 15, and then LU carried out its own work on Platform 15 with the help of a train from Network Rail National Supply Chain that was situated in Platform 14. Well done everybody!
At West Ealing, plans are underway to bring commuters from Greenford Station and terminate in the remodelled West Ealing Bay Line, where passengers will be able to interchange onto Crossrail for an enhanced service into central London. Substantial track work recovered one set of points and 320 metres of the Up Greenford track infrastructure. Two new turnouts and 100 metres of track into the Bay Line platform were installed, as were associated points heaters and new signalling assets including a level crossing.
Crossrail Anglia undertook an extensive stations programme including platform extensions and ticket hall refurbishments. At Shenfield, a major rationalisation of the crossovers on the mains was implemented with a complete replacement of the Southend Loop. Considerable enabling works at Shenfield London End included 66 piles and steel erections to facilitate the building of new Platform 6.
Scotland and North East
A successful Christmas and New Year programme involved 292 worksites within 125 possessions with two major sites completed in Scotland (Anniesland crossover and Craigentinny depot works) and a multitude of works down the East Coast main line requiring close integration.
Signalling was commissioned at Anniesland (see page 24), where the project to provide a diversionary route which will allow the train service to operate during the blockade associated with the Glasgow Queen St High Level track slab renewal (commencing March 2016) is nearing completion.
S&C and plain track works, and associated OLE adjustments, were carried out at Craigentinny where alterations are being made to the existing depot for the new Hitachi IEP trains, which are due to replace the current HST fleet from 2017.
Overhead line crossovers and wires were renewed in several locations, as part of a project to improve the resilience of the East Coast main line and upgrade its power supplies. Five OLE wire runs were renewed, two at Hitchin South and three at Cambridge Junction. Piling, structures and aerial earth wires were installed at Potters Bar where electrification is being upgraded from a classic rail return system to part-autotransformer between Wood Green and Bawtry. Cable ladders were installed to both Welwyn Tunnels.
Infrastructure Projects’ track renewals team replaced six point ends during a 56-hour possession at Haymarket (see page 25) as well as 560 yards of plain line during a further 36-hour possession split between the Up and Down North.
A 105-hour possession at Doncaster (see page 36) saw works split over two locations between Doncaster station and Marshgate Junction to renew older S&C units and associated plain line. Also included in the scope were signalling/OLE upgrades along with switch heating upgrades and the renewal of platform coping stones.
In addition, two very difficult renewals at Dock Street Tunnel (Dundee) and a drainage item at Princes Street Gardens were undertaken over Christmas and New Year. The Dock street work was both relay and drainage, partly in a tunnel, and involved the installation of a check rail due to the extremely tight curvature.
One of Network Rail’s most significant Christmas projects, costing £100 million, North Lincolnshire Resignalling (see page 44) converted 16 level crossings and 60 miles of signalling, along with recontrolling 13 signal boxes to the new Rail Operating Centre (ROC) at York. The main works were completed in a single blockade running from 24 Dec 2015 until 11 Jan 2016, and part of the route was handed back early (on 30 Dec) to allow freight in and out of Immingham port.
Coinciding with the North Lincolnshire Resignalling work, Network Rail’s ASPRO team (Asset Protection) was out near Immingham, working on an £88.4 million Highways England project to improve road access into the port. A new bridge was needed to carry the A610 over the railway. During a 76-hour possession, the track was removed, the embankment excavated, bridge slid into place, backfill/compaction operations completed (including the bridge drainage installation), and the reinstatement of the track and its associated infrastructure took place.
Southern
Two incomplete projects marred the otherwise-perfect record at 142 worksites within 73 possessions. The exceptions were the Old Lodge Lane bridge works, which were cancelled due to persistent high winds, and the bridge works at River Avon/Stour. Here, the key works at both structures involved replacement of the wheel timber track support with steel railbearers and a suite of condition-based structural repairs during a 10-day blockade. The Up line works were cancelled (as per the contingency plan) due to delays in the removal of the Down line timber railbearers and achieving the required alignment of the new steel rail bearers.
For some time, a major project has been underway to renew the overhead electrification lines (OLE) between Liverpool Street station and Shenfield, Chelmsford.
These lines were originally electrified at 1,500V DC, work which commenced in the 1930s but was only completed in 1949. The original fixed- termination OLE is still in use, but it is being replaced with modern automatically tensioned wiring. There are a total of 308 wire runs to be renewed, with around 100 remaining and the project planned for completion in 2018/19. Over a 10-day blockade at Christmas, 245 hours continuous day and night working, totalling 21,250 man-hours, resulted in the completion of the wire runs at Romford Junction.
The Wessex capacity programme is a series of works designed to improve capacity with particular focus on Waterloo station. Over Christmas, the Wessex Capacity Alliance undertook signalling enabling work, disconnecting platforms 21-24 (old Waterloo International) from the signalling systems
to allow upgrade works to commence. Modifications were also made to the signalling system on site and the 650V signalling power supply system.
The track renewals team replaced 1,885 yards of plain line at Finsbury Park while the S&C South Alliance (Network Rail/Colas Rail/AECOM) installed 12 new switches and crossing units and 330 yards of plain track, as well as undertaking bridge repairs and headspan adjustments, at Acton Wells Junction.
Purley (see page 34) is one of the main junctions on the Brighton main line and is heavily used by both passenger and freight traffic.
The junction and all its associated signalling, third rail and points heating were replaced in a 10-day blockade over the holiday period. Whilst extremely disruptive for customers, the blockade was the most efficient way to deliver the project as double the amount of disruptive access would have been required to deliver the work in smaller possessions.
Photo: Emily Papworth.Thameslink
During a 10-day blockade starting on Thursday 24 December at 20:00 and handing back at 04:00 on Monday 4 January, a mix of track, signalling and civils work was completed.
Track slews were laid at either end of London Bridge station to connect into the new platforms 7, 8 and 9. The new Borough Market Viaduct was brought into use. Four new Ewer Street crossovers were commissioned and seven point ends were recovered at Metropolitan Junction.
Charing Cross interlocking (the boundary between the London end of Waterloo East and Charing Cross) has been re-controlled to Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre (TBROC) on a new Westcad Terminal. The area between Waterloo East and east of London Bridge station, through new Platforms 7, 8 and 9 via the Borough Viaduct, has been re-signalled and now controlled via a new Westcad terminal, Workstation 2, at TBROC.
Telecoms and signalling equipment was recovered throughout the worksite (from Charing Cross to the country end of London Bridge Station). Westlock trackside equipment was brought into use for the first time (also known as zone controllers) allowing the signalling system to run more efficiently.
Two gantries were fully recovered and one partially recovered. The existing Up and Down Charing Cross lines (4 and 5) were recovered and the station hoarding moved across to form a new boundary. New hoarding was erected to protect the worksite in the old Platforms 4 and 5.
Network Operations
While most of the major pre-planned works were carried out by Network Rail Infrastructure Projects, Network Operations had a couple of their own.
One was the second of four phases to remove and replace the electro- pneumatic points within Birmingham New Street Station, with the two remaining phases planned within 2016. The conversion to Clamp Lock is also an essential early enabler for the forthcoming New Street Area Resignalling Project. Over Christmas and Boxing Day, four electro- pneumatic point ends were successfully converted to Clamp Locks, tested and handed back into operation.
Turnout panels at Waterloo and at Queenstown Road were successfully renewed as part of a £5 million upgrade and strengthening project prior to major blockade work in August 2017.
The weather didn’t make the men and women from Network Operations’ life any easier as they were drafted in on Boxing Day to repair flood damage and to assess the condition of around 50 bridges and viaducts across Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire. The line between Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and Hebden Bridge, in West Yorkshire on the Leeds-Manchester route, was closed after severe flooding left Walsden station in Lancashire under several feet of water. Floods from Walsden to Todmorden damaged signalling power supplies.
Meanwhile, the railway at Kirkstall, northwest of Leeds, was also under water. Services between Leeds and Bradford, Skipton and Bradford and between Leeds and Harrogate were affected, along with the Skipton to Hellifield line.
In North Wales, the line between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog is still closed after floodwaters reached platform level at North Llanrwst station. Reports of a landslip at Llanbadarn on the Cambrian line between Aberystwyth and Birmingham International turned out to be a fallen tree, which was removed and the line reopened under caution. A ‘route proving’ exercise was necessary on the line between Holyhead and Llandudno Junction following heavy rainfall in the area and speed restrictions were imposed around Gaerwen due to flooding.
On Christmas Eve, the line between Folkestone and Dover was closed after storms damaged the sea wall at Shakespeare Beach in Dover. Storms lowered the beach level by almost two metres in the lead up to Christmas and exposed the foot of the wall to the full force of the sea. This led to sink holes appearing in the railway above, which continued to develop as the chalk infill became destabilised. Teams from Network Rail and its partner Costain worked to protect the railway and sea wall, with more than 18,000 tonnes of rock armour placed on the beach. In addition, design teams have been working on a long-term solution to the damage.
Worst of all was the situation at Lamington Viaduct. Severely damaged by storm Frank on 30 December, one pier was weakened so that the bridge, on the West Coast main line north of Carlisle, would be closed for several weeks. Having successfully stabilised the damaged pier by pumping over 300 cubic metres of fast-setting concrete into the void, engineers were able to conduct structural checks on sections of the viaduct it was previously too unsafe to inspect.
Those inspections revealed that continued bad weather and high water levels had caused structural damage to another pier on the viaduct
and that three steel bearings, which support the bridge deck and track, had been damaged. The damage to the foundations was worse than previously thought, requiring more time and significantly more work to properly stabilise the structure and likely to keep it out of action until the beginning of March.
Overall impressions
Railway workers, whether they worked for Network Rail, contractors or London Underground, certainly had a busy Christmas and New Year. For an unlucky few, such as those at Lamington, the work would continue well into 2016.
However, after a very bad press following the Christmas and New Year works in 2014/15, this year things were a lot better. Almost the full programme of works was delivered, and some unexpected ones pulled in. Passengers experienced almost no unexpected delays and the extra effort put into the planning process really paid off.
Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said: “I am extremely proud of our team who have worked so hard in the planning and execution of the upgrade plan over the last year. This planning allowed them to deliver despite the atrocious weather conditions and is a great example of what the Network Rail team can do.”
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin agreed: “Network Rail and the operators have delivered essential improvements to the rail network over the Christmas period. These are crucial for providing better journeys for passengers, progressing key projects such as Crossrail and the Thameslink Programme, and nearly £100 million of improvements in Lincolnshire, as part of our record investment in the railways.
“I welcome the news that this has been completed on time. I would like to thank passengers for their patience, and pay tribute to the men and women who have been working in challenging weather conditions for much of the time.”
Well done everyone. Now start planning for Christmas 2016!
Just six weeks after the great and the good of the rail industry had gathered in Coventry for the RailStaff Awards, which celebrate the people that go that extra mile to keep the nation’s railways running, it was time for their directors and managers to get together for the Most Interesting Awards.
Held this year in Derby’s iconic Roundhouse, the Most Interesting Awards are for the projects, new products, innovations and developments that the editors and writers of the Rail Media publications Rail Engineer, RailStaff and Global Rail News found most interesting over the past twelve months.
As the most deeply embedded journalists in the sector, Rail Media’s editorial staff know what’s going on in rail, or they should do, so there is no need for companies to make an entry. In talking to Rail Media, they entered automatically.
However, many projects are routine, and many ‘new’ products are developments of earlier models. So, to qualify for the Most Interesting Awards, the entry has to be just that – interesting. That’s not to denigrate the others as ‘uninteresting’ – after all, they are the bread and butter of the industry – but the editors want to put forward the truly novel and unexpected for an award, where the teams and companies involved have really excelled themselves.
Having created the list of nominations, and then developed a short list in twelve categories, it would be unfair of Rail Media to judge the awards as well. So a panel of independent industry figures, from the former chairman of Network Rail to the current chairman of Young Rail Professionals, was invited to help with that aspect. Care was taken that they did not judge a category in which they had an interest.
The result? A collection of the most novel, the most innovative, the most daring, the most inventive and – above all – the MOST INTERESTING developments on the railways over the last twelve months.
A night to remember
With the shortlists announced, representatives of the companies involved gathered at the Roundhouse for the awards themselves.
Originally built in 1839 for £62,000 by Robert Stevenson, today the Grade II* listed building is normally used as the canteen for Derby College. However, one evening in late November, it was converted into a venue fit for the Rail Exec Gala Dinner – the ultimate networking event of the year that would include the Most Interesting Awards.
On arrival, diners were shown into a star-spangled drinks reception sponsored by Ford & Stanley Group, which provides a range of innovative talent services to support employers and the people they seek to recruit, develop and retain.
In creating something ‘most interesting’ in time for the event, Ford & Stanley engaged with students at Derby College to design, develop and manufacture a rail-focused sculpture (below), built entirely out of ex-operational railway parts supplied by local rail business, RVEL Ltd.
Art and design students created a sculpture which illustrated past, present and future developments within the industry. The vertical structure represents a tree formation, from the original seed invested in rail. As the tree continues to grow, elements of the sculpture begin to evolve demonstrating growth and the progression of innovation and technology over time.
The sculpture was well received by attendees on the evening, with many complimenting the originality and uniqueness of the design concept. Ford & Stanley’s customer focus manager Lynsey Buxton, who led the project, said: “It’s great to see the students getting involved in something different that directly contributes to their education. It’s also great to do something that has direct relevance to the college and the event itself. The sculpture was a real focal point of the evening and attracted a lot of positive attention.”
After the drinks, it was through into the body of the Roundhouse itself for the main event. Welcoming the guests, Rail Engineer editor Grahame Taylor said: “This must be a unique evening in the rail awards calendar. We’re not limited to the biggest, the most expensive the most high profile projects. We’re here to celebrate the best – the best – of railway engineering.”
The Rail Exec Club is rapidly developing into the industry’s premier networking organisation, with three luncheons, a golf event and a gala dinner every year. Two or three keynote speakers address guests and then there is plenty of time for high-level networking.
The two keynote speakers at this Gala Dinner were Pauline Latham OBE, Member of Parliament for Mid-Derbyshire, and Jon Shaw – engineering director of Network Rail Infrastructure Projects.
Mrs Latham highlighted Derby’s close connection with the rail industry and both its early and continuing development, while Jon Shaw reviewed some of his experiences working for companies as diverse as Hitachi, Bombardier and now Network Rail. Both speakers entertained their audiences and, critically, kept their addresses quite brief.
Then it was time for the dinner, and for a spectacular Manhattan City Stomp floorshow, which was actually mostly above the floor as acrobats hung from both a trapeze and cloth drapes. Guests were truly entertained, and many flinched when a ‘controlled’ descent seemed to be going wrong. All agreed that it was Most Entertaining.
A safe start
Dinner over, and with everyone suitably entertained, Grahame came back to the stage to signal the start of the awards proper. Sponsored this year by J Murphy and Sons, Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group, Ford & Stanley Group and Taylor Construction Plant, a total of twelve categories were to be awarded.
The first award of the evening was The Most Interesting initiative in safety and sustainability. The Rail Industry’s common purpose is to move people and freight safely and efficiently by rail whilst being careful with the resources used to do it. This cannot be achieved without companies designing products that are sustainable and having policies and procedures in place to ensure that team members come home safe each and every day.
Grahame then invited Simon Iwnicki, director at the Institute of Railway Research at Huddersfield University and one of the event judges, to present this award. Simon opened the sealed envelope, and announced that the winners of the Most Interesting initiative in safety and sustainability 2015 were Carillion, Futronics, Vysionics and SEA for installing red light cameras at level crossings.
Jumping lights at level crossings is already an offense but drivers can only be prosecuted if a police officer witnesses the event. New Home Office- approved cameras capture evidence data, digital images and video using a combination of scanning radar, advanced computer video analytics and automatic number plate recognition for the detection of offences. (Rail Engineer issue 130, August 2015)
Riki Mistry, contract manager at Carillion, said: “Level Crossings have always been a risk for Network Rail in terms of safety. Installing cameras was initially meant to deter people from jumping the crossings, it all stemmed from there.”
Highly commended by the judges was a project to install audio guides at stations for the sight impaired, undertaken by Microsoft, Guide Dogs, Network Rail and the Future Cities Catapult. (Rail Engineer issue 124, February 2015)
International design
The award for Most Interesting original design was next, presented by Rail Engineer writer Paul Darlington. From a varied list of nominations, the judges had chosen Sustrail – a European initiative to increase the performance of the entire rail freight system involving 31 organisations across 12 countries.
In the UK, work was undertaken to design an improved freight bogie and to reduce weight, as well as to develop high-performance track. This was combined with work on coated wheelsets and improved braking that was carried out on the continent, resulting in a final vehicle design that was tested in Romania. (Rail Engineer issue 131, September 2015)
One of the UK participants is the University of Huddersfield, and Professor Simon Iwnicki returned to the stage to collect the award. He said: “This is fantastic and unexpected. It certainly was an interesting project and I hope the results will be useful to the freight industry, shifting freight off the roads and onto rail.”
The judges also chose to highly commend Brecknell Willis’ development of a closed loop pantograph in this category. (Rail Engineer issue 130, August 2015)
Strong support
When the applause died down, Grahame Taylor announced the next category – for the Most Interesting development in support equipment. “No project in the UK can be delivered without the use of support equipment and as projects become larger and more complex the use of innovative support equipment is imperative for the jobs to be finished on time and within budget,” he said, by way of introduction.
Chris Kearns, project manager at Rhomberg Sersa UK, came to the stage to make this award which, after the obligatory fumbling with the envelope, he announced was going to Telent for replacing RETB in Scotland.
Radio Electronic Token Block train control used the old BR National Radio Network so, when those radio frequencies were reallocated, that caused a problem. As the ageing equipment also needed replacing, a £20 million programme was initiated for Telent to re-engineer all the radio elements within the system. At the same time, Train Protection and Warning System emergency braking was introduced to prevent trains from overrunning a token section. (Rail Engineer issue 125, March 2015)
Dave Clarke, sales director of Telent, said: “RETB is an upgrade of the Radio Electronic Token Block system in Scotland which allows the single- track running of trains up there and it’s really important in those outlying areas that the trains are running and bringing in tourism. The highest asset that Network Rail owns in the UK is on White Corries ski resort and we’re changing out the aerials and flying in new REBs into that area, while working in extremely different conditions and situations.”
Network Rail’s mobile flash-butt welder, developed by GOS Engineering, Holland and Rosenqvist, was highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 125, March 2015)
Commenting afterwards on presenting the award, and on the evening as a whole, Chris Kearns said: “Rhomberg Sersa UK had been contemplating sponsorship of a rail related event for some time but, as newcomers to the world of corporate sponsorship, we struggled to find a vehicle that reflected our own values and aspirations of innovation and improvement.
“Reflecting on last year’s gala we felt that this was an occasion that may be suitable for sponsorship. We were especially attracted to the ‘Most Interesting’ strapline which was an unusual series of awards not seen at most black tie events. Particularly so as our products and services seem to regularly elicit the comment ‘interesting’ in reaction to them.
“We were even more intrigued when we saw that the event was not in London but was in fact in the Roundhouse – a building more than worthy of the title ‘Most Interesting.’ We were also intrigued by the ‘Most Interesting’ themed nature of the event.
“What made us take the plunge was the wide range of projects and the diverse assortment of awards – all of which were more than Most Interesting. We were lucky to be presented with an opportunity to sponsor this event and, looking back with 20/20 hindsight on the event, we were more than delighted to do so.”
Looking to the future
“What fantastic winners we have had so far,” Grahame Taylor enthused before announcing the next category – the Most Interesting training and development programme.
“Up-skilling, cross skilling, recruitment drives and employee development are words we hear constantly in this industry,” Grahame continued. “Whether we are looking to launch new safety initiatives, driving more people into the industry or up-skilling our existing staff, none of this can be achieved without the determination of training and development teams.”
James Wall, managing director of event sponsor Ford & Stanley, joined Grahame on stage to announce that Linbrooke’s new National Rail Academy was the winner.
With an ageing railway workforce coupled with the demand for signalling testers being at an all-time high, Linbrooke’s National Training Academy, delivered with registered training and recruitment partner ntrs, is primarily geared up to provide training for signalling works testing. The site’s authentic platform and tracks incorporate various styles of signalling, point operating and train detection and protection equipment, providing a realistic and accessible set-up for safe and practical training. (Rail Engineer issue 125, March 2015) Tony Gaunt, Linbrooke’s head of training, said: “Absolutely fantastic. We strive massively and work really, really hard to help all the people that come through our National Training Academy both from the civilian side and public sector. Also we have a massive affinity and passion for military personnel, so we’re really, really pleased.”
ORBIS work orders, developed by Network Rail ORBIS, Capgemini and CSC, were highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 127, May 2015)
Praising the whole event, James Wall of Ford & Stanley commented: “What better venue to celebrate the most interesting innovations and successes across the rail industry than at one of the most historic railway buildings in the UK. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Rail Media in 2016.”
Expanding overseas
The fifth award was for the Most Interesting international participation by a UK company. Simon Meades of sponsor Taylor Construction Plant joined Grahame on stage as he explained: “Over the past few years we have seen more and more involvement in international projects by UK companies. This is testament to our industry. We have some of the highest skilled workers in the world and this is being recognised worldwide.”
The project to build a bypass around Montpellier in southern France won this one. The first ‘combined’ high-speed railway in France, designed to carry both passengers and freight, this €1.8 billion bypass of the railway bottleneck at Montpellier joins the existing Mediterranean high-speed line at Redessan, just to the south of Nimes, and connects near Lattes with the route on to southern France and Spain. The joint venture includes Colas and Colas Rail (both Bouygues Construction subsidiaries), Alstom and Systra. (Rail Engineer issue 129, July 2015)
Jean-Pierre Margolin, international business development manager, Bouygues Travaux Publics, said: “It’s a great honour for our company to be voted as an international reference.”
Project manager Francois-Xavier de Malherbe added: “It’s a big challenge because the time is short and it’s a new conception.”
The Norwegian ERTMS signaling programme, in which Atkins has a major involvement, was highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 128, June 2015)
Simon Meades was impressed with the whole evening. “Taylor Construction Plant Ltd was keen to support these awards because we strongly believe that industry in general should be recognised and acknowledged for its entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen and a commitment to the wider business community within the rail sector.
“We are also keen to promote the rail industry as a career opportunity for young people. We believe that we work in a dynamic industry which is now driving environmental best practice for future generations and providing an important societal need. All of the nominees and winners are providing, much-needed role models for their younger peers.
“Supporting and applauding successful business is something we always want to do more of and that is why TCP was delighted to sponsor the International Participation by a UK Company award.”
What a development!
With the drive to increase efficiency and reduce costs for infrastructure projects becoming ever more essential, the award for the Most Interesting railway infrastructure development was keenly anticipated. Your author made his way to the stage as Grahame announced: “This award is for a small-scale railway infrastructure project or development in the UK.
In the news we hear constantly about the huge projects that are under construction, but it is also the smaller scale projects that can have a huge impact on the industry. Many of these projects save time, money and ensure our network keeps running.”
The winner was revealed to be Farnworth Tunnel, a project undertaken for Network Rail by J Murphy & Sons supported by OTB Engineering and the Buckingham Group.
What do you do when a tunnel is too small? The answer, in the case of Farnworth tunnel near Bolton, is to fill it in and then start again from scratch. J Murphy & Sons used 7,500m3 of foam concrete to fill the existing northbound tunnel, built in 1838. A nine-metre diameter tunnel boring machine then re-bored the tunnel – taking out concrete, old brickwork and some virgin hillside – to construct a new tunnel 270 metres long, wide enough for two tracks and electrification. (Rail Engineer issue 127, Jay 2015)
“This job was special,” said Mick Boyle, project manager, J Murphy & Sons. “We’ve had a lot of special people. I’m privileged to have worked with them all.”
Ray Rawtron, Murphy’s programme manager, added: “As the winners are chosen by reporters who go on site regularly and see the work we do at first-hand, this was a real honour. Farnworth tunnel has been a challenging but incredibly rewarding scheme, and the team, led by Mick, showed skill and determination on the job.
“I’m privileged to have been part of this important project and to have worked with such a brilliant team, whose achievements have been recognised with this award.”
The refurbishment of Scarborough bridge by Story Contracting, Mabey Bridge and Moore Concrete, was highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 126, April 2015)
Happy snapper
After six awards, it was time for a break. Over the summer, Rail Engineer had been running a photographic competition specifically for photographs taken on smartphones. With many project reports arriving at the magazine accompanied by such images, it is frustrating that so many of them are unprintable either because the resolution is too low or because there are problems with the image’s definition.
As Grahame, who frequently has to search for high-quality images to accompany articles in Rail Engineer, said: “Seeing that their phone has a 12-megapixel camera, the same number of pixels as some professional cameras, people think that the results will be good. However, on a smartphone the lens is tiny, frequently dirty, and then the operator has quite often selected a smaller file size to save memory space, reducing the quality of the photo still further.”
So professional photographer Paul Bigland was invited to write an article on how to (and how not to) do it (Rail Engineer issue 129, July 2015). This formed the basis of a competition which attracted 140 entries, most of a high standard.
Paul Bigland had the task of sifting through them to find the winner. He was interested in not only technical quality but also composition. Having rejected an early front-runner because it was actually slightly out-of-focus when viewed on a large screen, he whittled the entry down to a short list of ten, then to three, and finally he came up with the winner.
When it was announced, Network Rail track worker Paul Sheriff was astonished. He knew he was shortlisted, after all his employer had released him to travel down from Inverness for the event, but when his photographs of ‘Footsteps in the Snow’ was shown on the big screen he was quite overcome.
Paul Bigland presented Paul Sheriff with his prize, a KAZAM Tornado 350 smartphone, and he then had his photograph taken with Network Rail managing director of network operations Phil Hufton, who is his boss’ boss’ boss’ boss’ boss’ boss (there may be a boss’ or two missing there). The pair spent some time discussing Paul’s work and his entry, giving him a great story to take back north with him.
Two images were chosen as highly commended, Signal on the Forth Bridge, taken by Mark Woodliff of Siemens Rail Automation, and Heli Air by Lee Clinton of Telent.
Linbrooke and NTRS have a Most Interesting training and development programme.
Battery powered
Then it was back to the MI Awards, as they are colloquially known, and the award for the Most Interesting approach to train operations. To win this award, the judges were looking for the most effective or interesting use of route, rolling stock and crews or the most interesting take on franchising and train operating company management.
The presenter for this award was Peter Darling, HM Inspector of Railways at the Office of Rail and Road, and the winner was the IPEMU Battery Train from Bombardier, Abellio, Future Railway and Network Rail.
Fitting batteries to an electric multiple unit (EMU) allows it to go off the electrified network onto non-electrified branch lines, or into depots, or to carry on working if the infrastructure has failed. Those batteries can be recharged once the train returns to the network. The Independently Powered EMU, a joint project conducted by Network Rail, train owner Abellio and manufacturer Bombardier to prove the concept, was tested in passenger service with excellent results. (Rail Engineer issue 125, March 2015)
James Ambrose, principal engineer at Network Rail, described the project as “a game changer”. “Now we’re actually looking at the battery technology,” he continued. “We’re doing further testing on the battery technology to try and take it through to market. We’re working with DfT, we’re working with all the operators and working with manufacturers to try and achieve that goal.”
A project by Thales to install CBTC signaling on London Underground’s Northern line was highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 127, May 2015)
Contented neighbours
The award for the Most Interesting community engagement activity followed. “In an industry where most things we do impact on the local community, it is vital to work with that community,” Grahame announced. “Information gathering, forums and public consultation has become the norm now for any major project, but how the information is then delivered to the public can have a huge impact on what the public feel about it.”
Chris Leech, senior corporate adviser – transport sector, Business In The Community, was invited to the stage to present the award. Chris is leading the Station to Station event for the Queen’s 90th Celebration in 2016. The objective of this is simply to demonstrate the Rail Industry as a “force for good” in the UK, by simultaneously replicating the street party celebrations planned for the Mall on 12 June across UK train stations. Rail Media is the official media partners for this event.
Track Partnership, Transport for London and Balfour Beatty working together, was announced as the winner of this category. Over the last two Christmas holidays, Track Partnership renewed track and ballast through one of London Underground’s busiest stations. The overall station public/ workforce segregation was commended by the general station manager as there were no complaints from passengers and no-one in the station was really aware of any works going on, such was the lack of intrusion or disturbance. (Rail Engineer issue 124, February 2015)
Andy Titterton-Fox, project manager, Track Partnership, said: “The project went like clockwork from start to finish. There was a lot of pressure to finish on time, but I’m pleased to say we actually finished ahead of time.”
He added: “There were probably about 200 people per day on site for eight days. It was a complete team effort. It wasn’t just a good plan, it was great delivery. Everyone from top to bottom contributed.”
The Borders Railway, built by BAM Nuttall and others for Transport Scotland, was highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 131, September 2015)
Big bang!
“Now for a big one, in terms of size of project that is,” was how host Grahame Taylor announced the award for the Most Interesting major infrastructure project.
“What a year it has been in terms of huge projects across the country,” he continued. “The impact that these projects will have on the network will last a lifetime. As the population continues to grow and we see an increasing push on to public transport, we need to ensure that these projects continue and we build a network for the future.”
Andrew Boagey, chairman of the Rail Engineers’ Forum and a judge for the Awards, was a natural choice to make the presentation. He was obviously very pleased to announce that the award went to the team reconstructing Birmingham New Street station, which had been opened by HM The Queen that very morning!
The £600 million overhaul of Birmingham New Street has resulted in a much brighter, bigger and more modern station with lifts and escalators linking all platforms to concourse level for the first time, significantly improving accessibility and passenger flows. Designed to cope with 40,000 to 60,000 passengers a day, the station now handles around 175,000 – 35,000 more than when Network Rail started the refurbishment six years ago. (Rail Engineer issue 129, July 2015)
Speaking on behalf of the companies involved, Stephen Ashton, engineering director for Atkins, said: “It’s a real compliment to Network Rail, Atkins and Mace who have worked really well together to deliver what is a transformation to a station that really is making a difference to Birmingham as a whole.”
The judges highly commended the project to rebuild Selby Swing Bridge, undertaken by the Kier Group and AMCO. (Rail Engineer issue 120, October 2014)
Real steel
The use of new products is one way to improve how things are done on the railway, so the naming of the Most Interesting new product was eagerly awaited. Danny O’Brien of event sponsor J Murphy & Sons was to present this one.
“A new product can be anything from a widget that saves millions of pounds each year to a new train that drives heightened efficiency,” Grahame explained to a hushed audience. “By designing new products, we keep the industry moving forward, continuing to evolve and keeping up with the changing times.”
As befits such a category, there was a diverse entry list with products which included a whole signalling system (Hitachi), trains powered by fuel cells (Alstom), interfaces between new and legacy systems (Park Signalling), and new insulation for points heaters.
However the winner was a range of high performance rail from Tata Steel. Managing Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) is both costly and time-consuming in an industry that has a drive towards lower maintenance costs, shorter maintenance windows and greater track availability. To combat RCF, Tata Steel has produced HP335, a High Performance rail steel with a minimum Brinell hardness of 335HB. 600km of this new rail is now in use, delivering life cycle cost savings which equate to a seven-figure cost saving per year. (Rail Engineer issue 126, April 2015)
Daniel Pyke, Tata Steel’s product marketing manager, said: “The UK rail industry had a real problem with rolling contact fatigue. We responded by developing a piece of rail that is more resistant to that, increasing the rail life, improving the safety and reducing the maintenance. So everybody wins.”
The Oscar Helmet, a new safety helmet for track workers developed and introduced by Colas Rail, was highly commended by the judges. (Rail Engineer issue 127, May 2015)
Bill Merry, strategy and business development director at Awards sponsor Murphy, said: “These awards showcase the very best that the rail industry has to offer. We were proud to sponsor these awards, which recognise innovative technologies, people and projects from across the sector.”
Being innovative
New products shouldn’t be confused with innovation. In introducing the Most Interesting Innovation Award, Grahame Taylor explained that the award was for “an idea or best use of an idea, device, method or process that the editors have seen in the UK Rail Industry in 2015. Innovation is all about thinking outside of the box. Designing something new, innovative and above all useful!”
Ben Parry, East Midlands regional chair of Young Rail Professionals, was called up to make this presentation. As it turned out, it was a local win as RePoint carried the day for Loughborough University.
Modern signalling permits shorter headways, but nodes such as junctions and stations can significantly reduce capacity. Studying the impact of these nodes, Loughborough University asked interested parties what they wanted from a set of points. The answer was instantaneous switching, no maintenance, no failures, no space requirement, zero energy usage, no speed restriction and zero cost. RePoint is the University’s radical new switch design to help meet these needs. (Rail Engineer issue 131, September 2015)
Receiving the award, Roger Dixon, professor of control systems at Loughborough University, said: “It started out as looking at new ways of track switching, taking inspiration from other industries we’ve worked in to see whether we could remove some of the failure modes of track switches and improve the reliability and performance, and enhance the capacity.
“We’re really pleased with the award and we hope it will add also a bit of a trailing wind to helping us get over the next hurdle which is to build that full scale prototype. Over a period of time we came up with a design that was one of many but promising, presented it to industry and industry quite liked it and it kind of moved on from there.”
The Railway Industry Association’s regular series of Unlocking Innovation conferences was highly commended. (Rail Engineer issue 124, February 2015)
And finally…
That just left one award still to be given out, that for the Most Interesting thing we saw in 2015. More of a home for entries that don’t easily fit in any of the other eleven categories than an ‘overall winner’ award, the entries ranged from fire suppression in the Channel Tunnel to rope access inspections.
However, Network Rail’s managing director of Network Operations, Phil Hufton, announced that the winner was…Chris Scott, inventor.
The sense of innovation that characterised the Victorian railway age is not dead. There are still problems for which there are no off-the-shelf solutions. Chris Scott is one of the people who solve those problems, in his case particularly those involving tunnels. These include mobile crash decks, protective workforce shelters, a 10-tonne bogie for transporting materials that ran along the six-foot and an elevating platform for drilling 6,200 holes into Whiteball tunnel.
Quite overcome, first by being nominated and then by actually winning, Chris, whose clients include AMCO, Network Rail, PPS Rail and Innovative Support Systems, said he was “astounded” and humbled by the award.
With Chris being recognized, and applauded by all those present, the formal part of the evening came to an end. There was still plenty of networking to do, much of it alongside the bar, while the more party-minded made for the dance floor. Many even took a ride on the dodgems!
Everyone was complimentary about the evening, commenting that this second running of the Most Interesting Awards had outdone even the previous year’s event in Leicester. Now, they are all looking forward to the 2016 event!
Views tend to be polarised on rail privatisation. Those who consider it a failure cite high fares, increased costs Finsbury Park. and overcrowded trains. Others feel it is a great improvement over an inefficient British Rail as it has attracted more passengers and provided increased investment. As in all debates, there is some truth on both sides.
This much was evident from an address given by this year’s Chair of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Railway Division, Chris Kinchin-Smith, which was delivered at the Division’s seven centres and the Institution’s London headquarters. Entitled ‘Growth and Transformation’, it described significant improvements he had witnessed in his career and explained why long-term predictions show a continuing increase in passengers for which further transformations will be required.
British Rail transformations
In 1960, Finsbury Park became Britain’s first purpose- built diesel locomotive depot. It maintained eight of the 22 Deltic diesel locomotives that replaced 55 Pacific steam locomotives. As the depot’s senior technical officer, Chris learned many excellent practices from the depot’s management and how the Eastern Region continually increased line speeds to take full advantage of the Deltics’ ability to cruise at 100 mph for mile after mile.
In the late 70s, the East Coast service was further transformed by the arrival of High Speed Trains (HSTs). The development of the iconic HST, the world’s fastest diesel train, was probably British Rail’s best ever investment. It cost £800,000 (£11 million in today’s money) to produce the prototype, which took less than two years to build and was delivered in 1972. Next year, the IMechE’s Railway Division is to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the HST’s introduction to service, which took place on 4 October 1976.
The introduction of HSTs on the East Coast route saw depots built at Bounds Green, Heaton and Craigentinny. However, the main base at Leeds Neville Hill was a DMU and coaching stock depot with some buildings dating from the steam era on which just £20 million at today’s prices was to be invested. Chris, then the depot’s traction and rolling stock engineer, and subsequently depot engineer, described the culture change programme required, as previously it had not been a “world beating depot”. This included a huge investment in training and the appointment of shift production managers for a 24/7 management presence. A unified depot management was also introduced to make shunters and carriage cleaners part of the depot maintenance team.
In 1982, BR introduced sector management to give bottom line accountability. Primacy was given to five business sectors (Inter City, Regional Railways, Network South East (NSE), Freight and Parcels). Chris was then area fleet manager, Thames & Chiltern and later, NSE route manager, Solent and Wessex. In both roles, he experienced a changed management ethos that emphasised both growing revenue and reducing costs. Investment to grow the business included new trains on the Thames and Chiltern routes and the Bournemouth-Weymouth electrification, one of 17 electrification schemes implemented by NSE.
Privatised transformations
Although the early years of the privatised railway were a difficult time for the industry, there were successes. As a consultant, Chris worked for Christopher Garnett, chief executive of the Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), who he regarded as a visionary leader that transformed the company through customer commitment and stakeholder management. He achieved this without new rolling stock and despite the accidents at Hatfield and Great Heck.
A transformation that did require new stock was the way that the ‘red team’, Virgin Trains, had embraced the West Coast modernisation to make best use of the class 390 Pendolino electric high-speed trains. Chris had seen this whilst at the Strategic Rail Authority and noted that a significant part of the successful introduction of these trains was transforming the depots that previously had a traditional outlook. This required a lot of work to change culture and introduce lean processes.
After British Rail proposed closing Marylebone station in 1984, it was saved from closure by Chris Green, director of Network South East. Green then also oversaw an investment programme for the Chiltern route that included new trains and signalling. In 1996, the Chiltern Railways franchise was awarded to a management buy- out led by Adrian Shooter, who ran the route from 1993 to his retirement in 2011. During this time, he achieved his vision of rebuilding the Chilterns route, including its redoubling between Princess Risborough and Banbury. October saw the latest phase of this transformation, a new service to Oxford via a new chord at Bicester.
British Rail’s London Tilbury and Southend (LTS) was known as the misery line. Now, as c2c, it is the UK’s most punctual train operating company (TOC) following the delivery of Bombardier’s Electrostar trains. c2c’s confidence in its performance is such that it has an app that offers passengers instant compensation if their trains are more than two minutes late.
The final transformation example mentioned was the conversion of some of London’s forgotten railways into a full orbital route around the capital, with new trains and enhanced infrastructure. London Overground’s provision of frequent trains on this route, operating for long hours at staffed stations with no graffiti, is an impressive achievement. Transport for London has created a world- class service that would have been undreamt of twenty years ago.
Perception is reality
In his presentation, Chris readily acknowledged that his examples of transformation are, to an extent, anecdotal, and he recognised the need to quantify such successes. For this, he proposed a measure of customer satisfaction, as passengers’ perceptions are the reality. There are a number of such surveys. However, Transport Focus is the one with the largest sample size and longest track record having published national rail passenger surveys twice a year since 1999. Plotting the overall satisfaction indices on graphs for each type of TOC over this period reveals some interesting results.
Apart from a dip at the time of the Hatfield crash, satisfaction for long distance TOCs was between 80 and 90 per cent over this time. East Coast started and finished as the highest scoring TOC, although, for four years up to 2013, Virgin Trains had scored just over 90.
Of the regional TOCs, Merseyrail was consistently the highest scoring, despite its 30-year-old trains. ScotRail and Arriva Trains Wales had scores in the high eighties, whilst Northern Rail had been below eighty for the past few years, perhaps because this franchise was let with minimum subsidy.
Graphs for the London & South East (L&SE) TOCs confirm the success of the Chiltern, London Overground and c2c transformations with these three TOCs scoring around the 90 mark for the past few years. At its lowest, c2c had scored just over 50 in 2001 and, when it first operated in 2007, London Overground’s score was in the mid 60s.
Perhaps not surprisingly, at between 70 and 80 per cent, the larger L&SE TOCs have the lowest passenger satisfaction, although this is an improvement on the 60 to 70 figure of ten years ago. The current low figure is no doubt a reflection on over-crowding and deteriorating punctuality, plus the disruption being experienced during infrastructure works for the Thameslink project.
The national rail passenger survey shows what passengers want. The biggest impact on overall satisfaction is punctuality, cleanliness and comfort. As far as dissatisfaction is concerned, a poor response to delays is by far the most significant factor. To achieve a high passenger satisfaction score requires trust. This demands emotional engagement, staff excellence and making passengers feel valued or in control, for which the c2c automatic refund app is a good example.
Unpredicted unprecedented growth
Whatever Britain’s rail passengers may think about their TOCs, they have been travelling in ever-increasing numbers since British Rail was abolished in 1994. At that time, UK rail passenger miles were the same as in 1950 when the rail network was about twice its current size. Between 1950 and 1994, passenger traffic fluctuated in accordance with economic cycles and other factors. Yet, after privatisation, traffic has steadily risen with barely a blip from the 2008 recession. Now passenger numbers are twice that of 1994.
This demand has risen faster than predicted by any transport models. Moreover, it is far greater than that experienced by other Western European countries – for example, it is more than twice the growth experienced by France and Germany.
So what’s different about the UK? Why wasn’t this growth predicted and what’s wrong with traffic forecasting models? Answers to these questions are needed to understand whether this growth is to continue.
Factors driving the current growth include higher-than- forecast population growth, the boom in the housing market forcing longer-distance commuting, increases in city-centre service jobs and a significant drop in car mileage which has fallen due to rises in insurance and other running costs, changes to company car taxation, increasing congestion and reduced city-centre parking places. In fact, men in their 20s are now driving much less and an increasing number do not drive at all.
Technology has also made rail travel more attractive. The Internet offers easy advance purchase and fare visibility as well as enabling better use of time on trains. Other improvements include better revenue protection and improved car parks. Some of these factors are not easy to model.
It seems certain that a significant part of this growth is due to privatisation. This is the conclusion of economists Oxera who, in a report for the Rail Delivery Group, concluded that changes to the structure of the industry have accounted for between 25 and 75 per cent of the increased traffic. It is, however, impossible to say how the industry might have developed in the absence of privatisation.
Yet more growth?
Understanding whether this growth is to continue is essential when planning the rail network’s long-term capability. For this reason, the industry has developed a Long Term Planning Process (LTPP) with a 30-year horizon. The LTPP involves all parties concerned and considers four scenarios: ‘prospering in global stability’, ‘prospering in isolation’, ‘struggling in isolation’ and ‘struggling in global turmoil’.
Initial conclusions are that it is unlikely that the factors favouring rail will change in the short-term, so it is concluded that growth will continue. Whilst growth could vary significantly over 30 years, the required increase in railway infrastructure capacity has a very long lead-time. Hence, the industry’s strategic planning is based on the high end of the demand forecast, whilst other scenarios are used for sensitivity testing.
The LTPP outputs are available on Network Rail’s website. These include four market studies and six of the twelve planned route studies. One of these, the Wessex route study covers some of the UK’s busiest routes and it predicts a 40 per cent increase in growth on both main line and suburban services to Waterloo by 2043. Even without growth, much additional capacity is needed on the Wessex main lines as standing is now commonplace for peak journeys of up to on one-hour’s duration.
To provide the required increase in capacity, various options are considered. The principal infrastructure options include a fifth track from Surbiton to Clapham Junction, a second Crossrail from South West to North East London, and deployment of the proposed (but untried) Level 3 of the European Train Control System. Clearly providing the required capacity has huge infrastructure implications.
Trains, electrification and skills
Network Rail’s LTPP is complemented by the rail industry’s long-term passenger rolling stock strategy (RSS) (issue 115, May 2014) for which Chris is the project director. This uses the same planning assumptions as the LTPP and considers seven generic fleet types (short, medium and long distance electric and diesel, plus very high speed electric). Its low, medium and high predictions for the number of rail passenger vehicles in 2043 are respectively around 19,000, 22,000 and 25,000. This compares with the current 12,775 vehicles shown in the last edition of the RSS.
Possible electrification scenarios are considered to derive low, medium and high predictions of respectively 62, 71 and 77 per cent for total track miles electrified by 2034. This compares with the current figure of 41 per cent. Whatever the electrification scenario, the last edition of the RSS predicted that, by 2029, self-powered vehicles would be less than 10 per cent of the total. However, these scenarios are being updated following the review of Network Rail’s enhancements programme by Sir Peter Hendy and will be incorporated in the next edition of the RSS, due to be published in March.
The RSS gives manufacturers and the supply chain the confidence to develop their production capacity. It also helps create a consensus between Network Rail, TOCs, ROSCOs (rolling stock leasing companies) and Government to match infrastructure enhancement and rolling stock provision as well as highlighting opportunities for standardisation and improving value for money.
To support a significantly increased fleet size, the RSS considers future requirements for depots and berthing. It stresses the need to ‘future proof’ depots by passive provision for longer trains and also highlights the forecast shortage of engineering skills. This is a particular problem for traction and rolling stock on which 14,500 engineering and technical staff are currently employed. According to research by the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), a 57 per cent increase in such staff will be required over the next ten years as 4,900 are due to retire while a further 3,300 will be required for the extra vehicles.
To address this issue, the Department for Transport, Rail Supply Group and NSAR are developing a national transport skills strategy, to be published in January. As part of this, the Government has recently outlined plans to create more than 30,000 apprenticeships in the transport industries by 2020.
Future transformation
There is a strong consensus that rail passenger growth will continue into the foreseeable future. To meet this demand, significant infrastructure investment and a large increase in rolling stock is required. If the industry is to manage this additional capacity in a cost-effective manner, an organisational transformation will also be necessary.
As has been seen, transformations take around ten years or longer, require visionary leadership and a true partnership between infrastructure and train operators. This highlights the need for greater devolution from Network Rail such as deep alliances and joint ventures. In Chris’s view, the extent of devolution so far has been fairly shallow.
Today, UK rail has political support. Its contribution to the economy is recognised, as is the severe impact of the rail network failing to meet future demand. Forty years ago, such support could not have been imagined. In contrast, at this time France had just made a start on its high-speed rail network and had rolled out its prototype Train à Grande Vitesse. Work had also just started on Paris’s Crossrail, the Réseau Express Régional.
Projects such as HS2 and Crossrail 2 offer the required step-change in capacity and the opportunity to catch up. The challenge for the rail industry is to continue to transform itself in order to deliver this extra capacity in a cost effective manner.
So, what can you see from a high speed (very high speed) train in Italy in late October? It really depends on the weather doesn’t it. Think maybe of a late heat haze from vehicles on a parallel motorway and savour the smugness as you flash past. Or think of crisp autumn sunshine glinting off pantile roofs and sun-baked vineyards. Think of blue mountains in the background hardly moving against a silvery blue sky.
Think all you like pal! If it’s foggy, you won’t see a thing! And fog – or at least heavy mist – shrouded the line between Rome and Milan on a press trip put on especially for the Rail Engineer magazine and, it has to be said, quite a few others from the rest of Europe.
Sleek and silent
Bombardier’s press team had very generously invited us to sample the V300 Zefiro train – in their words, the world’s latest very high speed train. It’s an impressive machine with a superbly dominant nose, the end-throw of which would finish off plenty of lineside furniture in the UK. It is sleek and silent. It seemed to have a cavernous capacity for people and, above all, luggage.
European travellers don’t do luggage by halves. There were families with several trolleys, each of which was laden above head height. And yet it all vanished into the carriages with much of it landing up in the overhead luggage racks – remember them?
It must be said, of course, that much of the scope for swallowing up people and luggage is down to a structure gauge far more generous than we are used to.
Having had the temptation of just sitting back and staring at the Italian countryside effectively removed by the mist, there was time to look at the detail of this train. Much of it, of course, is hidden out of sight. We could see the obvious flexibility options when it comes down to seating arrangements, how a carriage can be converted to a variety of ‘classes’ – although ‘class’ doesn’t seem to be the favoured word these days. It’s service level.
We can feel how it rides. In short, it is very smooth and quiet. The three hour journey was a pleasant experience.
Interoperable
But what is out of sight, apart from the scenery? For a start, the Zefiro achieves complete interoperability. It is compatible with different power supplies, signalling and train control systems. This allows cross-border operation on all AC and DC-powered lines.
In September 2010, the Italian railway operator Trenitalia ordered fifty V300 Zefiro trainsets (400 carriages). The V300 Zefiro is the first train in Europe based on the Zefiro high speed train platform. This is used already in China as the Zefiro 250.
Developed jointly with a strategic partner, the V300 Zefiro meets all the latest TSI (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) requirements of most European countries.
Reaching a commercial speed of up to 360 kilometres per hour (224 mph), the V300 Zefiro is also one of Europe’s fastest trains. It comes in eight-car and 16-car configurations. The eight-car train seats up to 600 passengers and has a bistro or restaurant. The 16-car train seats up to 1,200 passengers and includes dining facilities.
Testing
Behind all the smoothness lies a considerable amount of technical testing. But how can a train be tested when there are no test tracks long enough to cater for trains travelling at sustained high speed?
It was explained to us that once the basic behaviour of, say, bogies is understood, it is possible to both model their performance and to test them on specialist testing rigs. The industry is mature enough to have a sound understanding of components up to threshold speeds and can confidently predict the effect of a slight increase. These days, with careful modelling, there are few surprises. It’s only when quantum leaps are attempted that unexpected consequences can happen.
More haste…
Milan, and especially Milan airport, has a reputation for being foggy. And so, with this in mind, many of the press party switched from the comfort of their (very) high speed train to the more sedate trundle of the suburban train heading off to the airport. This involved a confused wander around the nearby ticket machines and a retracing of steps to the departure platforms.
It’s not just fog that concealed the Italian countryside, it’s the haste of journalists that concealed the architectural splendour of Milan Station. This may not be to everyone’s taste given its pedigree, but it would have been worth the odd few minutes to linger before rushing homeward. But speed is always of the essence.
Tunnelling for the £15 billion railway was completed last May with the final two TBMs, Elizabeth and Victoria, being decommissioned. The task of fitting out the tunnels and stations, installing track, OHLE and signalling is now well under way.
Crossrail was invented to increase capacity for east-west journeys, relieving the Central and Jubilee lines as well as providing wider connectivity along the Shenfield – Liverpool Street – Central London – Paddington – Heathrow – Reading axis. The Sponsors’ Agreement was signed in 2008 committing Transport for London and the Department for Transport (TfL and DfT) to finance the scheme, with contributions from Network Rail, Heathrow Airport, Canary Wharf Group, City of London and London business. Crossrail Ltd developed the specifications, designed and is implementing the construction of the new railway through central London. On completion it will hand over the infrastructure management for the new section to Rail for London (RfL), a subsidiary of TfL. The signalling and communications contractor is Siemens. However, as regards the signalling systems on the train, Siemens is sub-contracted to train builder Bombardier. MTR Crossrail is the company holding the concession from TfL to run the trains.
Rail Engineer was invited to meet Siv Bhamra, Crossrail railway systems and commissioning director, to hear about the challenges of providing the signalling, control and communications systems.
Crossrail consists of three sections. The Central Operating Section (COS) runs from a point between Portobello Jcn and Westbourne Park in the west, and Abbey Wood in south- east London, and from Stepney Green Jcn to Pudding Mill Lane Jcn. This is all new railway and signalling for which Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) moving block signalling is to be deployed.
At the western end, Crossrail trains join the Great Western main line (GWML) and operate under the supervision of ETCS level 2 as an overlay to existing lineside signalling to Airport Jn and Heathrow terminals. For trains continuing along the GWML to Maidenhead/Reading, conventional signalling with Automatic Warning System (AWS) / Train Protection Warning System (TPWS) will be used west of Airport Jn.
In the east, Crossrail meets the Great Eastern Main line, joining into the ‘electric’ lines shared to Shenfield, also using lineside signalling fitted with AWS/TPWS.
The depots which will look after the new Bombardier-manufactured trains will be at Old Oak Common and Ilford.
Opening strategy
Crossrail will be commissioned into service on a staged basis. Stage 0 took place in May 2015 with the ‘TfL Rail’ brand taking over the existing Class 315 service between Liverpool Street main line (dubbed ‘high level’) and Shenfield.
Stage 1 in 2017 sees the introduction of the new 145 km/h (90 mph) Class 345 Bombardier Aventra trains. The units are powered by 25kV AC but there is space for third rail power equipment for possible extension of services further into Kent. The production run for this stage will consist of seven cars per train, each with three doors per side to help meet dwell times, as the platforms at Liverpool Street and elsewhere are not long enough for the final nine-car fixed formation. Platform lengthening to the standard 240 metres is under way at various stations with selective door opening provided for those stations which cannot be extended.
Stage 2 in 2018 sees Crossrail replace the Heathrow Connect service between Paddington high level and Heathrow Airport with a four trains per hour (tph) service using the nine-car Class 345.
Stage 3 takes place at the end of 2018 when trains start running on the COS from Paddington low level to Abbey Wood. Stage four in 2019 sees the opening of the Stepney Green Jct to Pudding Mill lane section, providing a through service from Paddington low level to Shenfield. In Stage 5 at the end of 2019, the final link at Westbourne Park opens to facilitate the full Crossrail service.
The need for CBTC
The planned throughput of trains per hour from central London is:
2 tph to Reading
4 tph to Maidenhead
4 tph Heathrow
10 tph to Hayes and Harlington
14 tph turning back at Westbourne Park
The total of 24 tph through the central section could potentially become 30 tph. At the east end there is a 50:50 split at Stepney Green Jcn:
12 tph to Shenfield
12 tph to Abbey Wood
The specification is for 110 second headways with 60 second dwell times at Paddington and Liverpool Street, putting trains 50 seconds apart. Independent modelling showed that this can only be achieved using a moving block signalling system. It was considered that developing ETCS Level 3 in the timescales was too risky, whilst GSM-R is a 2G system that might not be sufficiently capable. Thus CBTC was chosen for the COS.
However, the Crossrail route comes under the European interoperability regulations and hence a derogation has been secured from the Command Control and Signalling Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI). The derogation will include a commitment to migrate to ETCS Level 3 when there is sufficient confidence that a mature product can deliver the specification of the sponsors.
Siemens Trainguard mass transit system
Trainguard MT is new to the UK but has been successfully used in Beijing and Copenhagen. The schedule compiler, timetable processor, Trainguard MT units and Westrace interlockings in the route control centre (RCC) at Romford are linked to the Airlink central system router which is hard wired to a lineside Ethernet radio bus installed along the COS. Access points (AP) exchange data with the train-borne equipment using a 2.2 GHz standard Wi-Fi signal.
On board the train, automatic train operation (ATO) drives the train and automatic train protection (ATP) ensures that the movement authority is not exceeded. ATP movement authority is updated every 0.4 seconds and ATP position reporting is also every 0.4 seconds. ATO receives target arrival time for next station, updated every five seconds. ATO recalculates and drives to the most energy-efficient profile whilst meeting next station arrival time subject to movement authority.
Every effort is being made to achieve a reliable CBTC system. However, secondary train detection in the COS is provided by axle counters, which cover the use of engineering plant and failure of the CBTC train. This allows the signaller to move failed trains safely. A failure of an axle counter will not impact on the normal service if all trains are running with healthy CBTC.
Platform screen doors, supplied by Knorr- Bremse, will be provided in the underground stations for ventilation strategy and to keep heat in tunnels and out of stations so the latter don’t need to be air-conditioned. Platform screen doors and train doors are opened and closed at the same time, synchronised and controlled by the signalling system. Above each platform door will be a customer information screen.
Auto-reverse
A new facility called ‘auto reverse’ is being provided at Westbourne Park (no station) for turning the 14 trains per hour in the reversing sidings. The driver selects ‘auto reverse’ on leaving Paddington station and walks back through the train, obviating the need for drivers to ‘step-up’. By the time the train gets back to Paddington (about a mile) the driver should be in the other cab ready to form the next eastbound departure.
The facility has the capability to turn round a full 30 tph service. There is just time for the driver to walk back through the train whilst in the reversing siding but doing so on departure at Paddington gives that extra time that will also help recover from perturbation.
Auto reverse (AR) is not provided on Network Rail infrastructure. There will also be the possibility to use AR into and out of the stabling sidings at Abbey Wood so the driver will be at the correct end of the train to finish a shift or, when coming on duty, to start a new run westwards. Service trains will, however, normally reverse in the station. AR may also be used at Custom House and anywhere using crossovers in the central section.
Signalling west
Network Rail is carrying out significant preparatory works on both west and east legs of what will become the Crossrail route, funded by DfT within an investment budget of £2.3 billion. There is a major track layout reconfiguration at Heathrow Airport Jcn to provide full grade separation of trains to/ from the airport line (issue 124, February 2015). Other works include a dive-under at Acton and turnback facilities at Maidenhead. Old Oak Common is the main Crossrail depot with 33 sidings and has its own conventional signalling system. The depot is being built by Bombardier.
In a relock exercise between Paddington and Heathrow Airport Jcn, new Alstom Smartlock interlockings, with sufficient capacity to embrace the significant layout changes required to accommodate Crossrail, were introduced in 2011 replacing the previous SSIs.
At Westbourne Park the transition between CBTC and ETCS will take place on the move up to 50mph. If a westbound transition to ETCS level 2 should fail, multiple aspect signalling will still be in place (ETCS is initially provided on GWML as an overlay) enabling Crossrail trains to run on conventional signalling using AWS/TPWS under ‘NTC ‘(National Train Control).
For train builders, delivering compatibility between legacy TPWS and ETCS is challenging. However, UNISIG, the industrial consortium created to develop the ERTMS/ETCS technical specifications, has issued an interface specification for a unit they call a Specific Transmission Module (STM).
The purpose of the STM is to manage the interface between national train protection systems and ETCS to provide seamless train operation. In 2014, Mors Smitt was awarded a contract by Bombardier Rail Control Solutions to install TPWS+STM on the fleet of class
345 Aventra EMUs, providing TPWS/AWS functionality outlined in the latest GE/RT8075 group standard with the STM functionality defined in UNISIG standards.
The need for an ETCS ‘Plan B’
A number of potential risk factors exist in delivering ETCS in the area between Paddington and the Heathrow tunnel portal, including engineering resources, limited delivery experience of ETCS in UK, complexity of rail infrastructure in the area, and modifications to accommodate the new Class 800/801 trains for the InterCity Express Programme (IEP). Accordingly, ‘Plan B’ is being progressed under a £3 million contract awarded to Amey to provide Enhanced TPWS.
On the face of it, Class 345 trains could run on GWML using standard TPWS which is already provided, but the issues are complex. The route between Paddington and Heathrow is also equipped with Great Western Automatic Train Protection (GW-ATP). On the approach to every stop signal, ATP monitors the train speed profile in relation to line speed and movement authority, sounding a warning to the driver and applying the brakes if there is a digression. As there is no TPWS between Heathrow Portal and the Heathrow terminals, only Class 332 and 360 trains equipped with GW-ATP operate to Heathrow. The Heathrow Connect Class 360 service is to be replaced by a Crossrail Class 345 service. As this latter short section of route is relatively straightforward there is confidence that ETCS will be delivered on this stretch in time for the start of Crossrail services. ETCS takes train protection to a new level, continuously monitoring train speed.
The existing standard TPWS between Paddington and Heathrow Airport Junction deploys Train Stop System (TSS) loops and Overspeed Sensor System (OSS) loops at selected signals, generally those protecting junctions, to mitigate Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) risk.
However, for the purposes of the regulation, TPWS is considered a ‘train protection system’ only if it is not reasonably practical to install an ATP or ETCS system, as standard TPWS provides a lower level of protection. For the new Crossrail service, as it could be considered reasonable to provide ETCS to operate at every stop signal, it is considered non-compliant with the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 (RSR99) if this service operates with TPWS.
As the Paddington route already has ATP, and ETCS is ‘Plan A’ for Crossrail, it is apparent that existing standard TPWS would not comply with RSR99, not to mention the sensitivities in relation to the disasters at Ladbroke Grove and Southall.
Significant option analysis work has been undertaken for Network Rail to establish the way forward. Fitting GW-ATP to Class 345 trains was discounted early on due to additional costs, and risk to timescales for entry into service.
Enhanced TPWS
Following extensive review, evaluation and quantification of the levels of safety offered by Enhanced TPWS, it has been found to be commensurate with that of GW-ATP/TPWS for the proposed mix of services and rolling stock. The Enhanced TPWS project will add TSS loops at stop signals currently not fitted with TPWS (generally signals on plain line sections, thus mitigating the risk of a rear-end collision), and OSS loops designed to stop a Class 345 train short of a conflict, generally within the overlap for the signal.
Additional OSS loops will also be provided on approaches to buffer stops so as to afford an increased level of speed monitoring at these locations. All other TPWS-protected trains operating over Enhanced TPWS will have a significant benefit from the increased TPWS provision. Trains that have GW-ATP will continue to be operated and protected with GW-ATP until they are upgraded to ETCS.
Subsequent to consultation with the interested and affected parties, an application has been made to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for exemption to RSR99 for the interim period until ETCS is commissioned, for which a decision is awaited at the time of writing.
Signalling east
Track remodelling works are being carried out at Pudding Mill Lane where the COS joins the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML), Ilford (depot location), Chadwell Heath (turn back siding), Brentwood (turn back crossover) and Shenfield.
At the latter a new bay Platform 6 is being built on the Down side. Currently, Down trains for Southend Victoria cross over from the Down main to gain Platform 5, thereby blocking the path of metro trains, and then take the GEML dive-under at the country end of the station. The new track layout will allow Southend trains to cross from the Down main into Platform 4 for the dive-under without conflicting with Crossrail trains using Platforms 5 and 6.
A relock exercise will see 12 SSIs replaced with higher capacity Alstom Smartlock interlockings, which will provide the additional interlocking capacity to support the Crossrail changes.
Transition between CBTC and conventional signalling with AWS/TPWS will, for the most part, be made whilst stationary in Stratford station. There are three overlay signals in each direction. The human factors are under close scrutiny and, as drivers will be busy with station duties, the changeover will be automated, the driver only having to acknowledge the mode change and observe signal aspects before setting off along the GEML. The project team are keen to avoid a SPAD trap.
Route Control Centre (RCC)
A new RCC is being created on the second floor of Network Rail’s Romford Rail Operating Centre (ROC). The signalling overview screen is along one wall, with CCTV monitoring along the opposite side. Other functions include SCADA, OHL and tunnel ventilation controls. The MTR Crossrail train operator will have a presence.
The RCC signaller interface is Siemens VICOS, with the overview screen displaying the whole of the Crossrail route. However, the signaller can, of course, only signal trains on the COS. Signalling controls for the west and east sections are located at Thames Valley Signalling Centre and Liverpool Street IECC respectively.
The COS junctions are controlled by Westrace MkII interlockings and simple automatic route setting will be used. A rule-based suggestions screen will give the signaller options in the event of an incident. The signaller can change minimum dwell times at stations and trip times which all go through the train regulation system to ensure even interval spacing of trains in the COS and right time presentation to Network Rail. This data is passed to the train and the ATO calculates optimum speed profile and maximum acceleration, and will coast as long as possible before braking.
At Abbey Wood there will be a simple interface with the Network Rail signalling system for the transfer of engineering trains.
RSSB (Rail Safety & Standards Board) has been engaged to prepare operating rules for the COS, which will need to reflect the special characteristics of the central section whilst maintaining consistency with relevant national rules where possible.
Siemens also holds the contract for communications networks including SCADA, CCTV, radio systems, and public address.
A backup control centre will be available in a separate building should anything happen to the Romford facility.
Integration testing
The new trains are currently being manufactured at Derby. In the spring of 2016, the first trains off the production line will be taken to RIDC at Melton Mowbray (Network Rail’s Railway Innovation Development Centre – formerly the Old Dalby test track). Single train testing will be done to prove all the train systems including the transitions and wayside systems. Design work is complete for a Thameslink-style integration laboratory based in London to test all the software including the wayside signalling and GWML and GEML interfaces.
And finally, in late 2017, the section of route between Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood will be able to be used for extensive live testing of the CBTC systems with multiple trains.
Thanks to Siv Bhamra and Jonathan Osgood from Crossrail, and to the Network Rail Crossrail programme, for help in the preparation of this article.
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